Mr. Shaikh represents U.S. and foreign sponsors, lenders, government agencies, contractors and other participants in the development, financing, acquisition, sale, or restructuring of a wide variety of infrastructure projects. He has advised on projects in the energy, petrochemical, steel, paper, telecom, sports arena, hotel, real estate and other industries in the U.S., and in over 20 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe. Several of these projects involved foreign governments and Export Credit Agencies. Mr. Shaikh advised the World Bank in the first project investment of its Prototype Carbon Fund, preparing the model contract for subsequent emissions credits generating projects. He has also worked with other multilateral institutions.

Additionally, Mr. Shaikh has advised new and emerging companies through their initial development and financing. He is experienced in banking, securities, derivatives, and general corporate matters. Mr. Shaikh serves as co-leader of the firm’s South Asia practice team, and the firm’s Iraq Reconstruction team. He has substantial on-the-ground experience in several parts of Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. He has published and presented extensively on international transactions and foreign affairs topics.

Mr. Shaikh was formerly an investment banking Associate in the Derivative Products Group of Bankers Trust, and an Analyst in the Fixed Income Division of Goldman Sachs.

Mr. Shaikh is admitted to practice law in New York and California only; he is not admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.

Education

J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1992
magna cum laude, Order of the Coif; Senior Notes Editor, Georgetown Law Journal; John M. Olin Law & Economics Scholar; Jessup Moot Court Competition-Atlantic Region Champion, International Finalist

B.A., International Relations, Yale University, 1986
cum laude, with distinction in the major

Admissions

State of New York, State of California

Law Clerk: The Honorable William C. Conner, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (1992-93)

Intern: U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (1992 Honors Program)

Board of Directors: Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund  (AALDEF)

Business Advisory Committee:  American Council on Germany (ACG)

Board of Advisors: National South Asian Bar Association (NASABA)

New York Bar Association Committees: Project Finance (present); Council on International Affairs (2001-2006)

Affiliations

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE); Arab Bankers Association of North America (ABANA); Yale Alumni Committee; Council on Foreign Relations (Corporate Member)

Notable Pro Bono/Community Affairs: Chief Counsel to a successful 1997 ballot initiative in California that changed state education policy; Research for Bosnian War Crimes Tribunal

Selected Publications

“International Project Finance ” in PLI International Corporate Practice (pending - co-author)

“The New Iraq Banking Law – Summary of Key Provisions,” October 27, 2003 (see link under Publications below)

“Factoring Iraq’s Shi’a Communities” (pending publication)

“Guide to Key Sources of Risk Mitigation in International Project Finance” March 2000

“Private Sector Participation in Airports: 3 case studies” AirFinance Journal, Spring 1999

“A Theoretic Approach to Transnational Terrorism” 80 Geo. L.J. 2131-74, 1992

Speaking Engagements

Several Major Iraq Reconstruction Conferences, July 2003 – Present, including: 

Outreach 2004, Amman, Jordan (1,200 attendees):  “Iraq's Legal Environment”
Association of Corporate Counsel of America, 2003:  “Banking & Finance Reform”
New Fields Iraq Conferences, 2003-2005:  “Contracting for Reconstruction”
Presenter at 5 additional Iraq Reconstruction Conferences, 2003-2005

NASABA Annual Conference, 2005 ("Doing Business in South Asia")

Infocast Project Finance Conferences, 1999-2003 (“Negotiating Key Project Documents”)

South Asian Bar Association Conference, 2001 (Keynote Address)

American Council on Germany, Young Leaders Conference, 2001 (“The Finality of Europe: Following Fischer into a European Supra-State”)

The Indus Entrepreneurs Conference, 2000 (Moderator)

Asian-American Bar Association, 2000 (“Key Lessons of the Asian Financial Crisis”)

Asian-American Leaders Summit, 2000 (Speaker)

U.S. AID, Conference on South Asia (Panelist)

Constitutional Rights Foundation Banquet (Speaker)

Occasional news and television commentator (New York Times, ABC, others)

Featured Articles

Featured in the New York Law Journal Article “Learning the Ropes in a Global Economy” July 20, 2001, covering Mr. Shaikh’s selection as a 2001 Young Leader.

Also featured in numerous South Asian publications (1998-2003).

Honors

2006 & 2007 “New York Super Lawyer” (Law & Politics Survey)

2001 Young Leader - American Council on Germany (1 of 25 Americans selected)

Leadership Award - Asian American Bar Association, NY

John M. Olin Law & Economics Scholar

Rotary International Award

Firm Publications

Reconstruction of Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority Issues Order Number 40 Adopting New Banking Law Modeled on Western Bank Regulatory Approach, 07-Nov-2003

External Publications

“Project Finance”, International Corporate Practice - A Practitioner's Guide to Global Success, PLI Corporate and Securities Law Library, Nov 2007