Practice Areas

We have an in-depth understanding of various financial products and services and its complex regulatory environments. Our scope of work routinely includes advice on regulatory issues, new banking products and services, risk management and capital management. 

Our Work Includes:

  • Representing lenders and borrowers on projects related to structured finance, corporate and acquisition finance and project finance transactions. 
  • Strategic acquisitions in and minority Investments in Indian private sector banks.
  • Transactions involving multilateral agencies and export credit agencies.
  • Securitisation transactions with challenging asset classes.

 

We advise our clients on corporate restructuring and business reorganization in distressed and other situations. The firm provides practical and legal solutions and options on structuring their presence or operations for business efficiency or for avoiding or mitigating the adverse effects in troubled circumstances.   We have a team of experienced lawyers advising on demergers, hiving offs, amalgamations, etc. preparing schemes of arrangement with creditors and shareholders and where required by law, obtaining approvals of the concerned high courts of various states across the country.   We advise insolvency professionals and other stakeholders including financial and operational creditors and corporate debtors in relation to proceedings under the Insolvency and bankruptcy Code, 2016. We also advise on voluntary liquidation and dissolution of companies and defend client’s interests where winding up or similar proceedings are initiated against them.   Our lawyers have the experience of acting in various jurisdictions in India and can seamlessly advise and assist clients on all elements involved in critical restructurings and bankruptcy matters.

Our Work Includes:

  • Advising domestic and foreign companies investing in distressed companies undergoing Insolvency proceedings. 
  • Counselling hedge funds on structuring investments into the Indian stressed asset space.
  • Advising international and domestic banks on initiating IBC proceedings.
  • Assisting insolvency professionals in proceedings against distressed companies.
  • Defending writ petitions filed by distressed companies. 

 

We are adept at handling various matters related to compliance and investigation. Having worked on cases related to corruption, bribery, white collar crime antitrust issues, employee fraud and embezzlement financial misstatement, vendor fraud, management fraud, and IP theft and more, we have both an in-depth understanding of the space as well as the skills required to deliver effective and regulation-specific counsel. The Firm assists companies facing dominance or cartel investigations.

Our Work Includes:

  • Compliance Investigations under The Companies Act, FCPA & UKBA.
  • Whistleblower and internal investigations.
  • Litigation and arbitration support.
  • Background checks and asset tracing.
  • Antitrust investigations.
  • Dedicated private equity support for due diligence, implementing ethical frameworks for investee companies, fraud risk assessment, full investigation support on allegations of asset misappropriation misreporting misstatement and diversion of funds). 
  • Advisory solutions to implement a comprehensive ethics framework.
  • Incident response services.
  • Trainings and awareness sessions for employees, independent directors and third parties.

 

 

Our energy and natural resources practice work extensively in power generation and transmission renewable energy, mining waste management sectors and more. We regularly advise on the entire life cycle of projects - including bidding, acquisition, development financing construction operations and more. We regularly interface with practices within the Firm to provide specialized assistance.

Our Work Includes:

  • Bidding for energy projects, including negotiations.
  • Evaluation and finalisation of bids from project developers.
  • Drafting of various type of commercial contracts, including EPC & O&M contracts and land development agreements.
  • Set up, acquisition, investment financing financial closure of various power plants solar parks, wind turbine farms, hydroelectric projects, oil and gas wells, mine operations, and ports, construction of roads. railways and highways, dams and canals. 
  • Set up of greenfield projects.
  • Policy related work- analysis of public private partnership frameworks.
  • Project financing for public sector and private sector lenders.
  • Risk management.

 

We provide best in class counsel and approach each client with solutions tailored specifically to their business and regulatory needs.  We have experience with various matters, such as technology, data exploitation and financial regulation. Our clients range from established financial institutions (in banking, non-banking and securities market/ financial intermediaries space) global technology, payments and telecommunication companies to investors and start-ups with the potential to act as market disrupters.

Our Work Includes:

  • Entry strategies, this includes setting up of financial services/FinTech business in India and gaining regulatory licenses/approvals.
  • Developing new products including financial product feasibility assessments ongoing compliance and regulatory risk assessments.
  • Strategic M&A (including cross-border), across both listed, unlisted and private players covering investments, IVs, mergers, demergers, asset and business transfers, intra-group restructuring product distribution agreements, referral and service arrangements, etc.
  • Governance advice for senior management representing clients before Indian regulators such as RBI SER/ SAT. Ministry of Finance, Tribunals/ High Courts, Supreme Court, including counsel on investigation and inquiry proceedings, compounding and settlement/consent proceedings.
  • Payment services (domestic and cross border), including card payment networks, pre-paid payment instruments (wallets), payment gateways and aggregators, white label operations, electronic and mobile money services, online (including P2P) lending, account aggregators etc.
  • Technology transfer and licensing development and procurement, app design development and licensing and IP creation exploitation and protection.
  • Emerging technologies, such as blockchains cryptocurrencies, aggregation platforms over the top (OTT) media services. cloud strategies, technology payments integration machine learning and artificial intelligence. 
  • Data protection, cyber-security, Big Data and information security.
  • Making regulatory representations and assisting on policy formulation, including impact assessment of new regulations, regulatory representations on policy/legal changes impacting FinTech/financial services sector.

