2009 Directory of Indian Law Firms
Transcript of 2009 Directory of Indian Law Firms
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Intelligence report
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Indias legal market
July/August 2009 41
Intelligence report
Plusexpert analysis of the legal market
Editorial analysis: page 42
Directory of law rms: page 48
Indias legal market
India Business Law Journals
2009Directory of
Indian Law Firms
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The Indian legal market is buzzing with talk o animminent upswing ollowing 12 months o struggle.Some rms have thrived on recent challenges while
others have kept a low prole, waiting or work to return.Most agree that law rms in India have not suered as
much as their overseas counterparts. Weve beneteddue to our size, says Abhishek Saxena, a partner at 10month-old Phoenix Legal. There hasnt been a greatamount o slowdown, its mostly anecdotal, he adds.When youre riding the wave, you become blas about
any bad news.Indias story is not that bad, agrees Ravi Nath, a partnerat Rajinder Narain & Co. Our banking system is intact, wehave a healthy consumer base and producers in India areless dependent on exports.
Any sector that has potential in the rural areas wasnot aected, says Sunil Seth, a partner at Seth DuaAssociates. For example, most telecom companies areexpanding their businesses in India and are actually look-ing at going down to the grassroots level and spreading tosmaller towns.
Others say that maintaining a general practice has insu-lated their rms rom the eects o the crisis: We neverrelied on a single branch and instead handled a variety
o matters such as IP, M&A, property matters, litigationand dispute resolution, so we elt no eect, says VikramTrivedi, managing partner o Manilal Kher Ambalal & Co, acentury-old Mumbai rm.
Costs and benefts
The downturn helped us in diversiying our revenuestreams and recruiting new talent, says Rajat Sethi, apartner at S&R Associates. For Phoenix Legal, the down-ward spiral was also a blessing in disguise. We were ableto have the undivided attention o senior executives who
would otherwise have been too busy to listen to us com-municate our vision as a law rm, says Sawant Singh, apartner based in the rms Mumbai oce.
While the ebulliant mood at most law rms in New Delhiand Mumbai suggests that India is on the road to recovery,others say the worst is not yet over. Work has risen, but itdoesnt mean revenue has, says Ranjeev Dubey, manag-ing partner at N South. You cant make money o peoplewho are broke. Dubeys rm was previously known asNDLO South and was aliated with New Delhi Law Oces.
However, it changed its name earlier this year when NewDelhi Law Oces was reorganized ater the departure oPS Dasgupta, one o its main partners.
The nal phase o recession is yet to come, agrees ManojSingh, managing partner at Singh & Associates. Im alreadybeing deensive. Were conscious about new costs and weare cutting costs. Well hit rock bottom in six to 12 months.
Firms relying on transactional work have certainly eltthe impact o the slowdown. Work has been dull, admitsShobhan Thakore, a partner at Talwar Thakore & Associates.Were operating at hardly 50% o our capacity, althoughluckily, because o our size, weve had no layos and wehavent really suered.
The troubles aficting law rm clients have translated into
pressure on their law rms to replace billable hours withxed, fat or other alternative ee structures. Clients are ina stronger position now; they are delaying payments, look-ing at alternatives to hourly billing and they have the powerto impose numerous conditions, says Pooja Yadava, anassociate at PSA Legal Counsellors. Its rustrating anddisappointing when clients dont pay or delay paymentsater months o work. Clients are even delaying paymentswhere xed fat ees are concerned.
Some irms have lowered rates to help their clients.Good clients are not asking or discounts, says SumeetKachwaha at Kachwaha & Partners, although our Europeanclients are taking ve months to pay instead o one month.
Chinese clients like to bargain like mad.Cost pressures have benets or lawyers, too: with cli-ents taking stringent action to recover their unds, there hasbeen an increase in corporate nance, debt restructuring,asset reconstruction, employment layos and companyclosures.
Delhi-based Associated Law Advisers recently advisedRolls Royce on its restructuring activities in India. The rmis also working on another restructuring deal or an aliatecompany in the same group. Dismantling, rebuilding andreorganizing have replaced the ervent acquisitions andcapital expenditure o yesteryear. Completed deals haveblown up into new matters, explains Saxena at PhoenixLegal.
Painul lessons
Corporate governance has taken a battering, with theSatyam debacle generating international criticism o
After surviving months of economic turbulence, Indian lawyers
are priming themselves for the legal markets resurgence
and the chance to lead distressed clients to safety
Vandana Chatlani reports
We never relied on a singlebranch and instead handleda variety o mattersVikram TrivediManaging PartnerManilal Kher Ambalal & Co
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Indian standards o independent directorship, account-ing and auditing. Every day was a war, says AmarchandMangaldas partner Pallavi Shro, whose irm deployed15 proessionals to work on saving the ractured IT out-sourcing company rom complete collapse. We had tounderstand what Satyams visions and deals were, analyseits contracts and its people. The process was closely moni-tored by the Company Law Board, the Indian governmentand independent counsel investigations. It was hugelycomplex we were dousing res one by one.
The need or transparency and accountability andgood corporate governance need not be urther reiter-ated. I expect some improvement in this area, says Ramni
Taneja, a partner at the Law Oce o Ramni Taneja.Private equity also suered last year, with unds drying
up and nancing options scarce. However, not all areas othe sector were adversely aected. The small transactionsanywhere rom about US$3 million to US$20 million havenot been aected at all, notes Sanjay Asher, a partner atCraword Bayley & Co.
Lawyers say the growth potential or private equity isphenomenal, especially in agriculture: Funds are now onlylooking at agriculture, they are no longer sector-agnostic,says Manishi Pathak, a partner at Kochhar & Co. A politi-cally sensitive sector, agriculture is a major contributor toIndias huge subsidy bill. The government has announced
plans to rehabilitate the ailing Fertilizer Corporation o Indiaand Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation by reviving up to eightclosed plants in an eort to reduce dependence on importsrom overseas.
Corporations that have incurred severe losses elsewherein the world are now closely examining entry strategiesinto India to revive their businesses and regain lost capital.Some law rms have reported resh investment activity romEurope with companies expressing great interest in settingup Indian subsidiaries. They are keeping the growth actorin mind and looking at long-term returns, explains SumesDewan, a partner at KR Chawla & Co.
New legislation
With the implementation o Indias new Competition Act,competition law has become an important area o practiceor many Indian law rms. It will be a steep learning curveand clients will have to be told in very concrete terms what
is permissible, says Alka Bharucha, a partner at Bharucha& Partners. Most important, says Bharucha, is that properprecedents are set beore the Competition Commission oIndia (CCI) in order to help the law evolve properly.
Currently many competition complaints are rivolous,laments Anand Pathak, a partner at P&A Law Oces, who
recently provided the CCI with training on merger control.The multiplex dispute was a genuine one, but there havebeen others which are more like consumer disputes, hesays. A undamental challenge will be trying to get regula-tory authorities amiliar with competition principles.
Some lawyers insist that domestic companies in par-ticular need education about the new regulations. Anyonewho wants to grow inorganically rather than through green-eld expansion will be impacted, says Saxena at PhoenixLegal. The Tatas, Birlas and Reliances will denitely beaected.
Sridhar Gorthi, a partner at Trilegal, suggests that mostIndian corporations will see the competition regime as sim-
ply another set o rules to be complied with: Indians areno strangers to regulations and authorities. They are usedto reporting to authorities to gain the necessary approvals.So they will perceive this as a necessary process, not ahurdle.
Law rms have their own concerns, with the governmentannouncing that lawyers are now liable to pay a 10% tax ontheir services (see Mukherjees mixed bag, page 34). Whilethe tax excludes sole proprietors and legal advice to indi-vidual clients, law rms with corporate clients are set to eelthe pinch. There is no justication or why we shouldntbe taxed, but there are double standards, argues SeemaJhingan, a partner at LexCounsel. Our services are notacknowledged; we are not allowed to advertise and mar-
keting is prohibited. Even worse, it is unair on our clientsbecause it makes our services more expensive.
While some lawyers prepare to ght the new service tax,others are evaluating the new LLP Act, which nally allowslaw rms to structure themselves as independent entities,limit the liability o their partners, and crucially, expandbeyond the current 20-partner limit.
On the one hand you want to encourage partnershiprms by permitting LLP practices, but on the other handyou tax such practices but exempt individual lawyers,laments Chander Lall, managing partner o IP specialistLall & Sethi. Will this not push lawyers to go back to pro-prietorship concerns?
Aaron Solomon, a partner at Solomon & Co, predicts that
Fancy structures have ailedand lenders are now in searcho real hard securities
Abhijit Joshi
PartnerAZB & Partners
None o the Indian bankshave ailed!Sumes DewanKR Chawla & Co
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a considerable number o leading law rms will convertrom their existing structures to this new model.
