Based on the collective views of in-house counsel and private practice lawyers in India. The following are the top India-focused lawyers at international law firms.
The International A-List is based on extensive research conducted by India Business Law Journal. Biographies and contact details, where provided, are written by the lawyers themselves and have not been independently verified.
Click here to read the editorial report that accompanies the A-List.
Click here to see the methodology behind The International A-List
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Sheila Ahuja Allen & Overy Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; emerging markets | |
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Babita Ambekar CMS London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI out of India; private equity & venture capital | |
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Philip Badge Linklaters Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance | |
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Arun Balasubramanian Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Hong kong/ Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; dispute resolution | |
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Sonia Baldia Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton Washington DC |
| Tel: +1 202 508 5840 Email: sbaldia@kilpatricktownsend.com Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; intellectual property |
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Sonia Baldia is a partner in Kilpatrick Townsend’s commercial and technology transactions practice in Washington DC, and leads the firm’s India practice. She is a highly regarded, dually qualified lawyer with bar admissions in the US and India. Sonia has more than 20 years of experience with a keen focus on US-India cross-border matters, including FDI, strategic acquisitions, joint ventures, intellectual property protection, IT and business process outsourcing, establishing subsidiaries for software development, and advising on manufacturing and supply chains in India. She also advises Indian corporates on global expansion and inbound investments into the US market. Sonia grew up in India and earned a law degree there before earning additional law degrees in the US. She speaks fluent Hindi and is very knowledgeable about navigating the business and cultural environment in India. She is consistently recognised for her expertise by various legal directories, including Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Legal 500 and The Best Lawyers in America®. Client testimonials state that she is “excellent”, “best in business”, “demonstrates a high level of sophistication and commercial awareness”; she “is a pleasure to work with” and has “terrific knowledge of the market conditions in addition to the legal aspects”. Previously, Lawyers of Color named her on the 50 Under 50 list of most influential minority law professors in the US when she served as an IP and corporate law professor. Many of her publications on IP, technology, outsourcing and US-India-related topics have been widely cited, including by the Delhi High Court in a case of first impression on grey market goods (Samsung Electronics Company Limited and Another v G Choudhary and Anr, 2006) where Justice Vikramjit Sen quoted verbatim at length from her article. Kilpatrick Townsend is a global law firm with 23 offices in the US, Europe, China and Japan. The firm has offices in key US markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Washington DC and Winston-Salem. The firm’s cross-disciplinary team of lawyers routinely advise clients on a variety of US-India matters ranging from M&A, private equity, venture capital and IP to government relations, tax, arbitration, immigration and employment issues. |
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Ranajoy Basu McDermott Will & Emery London |
| Key practice areas: Structured finance; ESG, renewable energy, sustainable finance; India practice | |
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Jamie A Benson Duane Morris & Selvam Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets | |
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Manoj Bhargava Sidley Austin Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets | |
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Sidharth Bhasin Latham & Watkins Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital; projects, energy, infrastructure & resources | |
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Gautam Bhattacharyya Reed Smith London |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution | |
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Philip Boeckman Cravath Swaine & Moore London |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/ M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Piusha Bose Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; FDI out of India | |
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Raja Bose K&L Gates Singapore |
| Tel: +65 6507 8125 Email: raja.bose@klgates.com Key practice areas: Anti-bribery and anti-corruption; construction and infrastructure; dispute resolution |
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Raja Bose leads the firm’s commercial disputes and international arbitration practice in Asia and has more than 20 years of experience in international dispute resolution having worked in both London and Singapore. He is qualified both as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore as well as admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales. He is also a qualified arbitrator and is a fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of the UK as well as of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. Raja is on the panel of arbitrators of a number of arbitration institutions including the SIAC, the KLRCA, the ICA and the HKIAC. He is also a board member and director of the UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators – Singapore Branch. Raja has experience conducting international arbitrations with seats in Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Dubai, Malaysia, London, Paris, Geneva and New York under a variety of trade association and international arbitration centre rules, including UNCITRAL, the LCIA, LMAA, GAFTA, CIETAC, BANI, the HKIAC, the KLRCA, the SIAC, the ICC, the AAA, the VIAC and the ICSID. While his practice focuses on international commercial dispute resolution with an emphasis on international arbitration, he also has considerable experience supervising, co-ordinating, and managing complex court-based litigation in a wide number of countries in the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region including South Asia, Indochina and Southeast Asia. In addition to his experience in cross-border multi-jurisdictional disputes in infrastructure, construction, shipping, marine insurance, oil and gas, international sale of goods, trade finance, and mortgage enforcement, Raja has also been involved in a number of high profile investor/state disputes and investment treaty arbitrations including defending the governments of India and Bangladesh as well as pursuing actions on behalf of foreign investors against the governments of Thailand, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Raja also spends a considerable amount of his time providing strategic and structuring advice to clients involved in difficult and complex problems in Asia, which do not necessarily involve formal legal proceedings. |
