What’s worse than being in court? If you ask most people, it’s having to go through the process of hiring a lawyer and dealing with the court system. But Lahore lawyer Raheel Qureshi isn’t like most people—in fact, she’s making real, diverse changes in the Pakistani court system that may make the legal process easier and fairer than ever before.
Personalized Legal Service
Too often people are afraid to go to court because they don’t know what will happen. In Pakistan, this fear is even greater because of all the corruption that happens within the system. That’s why I’m proud to say that I am one of the few lawyers @https://www.burhanlaw.com/ in Lahore who provides legal services without any conflicts of interest. I believe my clients deserve a lawyer who will work hard on their behalf and will not push them into making any concessions they feel uncomfortable with. My clients know that they can always contact me 24/7 and we can talk about their case as many times as necessary before our first meeting. This enables them to make fully informed decisions about their case at every stage of litigation.
Lahore is the capital of Pakistan. It’s population has grown exponentially over recent years. It’s estimated to have over one million people living there now. But as more and more people come to live in and around it, there isn’t enough space for lawyers. And that means many people are just going without legal advice or representation. They don’t know their rights; they don’t know what they can ask for or whether they’re entitled to anything at all. That’s why I’ve started my own personal legal service here in Lahore – because sometimes you need someone who knows how to fight your corner when all you see are walls closing in on you.
Accessibility
In an interesting twist of fate, Zahra Khalid has found her calling. She went to law school with every intention of following her family’s footsteps and becoming a doctor like her father. But when she saw how much time he spent practicing medicine and realized that she wanted something different for herself, Khalid switched gears and became one of the first female judges in Pakistan. And now she can be found sitting on benches all over the country as she travels to rural communities to help people who don’t have access to justice.
Khalid started working as a judge when Pakistan was transitioning back from military rule after years of dictatorship. She was hired by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to help develop their judicial system, which had been largely influenced by British law.
Listening
Our blog series highlighting lawyers across Pakistan has been going on since last year. Today we are pleased to introduce you to Advocate Javed Iqbal.
Javed has recently taken up an associate role with Karim Khan’s law firm in Lahore as part of his efforts to make a real and diverse change in Pakistani courts.
I believe that our society can be changed by empowering young people, especially women and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This can only be achieved by giving them opportunities and creating opportunities for them, said Javed.
I am fortunate enough to have received these opportunities through my education which I would like to extend to other deserving students.
Advocacy For both Man and Woman
Many attorneys practice law at a large firm or are employed by the government. In many cases, lawyers are not able to make as much of a difference as they would like to because their client’s problems do not have anything to do with them.
However, Mr. Malik has been practicing criminal law for over 25 years and has seen first-hand how his clients’ lives have been altered by one single event that was out of their control. He is dedicated to changing this cycle through his advocacy work and making sure that people can move on with their lives after being convicted of crimes.
For women in Pakistan, justice can be hard to come by. In a country where females face sexual harassment and abuse on a daily basis, they are often hesitant to report these crimes because of the harsh penalties they face if they are convicted. Many women have no access to justice at all because many cases go unreported. A lawyer from Lahore has been fighting for this change by working with victims of violence and teaching them about their legal rights. He also helps bring cases to court with his team of volunteers. As he works to make Pakistan more equitable for women and other marginalized groups, he hopes that one day the law will not be your enemy.
Collaborative Approach
Lahore has been home to Shoaib Ghauri since he was born. While living there, he found that it was difficult to find an attorney who could speak Urdu or Punjabi. He decided to start his own law firm so that people from all over Pakistan could get access to justice.
He founded Shoaib Ghauri Associates and now the staff can speak English, Urdu, Punjabi and Arabic. Additionally, he employs women for support staff which is rare for Pakistani law firms.
Ghauri does not just work with Pakistani clients but also Indian and Bangladeshi ones as well. He wants to make sure that everyone can access his services no matter what their religion or background might be.