ESTABLISHED IN 2004
Total number of professionals: 450+ (115 partners)
Principal office: Mumbai
Other offices: Bengaluru, Gurugram, New Delhi and Pune
Key practice areas
Anti-corruption & anti-bribery; arbitration & ADR; aviation; banking & finance; bankruptcy & insolvency; capital markets; competition & antitrust; compliance; corporate & commercial; corporate governance; data protection; defence; e-commerce, fintech, blockchain & cryptos; inbound investment; information technology & business process outsourcing; infrastructure; insurance & reinsurance; intellectual property; international trade & bilateral investment treaties; joint ventures; labour & employment; licensing & franchising; litigation; microfinance; mergers & acquisitions; outbound investment; power & energy; private equity, venture capital & funds; project finance; real estate; regulatory practice & securities law; restructuring & insolvency; securitisation & structured finance; succession planning; taxation; technology, media and telecommunications; and white-collar crime.
Our services
AZB & Partners provides reliable, practical and full-service advice across all sectors. We have an accomplished team of lawyers committed to delivering best-in-class legal solutions. Our greatest strength is an in-depth understanding of legal, regulatory and commercial environments in India and elsewhere.
Independent intelligence on this law firm
The following information is sourced directly from India Business Law Journal and/or Law.asia and is not part of the directory listing provided by the law firm.
Testimonials
Ashwani Verma, director of legal at Sequoia Capital for India and Southeast Asia, works closely with AZB’s senior partner, Gautam Saha, and partners Sachin Mehta, Dushyant Bagga and Swati Chauhan. “The entire team is super helpful and understands VC ecosystem requirements,” says Verma. “They offer practical solutions in complex situations and take a balanced approach.”
One client comments on the firm’s “high-powered lawyers and their ability to bring ammunition” when deals reach a critical point.
Amit Aggarwal, the vice president of finance at Hero Enterprise, says the firm offers a “practical, solution-oriented approach to problem-solving, and has the ability to cut through to issues very quickly”.
Phillip D’Costa, a partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper in London, appreciates the firm’s “knowledgeable, skilled practitioners who work hard for the client”.
N Hariharan, executive vice-president and company secretary at Larsen & Toubro (L&T), says, “AZB met our expectations at all times, and in some cases exceeded expectations.” Singling out partner Ashwath Rau and his team, Hariharan says they “were prompt in responding to queries raised by the L&T team at the time of the acquisition of the shares of Mindtree”.
Pawan Singh, managing director at Bain Capital, says it is “very thorough … provides commercially relevant advice … [and] knows regulatory frameworks and nuances very well”.
“What is most creditable is that AZB makes the effort to better understand the commercial and business nuances and then provides sensible, practical advice,” says Mukesh Bhavnani, group general counsel at Bharti Airtel, of the firm’s corporate and commercial practice. He commends founding partner Bahl and partner Gautam Saha, who he says are “very good lawyers with a deep understanding of commercial implications” and “fully dependable”.
An international client who did not want to be named singles out senior partner Akhilesh Rai, who he says “consistently produces work of excellent quality”. Rai, who heads the firm’s IP practice in its Delhi office, is praised for providing advice that is “practical and strategic” and understanding “the expectations of non-Indian clients”.
Another client who is represented by AZB & Partners in an ICC arbitration says the firm’s team, which comprised partner Rajendra Barot, senior associate Anshika Misra and associate Prabhav Shroff, “exceeded our expectations in several instances”.
Brotin Das, chief manager of legal at Siemens, singles out partner Nohid Nooreyezdan for leading a team that worked seamlessly, so that “in the journey of the transaction we forgot [about] them being our external counsel and it almost felt that they were a part of our in-house team … their focus was on doing the transaction to the best of our company’s interest.”
Describing the firm as one of Bain’s “key legal partners” in India, Amit Chandra, managing director of Bain Capital Advisors, says: “What makes AZB special is the availability of each of the three senior most partners, with their names on the door of the firm, to provide guidance to complicated issues whenever needed”.
