Manahil Gilani is an Associate at ABS & Co’s Lahore office where she works as part of the Corporate and Commercial Practice as well as the Litigation Practice. 

In the past two years she has provided advice and guidance to China Gezhouba Group Companies, Engro Corporation Limited, and Koh-e- Dahleel in relation to various legal issues. 

She is a vital part of the team providing opinions to government entities such as The Water and Sanitation Agency on various employment and constitutional issues, while representing the same before multiple legal forums. 

She has advised the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council (ECAC) on making substantial amendments to the Electronic Transaction Ordinance 2002, including providing consultation on tabling those suggestions at the UNICTRAL’s 62^nd Session. She has drafted regulations for Peer-to peer lending platforms in addition to providing advisory services to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s Regulatory department on the matter. 

Additionally, she was on the team that provided China Guandong Tobacco Co. Limited, with a comprehensive legal risk assessment report and other legal consulting services regarding the entry of its heated non-combustible products and appliances into the local market. 

She has also formulated a comprehensive Legal Report on the Startup and Freelancing Ecosystem of Pakistan, covering recommendations for Legislative Measures to improve the ecosystem for the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan. 

Additionally, she regularly advises companies/ startups offering tech-based services on their licensing, financing, and contractual arrangements such as GoldFin Limited, Tez Financial Services Limited, Booking Advisor Private Limited, and WebDOC Pakistan. This includes drafting convertible debt notes, SAFE Agreements etc. It also entails getting approvals from the requisite regulatory authorities for Licensing of Non-Banking Finance Companies, Digital Insurance Companies etc. 

She has been involved in three Merger and Acquisition Transactions in which her scope of work included conducting a comprehensive legal due diligence of the parties involved, structuring the transactions, and obtaining requisite approvals from the Competition Commission of Pakistan, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, and the State Bank of Pakistan.