The act can change the legal market quite substantially,says Haigreve Khaitan, managing partner at Khaitan & Co.It will give Indian rms the chance to expand.
Banking and fnance
As the dark clouds o the nancial storm descendedworldwide, inancing became increasingly diicult toobtain. Fancy structures have ailed and lenders arenow in search o real hard securities, says Abhijit Joshi,a partner at AZB & Partners. Structures have unwound
due to the current circumstances and there is brewingdiscomort or deals that were overly structured, addsGorthi at Trilegal. There is now less tolerance or edgystructures.
The Reserve Bank o Indias additional rules on cross-border lending have seen ewer loans to Indian companiesand subsidiaries overseas, observes Mona Bhide, a part-ner at Dave Girish & Co. With international banks cageyabout lending, Indian banks are increasingly stepping in toprovide unding: in one example, the State Bank o Indiain New York provided a guarantee or a US unding, saysDewan at KR Chawla & Co.
None o the Indian banks have ailed!, Dewan adds.
Even the Indian branches o international banks such asDeutsche Bank and HSBC have been untouched by thenancial crisis. Indian banks are becoming more active asglobal players previously they were only providing loansdomestically.
Although the heavily regulated domestic banking systemhas resulted in more gain than pain over the last year, Bhidebelieves lack o experience among Indian bank ocials isa weak point. Many bank ocers in India are still novicesat their work, she says. The State Bank o India hastaken measures to improve its sta capabilities, but morechanges are needed. YES Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI and otherprivate banks are doing superbly with their well-educatedemployees.
The Pensions Act is likely to prove another promisingactor or the nancial services sector this year. Its a low-key development but it will generate substantial revenuethrough insurance and pension companies, says HemantSahai, managing partner o Hemant Sahai Associates.
Capital markets
Capital markets practices received a battering last year,with activity in the area severely curbed. Capital marketsis dead, became a constant rerain, still recited by somelawyers even now, although in act international listings
are picking up speed: Avon Corporation has listed onthe Luxembourg Stock Exchange and global depositoryreceipts are coming back, says Dewan.
Indias general election, which resulted in a stable coali-tion government, has boosted market sentiment, with qual-ied institutional placements, oreign currency convertiblebonds and initial public oerings all showing signs o aslow recovery. In one example, timeshare rm MahindraHolidays & Resorts, part o the Mahindra conglomerate,went public in late June in the rst equity oering by amajor group in 15 months.
Taxation
Indias 2009 budget promises much work or the countrystax lawyers. Fringe benet tax has been abolished and planshave been put in place to introduce a national goods andservices tax (GST) by April 2010. The move has been widelywelcomed, particularly by oreign investors who have longhad to grapple with a web o overlapping taxes, most owhich were separately legislated, levied and litigated.
The way Indian tax is structured, you have a lot goingagainst you i youre a oreign investor, notes Akil Hirani,managing partner at Majmudar & Co.
Mergers and acquisitions
M&A work has been lacklustre over the last year.According to Gorthi, India witnessed a precipitous all indeal volumes, with negotiations breaking down on pric-ing due to changing promoter expectations. Glimpses oopportunity are impeding deal fow, he says. While marketsentiment has improved, lawyers still expect a ull recoveryin the sector to be several months away. There have beenbursts o renetic [M&A] activity, but the volumes are justnot there, says Bharucha. Nevertheless, strategic M&Adeals are slowly regaining avour, with long-term prospectsbeing careully considered.
Deal activity has started to pick-up, says Vishal Gandhi,managing partner o Gandhi & Associates. However, this
time around, deals are taking longer to close; parties arenot in a hurry.Premnath Rai, managing partner o PRA Law Oces (or-
merly known as Premnath Rai Associates) believes investorcaution is peaking: Clients are reraining rom outright pur-chases and now preer to buy a majority stake and purchasethe balance over a period o time. The involvement o a com-panys current owners continues. In Rais experience, thisstrategy is aimed at minimizing risks, maximising businessopportunity and ensuring that the entire burden does not liewith the purchaser, as in the case o an outright takeover.
Intellectual property
IP has seen mixed activity over the last year. Fresh l-ings have dropped dramatically, says Manisha Singh-Nair,a partner at IP specialist Lex Orbis. Singh-Nair believes theconsumer market and levels o research and developmentare linked: There is a lack o consumer purchasing power,
There have been bursts orenetic [M&A] activity, but thevolumes are just not there
Alka Bharucha
PartnerBharucha & Partners
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or at least a slowdown, so there are ewer ilings. Thelaunch o new products is also on hold and directly resultsin a research and development slowdown.
As standard IP work stalls temporarily new issues areemerging, including violations and inringements on theinternet. Conventional principles o law are now being
applied to new business models. For example, in thepharmaceutical litigation sector, much activity is takingplace. Innovator pharmaceutical companies are increas-ingly aware o their rights and are being met with a goodsuccess rate in enorcing them, explains Pravin Anand,managing partner o Anand and Anand.
Patent inringement matters are steadily rising in India,but many argue that enorcement mechanisms are strug-gling to keep pace with demand. Designated IP courtsare needed judges require clarity o concept, not justknowledge on how to read sections, says Hemant Singh,a partner at INTTL Advocare. He urges quick reorm: IPowners ace huge commercial injuries which are never
properly compensated because the damage is intangible.The government must change the law o damages in IPand the manner in which the damage has to be proved.Quick disposal is the key and it is lacking.
The detection and prevention o inringement alsorequire action, having been generally ineective. Indiahas ollowed European and global border measures butIndia has ignored some very undamental provisions,says Singh. The European model places the entire bur-den on the importer.
Amarjit Singh, managing partner o Amarjit & Associates,highlights another problem: the entrance o unquali-ied proessionals attempting to launch IP practices.According to Amarjit Singh, ull-service law rms which
seek to move into IP whether by setting up IP depart-ments or hiring senior IP lawyers risk ruining IP lawaltogether. These incompetent IP divisions are spoilingthe IP practice. They do not understand IP and they areunmindul o the precedents they are setting and the dam-age they are causing to IP.
Litigation and dispute resolution
Almost every Indian lawyer with a litigation practice hasound some solace during the economic crisis. There hasbeen an increase in litigation and arbitration, says Suchitra
Chitale, a partner at Chitale & Chitale Partners. However,Joshi points out that clients motivations are not alwaysclear: More than resolution, its a negative tactic. Thosestuck with lopsided contracts will want delays, which liti-gation tends to create. They are not necessarily looking toresolve their disputes.
Dispute resolution has gone rom bad to worse, saysLalit Bhasin, managing partner o Bhasin & Co. Thenumber o cases both in courts and in arbitration is goingup considerably without any satisactory disposal. The rateo disposal continues to be dismal.
People dont understand the Indian legal market, addsRanji Dua, managing partner o Dua & Associates. 98%o the proession is in the courts and work there has notdiminished. People are no longer able to enjoy the luxury orivolous litigation this may be the silver lining o the eco-nomic crisis. Litigation produces more robust lawyers, butcorporate work produces more money. In ve years youllnd lawyers going back to robust counsel, back to a little
o that proession ater the dirty linen o the nancial crisishas been washed.
Deence
Strengthening the deence sector which has receivedwidespread media attention, particularly since the US-Indiadeence pact was signed on 20 July (see News, page 12) is a core priority o Indias new government. This yearis going to be a turning point or the Ministry o Deence,says Priti Suri, managing partner o PSA Legal Counsellors.Foreign capital or the procurement o arms and ammuni-tion has bounced back in 2009 ater slowing last year, whiledeence clients have been extremely active in examining
India entry strategies. Deence procurement has receivedrenewed government emphasis.
Players like Thales, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin andRaytheon are hankering or a share o the Indian deencemarket. They are seeking opinions on various clauses,o-setting or contracting to Indian parties and ForeignInvestment Promotion Board applications, says GautamKhaitan, managing partner at OP Khaitan & Co. Nuclearand deence work are huge vistas that have come in,adds Dua.
Energy and inrastructure
Indias dire need or improved inrastructure continues topropel the development and unding o projects and pub-lic-private partnerships (PPPs) in the sector. Pursuant tothe budget, inrastructure has been put on high priority government policy has bolstered this sector, and the PPPmantra is progressing, says Venkatesh Prasad, a partnerat J Sagar Associates.
Power, transport, water, roads, highways, ports, sanitationand housing have been underlined as major concerns. Thegovernment is trying to revive core industries, says RaviSinghania, managing partner o Singhania & Partners. Theappetite or large investments exists in strategic sectors.
The major port at Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh hasbeen commissioned, as has the Mumbai Sea Link, says
Darius Udwadia, a partner at Mumbai-based Udwadia &Udeshi. But other major inrastructure projects, or exam-ple the Kannur airport, have been put on hold or are on ago slow.
