Personal bio
As the Vice President and Senior Lawyer of RIAA Barker Gillett’s Kabul office, I managed a team of five lawyers and provided legal advice and representation across all aspects of corporate law, project law, commercial law and dispute resolution. Zahid is a highly experienced senior lawyer maintaining a Band 2 ranking in General Business Law by Chambers and Partners (Global and Asia Pacific) in 2019, 2020 and 2021. His experience spans multiple practice areas including investment, project finance, mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, corporate & regulatory compliance, contract, competition, consumer protection, tax and labor law. Zahid has regularly advised international clients (including Microsoft, Facebook, World Bank, IFC, ADB, Citibank, Commerzbank, TPCL, The Washington Post, Associated Press, National Geographic Society, TRACE International, the Central Asia Institute, MSF, ICRC, FINCA, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Serco, the ECHO-European Commission) across multiple industries, such as infrastructure, power and mining. He has served as counsel for lenders as well as project companies. In addition to his private practice, Zahid has been at the forefront of developing Afghanistan’s PPP and Expropriation Laws. He is also an arbitrator and has presided as an arbitrator in three commercial disputes. He holds undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in law and has authored and co-authored multiple legal publications. Zahid has attended and participated in multiple legal conferences around the world. Being multilingual, Zahid is fluent in English, Dari, Pashto and Urdu. He also has mid-level Arabic language skills. In 2021, Chambers and Partners mentions of Zahid: According to one source, "he is a very smart corporate and commercial lawyer in Afghanistan," while another interviewee says that he is "extremely knowledgeable."