Capital Development Authority (CDA), Islamabad, is recruiting a Director General (Law) on a merit-based contract. This is a senior legal appointment requiring both law degrees and substantial High Court practice, rather than an entry-level opening for any law graduate.
Deadline: use CDA’s portal date
When checked on 10 October 2026, CDA’s public job portal displayed 27 October 2026 as the deadline for this role. The jobz.pk summary gives 30 October, while the reproduced advert says to apply within 20 days of the advertisement. Use the employer portal’s displayed date and check it again before submitting; do not rely on the job-board estimate. A closing time was not shown on the public job card.
Role facts
| Item | Information supported by the sources |
|---|---|
| Employer / location | Capital Development Authority, Islamabad |
| Position | Director General (Law); official portal listing 57 |
| Appointment | Merit-based contract; the advert states an initial two-year period, with possible further extension if required. It gives no vested right to regular appointment or extension. |
| Qualifications | LL.B. and LL.M. from a recognised university. An LL.M. from a foreign university is preferred. |
| Experience threshold | At least seven years as an Advocate of the High Court, plus the litigation and legal-work conditions explained below |
| Maximum age | 50 years; the advert says age relaxation applies as per Government policy, without specifying an amount in the displayed notice |
| Processing fee | Rs. 8,000 for each post applied for; the portal also displays 8,000 PKR for this role |
| Salary / vacancy count | A salary figure and numerical vacancy count are not specified in the reproduced advert. One named role is shown; that is not evidence of a particular number of seats. |
Who meets the advertised requirements?
The advert requires both the LL.B. and LL.M. It does not present these as alternatives. A foreign LL.M. is a preference; the notice does not say that only foreign-degree holders can apply.
- At least seven years’ experience as an Advocate of the High Court.
- Substantial litigation experience, as well as transactional and corporate legal work.
- Substantial litigation before the High Court and other courts, including a minimum of two reported judgments and appearances in at least 30 cases before the High Court.
- Strong legal research, drafting, advisory, negotiation and case-management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead a legal department, supervise external counsel, develop litigation strategy and advise senior management.
In-house legal experience in a Government department or public-sector organisation is preferred. Experience in constitutional, commercial, corporate, regulatory, employment and/or public-sector litigation is described as an added advantage.
Build an evidence checklist before applying
Job7u preparation guidance: compare your record with the individual conditions rather than relying on a broad total of years in legal work. Seven years in a different legal capacity is not automatically seven years as a High Court Advocate.
| Requirement to check | Preparation that may help demonstrate it |
|---|---|
| Both law degrees | Check that your qualification record includes LL.B. and LL.M.; keep the relevant degree documents ready. |
| High Court practice | Set out your relevant practice dates and supporting records clearly. Do not relabel other employment as High Court advocacy. |
| Reported judgments and appearances | Prepare an accurate index of the two reported judgments and at least 30 High Court cases, identifying your role. Follow the portal’s document requests; do not upload confidential client material without a proper basis. |
| Department leadership | Identify relevant examples of managing a legal team, counsel or litigation strategy, where your records support them. |
This worksheet is preparation advice, not an additional CDA document requirement. The advert’s application instructions list scanned attested educational documents, experience certificates, a recent photograph, pay order, CNIC and domicile. Applicants already serving in Government-sector organisations must submit a departmental NOC with the application. Shortlisted interviewees must bring original educational and experience documents and attested copies.
How to apply through CDA
- Open the official CDA available-positions page and locate Director General (Law). Recheck its deadline and any updated instructions.
- Use the role’s View Details / Apply Now controls. The details route required login during our check; applicants should follow the employer portal’s own account and application process.
- Prepare the stated documents and complete the online application. The advert says applications received by post, courier or email will not be entertained, and incomplete applications will not be entertained.
- Follow the portal’s current fee instructions. The advert’s fee section says a PSID / QR code is generated on successful submission and the Rs. 8,000 fee must be paid through a banking app. Its document list also mentions a pay order. Confirm that document/payment requirement with CDA if the portal does not resolve it; do not assume that a second payment or a different payment route is required.
- Retain your application reference, submission confirmation and fee receipt. Submit before the employer’s displayed deadline rather than waiting for the later job-board date.
The advert supplies 051-9252995 for queries during office hours and [email protected] for further queries. These are enquiry contacts, not permission to submit an application by email. CDA’s public portal warns that interview emails from domains other than @cda.gov.pk should be considered fake.
Selection and contract points
Only shortlisted candidates meeting the criteria will be called for a written test/interview. The advert states that no TA/DA is admissible. CDA reserves the right to cancel the advertisement or increase/decrease the number of posts. A two-year initial contract should not be described as a permanent appointment or a guaranteed extension.
Sources and review
- CDA public available-positions page: checked on 10 October 2026; showed Director General (Law), contract, maximum age 50, fee 8,000 PKR and deadline 27 October 2026.
- CDA role details, listing 57: reached from the public card; required login during this check.
- jobz.pk discovery listing and its readable reproduction of the CDA advert, PID(I) 3244/26: used to check the detailed qualifications and instructions. The advert is linked, not reproduced on Job7u.
The public card did not display a separate correction notice during this check. The deadline difference and pay-order/PSID wording are disclosed above. Recheck the official source before applying or paying, and report a correction with source evidence if the notice changes.