Notable Deals
Recognised by India Business Law Journal as Deals of the Year
| Reliance’s jumbo bond issue | 2022 | US$4 billion | Details |
| Tata Consultancy’s record buyback | 2022 | US$2.19 billion | Details |
| AU Small Finance Bank’s record QIP | 2022 | US$250 million | Details |
| Global Health’s IPO booster for hospital sector | 2022 | US$275 million | Details |
| KKR minimises Max Healthcare stake | 2022 | US$1.1 billion | Details |
| HDFC merger seals India’s largest M&A | 2022 | US$40 billion | Details |
| Adani cements Holcim mega M&A | 2022 | US$6.4 billion | Details |
| Mindtree merger creates massive IT server | 2022 | US$3.5 billion | Details |
| KKR seeds Advanta Enterprises | 2022 | US$300 million | Details |
| Wipro acquires German IT star Rizing | 2022 | US$540 million | Details |
| Tata scoops state-owned steel enterprise | 2022 | US$1.4 billion | Details |
| Investment mounts in ShareChat social media | 2022 | US$520 million | Details |
| IPL auction creates second-richest sports league | 2022 | US$6.2 billion | Details |
| US e-commerce rollup Thrasio enters India | 2022 | US$150-200 million | Details |
| Google stake in Bharti Airtel | 2022 | US$700 million | Details |
| Radici acquires Ester’s EP business | 2022 | US$35 million | Details |
| Jain Irrigation restructures debt | 2022 | US$500 million approximately | Details |
| ReNew’s groundbreaking de-SPAC merger | 2021 | US$8 billion | Details |
| Bharti Airtel’s mega rights issue | 2021 | US$2.8 billion | Details |
| Nykaa’s IPO a beauty | 2021 | US$718 million | Details |
| Piramal acquires insolvent Dewan | 2021 | US$4.6 billion | Details |
| Tata acquires Air India | 2021 | US$2.4 billion | Details |
| Brookfields’ mega real estate deal | 2021 | US$2.1 billion | Details |
| Sumitomo Mitsui’s major acquisition | 2021 | US$2 billion | Details |
| Wipro goes large with Capco buy | 2021 | US$1.45 billion | Details |
| Dream run on sports tech investment | 2021 | US$840 million | Details |
| KKR takes control of Vini Cosmetics | 2021 | US$625 million | Details |
| Pre-US IPO funding for Pine Labs | 2021 | US$600 million | Details |
| BharatPe’s series E sets it up for more | 2021 | US$370 million | Details |
| Pharmeasy’s unicorn round | 2021 | US$350 million | Details |
| Bain acquires port logistics stake | 2021 | US$180 million | Details |
| Reliance Industries’ rights issue | 2020 | US$7.1 billion | Details |
| Bharti Airtel’s monster QIP, FCCB | 2020 | US$3 billion | Details |
| HDFC’s QIP a complex issuance | 2020 | US$2.3 billion | Details |
| Yes Bank’s FPO a ‘landmark issuance’ | 2020 | US$2 billion | Details |
| Voluntary delisting of Hexaware Technologies | 2020 | US$600 million | Details |
| Nissan Motor arbitration one of the biggest | 2020 | N/A | Details |
| Top auditors under scrutiny in IL&FS crisis ruling | 2020 | N/A | Details |
| Yes Bank no easy restructure | 2020 | US$1.5 billion | Details |
| Jet Airways buys and sells during insolvency | 2020 | US$200 million | Details |
| Insolvency across jurisdictions for airline | 2020 | N/A | Details |
| Investors take stakes in Jio via 14 deals | 2020 | US$20 billion | Details |
| GlaxoSmithKline sells stake in Hindustan Unilever | 2020 | US$3.4 billion | Details |
| Schneider, Temasek’s acquisition of Larsen & Toubro | 2020 | US$2.1 billion | Details |
