Indian Law Firm Awards

8/6/2019 Indian Law Firm Awards

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India Business Law Journal 43February 2009

Indian Law Firm Awards

Indian LawFirm Awards

Amid global economic chaos, 2008 saw some of the mostmemorable achievements by Indian lawyers in recent times.

India Business Law Journal is proud to recognize and reward

the countrys top law f irms in 15 key practice areas

Vandana Chatlani reports

Highlights and analysis: page 45

Winners at a glance: page 58

India Business Law Journals


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India Business Law Journal46 February 2009


AZB & PartnersEstablished in 2002

Contact details

Mumbai

Expr Twr, 23r r,

Nariman Point

Mumbai 400 021,

India

Telephone: +91 22 6639 6880

Fax: +91 22 6639 6888

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Mrs Zia Mody

New Delhi

F 40 South Extension Part 1

New Delhi 110 049

India

Telephone: +91 11 2461 8947

Fax: +91 11 2462 5302


Contact: Mr Ajay Bahl

Bangalore

AZB House

67-4 4th cross, Lavelle RoadBangalore 560 001

India

Telephone: +91 80 2212 9782

Fax: +91 80 2221 3947


Contact: Vineetha Mg

AZB & Partners also has an

f Pu

Key practice areas: Mergers and acquisitions; real estate; capital

markets; project nance; litigation; intellectual property, etc

Number of partners: 18

Number of associates: Approximately 200

Principal ofce: Mumbai

Additional ofces: New Delhi, Bangalore, Pune

Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Marathi,

Gujarathi

AZB is a full service law rm with ofces in Mumbai, Delhi,

Bangalore and Pune. The rm has approximately 200 lawyers.

Rated as one of the top two law rms in India by The American

Lawyer, endorsed by India Business Law Journalas one of the

three best law rms in India in 2007 and selected by IFLRas the

India Law Firm of the Year, 2006, AZB has been involved in some

of the largest and most cutting-edge deals.

Members of the rm prioritize the development of specialized legal

skills through comprehensive professional training programs and

appropriate involvement in transactions. Substantial inventory and

partner time is invested in internal training to develop high quality

human resources.

Our senior partner, Zia Mody, was awarded Business Woman of

the Year by The Financial Express, selected as one of the 25

Most Powerful Women in Indian Business by Business Today in

2004, 2006 and 2007, one of Indias 100 Most Powerful CEOs by

The Economic Times in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. She

was also nominated as one of the worlds leading practitioners by

The International Whos Who of Private Funds Lawyers in 2006

and 2008.


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to those o the largest rms or their work in certain prac-tice areas.

Faced with the dilemma o how to recognize both thehard-won pre-eminence o large general practice rms,and the exceptional work undertaken by many smallerrms, India Business Law Journals editorial team decided

to announce six winners o equal standing in each cat-egory. An additional award o Law Firm o the Year hasbeen given to a single rm.

The results refect the extraordinary diversity o Indiaslegal market. Winners include rms with a history o morethan 100 years as well as one that was established just10 months ago. The winning rms range in size rom lessthan 10 lawyers to more than 400.

A ull list o the winners can be ound on pages 58 and 59.

Law Firm of the Year

India Business Law Journals top award o Law Firm o

the Year goes to Khaitan & Co.Khaitan & Co racked up a number o impressive achieve-ments in 2008, not only in the legal arena, but also interms o practice development. Highlights include team-ing up with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom to rep-resent NTT DoCoMo on its acquisition o a 26% stake inTata Teleservices, advising on KSK Emerging India EnergyFunds US$200 million AIM listing and acting or the leadmanagers on Bank o Indias US$340 million qualiiedinstitutional placement (Luthra & Luthra represented Banko India on the deal). All three transactions were amongIndia Business Law Journals 2008 Deals o the Year.

The rm also acted as Indian counsel to Nomura onits acquisition o the back oce operations o Lehman

Brothers, represented HDFC Bank on its US$607 mil-lion American depository share oering and advised theunderwriters on Mundra Ports IPO.

The irms client list includes Mahindra & Mahindra,Gokaldas Exports, Hutchison Telecommunications,DQ Entertainment, Phillips Carbon Black and ZensarTechnologies.

Khaitan & Co hit the headlines in September, when itpoached two senior lawyers rom UK-based Ashurst.Murali Neelakantan was a partner at Ashurst and head othe rms India practice. Kalpana Unadkat was a seniorassociate. Both lawyers moved rom London to take uppartnership positions in Khaitan & Cos Mumbai oce.

