2009 directory of indian law firms

8/14/2019 2009 Directory of Indian Law Firms

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Intelligence report

India Business Law Journal 41

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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India Business Law Journal42

Indias legal market

July/August 2009

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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Directory of Indian law rms

July/August 2009

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


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.




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.


9/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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


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).



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.


10/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.



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.


11/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.




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.


12/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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


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.



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.




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.


13/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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


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.




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


14/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.


15/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

Economic Laws PracceEstablished in 2001

ContaCtdetails

Mumbai

1502, Dalamal TowersNariman Point


Telephone: +91 22 6636 7000Fax: +91 22 6636 7172


Contacts:Mr Rohan Shah

Mr Suhail NathaniMr Sujjain Talwar

Mr Vikram Nankani

New Delhi

405-406, 4th FloorWorld Trade CentreBarakhamba Lane


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


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.




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.


16/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.


Of counsel: 3



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.


17/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.




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


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.




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.


18/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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


Contact:Mr Rohit Kochhar

Chairman & Managing [email protected]

17th Floor Nirmal BuildingNariman Point


Telephone: +91 22 6637 0031+91 22 6655 9701


Contact:Mr Rajarshi Chakrabarti

[email protected]

#201 Prestige SigmaNo 3 Vittal Mallya Road

Bangalore - 560 001, KarnatakaIndia

Telephone: +91 80 4112 4994+91 80 4112 4995


Contact:Mr Stephen Mathias

[email protected]

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.



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.


19/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

KR Chawla & CoEstablished in 1996

ContaCtdetails

7th Floor, Kailash Building26 Kasturba Gandhi Marg


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.




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


Contact:Ms Misha Gill

Key practice areas: Business laws; intellectual property; real

estate; litigation; information technology; entertainment; power;

telecommunications; life sciences; bio-technology.


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.


20/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.



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.


21/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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.



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.


22/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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

[email protected]

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)


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 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.


23/29

Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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


otheroffiCes

Bangalore

209 Regency Enclave4 Magrath Road

Bangalore - 560 025India

Telephone: +91 80 2555 0370+91 80 2559 7704


New Delhi

502 Nilgiri Apartments5th oor, 9 Barakhamba Road


Telephone: +91 11 2332 1501+91 11 2332 1513


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.



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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Intelligence report



July/August 2009

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


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


First Floor, CS-242Mathuradas Mill CompoundNM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel

Mumbai - 400 013, India

Telephone: +91 22 4340 8500Fax: +91 22 4340 8501


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.



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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Intelligence report



July/August 2009

PSALegal Counsellors, Established in 2004

ContaCtdetails

E-601 Gauri Sadan5 Hailey Road


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.



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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Intelligence report



July/August 2009

S&R AssociatesEstablished in 2005

ContaCtdetails

64, Okhla Industrial EstatePhase III


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.




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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July/August 2009

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.




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


New DelhiTel: +91 11 4153 1000


BangaloreTel: +91 80 4113 1900


HyderabadTel: +91 40 2311 7977


MumbaiTel: +91 22 2288 5550


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.



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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Intelligence report



July/August 2009

TrilegalEstablished in 2000

ContaCtdetails

23 Madhuli, 2nd FloorDr Annie Besant Marg

Worli, Mumbai - 400 018India

Telephone: +91 22 4079 1000Fax: +91 22 4079 1098


Contacts:Mr Karan Singh

Mr Sridhar Gorthi

The Sapphire, F2/ B1Mohan Co-operative

Industrial EstateMathura Road


Telephone: +91 11 4163 9393Fax: +91 11 4163 9292


Contacts:Mr Akshay JaitlyMr Anand Prasad

149 Rathna AvenueRichmond Road

Bangalore - 560 025India

Telephone: +91 80 4151 5252Fax: +91 80 4151 5210


Contacts:Mr Rahul MatthanMr Prem Ayappa

HyderabadTelephone: +91 40 6641 5056


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.



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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