| Mixed interests challenge Chalet Hotels acquisition | 2020 | US$23 million | Details |
| Towering telecoms merger for Bharti Infratel | 2020 | N/A | Details |
| Bharti Airtel’s rights issue | 2019 | US$3.5 billion | Details |
| Axis Bank’s US$1.75bn qualified institutional placement | 2019 | US$1.75 billion | Details |
| Defence of constitutionality of the IBC | 2019 | N/A | Details |
| India leg of Disney’s 21st Century Fox acquisition | 2019 | US$71.3 billion | Details |
| Merger of Gruh Finance and Bandhan Bank | 2019 | US$12 billion | Details |
| GSK sells healthcare business to Unilever | 2019 | US$4.5 billion | Details |
| Brookfield’s InvIT acquisition of Reliance arm | 2019 | US$1.9 billion | Details |
| Larsen and Toubro’s acquisition of Mindtree | 2019 | US$1.5 billion | Details |
| Onshoring of Uber BV’s India business | 2019 | N/A | Details |
| Infosys share buyback | 2018 | US$2 billion | Details |
| Tata Steel’s rights issue | 2018 | US$1.9 billion | Details |
| Preferential allotment by Axis Bank to various investors | 2018 | US$1.6 billion | Details |
| HDFC’s preferential allotment | 2018 | US$1.6 billion | Details |
| Bandhan Bank IPO | 2018 | US$672 million | Details |
| Tata Steel’s acquisition of Bhushan Steel | 2018 | US$5.2 billion | Details |
| Vodafone-Idea Cellular merger | 2018 | US$23.2 billion | Details |
| Merger of Indus Towers and Bharti Infratel | 2018 | US$14.6 billion | Details |
| ONGC’ HPCL merger | 2018 | US$5.1 billion | Details |
| GIC affiliate’s acquisition of stake in DLF Cyber City Developers | 2018 | US$1.4 billion | Details |
| New India Assurance’s IPO | 2017 | US$1.4 billion | Details |
| SBI Life Insurance Company IPO | 2017 | US$1.3 billion | Details |
| Joint investment platform with Tata Power, ICICI Venture Funds | 2017 | US$850 million | Details |
| Spandana Spoorthy Financial raises funds from consortium | 2017 | US$270 million | Details |
| GTL’s distressed exchange | 2017 | US$207 million | Details |
| Bombay Stock Exchange IPO | 2017 | US$186 million | Details |
| Central Depository Services’ IPO | 2017 | US$81.1 million | Details |
| Fundraising by education startup Byju’s | 2017 | US$80 million | Details |
| Silgan Holdings acquires WestRock’s dispensing system business | 2017 | US$1 billion | Details |
| Bharti Airtel reduces Bharti Infratel stake | 2017 | US$952 million | Details |
| Bharti Airtel’s acquisition of Tikona Digital | 2017 | US$ 240 million | Details |
| Arpwood Partners acquires Karvy loan portfolio | 2017 | US$200 million | Details |
| Elara Technologies’ acquisition of Locon Solutions | 2017 | N/A | Details |
| Funding for affordable housing projects | 2016 | US$200 million | Details |
| HDFC’s masala bonds | 2016 | US$695 million | Details |
| NHPC’s offer for sale | 2016 | US$406 million | Details |
| Equitas Holdings’ IPO | 2016 | US$329.8 million | Details |
| GMR’s bond issuance to Kuwait Investment Authority | 2016 | US$300 million | Details |
| Varun Beverages’ IPO | 2016 | US$175 million | Details |
| Sale of 98% stake in Essar Oil | 2016 | US$13 billion | Details |
| Hitachi-Johnson Controls joint venture | 2016 | US$2.6 billion | Details |
| Nirma’s purchase of Lafarge India assets | 2016 | US$1.4 billion | Details |
| Yokohama Rubber’s purchase of Alliance Tire | 2016 | US$1.2 billion | Details |