The move, which bucks the trend o Indian lawyersleaving the country to pursue opportunities overseas, isa rare example o a domestic rm poaching a high prolepartner rom a leading international one. Neelakantan saidit was Khaitans ambition or growth that lured him awayrom Ashurst. The culture o [Khaitan & Co], the quality oits people and clients and the excellent work that seemsto ll the rm ... make it an exciting platorm, he told IndiaBusiness Law Journal.

In addition to Law Firm o the Year, Khaitan & Co winsawards in the categories o capital markets and corporatenance; mergers and acquisitions; taxation; corporateand commercial; and best overall law rms.

Indias magic circle

Appearing on the winners lists in a staggering 12categories, Amarchand Mangaldas maintains its pre-em-inence as one o the countrys top all-round perormers.

Its recent highlights include advising Reliance Power onits US$2.93 billion IPO, the largest in Indian history, andrepresenting the lenders on the US$4.3 billion Mundrapower project.

Amarchand also worked on a high proile structurednance transaction or DLF group, an equity deal or ICICI

Bank and a nancing deal or Bhatinda Renery.In 2008, the rm suered the loss o equity partners

Marezban and Alka Bharucha, who let to set up theirown practice, but Amarchand rebounded quickly with theappointment o 10 new partners.

Just one point behind Amarchand in the awards tallyis AZB & Partners. AZBs recent achievements includeadvising Tata Teleservices on its sale o a stake to NTTDoCoMo and advising Bharti Airtel on a US$250 millionprivate equity investment in its communications towersubsidiary by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.

AZBs managing partner, Zia Mody, commands greatrespect in the legal proession. One person I always love

to have on the other side o me is Zia, says a partner atanother reputed Indian rm. Shes honest and works withintegrity and understanding. Normally in three hours weredone with negotiations or a billion-dollar deal.

In spite o the global nancial troubles, AZB appears tobe in expansion mode: during the last six months it hasinducted ve new partners. It also hit the headlines byannouncing a tie-up with UK-based Cliord Chance, amove it hopes will strengthen its position in anticipation othe liberalization o Indias legal market.

Another rm that has tied the knot with an internationalplayer is Trilegal, which last year announced a non-exclu-sive alliance with Allen & Overy. The alliance ocuses oncooperation in client reerrals, training and marketing, as

well as the sharing o know-how, processes and manage-ment systems. A relatively young rm, Trilegal has built anenviable reputation based on the youth and energy o itspartners, an international outlook, progressive manage-ment style and high quality services.

The rm suered a setback in October, when three o its10 partners, Abhishek Saxena, Saket Shukla and SawantSingh, broke away to establish Phoenix Legal. But despitethe loss, Trilegal perormed consistently well in IndiaBusiness Law Journals awards, earning praise across awide range o practice areas and winning awards in vecategories, including best overall law rms.

The venerable powerhouses o J Sagar Associates and

Luthra & Luthra also eature heavily on the awards tablesthis year. Both appear on the list o best overall law rms.Serving as counsel to Tata Power on the colossal US$4.3

billion Mundra project, J Sagar Associates is a orce tobe reckoned with in the energy, projects and inrastruc-ture sector. It also wins awards in seven other categories,including banking and nance; capital markets and corpo-rate nance; and securitization and structured nance.

Luthra & Luthra earns top spots or its work in energy,projects and inrastructure and mergers and acquisitions.Despite advising Bank o India on its award-winningUS$340 million qualied institutional placement, it nar-rowly missed an award or capital markets. It was one othe closest runners-up in this category.

Next year, all eyes will be on Luthras perormance inintellectual property ollowing its appointment o leadingIP and media specialist Ameet Datta, who joined the rmwith a team o three associates rom IP boutique Anandand Anand.


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Awards highlights

Mumbai-based Nishith Desai Associates scores wellacross a range o practice areas, winning awards in thecategories o IT, media and telecommunications; taxa-tion; and venture capital and private equity. It narrowly

missed a place on the list o best overall law rms. In oneo its recent highlights, the rm advised Providence EquityPartners on a US$640 million investment in Aditya BirlaTelecom.

Other all-round perormers include Delhi-based DuaAssociates, which takes home awards in the categorieso competition and antitrust and corporate and commer-cial, and Mumbais DSK Legal, which is recognized or itsexcellence in construction and real estate and IT, mediaand telecommunications. DSKs 2008 highlights includeadvising Dunearn Investments Mauritius, part o TemasekHoldings, and NSR-PE Mauritius, part o New Silk Route,on investments into INX Media, a television broadcasting

company promoted by Indrani Mukherjea.Sharing top spots with DSK in the construction and realestate category are ALMT Legal, Amarchand Mangaldas,AZB & Partners, Kanga & Co and Parimal K Shro & Co.ALMT Legal has acted as counsel to Sequoia CapitalPartners on its investments in SKS Micronance, DigitalSignage Networks, Guruji.com and Printo DocumentServices. The irm also represented CBRE, KnightFrank and Colliers on several large property acquisitiontransactions.