 

We have a comprehensive understanding of the pharmaceutical, medical devices, biotech and food industries. We are able to successfully help clients navigate the complex regulatory framework that governs this space. The Firm advises clients on a host of matters such as structuring transactions, conducting Intellectual property and regulatory due diligence, drafting and negotiating transaction documents. We also work with and assist pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic companies on regulatory compliance, obtaining of requisite licenses and global players on their India entry strategy.

Our Work Includes:

  • Advising clients in the pharma and healthcare sectors on their acquisitions, sale of stake and / or transfer of part of its business. 
  • Advising clients on intellectual property licensing and technical collaborations, as well as acquisition of pharmaceutical brands. 
  • Conducting audits of the intellectual property portfolio of pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
  • Delivering drug and medical device regulatory and compliance advice including advising clients on obtaining marketing authorizations and import registrations.
  • Advising pharmaceutical and medical device companies in relation to drug and medical device pricing issues, clinical trials, and clinical trial compensation regulations, as well as clinical trial agreements. Informed consent forms and other reporting obligations including adverse events reporting.
  • Advising pharmaceutical medical device and diagnostic companies on various ethical issues, including those surrounding interactions with medical practitioners and compliance with advertising and marketing codes.
  • Advising food and beverage manufacturers on the proprietary food regulatory landscape in India including laws governing import of proprietary foods into India, advertisement labelling and packaging of foods products and issues relating to food safety standards and requirements.

We advise and assist leading family businesses and HNIS on various aspects of their private wealth and estate planning, our clients also include institutions such as family offices, fiduciaries, wealth managers and private banks which assist these families. Wealth and succession planning are highly complex areas due to the interplay of multiple laws. We provide specialist advice in areas such as securities law, tax law, real estate law, intellectual property law and disputes. 

 

Intergenerational wealth transfers: 

    • preparing international and domestic wills. 
    • Settlement of trusts, including for listed companies, and related SEBI issues.
    • Establishing private trusts for family members and vulnerable dependents. 
    • Advising non-resident Indians and Indian families with managing overseas property/family.
    • Pre-transaction/exit structuring for CXOs and key managerial personnel’s. 
    • Pre-bequeathal restructuring of business assets

Family governance: Advising family businesses on long term family governance structures, including the setup of family councils/boards and family constitutions. 

Specialised assets and collectibles: Negotiating the acquisition and sale of collectibles planning for the succession and preservation of collectibles such as art, artefacts and luxury assets) and structuring and setup of private museums. 

Philanthropy: Assisting with the structuring of philanthropic and charitable endeavours, including the structuring and establishment of charitable trusts, section companies, social venture funds and FCRA related issues.

Family Disputes/Family Arrangements: Disputes involving promoter business families and HNIS (including those in relation to property, trusts, and succession) and pre dispute assistance, such as family settlement arrangements. 

We provide counsel on high-value transactions and deals, across a wide variety of sectors and stages of investment. The Firm's success is a result of its deep and authentic understanding of the legal, commercial and regulatory environment and issues for private equity and venture capital investments. Having worked on a number of marquee deals, we have attained depth of experience. We have been involved in wide spectrum of transactions ranging from minority investments, control deals and buy-outs (leveraged and unleveraged) to distressed asset and special situations investments. 

Our Work Includes:

  • Advising on structures for efficient investment routing and exit, tax planning and regulatory procedures required for making an investment and assisting in obtaining such approvals).
  • Negotiating the terms and conditions of individual investments with portfolio companies.
  • Conducting due diligences Providing advice on monitoring and maintaining investments Listed, unlisted, PIPE and buyout deals.
  • Handling capital requirements at various stages in the life cycle of a portfolio company. 

 

 

We understand the challenges and complexities involved, particularly the process of public procurement and are able to deliver solution-oriented counsel that enables clients to operate comfortably within the applicable related regulatory and legal frameworks. 