Jhingan at LexCounsel has encountered diculties with
Clients are reraining romoutright purchases and nowpreer to buy a majority stakePremnath RaiManaging PartnerPRA Law Oces
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power projects. We havent been able to do in the powersector what we managed to do in telecoms, she says.Weve been disgusted by bureaucracy in India. The Dabholproject has stifed the power revolution in India. There is arealization now o what weve done. The government istaking measures to address the lethargic power sector. TheMinistry o Power is revising bidding documents or ultra-mega power projects as large as 200 megawatts, says saysSom Mandal, managing partner at FoxMandal Little. Wehave seen a lot o queries rom Japan about investments ininrastructure. Bijesh Thakker, managing partner o Thakker& Thakker in Mumbai, also highlights the enormous potentialor inrastructure opportunities through economic resource-sharing partnerships between India and Canada.
Green energy solutions such as biomass, solar power,wind and hydro projects represent another key growth area.However, problems with purchasing arrangements continueto plague these initiatives. Power purchase agreementsare dicult to obtain, we need to be able to get them at aaster pace, says Mandal. We have the technology, it is thenancing that is the problem. The government should run apilot project and sponsor such initiatives, coming up with asystem o subsidy or the rst ve years.
Retail
Investors overseas continue to keep their eye on the retail
market in India in anticipation o urther liberalization in thesector. Yet there in disagreement over how internationalretailers are aring. Luxury brands are doing well, saysThakker. DKNY, Tods, Givenchy, Dior and Louis Vuitton areall expanding in India.
Thakore disagrees: With the slowdown, spending powerhas disappeared. Argos has ended its plans with the Rahejas,Mothercare is virtually exiting and luxury-brand stores areempty. You dont see a single soul in there. High-cost prod-ucts are a niche market. The Indian consumer at the end othe day looks or value or money. Thums Up is still moreprotable than Coke today.
According to Thakore, consumers who can aord to travelwill buy their merchandise overseas: I a luxury brand opens
three stores in India, is that really a business model? Thereis total uncertainty as to whether multi-brand retail will bepermitted and the way in which real estate with regards toretail works is unclear. No one can plan a business model onthat basis.
Real estate
Despite the recent slump in the real estate sector, some law-yers believe there is great potential or a revival. Real estatedevelopment has to continue, argues Hamid Moochhala,a partner at Wadia Ghandy & Co. You have to house the
whole o India, so that work will continue. The prime ministeris or aordable housing, so there are a lot o innovative ideascoming in. With this boom, steel and raw materials will growimmensely.
Education and healthcare
Until recently the education sector was rarely talked aboutby Indian lawyers. However, the anticipated deregulation othe sector is expected to pave the way or oreign universitiesto set up in the country. This will be a very, very big area opractice once the sector opens up, says Dewan. Initially,private equity investors were looking to put their unds in
biotechnology and IT, but over the last year all o them wantto invest in education and healthcare, agrees Jhingan.Education is dismal in India, but I dont think we will seemuch de-regulation in this nancial year. Nothings a windallin India; the government wants to play it sae. However,Jhingan adds The oreign education bill is expected in par-liament very soon.
We have a very large young population in India, so reormswill bring enormous opportunities in the sector, says RustamGagrat, managing partner at Gagrats.
Healthcare is another emerging sector. In the rst quarter othis year, YES Bank, advised by PRA Law Oces, arrangedthe Rs5 billion (US$100 million) debt requirement o GlobalHealths multi-specialty hospital project in Gurgaon. The
1,250 bed hospital, to be known as Medicity, is promoted byrenowned cardiac thoracic surgeon Naresh Trehan.
Pathak at Kochhar & Co explains that medical tourism isanother recent growth area. Indian institutions are tying up withAsian travel and hospital entities to provide high-quality medi-cal treatment in India, which patients can enjoy at lower coststhan in the West. The services are oten bundled together withholiday packages, providing a boost or the countrys traveland hospitality industry, a sector in which a wave o develop-ment and consolidation would be widely welcomed.
Currently, except or a ew big players, the hospitality sec-tor is more or less an unorganised one, says Ashish Bhakta,a partner at Kanga & Co. There is a dearth o hotels, adds
Weve been disgusted bybureaucracy in IndiaSeema JhinganPartnerLexCounsel
Nuclear and deence work arehuge vistas that have come inRanji DuaManaging Partner
Dua & Associates
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Saxena at Phoenix Legal, and great pressure in this areabecause such accommodation and luxury acilities will bea critical element or the success o the CommonwealthGames, which India will host in 2010.
Legal process outsourcing
No analysis o Indias legal market would be completewithout considering a new breed o legal service provider, thelegal process outsourcer, or LPO. Multinational companiesare increasingly seeking to slash costs by outsourcing theirlegal work, and India has emerged as the preerred destina-tion or such services. Rio Tinto is but the latest high-prolecompany to outsource its work to India (see News, page 13),suggesting that LPO providers can expect a steady increaseo work over the next ew years. While LPOs celebrate,some more traditional lawyers remain sceptical. I am totallyagainst legal process outsourcing, says Suri at PSA LegalCounsellors. Its really not the practise o law. Ultimately it
all boils down to saving on costs. Theres no challenge andIm completely against templates. Even i its a trademarkapplication, i oreign countries are involved, there are oreigndirect investment concerns, prior search, etc. Theres somuch to consider beyond the template.
Suri concludes: LPO is a good business proposition orsome, but to me, the practise o law has always been aboutthe thrill o standing in court in ront o a judge and puttingorward an argument to help the law evolve. There is no appli-cation in legal process outsourcing.
LPO providers will keep going up the value chain, saysNath at Rajinder Narain & Co. Clients will think, Why notoutsource? However, progress stops intellectually and nan-cially at an outsourcing operation ater ve or eight years.
Not all lawyers are critical o LPOs. H Jayesh, ounderpartner at Juris Corp, believes the industry provides scopeor worthy innovation in legal service provision: There is themerit o someone not involved in a matter, dispassionatelyreviewing something that is the real high-end work.
The outlook or law frms
For many Indian rms, the downturn has provided a wel-come opportunity to reorganize and restructure. Delhi-basedLuthra & Luthra, or example, has implemented a radicalshakeup o its partnership and governance structure. Therm is converting to a lockstep model o partnership which
will see salaried partners take a share in the equity. I amconvinced that it will enhance and widen our growth trajec-tory, said Rajiv Luthra, the rms managing partner.
Many other rms have implemented similar changes andthere is widespread agreement that the level o proes-sionalism among Indian law rms is increasing. But despitethe improvements, some observers claim that more needsto be done to bring Indian law rms up to the standards otheir international peers.
From Dubeys perspective, Indian law rms continue tooperate as a group o sel-serving individuals, regardless otheir structure. There are no law rms, they are lies, its amyth, he says. Its a bunch o proprietors. Fragmentation isthe nature o the beast and a compulsion o the market.
Gautam Khaitan takes Dubeys criticism urther: We arenot disciplined in our transparency and attitude, he says.We are a group o proprietors that work together. In India,the thinking is always I should get more than I deserve.
The Indian mindset is one o a troubleshooter there is
a lack o proactive advice, says Manoj Singh. But this ischanging into more consultancy-driven advice rather thansimply remedial or corrective measures.
We still have a long way to go, adds Haigreve Khaitan.Indians have great ideas but poor systems o execution.
A key actor motivating the drive or greater proessional-ism is the perceived threat that Indian law rms ace romtheir international counterparts. Although still prohibited romopening oces in India, oreign rms continue to nd innova-tive ways o tapping the countrys burgeoning legal market.Many have created large India teams in Singapore, Londonor Hong Kong, while others have ventured into the marketthrough the establishment o tie-ups with local rms.
The most recent tie up is that between Clyde & Co and
Mumbai-based ALMT Legal (see News, page 6). It ollowsa string o similar deals such as those between AZB &Partners and Cliord Chance, Talwar Thakore Associatesand Linklaters, and Trilegal and Allen & Overy. There isspeculation that many o the tie-ups may lead to ull-scalemergers i and when such moves are permitted.
Cooperation will happen, says Dua at Dua & Associates.However, merging is not necessary. I youre successulyoure not greedy.
The alliance model will not be the norm, predicts Akil Hirani:There will be cherry-picking or lawyers, not rms, it will be aree-or-all where people, not entities, will be the ocus.
Brus Chambers partner Shrikant Hathi oers a dierent
view: The main purpose o oreign rm tie-ups in India is tohave their work processed more cheaply, like a legal proc-ess outsourcing operation, not to win Indian clients. Its allabout the labour arbitrage.
Who needs a tie-up? asks Nishith Desai, managingpartner at Nishith Desai Associates. Weve conned our-selves to highly complex matters and o our clients, 70%are international why would we need another law rm?
