The Art of Law

“Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.”

Truman Capote

As lawyers our work involves a lot of writing. Be it writing opinions or preparing briefs, claims and pleadings, we are constantly writing. We are satisfied to do good legal work and make no pretense that it is either art or that we are artists. We leave this judgment in the hands of our clients and associates.  However, we do strive to emulate in our work, arts central tenet: creativity. As lawyers, we need to be creative: providing legal solutions necessitates creativity. This is where perhaps art and law meet.

When the United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) approached our Firm in 2014 to author a Chapter on the Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Pakistan for the Doing Business Guide, we decided our written advice ought to be supported by the visual element of creativity. After all, providing legal solutions to our international clients and associates in Pakistan for the last 50 years has been and continues to be nothing short of being creative.

In order to deliver our idea we decided to collaborate with a renowned Pakistani artist, Naiza Khan whose “transcendent power of art manifests itself with shining clarity”.

Naiza Khan trained at the Ruskin School of Art, Oxford. Her work has been widely exhibited internationally, including Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT9 2019), Art Basel Hong Kong (2017), Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2016), Hanging Fire: Contemporary Art from Pakistan at the Asia Society, New York; and her first solo museum exhibition, Karachi Elegies, at the Broad Museum, Michigan, 2013.

Working with Naiza we chose “Between the Personal and the Collective: A slideshow of selected works of Naiza Khan” which appeared in the Doing Business Guide and encapsulates Pakistan’s modern art scene. We have now related our website through Naiza’s art.  The works use a variety of media ranging from ink and latex on wood, water color, large format oil painting, to digital C-type print and galvanized steel and fabric sculpture works. In her work Naiza explores a range of visual motifs: the majestic sea; the city’s urban landscape and its architectonic detail; historic document and journal text. Naiza’s work has emerged from specific locales and time frames but has wider global resonance.

We are pleased that Naiza Khan chose to assist us. One of the most enjoyable aspects of assembling the personal collection for the Doing Business in Pakistan project has been getting to see her broad range of works first hand. We extend our sincere thanks to Naiza and encourage you to visit her website: