2015 Legal Awards

http://www.acquisition-intl.com/2015-legal-awards M&A awards 38 LEGAL awards ~ Best Commercial Barrister - UK Tahir Ashraf is Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn and an alumnus of the University of Oxford, and brings his unique commer- cial acumen and life experience to the Bar. He enjoys his work in commercial law “because it encompasses a broad range of legal areas relating to business. My corporate law work includes helping clients with company structure, agreements, contracts, banking, alternative fuels and energy, mergers & acquisitions as well insolvency and intellec- tual property law matters” he explains. “I assist clients from a diverse background. I work with solicitors and industry clients. My recent clients in- clude those at the cutting edge in the automotive, banking and energy and transport sectors. I also work with small to medium sized businesses” he adds. The major challenges currently facing the legal industry and the major outside influence factors are character- ised by two crucial aspects according to Ashraf. The first is regulatory and the second is emerging technolo- gies. He goes on to explain: “Insofar as regulation is concerned, previously the lines of professional services were clearer with the Law Society Regulation Board pre-2007 or Solicitors Regulation Authority for the Solicitors Profession and the Bar Standards or Barristers Profession. These lines have blurred over the last few years with the advent of direct access and in Alternative Business Structures which have opened the legal sector to external businesses. This has seen the emergence of private equity investment into law firms as well floatation on the stock market. “Conversely, many barristers remain firmly wedded to the traditional ways of the Bar. The crucial challenge therefore, is for the legal profession to continue to provide a better service to professional and lay clients in an evolving business landscape. “Turning to technology, as a significant outside influence factor, technology is here to stay. It has and contin- ues to transform the way in which we now communicate. Particularly when compared with five or ten years ago. One example of where this can be seen are the Rules concerning Civil Procedure, service of documents. Ten years ago, deemed service by ‘other electronic method’ was the second day after the day it was transmit- ted. In 2015 deemed service is on the business day it was sent if it was before 4.30pm, or the next business day after the day on which the document was sent.” In closing, Ashraf outlines the attributes a commercial barrister should possess in order to become truly successful and be able to provide the best possible service to clients. “The ability to understand intrinsically a client’s business is most certainly a key to the success of a good commercial barrister. A focus on the needs of the particular client’s business certainly helps me to provide a more practical solution to a particular problem. The ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with clients and solicitors is also a fundamental attrib- ute to become a truly successful commercial barrister.” Name: Tahir Ashraf Email: [email protected] Web Address: http://tahirashraf.co.uk Address: 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, London, WC1R 5AH Telephone: 07830 729959 Tahir Ashraf