Kanga & Co, in addition to its work in the real estatesector, has been busy representing clients in the buying

and selling o strategic assets. The rm advised NavisCapital Partners on the sale o its majority stake in MarsRestaurants and Sky Gourmet to India Hospitality Corpor US$110 million. It also worked on the sale o SecuritiesTrading Corporations 49% stake in UTI Securities toStandard Chartered Bank.

Mumbai-based Desai & Diwanji joins Amarchand

Having worked with severalother law rms, we eel that

Alka and Justin Bharuchaare peerless

Soon Hee KohLegal CounselYara

BHASIN & CO., ADVOCATES

New Delhi Address: 10 HAILEY ROAD, 10TH FLOOR, NEW DELHI 110 001, INDIATelephone No. +91 11 2332 2601 Fax No. +91 11 2332 9273

Email Address: [email protected]

Mumbai Ofce: 116 Mittal Court A Wing, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021Telephone No. +91 22 22842050, 22042954 Fax No.: + 91 22 22874332

Email Address: [email protected]

Contact Person(s): LALIT BHASIN, NINA GUPTA (Ms.)

Year Established: 1970

Number of lawyers: 40 (Forty)

Languages Spoken: English, French, Hindi, Urdu

Key Areas of Practices : Dispute Resolution; International Corporate Transactions, Aviation, In-

frastructure, Capital Markets, Joint Ventures, IT, Banking, Insurance, Real Estate, Product Liability,Labour & Employment Laws

Notable mention:

Mr. Lalit Bhasin, Managing Partner was awarded Honorary Membership of the IBA in Melbourne in1994 for outstanding service to the legal profession. He is the President of Society of Indian LawFirms and Honorary Secretary General of The Bar Association of India.


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Mangaldas, Hemant Sahai Associates, J Sagar Associates,Luthra & Luthra and Trilegal on the winners list or energy,projects and inrastructure work.

The rm advised the Asian Development Bank on thenancing o the rst cross-border power project to sup-ply power to India. It also represented General Electric innancing the rst privately developed railway inrastruc-ture company.

Shining legacy

One o Indias oldest rms, the reputation o Mulla & Mulla& Craigie Blunt & Caroe continues to shine. Its key dealslast year include representing Air India on its US$8 billionacquisition o 68 Boeing aircrat and advising Sumitomo

Mitsui Banking Corporation in relation to the nance andconstruction o the US$178 million liquied natural gastanker SS Aseem. The rms achievements are recognizedwith awards in the categories o dispute resolution andshipping, maritime and aviation. Partners DM Popat andShardul Thacker are singled out or particular praise.

Thacker has advised lenders on more than 20 shipnance transactions over the last year. One o the mostsignicant involved a rupee and US dollar acility romAxis Bank India (US$70 million) and Netixis Singapore(US$50 million) that was used by Great Oshore tonance the acquisition o a jackup rig.

Diane Pyke, director o risk management at Florens

Container Services, recommends Thacker and commendsthe rm or getting the best results or its clients. We lookedto Mulla & Mulla or guidance as to how best to approach ourproblem. They were very skilul and aggressive in using thesystem to get the best advantage or their clients.

Johan Ryrberg, executive vice-president and CFO oCamil Farr Group, is equally enthusiastic: We oundMulla & Mulla to be very knowledgeable, thorough andloyal, he says. Their work capacity was impressive andthey had high work ethics.

Fellow Mumbai irm Craword Bayley & Co receivedwidespread recognition in India Business Law Journals

Kachwaha & Partners is a full service law rm with one of the leading practices

in litigation and arbitration. Partners of the rm are senior professionals with rich

and diverse experience. The rm (and its partners) enjoy the highest ratings from

leading law directories

KACHWAHA & PARTNERS

New Delhi and Mumbai

91.11.41661 333

[email protected]

We ound Mulla & Mulla tobe very knowledgeable,thorough and loyalJohan Ryrberg

Executive VP & CFOCaml Farr Group


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survey. The rm, which is particularly respected or itsnance-related work, picks up awards in the categories ocapital markets and corporate nance, and venture capi-tal and private equity.

Financial acumen

Also scoring well in the nance-related categories arespecialist rms Juris Corp and Dave & Girish & Co.

Under the leadership o partners Girish Dave and MonaBhide, nance boutique Dave & Girish & Co receives anaward or its banking and nance work.

Juris Corp has crated a unique niche, oering the ullspectrum o legal services to banking and nancial-sectorclients including Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley andHSBC. Juris Corp is oten brought on board or transac-tions involving derivatives, structured nance, capital mar-kets, cross-border lending and equity-backed loans, saysChris Flosi, regional general counsel at Barclays Capital.