| Mylan’s acquisition of Famy Care units | 2016 | US$800 million | Details |
| Virtusa’s purchase of majority stake in Polaris Consulting | 2016 | US$166 million + US$88.8 million | Details |
| Havells India’s sale of Sylvania | 2016 | US$194 million | Details |
| Ambuja Cement’s takeover of ACC | 2016 | N/A | Details |
| Bharti Airtel’s sale of African units to Orange | 2016 | N/A | Details |
| Max India’s three-way demerger | 2016 | N/A | Details |
| Jaguar Land Rover bond offering and Tata Motors global rights issue | 2015 | US$590 million + US$1.2 billion | Details |
| Infosys founders’ divestment of stake | 2015 | US$1.1 billion | Details |
| Reliance Industries’ investment grade bond offering | 2015 | US$1 billion | Details |
| InterGlobe Aviation’s IPO | 2015 | US$460 million | Details |
| Delhi International Airport’s high-yield issuance | 2015 | US$289 million | Details |
| Reliance Industries’ Formosa bond offering | 2015 | US$200 million | Details |
| Coffee Day’s IPO | 2015 | US$177 million | Details |
| HDFC Bank’s qualified institutional placement and ADRs | 2015 | US$146.62 million | Details |
| VRL Logistics IPO | 2015 | US$72.5 million | Details |
| Birla’s acquisition of LafargeHolcim’s cement units | 2015 | US$766 million | Details |
| IndusInd Bank’s acquisition of Royal Bank of Scotland’s bullion | 2015 | US$612 million | Details |
| Snapdeal’s acquisition of FreeCharge | 2015 | US$450 million | Details |
| Infosys acquires Panaya and Kallidus | 2015 | US$200 million + US$120 million | Details |
| Future Group acquires Bharti Retail | 2015 | US$113.5 million | Details |
| Twitter’s acquisition of ZipDial | 2015 | US$30 million | Details |
| ANI Technologies series G & H financing | 2015 | US$400 million + US$500 million | Details |
| Snapdeal’s I series funding | 2015 | US$500 million | Details |
| Carlyle’s acquisition of Destimoney Enterprises | 2015 | US$250 million | Details |
| Investments in MobiKwik | 2015 | US$25 million | Details |
| CPPIB-Shapoorji Pallonji JV acquires Chennai IT park | 2015 | US$220 million | Details |
| Blackstone acquires 247 Park | 2015 | US$177 million | Details |
| Tata Steel bond issue | 2014 | US$1.5 billion | Details |
| GlaxoSmithKline India’s open offer to shareholders | 2014 | US$1 billion | Details |
| Tata Motors’ bond issue | 2014 | US$750 million | Details |
| IFC’s debt financing for Yes Bank | 2014 | US$150 million | Details |
| Goldman Sachs unit’s CPSE exchange traded fund | 2014 | N/A | Details |
| Vodafone buys out Indian partners | 2014 | US$5.5 billion | Details |
| Shapoorji Pallonji buys out state-run partner | 2014 | N/A | Details |
| CDC Group’s equity stake in Ratnakar Bank | 2014 | US$28 million | Details |
| Series E, F and G investments in Snapdeal | 2014 | US$900 million | Details |
| SoftBank’s investment in Ola | 2014 | US$210 million | Details |
| KKR’s investment in Gland Pharma | 2014 | US$200 million | Details |
| Newgen Software Technologies fundraising | 2014 | US$15.5 million | Details |
| CPPIB’s strategic alliance with Piramal Enterprises | 2014 | US$500 million | Details |
| Star wins global audio-visual rights for ICC events | 2014 | N/A | Details |
Contact us
Mumbai
AZB House
Peninsula Corporate Park
Ganpatrao Kadam Marg
Lower Parel
Mumbai – 400 013, India
T: +91 22 4072 9999
E: mumbai@azbpartners.com
Contact
Zia Mody
Website
www.azbpartners.com