The drive or greater proessionalism and the question owhether and how to cooperate with oreign rms are justtwo o the issues that will weigh heavily on the minds oIndian lawyers over the coming months. However, manywill be spurred on by the promise o a rosy uture or Indiaand its legal proession.
In the short term, things look gloomy, but things lookbright in the long term, says Joshi at AZB & Partners.Every cycle has a challenge and opportunity. A success-ul business practice has to be able to survive both highsand lows. g
We are not disciplined in ourtransparency and attitudeGautam KhaitanManaging Partner
OP Khaitan & Co
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Advani & CoEstablished in 1986
ContaCtdetails
10 Thakur Niwas, Level 2173 Jamshedji Tata Road
Mumbai - 400 020India
Telephone: +91 22 2281 8380+91 22 2281 8381+91 22 2281 8382
+91 22 2202 1347Fax: +91 22 2286 5040
Email: [email protected]: www.advaniandco.com
Contact:Mr Hiroo AdvaniSenior Partner
Key practice areas: Arbitration & mediation; corporate mergers &
acquisitions; intellectual property rights; due diligence; private equity;
litigation; debt recovery; conveyancing.
Number of partners: 4
Number of associates: 25
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Other ofces: Pune (branch ofce); Bangalore; Chennai; New Delhi
(associate ofces)
Advani & Co is a single source solution with the highest ethical standards,
meeting key attributes of efciency, quality and timeliness of deliverables. We
provide legal aid with highest ethical standards. We are proactive advisers
who contribute experienced legal services of international quality with the
necessary local insight.
Asia Pacifc Legal 500, the foremost directory of law rms, recognized us as
the leading arbitration law rm in India. Chambers Asia 2009 has given us a
top rank for dispute resolution (arbitration).
ALMT LegalEstablished in 2000
ContaCtdetails
4th Floor Express TowersNariman Point
Mumbai - 400 021India
Telephone: +91 22 4001 0000Fax: +91 22 4001 0001
Email: [email protected]: www.almtlegal.com
Contact:Mr Sameer Tapia
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; banking & project nance;
private equity; real estate; tax; private client; employment and immigration;
intellectual property; litigation & arbitration; shipping; aviation; telecoms;
insurance; sports; media & entertainment.
Number of partners: 15
Number of associates: 100
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Other ofces: Bangalore; London
We pride ourselves on our Indian expertise and international capability.
Given the rms availability to provide advice seamlessly through its ofces,
ALMT is uniquely situated to assist clients on all matters relating to Indian
law and jurisdiction. ALMT provides advice on matters relating exclusively
to Indian law.
Where required, ALMT works together with international law rms,
accountancy practices and a variety of professional advisers to provide
clients a complete legal solution.
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Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shrof & CoEstablished in 1917
ContaCtdetails
New Delhi
Amarchand Towers216 Okhla Industrial Estate
Phase IIINew Delhi - 110 020
India
Telephone: +91 11 2692 0500Fax: +91 11 2692 4900
Email:[email protected]
Contact:Mr Shardul S Shroff
Mumbai
Peninsula ChambersPeninsula Corporate ParkGanpatrao Kadam Marg
Lower Parel (West)Mumbai - 400 013
India
Telephone: +91 22 6660 4455Fax: +91 22 2496 3666
Email:[email protected]
Contact:Mr Cyril Shroff
Key practice areas: Project & project nance; banking, corporate &
structured nance; capital markets (debt & equity); corporate; M&A,
private equity; funds; nance regulatory practice; real estate; intellectual
property; taxation; competition & policy; dispute resolution (courts,
tribunals and regulatory, domestic and international arbitration).
Number of partners: 42
Number of associates: 436
Principal ofces: New Delhi; Mumbai
Other ofces: Kolkata; Bangalore; Hyderabad
Established initially as a litigation and commercial law rm in 1917, the
evolution of Amarchand Mangaldas as a leading corporate law rm runs
parallel to the economic progress of India over the years. Today the rm
offers legal advice to clients on diverse areas including project nance,
mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, taxation, banking, technology
law, litigation and dispute resolution, among other services.
In a short time, Amarchand Mangaldas has gained national and
international acclaim for the successful representation of its clients
before legal institutions and government agencies, winning advocacy
in litigation, and guiding business transactions. The rm participates in
major transactions and litigations in segments of industry & services,
and represents major transnational corporations on their India entry and
business strategy.
Today, the rm is at the cutting-edge of new issues in law and areas of
economic activity, guiding the creation of legal precedents and expanding
its services and skills to meet the challenges of change.
The rms awards this year are:Asian Legal BusinessIndia Deal Law
Firm of the Year, 2009; PLC Which Lawyer?2009 Law Firm of the Year
- India; Pacic Business Press Asian Counsel Firm of the Year 2009and Most Responsive Firm in India.
Amarchand Mangaldas has also been identied by India Business Law
Journalas one of the best overall law rms in India, 2009, and a member
of the countrys magic circle of leading law rms.
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Anand and AnandEstablished in 1979
ContaCtdetails
Plot No 17A, Sector 16AFilm City
Noida - 201301India
Telephone: +91 120 405 9300+ 91 11 4335 3000
Fax: +91 120 424 3056-058
Email: [email protected]: www.anandandanand.com
Contact:Mr Pravin AnandManaging Partner
Key practice areas: Intellectual property prosecution; contentious and
non contentious (patents, designs, trademarks, copyrights, litigation,
geographical indications, domain names); contractual law; valuation;
audit of IP; entertainment & media law; pharma & healthcare regulatory;
transactional law; IP licensing; franchising; arbitration and mediation;
sports law; competition and advertising law; internet laws.
Number of partners: 9
Number of associates: 66
Principal ofce: Noida (NCR of Delhi)
Other ofces: New Delhi; Mumbai; Chennai
Anand and Anand is ranked among the top 25 IP practices in Asia. As a full
service IP rm we protect and develop IP assets and interests of clients from
around the world with our well staffed patent, design, trademark, copyright,
litigation, commercial transactions and regulatory approvals departments.
We deal with prosecution and contentious IP practice matters including
IP arbitration, patents, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications,
domain name disputes, media & entertainment issues and designs.
AZB & PartnersEstablished in 2002
ContaCtdetails
23rd Floor Express TowersNariman Point
Mumbai - 400 021, India
Telephone: +91 22 6639 6880Fax: +91 22 6639 6888
Email: [email protected]: Ms Zia Mody
Plot No A-8, Sector 4Noida - 201 301
(NCR of Delhi), India
Telephone: +91 120 417 9999
Fax: +91 120 4179900Email: [email protected]
Contact: Mr Ajay Bahl
Key practice areas: Mergers & acquisitions; capital markets; securities
law; venture capital/private equity funds; banking & nance; aviation;
insurance; litigation & arbitration; taxation; real estate; infrastructure;
information technology; intellectual property.
Number of partners: 19 (approximately)
Number of associates: 200 (approximately)
Principal ofces: Mumbai; Delhi
Other ofces: Bangalore; Pune
AZB & Partners is one of the prominent law rms in India. The legal
services rendered by the rm cover the corporate, commercial, regulatory,
nancial and tax planning aspects of modern businesses. The rms
practice is structured to offer a combination of legal and transactional
expertise, and broader market sector knowledge, in a timely and
effective manner. The rm has advised Indian and international clientsover a wide range of practice areas, and has received numerous awards
and acclaim.
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Bharucha & PartnersEstablished in 2008
ContaCtdetails
Cecil Court, 4th FloorMahakavi Bhushan Marg
ColabaMumbai - 400 039
India
Telephone: +91 22 2282 3900Fax: +91 22 2282 3900
Email: [email protected]
Contact:MP BharuchaSenior Partner
Key practice areas: Mergers & acquisitions; corporate restructuring;
joint ventures; private equity; banking; structured nance; projects
& project nance; capital markets; litigation; international & domestic
arbitration; intellectual property; information technology; real estate;
employment laws; nancial regulation.
Number of partners: 4
Number of associates: 21
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Bharucha & Partners offers a blend of rich experience, creativity and
the energy of youth. Each partner has handled complex commercial
transactions or disputes, and each associate shares the partners
qualities and vision.
With four partners and twenty-one associates, we work across practice
areas, and count leading international and Indian corporate houses,
banks, nancial institutions and funds among our clients.
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Bhasin & Co, AdvocatesEstablished in 1970
ContaCtdetails
10th Floor, 10 Hailey RoadNew Delhi - 110 001
India
Telephone: +91 11 2332 2601+91 11 2332 6968+91 11 2332 9878
Fax: +91 11 2332 9273
Email: [email protected]
Contacts:Mr Lalit Bhasin
Ms Nina Gupta Bhasin
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution (litigation & arbitration); aviation;
hospitality; real estate; employment law; cross-border transactions;
M&A; corporate law; intellectual property law; IT & telecom; pharma;
media & entertainment.