The rms ounding partner, H Jayesh, is praised by oneclient or his derivatives and capital markets expertise,his integrity, and his commitment to his clients.

Leading Mumbai rm Wadia Ghandy & Co also scoreshighly in the nance categories, winning awards or bank-ing and nance and securitization and structured nance.

Delhi-based S&R Associates, meanwhile, is recognizedor its rst-rate capital markets work. The rm is amongthose to pick up an endorsement rom Vodaone in-housecounsel Helen Lamprell: We have been impressed by RahulMatthan at Trilegal, Ajay Bahl, Anil Kasturi and Gautum Sahaat AZB & Partners, and the S&R team, she says.

FoxMandal Little, one o Indias oldest and largestrms, scored consistently well in the survey. It narrowlymissed the winners lists in several categories, but picksup an award or its corporate and commercial work. Therms recent highlights include the opening o its Londonoce and advising US-based Vornardo Realty Trust on its

[Kachwaha & Partners]analytical ability andknowledge o the specics othe relevant law and reerence

cases was impressivePeter RosellLegal CounselTopsoe

Established in 1895

Key practice areasAdmiralty, Oil & Gas, Ship/Project Finance, Capital Market & Securities, Antidumping, Anti-Trust and Competition, Aviation,

Corporate, Mergers/Demergers & Acquisitions, Foreign Investment, Oshore Investment & Securities, Taxation, I.T, Media

and Entertainment Law, I.P, Insurance Law, Labour & Industrial Laws, Inrastructure, Privatisation, Real Estate & Property

Law, Telecommunications in both contentious and non-contentious areas and Arbitration (Domestic & International).

Total number o partners: 14

Total number o associates: 90+

Languages spoken: English, Hindi & most Indian languages

Our ServicesMulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe is one o Indias largest law frms. It was ounded by Sir Dinshaw Mulla and his

brother, Rustomji Mulla in 1895. Sir Dinshaw Mulla became a Privy Counsellor and was author o several authoritative

works including commentaries on the Indian Contract Act, Transer o Property Act, Law o Partnership, Sale o Goods Act,

Insolvency Laws in India, Civil Procedure Code, etc., which are legal treatise even today.

Mulla & Mulla merged in 1952 with M/s. Craigie Blunt & Caroe, solicitors to the East India Company. Since then the frm

has grown to its current strength o over 90 lawyers and ee earners. Individual partners concentrate on dierent areas o

practice providing specialist legal, commercial & technical services to clients.

The frm has a broad-based practice and a diversifed client base. It acts as Indian legal Counsel to numerous MNCs,

Fortune 500 Companies and several o the large 50 Indian Corporate Houses. Several frm members are Solicitors o the

Supreme Court o England & Wales and Hong Kong.

The frm is the annual reviser or over 35 years o the India Law Digest or Martindale Hubbell International Yearly Law Direc-tory, Asian Banking Law Manual & Investment and Tax Manuals (Hong Kong publications), and the Indian regional editor o

The Aviation Quarterly o Lloyds Law Publications and Lloyds Maritime and commercial Law Quarterly.

Partners travel widely in their work in India and overseas, hence the frm has built close relations with law frms globally.

Mumbai

Mulla House, 51, M.G. Road,

Fort, Mumbai - 400 001, India

Tel: (+91 22) 2204 4960 / 2262 3191

Fax: (+91 22) 2204 0246 / 6634 5497


Bangalore

209, Regency Enclave

4 Magrath Road

Bangalore 560 025, India

Tel: (+91 80) 2555 0370 / 2559 7704

Fax: (+91 80) 2559 8549


New Delhi

502, Nilgiri Apartments

5th foor, 9 Barakhamba Road

New Delhi 110 001

Tel: (+91 11) 2332 1501 / 2332 1513

Fax: (+91 11) 2332 1520


Website

www.mullaandmulla.com


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US$500 million joint venture with Reliance Industries.Managing partner Som Mandal has become as well-

known or his prowess in brokering law rm mergers ashe is or crating corporate ones. Late last year, his rmacquired Delhi-based Bhatia & Co. The move ollowed the2006 merger between Fox Mandal and Mumbai power-

house Little & Co to orm FoxMandal Little.Thakker & Thakker, meanwhile, continues to make an

impact with its high quality and extensive skills. Therm, which counts Cognizant, Samsonite, Virgin Mobileand Axiom Telecom among its clients, wins an award orits work in IT, media and telecommunications, and was arunner-up in several other categories, including corporateand commercial. As Greg Tanner, senior vice-president ostrategic development at DHL International, comments:In the last year, Thakker & Thakker has worked or us oncorporate shareholding restructuring issues, tax, litigationand other day to day business issues ... They are veryfexible and ocused on helping oreign investors in India

work through the red tape Raj.

