Corporate & Commercial

From structuring startups to guiding multinational corporations, we provide business-first legal solutions that align with growth and long-term stability. 

We have been widely recognized as having one of the leading Corporate & Business Law practices in India. Our lawyers advise clients on a broad spectrum of corporate and commercial work and focus their energies on finding viable and sustainable solutions, bespoke to a client’s needs and requirements. We extend the full spectrum of the Firm’s interdisciplinary resources to our clients and thus combine industry and specialist expertise with exceptional transactional skills and a vast experience in M&A processes. Due to our commercial and multi-dimensional approach, we have successfully dealt with many a complex and cutting-edge transactions and have developed long-standing relationships with our clients. Our scope of work includes advising our clients on mergers, joint ventures, acquisitions and sales of controlling interest, minority sales and investment, pre-IPO placements, public takeover offers, hostile takeovers, management buy-outs, business transfers and asset sales in both domestic and cross-border transactions.

Banking & Finance

Our sophisticated Banking & Finance practice has a formidable reputation in developing innovative solutions for our clients by incorporating complex financing techniques that leads the industry. We are trusted advisers to major corporations, banks and financial institutions that define global markets. The team advises its clients across the full spectrum of financing transactions, including corporate facilities, leveraged finance facilities for domestic, overseas and cross-border buyouts, derivatives, trade finance, project finance, asset and structured finance and restructurings. Our lawyers understand each client’s unique needs and provide customized solutions across national borders. We are uniquely positioned to support the banking, corporate and cross-border financing requirements of each of our clients and ensure client transactions are successfully concluded by assisting clients in obtaining the required governmental authorizations, approvals and registrations through close coordination with government authorities and regulatory bodies. Our Banking & Finance practice frequently draws on the Firm’s vast industry and regulatory experience in sectors such as infrastructure, communications and transportation, as well as competition, antitrust, real estate and tax. By doing so, we assist clients in effectively structuring transactions to respond to and anticipate industry and regulatory concerns.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Our Dispute Resolution practice is in the business of resolving disputes and putting matters to rest. We handle a wide variety of civil disputes and proceedings, domestic and international arbitrations, statutory and regulatory proceedings, criminal proceedings in a corporate context and assisting in formulating litigation strategies relating to foreign investments and corporate transactions. Our advice extends across all avenues of dispute resolution, including litigation and arbitration and across diverse sectors such as banking and finance, competition, construction and engineering, corporate, employment and pensions, employee benefits, financial services, fraud and financial crime, group litigation, professional negligence, real estate, restructuring and insolvency and trusts and succession and probate matters. Our clientele includes a range of national and international clients including major corporates, banks, financial institutions, private equity houses, investors, high-net- worth individuals, brand owners, high street retailers, employers and employees, contractors, developers, re-insurers, architects and engineers and landlords and tenants.

Labour & Employment

Our dedicated Labour & Employment practice is adept at handling all labour and employment related matters. We regularly advise our clients on employment related agreements, engagement of consultants, executive compensation, statutory compliances (including social security contributions, employee benefits including maternity benefits, statutory bonus and other liabilities), drafting, vetting and designing human resource and personnel policies and manuals, labour disputes and employee claims, confidentiality and data protection issues, structuring and implementing employee stock options and incentive plans, expatriate employment and secondments, voluntary retirement schemes, assignment of intellectual property rights and review of collective bargaining agreements and charters of demand. We also review and coordinate industrial relations issues for transactions, including documentation related to transfer of employees pursuant to business or asset transfers, employment due diligence, and advise on internal restructurings or ongoing company management issues relating to domestic enquiry procedures. We also assist and advise clients in managing human resources related crises and sensitive terminations which include developing strategy and documentation for separation or exit of senior management personnel and other employees. When advising our clients, we look to ensure that they have the benefit of our perspective on the issues at hand, both from a statutory as well as a practical and strategic perspective.

 Intellectual Property

We have an extensive Intellectual Property practice which assists clients in prosecution, advisory, enforcement, non-contentious transactional work, and contentious litigation work both in India and overseas, involving all forms of intellectual property including patents (including drafting and filing patent specifications in all disciplines of science and technology/ engineering), trademarks, copyright, designs, plant varieties, geographical indications and domain names. We advise clients on a variety of intellectual property agreements involving trademark licensing and assignment, distribution agreements, and IP related aspects of franchising transactions. We also assist in conducting legal due diligence on portfolio of patents, trademarks and copyright works. Our Intellectual Property practice includes litigators, transaction lawyers, patent lawyers, scientists and engineers. Over the years, the Intellectual Property practice has built a large client base which includes Indian and multinational corporations, research institutions, universities and individuals. Our clients come from a wide range of industry sectors including pharmaceuticals, technology, media, consumer goods and retail.