Number of partners: 5
Number of associates: 21
Principal ofce: New Delhi
Other ofce: Mumbai
Bhasin & Co, Advocates, was established at New Delhi in 1970 and a
branch ofce was set up at Mumbai in 1982. The rm has the experience of
practicing in the Indian legal market for almost four decades and is amongst
the oldest and most reputed law rms in north India.
Managed by an internationally acclaimed and renowned lawyer, Mr Lalit
Bhasin, having legal experience of more than four decades, the rm has the
unique experience in dealing with all legal aspects in India. The rm also has
associate ofces in Kolkata and Chandigarh.
Chitale & Chitale PartnersEstablished in 2008 (formerly known as AY Chitale & Associates, established in 1990)
ContaCtdetails
C-83 Neeti BaghNew Delhi
India
Telephone: +91 11 4164 2965+91 11 4164 2966+91 11 4164 2967
Fax: +91 11 41642964Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mrs Suchitra Chitale
Key practice areas: Litigation; arbitration; corporate & commercial
laws; mergers & acquisitions; competition law & antitrust; trade laws;
infrastructure projects; disinvestments; restructuring; banking & nance;
intellectual property; construction; media & internet; employment law.
Number of partners: 3
Number of associates: 28
Principal ofce: New Delhi
Chitale & Chitale Partners is a full service law rm providing quality legal
advice to its clients in matters relating to commercial laws. The approach is
result-oriented while maintaining the highest standards.
The main areas in which the rm has expertise are litigation, arbitration,
competition law, anti-trust and trade law, corporate and commercial laws,
regulatory advice, mergers and acquisitions, project documentation forinfrastructure projects, aviation and defence, disinvestments, restructuring,
banking and nance, construction, media, employment and intellectual
property.
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Crawford Bayley & CoEstablished in 1830
ContaCtdetails
State Bank of India BuildingsNGN Vaidya MargMumbai - 400 023
India
Telephone: +91 22 2266 8000+91 22 2266 3713+91 22 2266 5413
Fax: +91 22 2266 3978+91 22 2266 0986+91 22 2266 0355
Email:[email protected]
Contact:Mr Sanjay Asher
Partner
Direct tel: +91 22 2266 3353
Direct fax: +91 22 2266 3978
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial practice; mergers &
acquisitions; capital markets; joint ventures & foreign collaboration;
privatisation & disinvestment; banking & corporate nance; intellectual
property law; litigation & dispute resolution; real estate & property
law; indirect taxation; labour & employment; admiralty & shipping law;
information technology; e-banking & e-commerce.
Number of partners: 12
Number of associates: 75
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Crawford Bayley & Co, having established in 1830 currently has a team
of 150 members, including 12 partners, over 75 associates and 15
paralegal personnel and a supporting staff of over 75 individuals.
Partners at Crawford Bayley & Co:
Rajendra Ambalal Shah
Dadi Bejonji Engineer
Hemraj Chaturbhuj Asher
Chetan Manbhai Maniar
Darius Cavasji Shroff
Sanjay Khatau Asher
Ms Zarine Minocher Talaty
Marco Philippus Ardeshir Wadia
Saumil Shantaram Rege
Kumar Shirish Trivedi
Sanjay Ramakant Buch
Prashant Khatau Asher
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Dua AssociatesEstablished in 1986
ContaCtdetails
Tolstoy House15, Tolstoy Marg
New Delhi - 110 001India
Telephone: +91 11 2371 4408Fax: +91 11 2331 7746
+91 11 2335 7097Email: [email protected]
Contact:Robert D Werner
Chief Information [email protected]
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial (planning, structuring,
mergers & acquisitions); nance & banking (capital markets, private
equity, venture capital, restructuring, securitization, structured nance);
infrastructure (roads, ports, telecom, mining, oil & gas, space & aviation);
intellectual property; international trade & competition; customs; labour/
employment; dispute resolution (arbitration & litigation); privatization
& disinvestment; real estate (investment; development, construction);
taxation; public & regulatory affairs; governance & compliance.
Number of partners: 53Number of associates: 147
Ofces: New Delhi; Bangalore; Chandigarh; Chennai; Gurgaon;
Hyderabad; Mumbai; Pune
Dua Associates is a prominent national law rm with full-edged ofces
across eight metropolitan cities.
For more than two decades the signicant experience of its partners and
associates has provided a broad range of legal services to domestic
and international clients. The diverse client base includes individuals,
privately-owned businesses, public-sector enterprises and publicly-
listed companies as well as many multinational organisations and readily
recognisable brand names from the US, Europe, Japan and ASEAN.
The expertise and depth of knowledge of the rms 200 + professionals,
led by one of Indias most signicant nucleus of experienced partners,
enables it to consistently provide comprehensive legal advice and
strategy. The rms recognized achievements include corporate and
banking/ nancial matters, complex litigation, regulatory and tax issues
and its in-depth understanding of national, local & regional laws, rules
and regulations.
In an increasingly specialized business and legal environment, DuaAssociates recognises that clients needs often transcend specialties.
The rm assigns a relationship partner to each of its major clients and
places the resources of all practice groups at the clients disposal to
insure that the clients specic needs are met.
In addition to memberships or afliation with appropriate national and
international bar councils, law societies and business/trade-related
chambers, the rm has close, long-standing professional relationships
with leading law rms throughout the world.
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Economic Laws PracceEstablished in 2001
ContaCtdetails
Mumbai
1502, Dalamal TowersNariman Point
Mumbai - 400 021India
Telephone: +91 22 6636 7000Fax: +91 22 6636 7172
Email: [email protected]
Contacts:Mr Rohan Shah
Mr Suhail NathaniMr Sujjain Talwar
Mr Vikram Nankani
New Delhi
405-406, 4th FloorWorld Trade CentreBarakhamba Lane
New Delhi - 110 001India
Telephone: +91 11 4152 8400Fax: +91 11 4152 8404Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Tarun Gulati
Ahmedabad
801 Abhijeet IIIMithakali Six Roads
EllisbridgeAhmedabad - 380 006
India
Telephone: +91 79 6605 4480Fax: +91 79 6605 4482
Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Hardik Modh
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial laws; venture capital &
private equity; capital markets; securities; direct & indirect tax; WTO
& international trade; litigation & dispute resolution; infrastructure &
projects; hospitality & leisure; real estate; media & entertainment.
Number of partners: 12
Number of associates: 75
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Other ofces: New Delhi; Ahmedabad; Pune
ELP is a leading law rm that was founded in 2001 by eminent lawyers
from diverse elds. The rms lawyers constitute an ensemble of
exceptional legal talent having extensive global experience and local
expertise that brings to its clientele a unique opportunity to complete
complex transactions in a practical and cost efcient manner.
ELP has assisted Fortune 500 companies across industries in a wide
range of matters ranging from legal advisory to assisting clients in taking
key business decisions in relation to their business and transactions,
whether in India or overseas. ELP has also represented the government
of India in various trade disputes, including disputes with the United
States of America and the European Union. Time and again, ELP has
earned its clients appreciation for timely and qualitative responses that
are benchmarked to global standards.
The key practices of the rm are direct and indirect tax, WTO and
international trade, venture capital and private equity, corporate and
commercial, litigation and dispute resolution, infrastructure and projects,
hospitality and leisure, real estate, media and entertainment. ELP has fully
functional ofces in Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune, which
are staffed by its team of expert lawyers. The rm works very closely with
and in cooperation with leading global law rms in the UK, the US, the
Middle East and the Asia-Pacic region and also has associations/workingrelationship with rms throughout India, which allows ELP to service clients
not only throughout India but also in various parts of the world.
ELP has been named Firm of the Year 2009 for Antitrust/Competition
in India byAsian-Counsel. In 2008 it was named Firm of the Year for
Commercial Transactions byAsian-Counsel. It has been recognized as
a Top Ranked Firm in Chambers Asia, 2009, and has been named Best
Tax Team 2009 India in the World Finance Legal Awards, 2009.
ELP has also been ranked Band 1 (Asia-wide) for international trade,
and Band 2 for projects, infrastructure & energy (India); tax (India); and
technology media & telecommunication (India) by Chambers & Partners,2009. ELP was a winner of India Business Law Journals 2008 Indian
Law Firm Award in the category of taxation.
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Juris CorpEstablished in 2000
ContaCtdetails
1104A Raheja ChambersFree Press Journal Road
Nariman PointMumbai - 400 021
India
Telephone: +91 22 4057 5555+91 22 4057 5500
Fax: +91 22 2204 3579Email:[email protected]
Contact:Mr H Jayesh
Key practice areas: Bankruptcy & corporate restructuring; banking
& nance; competition law; corporate & commercial; direct taxation;
dispute resolution; information technology; intellectual property rights;
insurance; international arbitration; mergers & acquisitions; property &
real estate.
