Farhad has been with BM for 20 years and is considered one of the most active and talented experts in the domestic legal market. He has an impeccable academic background and has represented major domestic and international clients in various complex projects in Azerbaijan and CIS region as well as in a number of cross-border transactions. His main areas of expertise are energy law, project finance, and real estate.
Farhad is among a few Azerbaijani lawyers actively representing local and other clients in foreign markets on major cross-border deals; he is in charge of the Firm’s presence in London, UK.
Prior to joining BM, Farhad worked as a legal expert for various commercial entities, law firms, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and public companies. He has employment and training experience outside Azerbaijan, including at the Paris office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.
Farhad is listed among top lawyers in Azerbaijan by leading international legal directories such as Chambers Global, Legal 500 and IFLR 1000. He has been recommended as “a person capable to resolve most complex issues”.
Education
Mrs Frangiz Baghirova was among the founders of the Firm and has over 30 years of legal practice experience. She specializes in litigation matters with an emphasis on real estate, inheritance, and family laws. She has been marked as one of the leading female litigators in Azerbaijan with the best winning score.
Mrs Baghirova is also actively engaged in charitable activity and provides pro bono legal services to the old and orphans.
Her experience enlists numerous cases of successful representation, individuals and companies, alike.
Education
Languages
Azerbaijani, Russian, and Turkish
Leyla Safarova joined BM effective August 2013.
Leyla has been practicing law for over ten years having started at one of the leading international law firms in Baku and was involved in dispute resolution, intellectual property (IP) and corporate compliance and governance practice groups.
She represents various international clients in Azerbaijani courts in connection with, among others, IP (trademark, patent, domain name, and counterfeiting), labour, tax (social tax), and real estate disputes, as well as recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. Besides that, Leyla represents international clients before the intellectual property agency in connection with trademark oppositions.
Her experience includes advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, financial lease of aircraft, and Eurobond issuance.
Leyla is recommended by legal directories as a next generation lawyer.
Education
Languages
Azerbaijani, English, Russian, and Turkish
Delara Israfilova joined BM in 2003 and is a partner as of 2013. She specialises in project financing, oil & gas, telecommunications and general corporate matters.
Delara has been a member of the core-team of lawyers from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan advising the consortium of major oil companies in connection with the project of transportation of the Kazakhstani oil via the Caspian Sea and the territory of Azerbaijan to international markets through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan system.
Her experience includes advising a Western lender on its pioneer project in Azerbaijan on negotiating of the Emissions Reduction Purchase Agreement (ERPA) in Azerbaijan and its registration as a “project participant” in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as contemplated by the Kyoto Protocol. Delara traditionally participates in advising foreign lenders including major overseas banks in connection with extending secured and unsecured loans to major domestic industry participants.
Delara has been listed among top lawyers in Azerbaijan by Chambers Global, Legal 500 and IFLR1000, leading international legal directory, and is recommended as academically minded and very knowledgeable lawyer.
Education
Languages
Azerbaijani, Russian, English, French, and Turkish
Mustafa joined BM in 2009 and has years of legal experience in Azerbaijan and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Mustafa specialises in the area of IP and legal protection of cross-border investments; his industry group focus is consumer product industries and telecommunications. He provided Azerbaijani advice to the Russian railway operator to ensure safe and valid transfer of IP rights of its subsidiary. He is an author of articles on IP rights, which are published in the International Lawyer magazine of the American Bar Association and the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice.
Mustafa advised a large international tobacco brand on various issues related to, among others, the import, sale, certification and advertising of tobacco products and also various HSE, corporate and labour law issues arising under Azerbaijani law.
Education
Languages
Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Turkish, and Arabic (basic)
Mehri graduated from the faculty of law of the Naxcivan State University in 2009. She worked as a legal consultant for Azariqaz Production Unit, now a subsidiary of SOCAR, for three years prior to joining BM in 2012.
While working for Azerigaz, Mehri gained valuable legal knowledge and experience together with an exposure to inner mechanics of an Azerbaijani oil and gas sector company.
Most recently, Mehri has been busy with employment law matters for clients, including attending to matters of inspections by the labour inspectorate.
Education
Languages
Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and Turkish
Sabina has gained legal experience in the public and private sectors prior to joining BM.
During her studies, she participated in various local and international moot court competitions. Her team was the winner of the “Topchubashov Moot Court Competition” in 2019. In the competition, the memorandum she co-authored was awarded the nomination of “the best memorandum”. She was also a member of the team representing Azerbaijan in the “Telders International Law Moot Court Competition” organised by Leiden University of the Netherlands.
Sabina provides legal advice to the clients at BM on corporate matters and day-to-day activities, among others.
Education
2021 – LL.B., Law, Baku State University, Republic of AzerbaijanLanguages
Azerbaijani, English, and Turkish
Shams joined “BM Morrison Partners” LLC in 2023 after three years in a district court.
She was the best memorandum winner of the “Case Study” project organized by The European Law Students’ Association Azerbaijan in 2023.
Education
2023 – LL.B. in Law, Baku State University, Republic of Azerbaijan
Languages
Azerbaijani, Russian, English, German (intermediate)
Rahim advises the Senior Partner on key legal matters across BM Morrison’s core practice areas, with a particular focus on business development initiatives. He helps expand BM Morrison’s presence in both local and international markets, contributing to strategic planning, relationship management, and outreach to prospective clients, aiming to align legal services with evolving market needs.
Rahim brings a uniquely international perspective to his legal practice, having gained experience in both Germany and the United States.
He has developed a sharp legal and strategic mindset through his work at some of the world’s most respected institutions — most notably at Allianz, the world’s largest insurance company.
As part of the Legal & Compliance Division, he was involved in managing corporate governance, interpreting EU regulatory frameworks, and advising on internal governance mechanisms.
In addition to his corporate experience, Rahim has contributed to high-level legal work in both public and private sectors across Europe and Azerbaijan. He served as a Legal Officer at the German commercial law firm Seitz Weckbach Fackler & Partner, where he advised clients on cross-border commercial matters and supported legal structuring for mid-sized European companies.
Rahim also worked at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). As a Legal Assistant, he participated in an international legal research project under the 83rd session of the CEDAW Committee, focusing on compliance reporting and treaty-based obligations.
Education
2024 — LL.M. in International Law, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany
Graduated with academic excellence
DAAD Scholarship recipient – awarded as the sole Azerbaijani law graduate of the year
2024 — Summer Exchange Program, Università di Bologna, Italy
Specialized in International Litigation
2023 — LL.B. in Law, Baku State University, Azerbaijan
Graduated with academic excellence | Two state scholarships recipient
2022 — Exchange Semester, Legal Studies, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, USA
Fully funded by the U.S. Department of State, SUSI for Global Student Leaders
Languages
Azerbaijani, English, German, Turkish, Russian (elementary)
Prior to joining the firm, Anvar gained experience at a local attorney’s office, where he was involved in administrative, civil and criminal matters, as well as at the Baku Commercial Court, where he reviewed commercial cases and drafted procedural documents.
He was actively involved in the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), both locally and internationally, organizing moot court competitions and legal simulations, and served as Vice President for Moot Court Competitions in 2024/25.
Education
2025 – LL.B. in Law (with honours), Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
2025–2027 – LL.M. in Labour Law and Social Security Law, Baku State University
Languages
Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian, English, German (basic)
