Syed Mansoor Ali Shah

Syed Mansoor Ali Shah is the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court.^[1]

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was elevated to the bench in 2009 and has since authored several judgments on constitutional law, human rights, administrative law and environmental sustainability. He takes keen interest in judicial and administrative reforms and has spearheaded case management and court automation systems at the Lahore High Court and in the District Judiciary in Punjab. He has helped re-engineer Punjab Judicial Academy in order to improve judicial training and capacity building for the judiciary and the ministerial staff. He is currently working on developing the first ever ADR Centre at Lahore in order to provide alternative dispute resolution platform for the litigant. He lays special emphasis on research and has been the force behind setting up the Lahore High Court Research Centre (LHCRC).

Justice Shah has a Masters in Law from University of Cambridge, UK and a Masters in Economics from the University of the Punjab, Pakistan. He is an accredited mediator from CEDR, London.

Educational Qualifications

Accredited Mediator CEDR UK 2010. B.A/M.A. (Law) Cambridge University, U.K. (Downing College), 1989 91. M.A (Economics) - University of the Punjab, Lahore, 1988. LL.B - University of the Punjab Law College, Lahore, 1986-88 (Gold Medal). B.A (Mathematics and French), University of the Punjab, 1984. High School - Aitcheson College, Lahore, 1968-1981.

Judicial Activities

Member, Board of Trustees, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore. Member, Advisory Board of Ahmad Hassan School of Law, LUMS, Lahore. Member, Board of Management, Punjab Judicial Academy. Member, Administration Committee, LHC.

Pre-elevation activities

Member, Faculty Selection Committee of National Law University, Islamabad. Board Member, WWF (Pakistan) - (2007–2009). Appointed by FBR as Chairman, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee-II for Income Tax from 2005 to 2007. Board Member of Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL)-2003 to 2006. Board Member of Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (Ufone)-2003-2006. Appointed Vice President (Punjab), Pakistan Environmental Law Association (PELA) on 17th Oct, 2002. Member, Steering Committee for setting up School of Law and Policy at Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Consultancies

Reform of Gujranwala Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA-G) - design of institutional framework and corporate structure. Preparation of legal regime pertaining to planning and development in Punjab for the Urban Unit - an attached organization of the Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab - 2007. As legal consultant for Central Board of Revenue (CBR) (now FBR) organized and conducted roadshows, seminars, workshops and simulation techniques in association with British ADR experts and trainers on Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Bar of England and Wales in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad - April, 2006. Prepared a Consolidated Report on The Regulatory Environment of SMEs, for SMEDA, Lahore. December, 2002. Worked as a legal consultant for South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) Taskforce on a Common Investment Strategy. A legal review and analysis of the regulatory framework for investment in Pakistan and Bangladesh (2002). Legal Consultant to Pakistan Centre of Philanthropy (PCP) for developing the new NON PROFIT LAW for Pakistan-Nov, 2001 till June, 2002. Consultant to Task Force constituted by the Federal Government Reform of Value Added Tax in Pakistan. (Sales Tax in Pakistan) 2000-2001. Drafted the law for SMEDA (Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority). Resource Person on City of Lahore Management Programme (sponsored by ADB and NESPAK).

Legal Education/ Teaching

Adjunct faculty for Environmental Law class at LUMS Law School 2008 2009. Professor in Constitutional Law at the Civil Service Academy, DMG Campus, Lahore 2000 till 2009. Adjunct faculty in Business Law & Advanced Business Law, MBA Programme, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore 1994-2005. Adjunct faculty in Business Law for EMBA Programme at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) 2003-2005. Professor in Constitutional Law at Pakistan College of Law, Lahore 1999 2004. Professor in Mercantile Law and Administrative Law, Pakistan College of Law, Lahore 1996-1998. Taught courses on Legal Aspects of Project Management, Stock Markets and How to Start your Own Business at the Rausing Executive Center, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore during 1996 and 1998. Professor in Mercantile Law, Punjab Law College, Lahore 1991-1995.

Seminars/conferences/workshops

Speaker at Strengthening Environment Law Capacity in the SAARC Region on the subject of climate change (April–May 2008, Kathmandu, Nepal). Speaker at Strengthening Environment Law Capacity in the SAARC Region on the subject of Corporate Governance and Environment at Nalsar Law University-April 2008, Hyderabad, India. Attended Brainstorming workshop on Strengthening Environment Law Capacity in the SAARC Region-Feb 2008, Delhi, India. Delivered lectures at the MC Mehta Foundation on the State of Environment in Pakistan and attended sessions on environmental science and state of environment in SAARC countries-October/November, 2007, Eco-Ashram, MC Mehta Foundation in association with IUCN, Rishikesh, India. Organized Better Air Quality Workshop in Lahore, 2004 to propose a comprehensive strategy for the city of Lahore. The recommendations were later on adopted by the Lahore High Court in its judgment on air pollution reported as PLD 2007 LAHORE 403. Programme Director of Seminar on UNDERSTANDING WTO Preparing for the Future, 26–28 January 2004, REDC, LUMS, Lahore. Instructor for three sessions on the Regulatory Framework of NGOs in Pakistan at the Training of Trainers Programme: The Capstone Module-Cohort-I held under LUMS-McGill Social Enterprise Development Programme, Lahore (June 24, 26 and 27, 2003). Instructor for three sessions on the Regulatory Framework of NGOs in Pakistan at the Training of Trainers Programme: The Capstone Module - Cohort-1 held under LUMS-McGill Social Enterprise Development Programme, Lahore. (July 14–26, 2003). Delivered lecture at the National Defence College (NDC), Islamabad on Reforms in Subordinate Judiciary and ADR under devolution, 18th Nov, 2002. Lecture on Jurisprudence of the WTO-Legal Framework at the 77th National Management Course at the Pakistan Administrative Staff College, Lahore on 26.9.2002. Conducted the Law Component of Institutional Capacity Building Programme for Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, June 24–29, 2002 at Rausing Centre, LUMS, Lahore. Workshop Director: Relief for Taxpayers Workshop on Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000 at Rausing Centre, LUMS, Lahore, 11 May 2002. Workshop on the Code of Good Corporate Governance, 29 April 2002 (Islamabad), 2 May 2002 (Lahore) organized by LUMS, ICAP and SECP. Workshop Director of "Art of Writing Judgments" for SECP-April 19 & 20, 2002. Conducted a four-day workshop on Law for Business Executives at Rausing Centre, LUMS, Lahore, 4 to 7 March 2002. Conducted a two-day seminar on "The New Income Tax Law 2001"-Jan, 2002 at Rausing Centre, LUMS, Lahore. Conducted a two-day seminar on Institutional Capacity Building Performance for Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (Lahore, March, 2001). Conducted a four-day seminar on Institutional Capacity Building Performance for Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (Lahore, February, 2000). Conducted a Seminar on the Legal and Taxation Problems of SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) at LUMS. (November, 1999). Conducted a one-day Seminar on Legal Aspects of Construction Contracts to the Executives of Attock Oil Pakistan, 1995. Training on "Understanding EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) from screening to decision-making" at the Centre of Science and Environment, New Delhi, India, August, 2007.

References