Number of partners: 7
Of counsel: 3
Number of associates: 35
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Juris Corp is a full service law rm founded in the year 2000 by H
Jayesh.
We are known to act in the best interests of our clients and work on
bringing down unnecessary or avoidable legal costs through innovation
and forward thinking. For a rm our size, we are humbled by the fact that
year on year some of the best names in the world have chosen us to act
for the largest and most complex transactions in those areas in India.
We thrive on quality and winning clients trust.
The rm believes in being innovative rather than just following archiacal
modes of working and set patterns in India.
Juris Corp has been consistently ranked in the top tiers over the years in
the banking, nance, capital markets, corporate and M&A practice areas
by global market research organisations.
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Kachwaha & PartnersEstablished in 2002
ContaCtdetails
1/6 Shanti NiketanNew Delhi - 110 021
India
Telephone: +91 11 4166 1333+91 11 4166 1444+91 11 4166 1777+91 11 2411 4658
Fax: +91 11 2411 0763Email: [email protected]
Website: www.kaplegal.com
Contact:Mr Sumeet Kachwaha
Managing Partner
Key practice areas: Corporate commercial laws; international
commercial arbitration; litigation; infrastructure laws; joint ventures;
construction; tax; cross-border transactions; intellectual property; anti-
dumping; competition; environment; labor & employment.
Number of partners: 4
Number of associates: 12
Principal ofce: New Delhi
Other ofces: Mumbai
Kachwaha & Partners is a multi-discipline, full-service law rm having its
ofces in New Delhi and Mumbai and associate lawyers in most major cities
of India. The main ofce of the rm is in New Delhi. Partners of the rm are
senior professionals with rich and diverse experience.
The rm (and its partners) enjoy high ratings from leading law directories.
The rm has amongst its clients multinationals, embassies and leading
Indian corporations.
Kanga & CompanyEstablished in 1890
ContaCtdetails
Readymoney Mansion43 Veer Nariman Road, Fort
Mumbai - 400 001India
Telephone: +91 22 6623 0000+91 22 6633 2288+91 22 2204 2288
Fax: +91 22 6633 9656+91 22 6633 9657
Email: [email protected]: www.kangacompany.com
Contact:Mr ML Bhakta
Key practice areas: Mergers & acquisitions; private equity; capital
markets; corporate law; banking & nance; real estate; infrastructure
projects; litigation & dispute resolution; franchising; intellectual property;
taxation.
Number of partners: 13
Number of associates: 25
Principal ofce: Mumbai
Kanga & Co is one of Indias oldest law rms established in 1890.
The rm is broadly divided into departments like mergers & acquisitions,
private equity, capital markets, banking & nance, real estate, litigation,
franchising and taxation, with a partner heading each department but
working in close association with other partners. The rms expert teams
are known for their sound advice and prompt and swift turnaround time,which has been highly appreciated and acknowledged by the clients
worldwide.
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Kochhar & CoEstablished in 1992
ContaCtdetails
S-454 Greater Kailash Part IINew Delhi - 110 048
India
Telephone: +91 11 4111 5222+91 11 2921 5477
Fax: +91 11 2921 9656+91 11 29214932
Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Rohit Kochhar
Chairman & Managing [email protected]
17th Floor Nirmal BuildingNariman Point
Mumbai - 400 021India
Telephone: +91 22 6637 0031+91 22 6655 9701
Fax: +91 22 6655 9705Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Rajarshi Chakrabarti
#201 Prestige SigmaNo 3 Vittal Mallya Road
Bangalore - 560 001, KarnatakaIndia
Telephone: +91 80 4112 4994+91 80 4112 4995
Fax: +91 80 4112 4998Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Stephen Mathias
Website: www.kochhar.com
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; corporate governance;
mergers & acquisitions; privatization; foreign investment & exchange
control laws; regulatory affairs; information technology; intellectual
property; energy & infrastructure; mining; banking & nance; private equity
& venture capital; taxation; litigation, arbitration & dispute resolution;
labour & employment; real estate; broadcasting & entertainment;
environmental laws; anti dumping; antitrust, unfair competition & trade
practices; immigration; insurance; shipping; telecommunications.
Number of partners: 28Number of associates: 100
Principal ofce: New Delhi
Other ofces: Mumbai; Bangalore; Chennai; Gurgaon; Hyderabad
Atlanta; Singapore; Tokyo (rep ofce)
Kochhar & Co is one of the leading and largest corporate law rms in
India. The rm enjoys the distinction of being the only Indian law rm with
full service ofces in six prominent Indian cites of New Delhi, Mumbai
(Bombay), Bangalore, Chennai (Madras), Gurgaon, Hyderabad and two
overseas ofces in the United States (Atlanta, Georgia) and Singapore.
Kochhar & Co also has a representative ofce in Tokyo.
The rm offers a wide range of legal services in the areas of corporate
& commercial laws and specializes in representing major foreign &
domestic corporations having diverse business interests in India.
The rm acts as Indian counsel for more than 50 Fortune Global 500
corporations, including some of the largest multinational companies
from North America, Europe, South East Asia and Japan.
Client satisfaction is the cornerstone of the rms work culture and
Kochhar & Co takes great pride in consistently adopting the highest
international standards on all client matters. The rms philosophy
and commitment towards its clients, embraces the highest levelsof accessibility, integrity, quality and responsiveness as well as an
extremely proactive approach.
The rm takes special care to ensure that all legal support is provided
to clients in a cost efcient manner, after giving due consideration to
the clients business objectives. All attorneys are meticulously trained
to develop their skills in achieving the business objectives and goals of
the client.
The philosophy of the rm can be summed up by its motto, Service with
a passion.
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KR Chawla & CoEstablished in 1996
ContaCtdetails
7th Floor, Kailash Building26 Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi - 110 001India
Telephone: +91 11 2335 7658+91 11 2335 7659
Fax: +91 11 2331 9995
+91 11 2331 9997Email: [email protected]: www.krcco.com
Contact:Mr Sumes Dewan
Key practice areas: Foreign investment in India; banking & nance;
listing/international offerings; mergers & acquisitions; international
taxation; hotel & tourism; real estate & property laws; retail; alternate
dispute resolution; litigation.
Number of partners: 7
Number of associates: 35
Principal ofce: New Delhi
Other ofces: Bangalore; Chennai; Singapore (rep ofce)
KR Chawla & Co is a leading law rm in India focusing on providing
comprehensive business, nancial and legal services of high professional
standards. The rm functions in specialized areas of practice.
The corporate transactional practice of the rm includes cross-border as well
as domestic mergers, acquisitions and stock market listings in India (Mumbai
Stock Exchange, National Stock Exchange) and overseas (London; AIM,
Luxembourg; DIFX, Dubai; Singapore) .The rm regularly acts on complex,
multi-jurisdictional transactions.
Krishnamurthy & CoEstablished in 1999
ContaCtdetails
#715 I MainIndiranagar I StageBangalore - 560 038
India
Telephone: +91 80 2528 3685+ 91 80 2528 3690
Fax: +91 80 2520 3528Email: [email protected]
Contact:Ms Misha Gill
Key practice areas: Business laws; intellectual property; real
estate; litigation; information technology; entertainment; power;
telecommunications; life sciences; bio-technology.
Number of partners: 4Number of associates: 45
Principal ofces: Bangalore; Mumbai
Other ofces: Chennai; Mysore
K Law takes pride in its winning combination of a professional, experienced,
dedicated and dynamic team. We continue to expand in stature sharing
mutual trust and respect with our distinguished clients.
Sensitive to our clients needs, we at the rm, work with clients knowing we
can make a difference. We work closely with each client and believe each
client is important, deserving equal, meticulous and professional attention.We therefore provide unfailing top quality work, short turn-around time and
easy accessibility to clients with focus on attention to detail.
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Lall Lahiri & SalhotraEstablished in 1983
ContaCtdetails
LLS House, Plot No B-28Sector - 32, Institutional Area
Gurgaon - 122 001National Capital Region
India
Telephone: +91 124 238 2202Fax: +91 124 403 6823
Email: [email protected]: www.lls.in
Contact:Mrs Anuradha Salhotra
Partner
Key practice areas: IP litigation; patent prosecution; copyrights; domain
names and UDRP actions; media & entertainment; IP enforcement;
patent contentious; trademark prosecution; designs; IP valuation;
licensing & assignments.
Number of partners: 3
Number of associates: 41
Principal ofces: Gurgaon (NCR of Delhi)
Lall Lahiri & Salhotra was established in the year 1983 as a dedicatedintellectual property law rm. The founding partners, Amar Raj Lall,
Monisha Lahiri and Anuradha Salhotra, envisioned a practice that was
dedicated to all aspects of IP management for a client. What started
as a small practice from a two-room ofce has now grown into one of
the most reputed and well-regarded rms in India with around fty well
trained professionals and support staff of over sixty-ve.