Our Work With Foreign Companies Includes:

  • Advising on foreign direct investment regulations applicable to the defence sector in India and on the process of obtaining industrial and export licenses.
  • Structuring of joint ventures in the Indian defence space. 
  • Acquisition of shareholding of joint venture companies in the defence sector in India having foreign Investment.
  • Conducting legal due diligence of companies engaged in defence manufacturing activities

 

Our Work With Indian Companies Includes:

  • Advising on standard requests for proposals under the defence procurement procedures of the Ministry of Defence Government of India.
  • Compliances under the security manual.
  • Transfer of technology and availing technical assistance from foreign technology holders Offsets.
  • Applicability of defence offset guidelines.
  • Avenues available with the foreign original equipment manufacturers to discharge offset obligations.
  • Issues relating to fulfilment of conditions for procurement for meeting offset obligations.
  • Contracts between foreign original equipment manufacturers and their Indian offset partner(s).

 

We have worked on complex, high-risk cases with rich experience in commercial and corporate dispute resolution. The Firm extensively engages in the resolution of civil, criminal (economic offence), commercial and constitutional law disputes through litigation in the Supreme Court of India, various High Courts in India and several other courts and tribunals.  We conduct arbitrations mediations and negotiations on behalf of our clients within and outside India and across every industry including infrastructure, real estate, information technology aviation, banking and finance and construction

Our Work Includes:

  • Determining a dispute resolution strategy Drafting necessary pleading and statements.
  • Liaising with specialised counsel 
  • Attending hearings in various courts and other fora along with specialised counsel

 

We Appear Before Special Courts Including The Following:

  • National Company Law Tribunal and National Company Appellate Tribunal.
  • Customs Authority.
  • Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal 
  • Supreme Court of India.
  • High Courts across India 
  • Income Tax Appellate Tribunal across India.
  • Authority of Advance Ruling 
  • Dispute Resolution Panel 
  • Consumer Redressal Forum.
  • Revenue Tribunals and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

 

Beyond India, the Firm represents clients in multi-jurisdictional arbitration matters governed by various rules including those of the ICC, UNCITRAL, Singapore Court of International Arbitration and London Court of International Arbitration.

we advise companies, domestic and international, on India’s complex legal environment pertaining to retail. The Firm extensively works with a diverse set of clients on this space, ranging from large department store chains, big box retailers, luxury/specialty retailers, B2B & B2C online marketplaces and other players in the e commerce sector.

Our Work Includes:

  • India entry strategy, this includes foreign exchange and related exchange control issues business models (inventory-based versus marketplace model of e-commerce) policy level issues and compliances, product compliances (including for regulated offerings such as drones, food, pharmaceuticals medical devices, personal care products, baby products etc.). 
  • The establishment of wholesale distribution centres across the country Formulation of business models for e-commerce companies that align with business objectives and the regulatory environment.
  • Franchisee, supply and distribution arrangements in the single and multi-brand retail spaces.
  • Legal metrology, labelling and packaging digital content and censorship. 
  • Structured promotions, loyalty and privilege programs etc.
  • Drafting and negotiation of various commercial contracts including listing contracts terms of use, vendor contracts, contra-cogs agreements, distributorship agreements brand- license arrangements, promotion and sponsorship agreements etc.
  • Intermediary liability & safe harbor, online payment processing (for onshore & offshore sellers), payment intermediaries, prepaid payment instruments /stored value cards, e wallets, KYC related issues, e-contracts, their validity and execution data privacy, privacy policy, cross border movement of data, lawful interception, etc. 

 

We also assist brands with establishing their brands in India in single brand retail through joint ventures or wholly owned subsidiaries franchise and distributorship models, obtaining required regulatory approvals and ensuring compliance with the sourcing requirements imposed by the Government. 

 

We advise a wide range of clients across industry sectors. We advise on how to create, project safeguard, enforce and monetize valuable intellectual property assets ranging from trademarks domain names, patents, copyrights and designs to confidential information. We undertake trademark prosecution, trademark portfolio Management, IP enforcement and litigation, IP transactions and due diligence. We provide clients with practical innovative comprehensive and custom made strategies and solutions. 

Our Work Includes:

  • Prosecution and management of trademarks, copyrights, designs and patent portfolios for clients, including conducting clearance searches initiation of opposition, cancellation or rectification actions against third parties where necessary as well as providing watch services. 
  • Advising and counselling clients in relation to their overall intellectual property protection and enforcement strategy in India, including undertaking anti-counterfeiting actions and other contentious proceedings before various tribunals, High Courts and other Courts in India. 
  • Representation of clients on various contentious matters in the areas of trademark, trade dress, designs, copyrights and patent infringement, domain names anti-cybersquatting comparative and false advertising, trade secrets and confidential information. 
  • Drafting, negotiating and advising clients on trademark, patent and technology Licensing and acquisitions, co-branding, franchising software license agreements, research and technology collaboration agreements.
  • Conducting brand and intellectual property audits including audits on intellectual property management practices adopted by a company.
  • Customs recordal and border enforcement strategies for reputed brands.
  • Advisory services in relation to all types of intellectual property, including advertisement clearances, intermediary liability issues and advice on data protection and privacy. 