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Neeraj Budhwani Milbank Hongkong |
| Key practice areas: Cross-border private equity and M&A transactions | |
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Kit Burden DLA Piper London |
| Key practice areas: Intellectual property; technology | |
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Geoffrey Burgess Debevoise & Plimpton London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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David Carpenter Mayer Brown New York |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; private equity & venture capital | |
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Bill Carr CMS Cameron Mckenna Nabarro London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; energy; FDI out of India; infrastructure & resources; energy, infrastructure & resources | |
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Biswajit Chatterjee Hogan Lovells Singapore |
| Tel: +65 8157 6204 Email: biswajit.chatterjee@hoganlovells.com Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital |
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| Biswajit (Bis) Chatterjee is the managing partner of the Singapore office of Hogan Lovells, co-heads the India practice and leads the US securities practice focused on India, SE Asia and Middle East. He focuses on equity and debt capital markets, corporate finance, M&A and PE transactions in India, SE Asia and Middle East. He has worked across industries, including technology, fintech, energy, financial services, defence, infrastructure, real estate, retail and hospitality clients. He also supports Indian corporates and conglomerates in growing and/or reorganising their global operations on corporate commercial matters. Bis has worked on a range of regulatory issues, including economic sanctions, government procurement, white collar investigations, corporate governance and regulatory issues.
Bis is highly ranked by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, IFLR 1000, Best Lawyers, and other legal directories. Chambers Global has consistently (2010 – 2023) ranked him as a highly regarded lawyer and client testimonials state that he is “very professional and extremely thorough”; “solution oriented”; “extremely knowledgeable about India and Indian client requirements”; and a “tough negotiator” who offers clients “incredible personal attention”. |
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Kah Chin Chu Baker Mckenzie Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; energy; infrastructure & resources; projects | |
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Andrew Dale Ropes & Gray Hong Kong SAR |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; investigations, risk assessments, compliance due diligence, and general compliance advice | |
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Phillip D’Costa Penningtons Manches Cooper London |
| Key practice areas: Commercial disputes; commercial litigation and arbitration | |
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Valerie Demont Sheppard Mullin New York |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A | |
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John Dewar Milbank London |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; oil and gas; projects, energy, infrastructure & resources | |
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Arvind Dixit Corrs Chambers Westgarth Greater Melbourne Area |
| Key practice areas: IT, IP and data protection | |
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Rajeev Duggal Skadden Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Paul Gair TLT Solicitors London |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; dispute resolution | |
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Pallavi Gopinath Aney Allen & Overy Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets | |
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Ankit Goyal Allen & Gledhill Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution | |
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James Grandolfo Milbank Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets | |
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Jaya Gupta Addleshaw Goddard London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate transactions; compliance; governance | |
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Nipun Gupta Bird & Bird London |
| Key practice areas: Automotive; corporate/M&A; energy & utilities | |
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Rajiv Gupta Latham & Watkins Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A | |
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Rahul Guptan White & Case Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets | |
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David He Gunderson Dettmer Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Private equity & venture capital; startups; technology | |
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Savi Hebbur Linklaters London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; FDI out of India | |
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Ian Ho Simpson Thacher Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Martin Imhof Heuking Kuhn Luer Wojtek Dusseldorf |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; international supply; joint ventures; private equity & venture capital | |
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Narayan Iyer Linklaters London |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance | |
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Sushma Jobanputra Jones Day Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate/M&A; FDI into India | |
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Sunil Kakkad Gowling WLG London |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; FDI out of India | |
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Boon Siew Kam Dechert Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; private equity & venture capital | |
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Rahul Kapoor Morgan Lewis Palo Alto |
| Tel: +1.650.843.7580 Email: rahul.kapoor@morganlewis.com Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; intellectual property; private equity & venture capital |
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| With a focus on global commercial, intellectual property and technology transactions, Rahul Kapoor advises clients on strategic alliances and corporate partnering deals in the technology and life sciences industries that includes a focus on India-related matters. He also handles services, supply and distribution and patent licensing agreements.