LLS provides a full range of advisory services on all matters relating to
IP including IP management strategies, alternate dispute resolution, IP
valuation, domain names, investigations and surveys.
Our litigation team is perhaps the most competent and successful IP
litigation team in the country. Our lawyers have litigated over the entire
spectrum of the judiciary from the lowest to the apex court and in almost
every jurisdiction in India.
The rms clients include almost 100 of the Fortune Global 500
companies in industries as diverse as telecoms, pharmaceuticals,
fashion, publishing, oil and gas, FMCG, consumer goods, electronics,
entertainment, fashion, engineering and IT.
The contact persons for any work are the partners of the rm, namely
Anuradha Salhotra, Amar Lall and Rahul Chaudhry.
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LEX ORBIS Intellectual Property PracceEstablished in 1998
ContaCtdetails
709/710 Tolstoy House15-17 Tolstoy MargNew Delhi - 110 001
India
Telephone: +91 11 2371 6565Fax: +91 11 2371 6556
Email: [email protected]: www.lexorbis.com
Contact:Mr Manoj Pillai
Key practice areas: Drafting patent specications; ling and
prosecuting patent applications; preparing patentability opinions; patent
conict clearance opinions; consulting on infringement and validity
of patents; ling and prosecuting trademark applications; providing
trademark registrability opinions; trademark renewals; drafting and ling
assignment deeds; ling and prosecuting design applications; preparing
design specications; ling and prosecuting copyright applications;
enforcement of all forms of IPR; IP asset management and valuation.
Number of partners: 5Number of associates: 24
Principal ofce: New Delhi
LEX ORBIS is one of the premier IP practice groups in India. Endowed
with a vibrant and enthusiastic team of professionals with sound academic
and practice background, LEX ORBIS consists of 45 members, including
scientists, engineers and lawyers.
LEX ORBIS is equipped to offer its clientele a combination of techno-
legal expertise that is unparallel in India. Due to our afliation with a
number of IP rms worldwide, we offer our clientele a global reach. The
unique combination of technical and legal expertise not only enables
us to efciently prosecute patent applications but also to draft patent
specications relating to the eld of chemistry, physics, mechanical, life
sciences, telecommunication, food technology, etc.
LEX ORBIS values deep-rooted professionalism, mutual respect and
excellence and believes in good team spirit. LEX ORBIS has a group
on Research Publication and Programs to conduct policy level research
and analysis. This also enables us to provide quality IP services to
universities and research institutes through out the world.
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LexCounselEstablished in 2004
ContaCtdetails
C-10 Gulmohar ParkNew Delhi - 110 049
India
Telephone: +91 11 4166 2861Fax: +91 11 4166 2862
Contacts:Ms Seema Jhingan
Mr Alishan [email protected]
Ms Dimpy [email protected]
Key practice areas: Mergers & acquisitions; project nance;
telecommunications & IT; private equity/venture capital; media &
entertainment; life sciences; intellectual property; taxation; capital
markets/nancial services; real estate; education; licensing & franchising;
insurance; labour & employment; dispute resolution.
Number of associates: 18 (New Delhi); 14 (other ofces)
Principal ofce: New Delhi
LexCounsel is a Delhi-based law rm established to provide business-
oriented and cost effective legal services to its clients. Established on the
strong capabilities and experience of its members, LexCounsel provides
comprehensive legal services and solutions to a broad spectrum of domestic
and foreign clients. Members of the rm represent extensively in several
industries including telecommunications, power, oil & gas, mining, insurance,
real estate & construction, retail, education, IT, media & entertainment,
aerospace & defence, health and life sciences. The partners of the rm have
consecutively been nominated as leading lawyers in practice areas including
private equity, IT, telecommunications & media and labour & employment.
Manilal Kher Ambalal & CoAdvocates, Solicitors & Notary, Established in 1918
ContaCtdetails
MKA ChambersBritish Hotel Lane
Off Mumbai Samachar MargFort, Mumbai - 400 001
India
Telephone: +91 22 6637 0406Fax: +91 22 2269 0293Email: [email protected]: www.mkaco.com
Contact:Mr Vikram TrivediManaging Partner
Key practice areas: Asset acquisitions; banking & nance; capital
markets & securities; anti-trust & competition law; criminal litigation;
corporate & commercial; cyber law; dispute resolution; domestic/foreign
arbitration; guidance to overseas clients in legal and regulatory aspects;
insurance; IP; infrastructure; media & entertainment; mergers and de-mergers; takeovers and acquisitions; real estate; telecommunications
(in contentious and non-contentious areas).
Number of partners: 7
Number of associates: 30+
Languages spoken: English; French; Hindi; Marathi; Gujarati; Sindhi;
Urdu; and most other Indian languages
The rm traces its roots back to 1918 in the erstwhile state of Bombay
and is one of the few rms to be inaugurated by a High Court Judge,
Justice Sir FCO Beaman. The rm has been selected thrice-in-a-rowby the Asia Pacifc Legal 500as preferred lawyers in the areas of
corporate: M&A and dispute resolution. The rm offers a rich blend of
experience and creativity topped with the vigour of youth.
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Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & CaroeEstablished in 1895
ContaCtdetails
Mulla House, 51 MG RoadFort, Mumbai - 400 001
India
Telephone: +91 22 2204 4960+91 22 2262 3191
Fax: +91 22 2204 0246+91 22 6634 5497
Email: [email protected]
otheroffiCes
Bangalore
209 Regency Enclave4 Magrath Road
Bangalore - 560 025India
Telephone: +91 80 2555 0370+91 80 2559 7704
Fax: +91 80 2559 8549Email: [email protected]
New Delhi
502 Nilgiri Apartments5th oor, 9 Barakhamba Road
New Delhi - 110 001India
Telephone: +91 11 2332 1501+91 11 2332 1513
Fax: +91 11 2332 1520Email: [email protected]
Key practice areas: Admiralty; arbitration (domestic & international);
aviation law; banking & securities; broadcasting; capital markets;
construction; commodities; company/commercial law; customs & tariff;
employment & industrial relations; energy law (oil & gas); entertainment
law; environmental law; nance law (aircraft, ship & project); foreign
investment; IT; infrastructure projects (power & ports); intellectual property;
insurance law; litigation; logistics; maritime & shipping law; mergers &
acquisitions; media law; offshore investment & securities; privatization; real
estate & property law; tax laws; trade & transport; telecommunications.
Number of partners: 13
Number of associates: 100+
Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe is one of Indias largest law rms. It
was founded by Sir Dinshaw Mulla and Rustomji Mulla in 1895. Sir Dinshaw
Mulla became a privy counsellor. He was author of several works including
commentaries on the Indian Contract Act, Transfer of Property Act, Law of
Partnership, Sale of Goods Act, insolvency laws in India, Civil Procedure
Code, etc., which are authoritative legal treatise even today.
Mulla & Mulla is a full service law rm specializing in corporate law and
commercial law. The rm has a sound understanding of commercial and
market realities, providing solutions which are legal and of real commercial
value. The rm has a broad-based practice and a diversied clientele base. It
offers a full range of legal services to clients and acts as Indian legal counsel
to numerous MNCs, Fortune 500 companies and several of the large 50
Indian corporate houses. The rm maintains excellent relationships with
regulatory bodies and is able to arrange dialogues with them and clients.
Several partners and lawyers are qualied solicitors of the Supreme Court
of England & Wales and Hong Kong. The rm has a very strong practice in
areas of corporate & commercial law and banking & nance laws. It renders
specialised advice in corporate and commercial transactions to the clients.
The rm has advised many multinational corporate in their India investmentsand joint ventures. It has a strong litigation and arbitration practice. The
rms partners have extensive expericne in handling legal issues in relation
to all aspects of Indian law.
Mulla & Mulla is ranked among the leading law rms in India by a number of
publications. It was awarded the Clients Choice 2005 & 2008 awards by
ILO at the IBA Conferences. The rm is the annual reviser for 40 years of the
India Law DigestforMartindale Hubbell International Yearly Law Directory,
contributors to the Banking Year Books, (Euromoney),Asian Banking Law
Manual & Investment and Tax Manuals (Hong Kong publications) and India
correspondent for Lloyds Maritime and Commercial Quarterly. Partnerstravel widely in their work in India and overseas and are speakers at several
law conferences. The rm has a wide referral international practice and has
built close relations with law rms globally.
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P&A Law OcesEstablished in 1996
ContaCtdetails
1st Floor, Dr Gopal Das Bhavan28 Barakhamba RoadNew Delhi - 110 001
India
Telephone: +91 11 4139 3939Fax: +91 11 2335 0416
Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Anand S Pathak
Key practice areas:Mergers & acquisitions; joint ventures; privatizations;
outsourcing; private equity and venture capital; technology licensing;
infrastructure; secured and unsecured lending; project nance and
structured nance; securitization; IPOs; private placements; competition
law; exchange control and other regulatory matters; international
arbitration; general litigation.