Intellectual property specialists

The venerable Anand and Anand retains its pre-em-inence or intellectual property work. It dominated thevoting in the IP category, receiving warm praise rom lawrms and corporate counsel alike. The rm acts or high-prole clients such as Sholay Media and Entertainment,Koninklijke Philips Electronics, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba,Hindustan Lever and Hilton International.

Managing partner Pravin Anand is widely respected byclients around the world or transactional and advisoryintellectual property work. He is also an internationally

renowned litigator in IP disputes.Sharing the top spot with Anand and Anand are K&S

Partners, Krishna & Saurastri, Lall Lahiri & Salhotra, LexOrbis and Remry & Sagar.

Lex Orbis accomplishments last year include spear-heading an anti-countereiting campaign or CasioComputers.

Gurgaon-based Lall Lahiri & Salhotra, meanwhile, is rep-resenting Heinz India in a case against GlaxoSmithkline.Both companies have accused the other o disparaging

advertising in the ercely competitive market or healthdrinks.

Corporate deal makers

In the M&A arena, the star o the show in 2008 was Delhi-based P&A Law Oces, which together with internationalrm Jones Day, advised Japans Daiichi Sankyo on itsacquisition o Indian pharmaceuticals giant Ranbaxy.

Led by Anand Pathak, who is described by clients asextremely committed, customer-ocused and deeplyknowledgeable, the P&A team succeeded in overcomingcomplex domestic and international regulatory hurdles to

bring the transaction to ruition. It was the largest listed-company deal in Indias history.Mitsutaka Okano o the corporate strategy depart-

ment at Daiichi Sankyo says: I am very satised withthe services and experiences o P&A. Anand Pathakand Nitin Wadhwa possess deep knowledge in the eldo cross-border M&A and Indian company and securityregulations.

Another o the irms clients, Guillaume Bouthillier,director o structured nance or the Americas and Asiaat Bombardier Transportation, is particularly pleased withthe rms commercial acumen: P&A took a business-ori-entated approach and provided practical views on issues.They brought valuable inputs to commercial solutions,

he says.Delhi-based Vaish Associates represented Ranbaxy

on the Daiichi Sankyo deal. The rm picks up an awardin the taxation category, alongside AZB & Partners,


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Economic Laws Practice

Mumbai: 1502, A Wing, Dalamal Towers Delhi: 405-406, World Trade CentreNariman Point, Mumbai 400 021 Barakhamba Lane, New Delhi 110 001Tel.: +91 22 6636 7000 Tel.: +91 11 4152 8400Fax: +91 22 6636 7172 Fax: +91 11 4152 8404

Ahmedabad: 801, Abhijeet III, Mithakali Six Roads Pune: 28, Gera Legend, North Main RoadEllisbridge, Ahmedabad 380 006 Koregaon Park, Pune 411 001Tel.: +91 79 6605 4480 Tel.: +91 20 6640 8000Fax: +91 79 6605 4482 Fax: +91 20 6640 7240

Total number of Partners: 7Total number of Associates: 60

Year established: 2001Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Kannada, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil and TeluguKey areas of practice: Tax, International Trade and WTO, Infrastructure and Project Finance, Media andEntertainment, Corporate and Commercial, Commercial Arbitration

Contact:

Rohan Shah, Managing Partner [email protected] Nathani, Partner [email protected] Talwar, Partner [email protected]

Vikram Nankani, Partner [email protected]

FMLFOXMANDAL

LITTLE

FoxMandal Little (FML) is delighted to have been recognized by the readers of IndiaBusiness Law Journal as one of India's top law firms for corporate and commercialwork.

We would like to thank all of our clients and associates who nominated us for thishonour. FMLs reputation is founded on the simple philosophy of personal, promptservice and advice relevant to the modern requirements of business. The firmsstrength is its team of experienced and trained lawyers who treasure the value ofdiligence and knowledge as well as creativity and innovation in addressing theclients needs.

We look forward to providing you all with the highest standards of legal advice in2009 and beyond.

Contact Details:Som Mandal - Managing Partner

Corporate Office:FM HOUSEA-9, Sector-9, Noida-201301Tel: 91-120-391 9555/ 430 5555Facsimile: 91-120-2542 2222E-mail: [email protected],

[email protected]

Bangalore Bhubaneswar Chandigarh Chennai Hyderabad Kolkata KochiLucknow Mumbai Noida New Delhi PuneAssociate Offices: Coimbatore, Mangalore and Trivandrum

|| | | |

| | | | || London

Offices also at:


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Economic Laws Practice, Khaitan & Co, Lakshmikumaran& Sridharan and Nishith Desai Associates.