Rahul is the leader of Morgan Lewis’ India initiative, the local practice group leader of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco corporate transactions practice, managing partner of the Silicon Valley office, and previously served as the firmwide hiring partner and on the firm’s advisory board. He brings a deep technology background and a comprehensive understanding of the business and technology markets to his practice. In addition to practicing law, Rahul taught an IP strategy class for 10 years at University of California Berkeley School of Law. Morgan Lewis is a global law firm with offices in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. |
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Raj Karia Norton Rose Fulbright London |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/ M&A | |
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Amit Kataria King & Spalding New York/ London |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Srinivas Kaushik Kirkland & Ellis New York |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Stephanie Keen Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; private equity & venture capital | |
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Ryo Kotoura Anderson Mori & Tomotsune Tokyo |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; dispute resolution | |
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Yohei Koyama Mori Hamada & Matsumoto Tokyo |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; FDI out of India | |
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Abhishek Krishnan Goodwin Procter Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Private equity; joint ventures; venture capital | |
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Karthik Kumar Orrick Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate/M&A; projects, energy, infrastructure & resources | |
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Ashok Lalwani Baker Mckenzie Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A | |
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Laurence Lieberman Taylor Wessing London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; dispute resolution; FDI out of India | |
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Bobby Majumder Frost Brown Todd Dallas |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Aditi Mathur Shook Lin & Bok Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; energy; infrastructure & resources; ESG projects | |
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Jamie McLaren Herbert Smith Freehills Singapore |
| Key practice areas: private equity, M&A and joint ventures | |
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Smitha Menon Wong Partnership Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; restructuring and insolvency | |
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Malcolm Moller Appleby Port Louis |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate/M&A; projects, energy, infrastructure & resources | |
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Alan Montgomery Herbert Smith Freehills London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; joint ventures and investments; pharmaceuticals and healthcare | |
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Deepak Nambiar Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren New York |
| Tel: +1 212 808 7982 Email: dnambiar@kelleydrye.com Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; private equity & venture capital |
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Deepak Nambiar is a partner in Kelley Drye’s New York office and the chair of the firm’s highly rated India practice group. He focuses his practice on a wide range of commercial matters, with a special emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and technology transactions. As part of his corporate practice, Deepak has worked on several US and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and private equity investment transactions, worth several billions of dollars. He has also counselled clients in the formation of joint ventures and other corporate structures. As part of his technology and outsourcing practice, Deepak has represented prominent corporations on complex software licensing arrangements and transactions involving the outsourcing of information technology and business process functions. |
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Gautam Narasimhan Allen & Overy Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking and finance; private equity & venture capital | |
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Nandan Nelivigi White & Case New York |
| Key practice areas: Projects, energy, infrastructure & resources | |
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Meraj Noor DLA Piper Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; FDI into India | |
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Robin Ogle Slaughter and May London |
| Key practice areas: Asset management; capital markets; corporate and M&A; private equity | |
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Harsh Pais Allen & Overy London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate; M&A | |
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Chris Parsons Herbert Smith Freehills London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; FDI out of India | |
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Ferish Patel Cooley Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Rahul Patel King & Spalding Atlanta |
| Key practice areas: Private equity & venture capital | |
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Shashwat Patel Simmons & Simmons London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital |
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Jai Pathak Gibson Dunn Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital |
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Nicholas Peacock Bird & Bird London |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; FDI into India; FDI out of India |
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Jonathan Pentzien Gunderson Dettmer Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital |
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Sherina Petit Norton Rose Fulbright London |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Prakash Pillai Clyde & Co Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Kelvin Poon Rajah & Tann Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Avinash Pradhan Rajah & Tann Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; FDI out of India; projects; energy; infrastructure & resources |
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Nallini Puri Cleary Gottlieb London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital |
