- The event was hosted at Kensington Palace London by Mr Sarosh Zaiwalla, Founder and Senior Partner, Zaiwalla & Co. LLP,
- Several high-profile dignitaries including, The Commonwealth Secretary-General: Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, Baron Cope of Berkeley and Baroness Royall of Blaisdon were present at the party
- The event also was held in celebration of the firm’s recent case win where damages worth $1.6bn USD against the UK Government were claimed on behalf of Iran’s largest private bank – Bank Mellat
22nd July 2019, London: Zaiwalla & Co. LLP, the international law firm based in the City of London hosted their annual summer party at Kensington Gardens London. The party was an extravagant affair attended by several high-profile dignitaries including The Commonwealth Secretary-General: Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, alongside John Ambrose Cope, Baron Cope of Berkeley, and Janet Anne Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon. Besides prominent political figures, the guest list comprised of renowned academicians including the Director of Development of Oxford University India Centre Sara Kalim as well as foreign diplomats and ambassadors including the High Commissioners of Tajikistan, Nigeria, Turkmenistan, representatives from the Embassy of Latvia and Azerbaijan and the Minister of the Republic of Korea.
Founded in 1982 by Mr. Sarosh Zaiwalla, the first Asian individual to establish a law firm in the City of London, Zaiwalla and Co. LLP has been involved in over 1,200 international litigations and arbitrations in the fields of Energy, Maritime and Construction. Previous clients of the firm range from the President of India, the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Iranian Government to the Bachchan and Gandhi families in India. Zaiwalla & Co. solicitors benefits from the expertise of a strong international team, including specialists in the laws of Russia & CIS, China, India, Middle East and Iran.
The firm was recently in the news for leading what is known as one of the biggest sanctions cases in history. Zaiwalla & Co. represented Bank Mellat, Iran’s largest private Bank which had been unlawfully sanctioned by the UK government under the Financial Restrictions (Iran) Order, pursuant to the powers granted to it by the 2008 Counter-Terrorism Act. The 2009 Order prohibited UK financial institutions from having any business relationship with Bank Mellat. In a landmark judgement the Supreme Court decided that Bank Mellat had been irrationally singled out, and the elimination of its business in London was a disproportionate response to the Treasury’s stated goals. Following the judgement, the firm settled $1.6bn USD damages for Iran’s Bank Mellat against the UK government in June 2019.
Expressing his delight at hosting the gathering, Mr. Saorsh Zaiwalla, Founder and Senior Partner of Zaiwalla & Co. LLP said, “It gives me immense pleasure to have hosted this wonderful gathering of such esteemed personalities from the legal, political and Indian-diaspora community. From a humble beginning 35 years ago, Zaiwalla & Co. has come a long way in establishing a strong reputation as a leader in the legal industry while cementing India-UK ties simultaneously. The recent success of the Bank Mellat case settlement has significantly added to the celebrations and we hope that we keep working as a team to achieve similar milestones in the future.”
The event was hosted at Kensington Palace Gardens, which ranks amongst the Royal Parks of London.