Originally known or its expertise in indirect taxation,Economic Laws Practice has built a fourishing practicein all areas o corporate law. The rms clients includeHindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, Larsen & Toubro,

Whirlpool India, Colgate Palmolive, Aditya Birla, Yash RajFilms and Otis Elevators. It recently acted as counsel toIdea Cellular on the US$21 billion demerger and reversemerger o its tower inrastructure with that o Bharti Airteland Vodaone Essar to orm the largest tower company inthe world. The rm, which has developed a close relation-ship with Baker & McKenzie, is also representing Indiaslargest lm production house to create the worlds rstBollywood theme park. The project is valued at US$1billion.

New talent

Ten-month-old Bharucha & Partners is the youngest lawrm to win an award this year. It shares the M&A prize withAmarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, Khaitan & Co,Luthra & Luthra and P&A Law Oces.

Distinguished husband-and-wie team Alka andMarezban Bharucha walked away rom equity partner-ships at Amarchand Mangaldas to establish the rm. Withthem came nine associates rom Amarchand, includingtheir son Justin.

The Bharuchas represented Idea Cellular on its acquisi-tion o a stake in Spice Communications. Despite its shorthistory, the rm picks up glowing recommendations rom

clients: Having worked with several other law rms, weeel that Alka and Justin Bharucha are peerless, saysSoon Hee Koh, legal counsel at chemicals company Yara.We get the sense that the rm will work to give us what

P&A LAW OFFICES

1st Floor, Dr. Gopal Das Bhavan, 28 Barakhamba Road

New Delhi - 110 001

Areas of Practice

CORPORATE: Mergers and Acquisitions; Joint Ventures; Privatizations; Outsourcing; Private Equity and

Venture Capital; Technology Licensing; Infrastructure

BANKING AND FINANCE: Secured and Unsecured Lending; Project Finance and Structured Finance;

Securitizations

CAPITAL MARKETS: IPOs; Private Placements

REGULATION: Competition Laws; Exchange Control and Other Regulatory Matters

DISPUTE RESOLUTION: International Arbitration; General Litigation

Contact Person:

Anand S. Pathak PartnerPhones: +91-11-4139-3939; +91-11-4139-3900

E-mail: [email protected]

Juris Corp is oten brought onboard or transactions involvingderivatives, structured nance,capital markets, cross-border

lending and equity-backedloansChris FlosiRegional General CounselBarclays Capital


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we want, within the timelines we want, even i it means thelawyers have to orego sleep.

Rainer Boehm, a lawyer at German IP rm EisenhrSpeiser & Partner who consulted Bharucha & Partners oncorporate and litigation matters, remarks: I was ortunateto instruct Indias best rm, probably. Both MP Bharucha

and Vivek Vashi are outstanding.

Fair competition

An integral aspect o any M&A deal is compliance withnational and sometimes international competitionlegislation. Seemingly innocuous mergers can triggernotication requirements in multiple jurisdictions, andthe regulatory environment is set to become even morecomplex with the introduction o Indias new competitionact.

Delhi-based Chitale & Chitale Partners scores highlyor its competition and antitrust work, sharing the top

prize with Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan, AmarchandMangaldas, AZB & Partners, Dua Associates, and P&ALaw Oces. The latter our rms benet rom having rep-resentatives on the Competition Commission o Indiasadvisory committee, which is drating the implementingregulations or the new act.

The problem solvers

While corporate work may be the favour o the momentor up-and-coming Indian lawyers, litigation and othermethods o dispute resolution still account or the lions

share o the countrys legal workload.Amarchand partner Pallavi Shro receives particular

praise or her work in this area, as do Lalit Bhasin oBhasin & Co, Sumeet Kachwaha o Kachwaha & Partnersand Raian Karanjawala o Karanjawala & Co. They sharethe top table with the disputes teams at Federal &

Rashmikant and Mulla & Mulla.I rate Bhasin & Co very, very highly as a litigation rm,

says Anand Pathak o P&A Law Oces. Hes one o thevery best. He has integrity, honesty and commitment tothe law. Hes a damn bloody good litigator!

Bhasin & Co serves clients such as Air India, IndianAirlines and the ITDC hotels group, as well as severalleading hotels including the Oberoi and the Taj.

Kachwaha & Partners also wins critical acclaim or itsdispute resolution work. [We used Kachwaha or] a litiga-tion in the Bombay courts involving an Indian company,as well as or Indian law input or concurrent proceedingsin the Singapore courts, says Paul Sandosham, a part-

ner at Singaporean law rm WongPartnership. We had avery good working experience and we were very satised.Sumeet Kachwaha provided us with very good input onIndian laws as well as overall strategy.