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Mahesh Rai Drew & Napier Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; energy; infrastructure & resources; projects |
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Vikna Rajah Rajah & Tann Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Tax & private wealth | |
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Philippe Reich Baker Mckenzie Zurich |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; FDI out of India |
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Stuart Rubin Ashurst London |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets |
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Dipen Sabharwal White & Case London |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Tihir Sarkar Cleary Gottlieb London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; private equity & venture capital |
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Kamal Shah Stephenson Harwood London |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Daniel Sharma DLA Piper Frankfurt |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; investigations |
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Nish Shetty Clifford Chance Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Amit Singh Linklaters Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets | |
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Kabir Singh Clifford Chance Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Dispute resolution |
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Parm Singh Eversheds Sutherland London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; financial institutions |
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Ragi Singh Gowling WLG Birmingham & London |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI out of India; private equity & venture capital |
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Parveet Singh Gandoak King & Spalding Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; private equity & venture capital |
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Sivanesan Sivagnanaratnam Dentons Rodyk & Davidson Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI into India; private equity & venture capital |
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Siddhartha Sivaramakrishnan McDermott Will & Emery Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A; ESG, impact & sustainability |
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Jonathan Stone Skadden Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate/M&A |
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Michael Sturrock Latham & Watkins Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate finance and M&A |
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Taeko Suzuki Nishimura & Asahi Tokyo |
| Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; dispute resolution; FDI into India |
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Ralph Voltmer Partner Covington & Burling Washington |
| Tel: +1 202 662 5479 Email: rvoltmer@cov.com Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; FDI out of India; private equity & venture capital |
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Ralph Voltmer Jr is chair of Covington’s India practice and a partner in the firm’s corporate group. He is also a member of the USIBC board of directors. He has been active in India for 25 years, working with companies such as Reliance Industries, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Piramal Enterprises, UPL, InterGlobe, SpiceJet, TAFE, Mindtree, the Aditya Birla Group, the Tata Group, OmniActive Health Technologies, Sterlite Technologies and Balkrishna Industries. He advises both US and foreign clients in cross-border transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and financings. Ralph is named to the India Business Law Journal’s International A-list, which consists of the world’s top 100 India-focused lawyers at international law firms. He also is ranked in Chambers Global for Corporate/M&A (India) and Corporate/M&A (US). Ralph earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center, an MA from University of California Riverside and a BA from Wheaton College. |
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Pallavi Mehta Wahi K&L Gates Seattle |
| Tel: +1 206 370 6648 Email: pallavi.wahi@klgates.com Key practice areas: Complex commercial litigation and disputes; IP litigation; technology |
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Pallavi Wahi serves as co-managing partner of the United States (covering 24 offices) at K&L Gates. She also serves on the firmwide management committee, as managing partner of the Seattle office and as co-chair of the firmwide India practice. She frequently represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters and works closely with many Fortune 50 and other companies worldwide, representing their interests with an emphasis on corporate and technology issues. She has argued before various tribunals and courts in hearings and at trial with success. Pallavi has represented clients in multiple jurisdictions and cross-border disputes involving commercial and intellectual property issues. She also acts as the trusted adviser and litigator for several clients across a wide range of jurisdictions, countries (including India), and business sectors. Pallavi is an experienced and well-known litigator in the business community. In 2022, she was appointed to the Seattle Branch Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to represent the interests of the 12th Reserve District and help the board fulfill its policy and operational responsibilities. She is currently serving as the chair of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Board. She has been included in the International A-List by India Business Law Journal since 2019. She is ranked in Chambers, Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, and has received many awards for her practice excellence and contributions to the legal community. Pallavi has been included in the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Power 100, spotlighting the 100 most influential business leaders in the Puget Sound area and named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the United States by editors and writers across The Business Journals’ network of more than 40 publications. Pallavi grew up in India, went to college there, and speaks fluent Hindi. She is well versed with the culture and business environment of the country. Pallavi received her BA from St Stephen’s College, New Delhi. She also received her BA from the University of Cambridge Tripos Law, Magdalene College, Cambridge University, in 1999 (which received an automatic conversion to an MA). |
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Gregory Xu Stephenson Harwood Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate/M&A; projects, energy, infrastructure & resources | |
