New York: A New York-based Pakistani American attorney Zarar Sehgal has been declared as “Lawyer of the Year for Team of the Year 2014 in Asset finance and leasing category by Legal 500, the world’s largest legal referral firm.
Sehgal’s honour was formalised at a dinner in New York City on Wednesday. Legal 500’s awards are based on the opinions of the 250,000 in-house lawyers that it contacts throughout the year, and the in-depth research that its team conducts into law firms.
Sehgal is a partner and the co-head of the Global Asset Finance Group at Clifford Chance NY, the world’s largest law firm by revenue. He represents lenders, operating lessors, government agencies, swap providers and underwriters in connection with a wide variety of transportation and other asset-related transactions. Both Chambers and Legal 500 have recognized him as a leader in his field.
In 2013, Sehgal set a record for being the first person under 40 and the first Pakistani to achieve the distinction of being among the US top 10 lawyers in the Asset Finance category in Band 1, conferred on him by Legal 500 and the US Chambers. Both Legal 500 and the US Chambers Law Directory are recognised as the world’s most prestigious legal guides, recommending firms and individuals purely on merit.
The prestigious World Economic Forum (WEF) selected Sehgal as a Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2010. He is also the president of The Citizens Foundation (New York), a non-profit organisation which focuses on raising funds for TCF schools in Pakistan. Sehgal also voluntarily provides legal help to indigent people.
Obtaining his school education from Karachi Grammar School, Sehgal is a graduate of Georgetown Law School and Boston University and a member of the New York Bar.
Sehgal is married, and lives with his wife and three children in New York. He is the son of noted Pakistani defence analyst Ikram Sehgal.