Peter Rosell, legal counsel or Topsoe in Denmark,agrees: In view o his and his oces experience andhigh standing in India and in London we chose to engagehim [Kachwaha] to assist us in a matter or the MRTPCommission in New Delhi.

Their analytical ability and knowledge o the spe-ciics o the relevant law and reerence cases wasimpressive.

CHITALE & CHITALE PARTNERS

Advocates & Legal Consultants

Chitale & Chitale Partners is a full service law rm providing quality legal advice to its clients in matters relating to commercial

law. The approach is result oriented whilst maintaining the highest standards. The main areas in which the rm has expertise

are :

CorporateandCommercialLaw-NegotiationandDraft-

ing o Commercial Contracts, Joint Ventures, Technol-

ogy Transer Agreements, Due Diligence, Regulatory

lings & advise, Corporate Restructuring, Mergers &Acquisitions.

DisputeResolutionLitigation,Arbitration,Mediation&

Conciliation.

CompetitionLaw,Anti-TrustandTradeLaw

InfrastructureProjectsRoads,Rails,Power,Urban

Inrastructure, Ports.

Disinvestments,CorporateandFinancialRestructuringand

Acquisitions

BankingandFinanceProjectFinancing,Documentation,

Restructuring o Debt, Bond issues, Due Diligence. IntellectualPropertyRightslings,registration,opposition

and litigation

RealEstate&Construction

Media&Internet

EmploymentLaw

Taxationadvisoryandlitigation

Aviation&Defence

Contacts:Suchitra Chitale & K.A. Sivaram

C-83, Neeti Bagh,

New Delhi - 110049Telephone: +91-11- 41642965, 41642966, 41642967

Facsimile: +91-1141642964

E-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected]


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Intelligence report



Close runners-up

Indias legal market is highly ragmented, with alarge number o credible and well-respected law rms.Narrowing each category down to just six winners wasthereore an extremely dicult process. In several cases

the results were close and there are many leading lawrms that scored well in the survey but ailed to make thetop six in any category.

Delhi-based KR Chawla & Co, or example, along withARA Law, Gandhi & Associates and Talwar Thakore &Associates, all o Mumbai, narrowly missed the top tableor capital markets.

Insurance specialist Tuli & Co also received manyendorsements, but in the absence o a dedicated cat-egory or insurance law, ailed to make a place on any othe winners lists. Why cant I have Tuli & Co in the resto the world? asked Jochi Jimenez, general counsel orHCC Global Financial Products.

IP boutiques Aditya & Associates, Amarjit & Associates,Lall & Sethi, and INTTL Advocare all received praise in theercely ought intellectual property category, but missedout on places in the top six. INTTL Advocare has alwaysbeen very high on integrity in all its dealings and extremelycourteous on all occasions, which has been a big pluspoint, says Venita Gabriel, regional intellectual propertyadviser to Nestl India. We get all our IP work in Indiadone through INTTL Advocare.

Akash Chittranshi & Associates, whose ounding part-ner Akash Chittranshi sadly died in October, also scoredhighly or its intellectual property work, as did Chennai-

based Altacit Global. The 20-lawyer rm is described byR Narayanan o Sterna Security as involved and com-mitted ... one o the best and wont be matched in a longwhile.

In the category o IT, media and telecommunications,notable runners up included Bajpai & Co, Seth Associates

and Seth Dua & Associates. Seth Dua & Associates ocuson client satisaction was evident rom the outstandingreerences it received: We like their pragmatic approachto law in the current business environment, explainsRakshit Jain, senior general manager o Emaar MGF.Their proactive and will nd a way to do it attitude iswhat gives us the most comort when dealing with them.

We nd Sunil Seth extremely competent and respon-sive to our critical needs, adds Jain. He is always avail-able and has a quick turnaround even in the short timethat we sometimes burden him with.

For corporate and commercial work, OP Khaitan & Co,Udwadia & Udeshi, DH Law oces, Singh & Associates

and others received glowing reerences rom clients, whileHariani & Co, KR Chawla & Co and Solomon & Co allscored well or construction and real estate.

New Delhi Law Oces, better known as NDLO, andUdwadia & Udeshi narrowly missed the winners table ormergers and acquisitions. Peter Doerr, general counselat Holcim, says he was very satised with NDLO anddescribes the irm as very responsive and business-minded, singling out the high quality solutions providedby Prija Shankar Dasgupta.