 

 

 

We pride in our ability to seamlessly handle complex matters. We advise on M&E and sports law matter in India. We work closely with our other practices to provide comprehensive counsel on all matters.

Our Work Includes:

  • M&A and private equity investments in the broadcasting business including entertainment channels and news channels.
  • Acquisitions for global players focused on growing their India presence Global expansion for Indian players their global reach.
  • Supply agreement, distribution contracts and foreign investment holding issues.

 

We have worked in various segments of the M&E space, such as cable television distribution Direct-to-Home platforms, Headend in the Sky general entertainment channels, news channels and home-shopping channels, general entertainment radio, film production etc.

 

In The Sports Space, We Advise On A Broad Range Of Legal Matters Such As:

  • Transactions and investments in sports businesses in India.
  • Corporate and commercial legal needs including in connection with agreements for distribution and broadcasting content supply and acquisition licensing endorsement, sponsorship and advertising etc.
  • Acquisition, syndication and distribution of media rights in relation to numerous sports properties, both on a bilateral basis as well as through bid/tender processes.

 

 

Our legal expertise in this practice area spans across diverse industries. We enable clients to mitigate risk and achieve business and growth objectives. We are experienced in a wide range of matters, from general corporate advice, corporate governance, contract law matters and exchange control regulations to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and unconventional strategic partnerships, takeovers and outbound investments.

Our work includes: Complex international and domestic acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures. Hostile corporate situations litigation or settlements Evaluating the viability of business options for clients.

Restructuring and reorganisations. Negotiating and establishing a variety of commercial arrangements.  To provide our clients with the most comprehensive counsel. we work closely with International accounting firms, global Investment banks and international law firms particularly on multi-jurisdictional transactions.

 

 

We are uniquely positioned to serve our clients through our project practice. We find innovative financing solutions, advising them on investments and transactions involving infrastructure assets. We also streamline project practice with dispute resolution, fund and transactional practices. We present our clients with a deep understanding of the regulatory environment in India and our ability to navigate through the various sector-specific licensing and regulatory requirements. We are highly skilled in drafting and negotiating complex commercial and financial contracts and provide clear, technically sound advice throughout the project life cycle.

Our Work Includes:

  • Full suite of financing solutions for a wide range of market participants for structuring, assessing, developing, financing, selling and purchasing a range of projects.
  • Structuring, advising and drafting transaction documents, including advice on stamp duty, registration fees and other acquisition costs.
  • Cross-border capabilities to advise project sponsors, suppliers, contractors, financiers, governments and businesses.
  • Pre-closing, closing and post-closing transaction administration.
  • Comprehensive diligence support for the transaction including title searches, title due diligence and certificate verification in relation to properties situated pan-India.
  • Security creation and perfection, ring-fencing of security, covenant compliance, regulatory compliance and other support services for ensuring sufficiency and enforceability of financing and project documents.

We work on projects across the entire real estate spectrum and a steadfast commitment to deliver effective and solution oriented counsel. We are able to equip our clients with the kind of solutions that are aligned with the Government of India’s sector-specific policies governing the sector.  We assist Investors, lenders and real estate developers on all aspects of transactions including on investments, joint ventures, disposition matters, as well as in financing and restructuring of debts. We advise on foreign investments and joint ventures in various sector verticals including in mixed use projects and in residential commercial office, mall and warehousing and special economic zone projects.  Our clients include sovereign funds, pension funds, private equity funds and foreign and domestic investors and companies. The Firm also routinely advises clients on real estate legal and regulatory aspects in the course of leasing, licensing, joint development, mortgage and acquisition transactions. We also collaborate with a network of counsels to identify local regulatory issues that impact immovable properties.

Our Work Includes:

  • Advice on entry strategy for potential investors in the real estate sector and structuring of Investment instruments including on waterfall structures and exits.
  • Drafting review and negotiation of joint venture agreements, investment agreements, shareholders agreements, project management contracts and other services contracts.
  • Title diligence of the underlying property and issuing reports.
  • Advising on purchase, leasing licensing arrangements, sale and lease back arrangements Formulation of joint development agreements and similar arrangements for development of property.
  • Advice on the applicable local regulations including land-use regulations, zoning regulations, stamp duties and registration formalities. 

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