Lawyers of the rm are admitted to and have practiced in multiple
jurisdictions, including the US, EU and India.
Phoenix LegalEstablished in 2008
ContaCtdetails
Ground Floor, 15 Birbal RoadJangpura Extension
New Delhi - 110 014, India
Telephone: +91 11 4376 1100-06Fax: +91 11 4376 1107
Email: [email protected]
First Floor, CS-242Mathuradas Mill CompoundNM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel
Mumbai - 400 013, India
Telephone: +91 22 4340 8500Fax: +91 22 4340 8501
Email: [email protected]
Contact:Ms Manjula Chawla, Partner
Key practice areas: Banking & nance; CMT; corporate commercial;
dispute resolution; infrastructure, mining, energy, oil & gas; foreign
investment & exchange controls; insurance; joint ventures/M&A; private
equity & funds; real estate.
Number of partners: 4
Number of associates: 12
Ofces: New Delhi; Mumbai
Phoenix Legal is a full service corporate and commercial law rm offering an
extensive range of transactional, regulatory, advisory and dispute resolution
services. The rm advises a diverse clientele ranging from companies, banks
and nancial institutions, funds, promoter groups, public sector undertakings
and individuals both in India and overseas.
We are committed to developing strong client relationships and engagingcapable and dedicated professionals. Enthusiasm, energy and drive for
excellence inuence the way we work.
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PSALegal Counsellors, Established in 2004
ContaCtdetails
E-601 Gauri Sadan5 Hailey Road
New Delhi - 110 001India
Telephone: +91 11 4350 0500Fax: +91 11 4350 0502
Email: [email protected]: www.psalegal.com
Contact:Ms Priti Suri
Key practice areas: Arbitration & litigation; aviation; corporate &
securities; commercial law; environmental law; food & pharmaceutical;
technology, media & telecommunications; intellectual property; labour &
employment; mergers & acquisitions; outsourcing; private equity; project
nance; real property; regulatory matters; taxation.
Number of associates: 12
Principal ofce: New Delhi
PSA is a broad-based full service, solution-driven, pragmatic businesslaw rm that has carved a special niche in the Indian legal market by the
quality of its legal service, responsiveness and client commitment.
At PSA, we have a fanatical, obsessive focus on client commitment. A rm
whose rm belief, objective and philosophy is to focus on forging long-
term relationship with clients across the globe which is demonstrated
by the fact that we have been working with several of them for over
a decade. An in-depth knowledge and understanding of the business
goals and concerns of the clients businesses permits our lawyers to
formulate creative solutions to difcult contractual, legal and business
issues.
Though established in 2004, the New Delhi based rms professionals
have 50 plus years of collective experience, engaged in providing legal
services in an efcient, timely and, most importantly, a cost-effective
manner.
We encourage the entrepreneurial ability of the lawyers and our staff.
The entire team understands the need for providing pragmatic, legal
advice and the rm has nurtured an atmosphere where pro-activeness
and initiative is deeply valued and rewarded.
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S&R AssociatesEstablished in 2005
ContaCtdetails
64, Okhla Industrial EstatePhase III
New Delhi - 110 020India
Telephone: +91 11 4069 8000Fax: +91 11 4069 8001
Email: [email protected]@snrlaw.in
Contacts:Mr Sandip Bhagat, Partner
Mr Rajat Sethi, Partner
Key practice areas: Mergers & acquisitions; private equity; general
corporate; securities; regulatory matters; arbitration & litigation.
Number of partners: 5
Number of associates: 20
Principal ofce: New Delhi
S&R Associates was established in 2005. The rm provides legal services
in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities
laws, nancings, foreign direct investment, regulatory matters, generalcorporate counseling and arbitration and litigation.
The rm seeks to distinguish itself on the basis of the quality of its
services. In addition to being qualied in India, many of the rms
lawyers have studied or practiced law in other jurisdictions, including
the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore. The lawyers at
the rm have the integrity, experience and ability to provide the highest
quality of service demanded by sophisticated clients.
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Seth Dua & AssociatesEstablished in 1998
ContaCtdetails
C- 56 Neeti BaghNew Delhi - 110049
India
Telephone: +91 11 4164 4400Fax: +91 11 4164 4500
Website: www.sethdua.com
Contacts:Sunil Seth, Senior [email protected]: +91 11 4164 4700
Atul Dua, Senior [email protected]: +91 11 4164 4100
Key practice areas: Corporate and commercial (M&A); cross-border
transactional practice; projects; infrastructure; telecom, media and
technology; energy; real estate, construction; hospitality, direct/indirect
taxes; dispute resolution; trade law & WTO; aviation; intellectual property;
private equity; and venture capital.
Number of partners: 7
Number of associates: 25
Principal ofce: New Delhi
Languages spoken:English; German; Swedish; French; Hindi; vernacular
Indian languages (Punjabi; Tamil; Kannada; Telugu; Malayalam; Bangla)
Seth Dua & Associates is a full service Indian law rm specializing in
corporate, commercial and tax laws relevant to M&As, joint ventures,
cross-border transactions and foreign investments in India. The rm
also has a strong dispute resolution practice encompassing arbitration,
civil, commercial litigation and tax. The professional strength of the rm
is derived from a unique combination of legal, tax and dispute resolution
services offered to clients.
Singhania & PartnersEstablished in 1999
ContaCtdetails
Noida (NCR of Delhi)Tel: +91 120 463 1000
Email: [email protected]
New DelhiTel: +91 11 4153 1000
Email: [email protected]
BangaloreTel: +91 80 4113 1900
Email: [email protected]
HyderabadTel: +91 40 2311 7977
Email: [email protected]
MumbaiTel: +91 22 2288 5550
Email: [email protected]
Key practice areas: Project nance; corporate & commercial; contracts;
foreign collaboration; joint ventures & technology transfer; international
trade; investments; labour & employment; litigation & arbitration;
mergers & acquisitions; patents, trademarks & copyrights; privatization/
disinvestment; taxation; trade & customs; bid process management;transfer of technology; direct taxation; import & export.
Number of partners: 15
Number of associates: 55
Principal ofce: Noida (NCR of Delhi)
Other ofces: New Delhi; Bangalore; Hyderabad; Mumbai
Singhania & Partners is a full service national law rm with a successful
international practice. The rm comprises a team of in-house
professionals including an advocate on record for the Supreme Court,
chartered accountants and company secretaries with dual qualicationof law.
For more information please visit www.singhania.in.
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TrilegalEstablished in 2000
ContaCtdetails
23 Madhuli, 2nd FloorDr Annie Besant Marg
Worli, Mumbai - 400 018India
Telephone: +91 22 4079 1000Fax: +91 22 4079 1098
Email: [email protected]
Contacts:Mr Karan Singh
Mr Sridhar Gorthi
The Sapphire, F2/ B1Mohan Co-operative
Industrial EstateMathura Road
New Delhi - 110 044India
Telephone: +91 11 4163 9393Fax: +91 11 4163 9292
Email: [email protected]
Contacts:Mr Akshay JaitlyMr Anand Prasad
149 Rathna AvenueRichmond Road
Bangalore - 560 025India
Telephone: +91 80 4151 5252Fax: +91 80 4151 5210
Email: [email protected]
Contacts:Mr Rahul MatthanMr Prem Ayappa
HyderabadTelephone: +91 40 6641 5056
Fax: +91 40 6641 5057Email: [email protected]
Contact:Mr Anand Prasad
Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; banking & nance;
mergers & acquisitions; private equity; telecoms; technology &
intellectual property; employment & labour; real estate; capital markets;
energy & projects; dispute resolution; insurance; education; foreign
investment & regulation; media & entertainment; infrastructure & power;
pharmaceuticals; engineering & construction; ports and shipping.
Number of partners: 14
Number of associates: 90+
Principal ofces: Mumbai; New Delhi; BangaloreOther ofce: Hyderabad
Trilegal is a full service law rm with over 100 lawyers across ofces
in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Operating at the
forefront of the Indian market, Trilegal advises on some of the largest,
most complex and cutting edge domestic and cross border transactions
across most practice areas. The rms strength lies in the combination of
its international experience with an intimate knowledge of issues unique
to the Indian context.
In 2008 the rm was listed as a winner in 5 categories ofIndia Business
Law Journals Indian Law Firm Awards including Best Overall Law
Firms.
Rated as part of Indias magic circle, the rm is recognized for offering its
clients a full range of services across a number of sectors in a seamless
and integrated manner that ensures that the client receives complete,
accurate and relevant advice.
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