Udwadia & Udeshi, meanwhile, receives praise or itsecient and courteous services. Their long association

Trilegal is a full service law firm with over 100 lawyers across offices 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

firm's strength lies in the combination of its international experience with an intimate knowledge of issues

unique to the Indian context. The main practice areas of the firm include:

Corporate and Commercial Technology and Intellectual Property

Banking and Financial Services Employment and Labour

Private Equity

Real Estate Telecom Litigation and Arbitration

Capital Markets Insurance

Energy and Projects Media and Entertainment

Foreign Investment and Regulation Power and Electricity

Engineering and Construction Oil and Gas

Infrastructure and Project Finance Ports and Shipping

B-1/ F-2, The Sapphire,Mohan CooperativeIndustrial Estate,

Mathura Road, NewDelhi, 110044Tel: +91 11 4163 9393

Fax:+91 11 4163 [email protected]

149, Richmond Park,Bangalore- 560025Tel: +91 80 4151 5252


Harmony Plaza, 2ndFloor, 3-6-387/ C,

Himayat Nagar,Hyderabad-560028

Tel: +91 40 6641 5056


23, Madhuli,Dr.Annie Besant Road,

Worli, Mumbai-400018Tel:+91 22 4079 1000

Fax +91 22 4079 1098

[email protected]


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Intelligence report



Winners at a glance

The full results ofIndia Business Law Journals 2008 Indian Law Firm Awards

Law Firm o the Year

Khaitan & Co

with our company has been most benecial to us, saysRC Daga, the company secretary at ITD Cementation. Wewould recommend the ounding partners, Darius Udwadiaand Dilip Udeshi or their vast and eclectic experience ona variety o legal issues gained over several decades ... Wehave ound their advice most reliable and dependable.

In dispute resolution, prominent runners-up included Advani & Co, Khaitan & Partners (not to be conusedwith Khaitan & Co or OP Khaitan & Co), PH Parekh & Coand Titus & Co, while or labour and employment, Malvi

Ranchoddas & Co, Nathani & Associates and Trustman& Co were highly commended. Singhania & Partners andTitus & Co narrowly missed the top list or their work inenergy, projects and inrastructure. g

India Business Law Journal would like to thank all the corporate

executives, in-house counsel and private practitioners who generously

participated in the research for the Indian Law Firm Awards.

Best overall law frms

Amarchand MangaldasAZB & Partners

J Sagar AssociatesKhaitan & Co

Luthra & LuthraTrilegal

Banking & fnance


Dave & Girish & Co

J Sagar AssociatesJuris Corp

Wadia Ghandy & Co

Capital markets & corporate fnance


Craword Bayley & CoJ Sagar Associates

Khaitan & CoS&R Associates

Competition & antitrust


Chitale & Chitale PartnersDua Associates

Lakshmikumaran & SridharanP&A Law Oces

Construction & real estate

ALMT LegalAmarchand Mangaldas

AZB & Partners

DSK LegalKanga & Co

Parimal K Shro & Co

Corporate & commercial

Amarchand MangaldasAZB & PartnersDua AssociatesFoxMandal Little

J Sagar AssociatesKhaitan & Co


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Intelligence reportIndian Law Firm Awards

Dispute resolution

Amarchand MangaldasBhasin & Co

Federal & RashmikantKachwaha & Partners

Karanjawala & CoMulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe

Energy, projects & inrastructure

Amarchand MangaldasDesai & Diwanji

Hemant Sahai Associates

J Sagar AssociatesLuthra & Luthra

Trilegal

Intellectual property

Anand and AnandK&S Partners

Krishna & SaurastriLall Lahiri & Salhotra

Lex OrbisRemry & Sagar

IT, media & telecommunications


DSK LegalJ Sagar Associates

Nishith Desai Associates

Thakker & Thakker

Labour & employment

Bhasin & CoIndia Juris

J Sagar AssociatesKochhar & Co

Majmudar & CoTrilegal

Mergers & acquisitions


Bharucha & PartnersKhaitan & Co

Luthra & LuthraP&A Law Oces

Securitization & structured fnance


J Sagar Associates

Juris CorpTrilegal

Wadia Ghandy & Co

Shipping, maritime & aviation

Bhatt & SaldanhaGagrats

Hathi & PartnersMulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe

Rajinder Narain & CoS Venkateshwaran

Taxation

AZB & PartnersEconomic Laws Practice

Khaitan & CoLakshmikumaran & Sridharan

Nishith Desai Associates

Vaish Associates

Venture capital & private equity


Craword Bayley & CoJ Sagar Associates

Nishith Desai AssociatesTrilegal

Firms in the above tables are listed alphabetically, not in rank order. All winners in each category are o equal standing.

The methodology behind the awards is described on page 45.

Indian Law Firm Awards

Documents

Transcript of Indian Law Firm Awards