Real Estate

Our Real Estate practice is widely recognized and leading real estate practices in India. We advise all stakeholders, owners, developers (corporate and individual) and both domestic and foreign investors in all types of real estate transactions. Our practice covers the entire life span of real estate transactions, from acquisition and development to leasing and sale. We have been involved in major real estate transactions across India, and regularly advise clients in relation to residential, commercial and industrial developments, special economic zones (SEZs), townships, multiplexes, malls and IT parks. We advise clients on title of properties, lending/borrowing for real estate development and investments (foreign and domestic) by funds and private equity players in the real estate sector. We also advise clients on development and joint development of property, construction contracts and disputes arising out of construction contracts. Being a full service law firm, in addition to our core expertise from the Real Estate practice group, we provide comprehensive support for any real estate transaction by drawing resources from various other practice groups including our Funds, Taxation, Corporate & Commercial groups. We are able to respond to complex situations with speedy and creative solutions that are demanded in today’s highly competitive and rapidly changing real estate environment.

Capital Markets

The Capital Markets practice advises and provides comprehensive legal support on a variety of offerings in the domestic and international capital markets. Our domestic offerings include initial public offerings, follow-on public offerings, rights issues and qualified institutional placements across a variety of sectors and industries. On the global front, our offerings include advising on American Depository Receipts (ADRs), Global Depository Receipts (GDRs), Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and listings on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. We regularly represent issuers, domestic and international investment banks, underwriters and lead managers in such offerings. Integrated into the Capital Markets practice are a group of lawyers, who specialise in transactions involving the secondary capital market. This includes advising clients on issues and matters relating to listed securities and other transactions such as open offers, delisting offers, buyback offers (both open market and tender offers). We have time and again demonstrated our capability in handling complex and simultaneous multi-jurisdictional offers and our expertise extends to handling and advising clients on matters requiring representation before the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). We also advise broking houses and security holders on block and bulk trades on the floor of the stock exchange.

Competition Law

Our Competition / Antitrust Law practice is internationally recognised for its expertise and knowledge in this sphere. Apart from successfully defending several clients facing cartel and bid-rigging investigations, our Competition / Antitrust lawyers have advised clients on numerous abuses of dominance matters and merger control filings and analyses. We exercise utmost sensitivity while dealing with competition and antitrust cases, especially when it involves clients accused of cartel activity in particularly sensitive sectors, high profile or ground breaking merger control work and abuse of dominance representation. The team spends a considerable amount of time and effort in getting to know the client’s industry in order to appreciate and understand sector specific issues and the clients’ interests. We are regularly called upon to participate in several events and contribute to several reputed journals on matters of Indian competition law and policy. The members of our Competition / Antitrust practice are widely recognised as leaders on matters of Indian competition law.

Taxation Solutions

Our integrated Taxation practice excels in both direct and indirect taxation. We serve a diverse client base, ranging from listed multi-national corporations and domestic conglomerates to investment funds and high net-worth individuals. We regularly advise clients on all tax-related aspects of corporate, commercial and financial transactions and provide stand-alone tax advisory and well-rounded and highly specialised tax representation and tax litigation services. Our tax advice encompasses tax efficient structures for public and private mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, reorganisation, entry structures, fund formation, tax efficient capitalisation of subsidiaries, private equity transactions and transfer pricing advisory, in addition to providing tax opinions on corporate taxation, cross-border taxation and on contentious tax matters. Our tax experts also provide solutions in respect of indirect taxation, leading to tax efficient supply chain management and equipment procurement and construction (EPC) contracts. Our advisory services include providing advice on domestic and international trade and regulatory areas such as customs, excise, service tax, value added tax (VAT), special economic zones (SEZs), WTO trade protection measures such as anti-dumping and safeguard duty, import and export control, legal metrology, drugs and cosmetics, export incentive schemes, amongst others. Lauded for their considerable experience, our tax experts represent clients before governmental authorities in respect of delicate, complex and controversial tax issues.

Estate Planning, Trusts & Private Clients

The Firm has a very well-regarded Estate Planning, Trusts & Private Client practice, which comprises professionals with the necessary expertise and experience pertaining to trusts, taxation, wills and other testamentary instruments, relevant regulatory frameworks, corporate and securities laws and dispute resolution. The team is spread across our various offices and also draws from the Firm’s expertise in other areas of practice, including real estate, intellectual property, and litigation, depending on the client’s requirements. Our Estate Planning, Trusts & Private Client practice provides discreet advice to a range of national and international clients. We advise clients on drafting family constitutions, restructuring family businesses, creation of trusts and wills, migration of residency and change of citizenship. Our team members are internationally recognised and are regular speakers at both international and domestic fora on estate planning, succession and asset protection issues.