The 10 Most Recommended Corporate and Commercial Law Solution Providers

www.insightssuccess.in COMPANY OF THE MONTH

VOL 5 May - 2019 ISSUE 1

Uday Singh Ahlawat Founding Partner

Ahlawat & Associates

THE

MO S T

RECOMMENDED

CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL LAW SOLUTION PROVIDERS

Parul Kashyap, Founder Partner

SunLegal A Bou que Law Firm Delivering Unmatched Services

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Rahul Niraj Executive Editor Shruti P. Jambhale Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Poonam Mahajan Art & Picture Editor Rahul Kavnekar Co-designer Sapana Shinde Sales Executive Krutika Kadam Technical Head Pratiksha Patil Technical Specialist Amar Sawant Digital Marketing Manager Prashant Chevale SME-SMO Executives Uma, Ketki Circulation Manager Tanaji sales@insightssuccess.com

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From the

EDITOR

An Overview to Corporate and Commercial Law in India

T

he law and professions related to legal landscape have been in existence ever since law was instituted and accepted as a governing force for all sorts of human conduct. This is the only profession which greatly contributes in the administration of Justice and is also regarded as one of the noblest profession.

“I only portray mere possibilities of near future which may or may not take course but the future of Legal Services is waiting to unfold to forge new paths of our most important social institution.”

History of this profession in India can tracked back to the establishment of first British Court in Bombay in the year 1672 by the Governor Gerald Aungier. And, today, this legal profession is considered as the most challenging profession amongst others. In India, this profession is governed by Advocates Act, 1961 and the rules and regulations made by the Bar Council of India. Although, the structure of legal profession is difficult to generalize, in Indian context, Legal Profession is occupied by individual lawyers, in-house lawyers, and law firms.

Over the couple of decades, the practices of Legal Profession have drastically changed. The world is witnessing the growing role of law firms in providing legal services. These law firms are technologically advanced and are serving as a one-stop centre in order to provide prominent solutions quenching the needs of the clientele.

Irrespective of what the future beholds, the primary objective of the Legal Profession is to serve humanity and justice. Serving the society should be an integral part of one’s life. The working of an industry looks more reshaped than ever before. Now, the Key expectation from the legal sector is to create a stable and hassle-free legal environment that can facilitate long-term business and generate profitable outcomes.

hale Shruti Jamb Shruti P. Jambhale

CONT ENTS COMPANY OF THE MONTH

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Ahlawat & Associates The Next Big Blessing in the Legal Industry

INTERVIEW

08 COVER STORY SunLegal 24

Fortune Legal

Evolving as a World-Class Law Firm

A Boutique Law Firm Delivering Unmatched Services

CXO STANDPOINT 30

38

20

Tech-trends

Legal Profession in India A Ringside View

ARTICLE Educating the Masses Virtual Law Firms

30

Athena Legal

32

J Sagar Associates

36

Lex Jurists

42

32

A Preferred Name for QualiďŹ ed Legal Advice

36

Exceeding Client Expectations

Achieving Best Legal Outcomes

Royzz & Co

A Multi-disciplinary Law Services Provider

42

10 CORPORATE & THE

MOST RECOMMENDED

COMMERCIAL LAW SOLUTION PROVIDERS

The Corporate and Commercial Law Sector in India –The Bioscope

T

he corporate and commercial law sector in India has witnessed immense growth at a very rapid speed.

Currently, this sector is standing tall as the backbone of the Indian economy and is contributing around over 50% of the Indian GDP. Also, there are ample of career and growth opportunities in this sector enabling aspirants to grab on.

We are very proud to present “The 10 Most Recommended Corporate and Commercial Law Solution Providers” and become a part of this booming sector. In this issue, we have complied few of well-renowned and recommended corporate and commercial law solution providers in India.

On the cover page, we have featured SunLegal founded by Parul Kashyap. SunLegal is a new age boutique law firm that aims to provide top of the line legal services to its clients and an enriching, productive, collaborative and encouraging work environment to its lawyers.

Along with the cover story, you can also read about other eminent names of Athena Legal, which is a full-service law firm located in New Delhi. We have J.Sagar Associates a leading national full-service law firm providing its clients domestic counsel across a range of industries and provide access to quality international legal advice. We have Lex Jurists which specializes in compliances & regulatory work for major corporate clients. Royzz & Co. is a full-service law firm providing comprehensive solutions to all national and international businesses.

We have also included a Special Profile of Ahlawat & Associates is one of the unique leading law firms in India, catering to domestic and international clients and extends across diverse sectors of industry including assistance to facilitate foreign direct investments and business setup in India.

Alongside, the companies like Aegis Legal LLP, Advocates; Tuli & Co; SNG & Partners; and Vaish Associates have also been featured in the listing of “The 10 Most Recommended Corporate and Commercial Law Solution Providers”.

Also, we have Interview with Insights Success with Pankaj Mehta, Founder & MD of Fortune Legal, who gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by his law firm which is a new era law firm dedicated to provide pioneering solutions to its clients.

We have also encompassed CXO written by the Co-founders of Ashok Dhingra Associates – Ashok Dhingra and Sonia Gupta, showcasing “Legal Profession in India a Ringside View”.

Our in-house editors have come up with an info-graphic Virtual Law Firms.

So, have a look at the magazine and get the Insights of the Corporate and Commercial Law Sector in India!

Y R O T S R E

Parul Kashyap

C

O

V

Founder Partner

SunLegal A Boutique Law Firm Delivering

Unmatched Services

S

unLegal is a boutique law firm headquartered in New Delhi that provides top of the line legal services to its both domestic and international clients. The firm is based on the bedrock of high service standards, quick turnaround time and unmatched client care.

The firm focuses heavily on Infrastructure Projects, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) , Public Procurement, Project Finance, Commercial Contracts, Corporate Advisory and Dispute Resolution.

Additionally the firm also services two special verticals namely the International SME Desk that provides multi-disciplinary legal services to International SMEs looking to do business in India and the other being the Start-up Desk that provides every possible legal support to the new entrepreneurs.

SunLegal is a modern and technology driven firm which makes its service delivery quick, efficient and effective. With streamlined processes for case management, time recording, billing and accounting, every care is taken to ensure that the client’s engagement with the firm is a pleasant one.

WE DO NOT

WE FIND

PONTIFICATE

SOLUTIONS.

WE HAVE EMBARKED ON THIS JOURNEY WITH A HOPE TO BUILD A FIRM THAT IS KNOWN FOR ITS STRONG ETHICS AND UNMATCHED SERVICES.

The Founder Parul Kashyap is the Founder Partner of SunLegal. Parul is an experienced legal professional with close to 15 years of experience. Riding on the back strong industry experience, practical knowledge, the honed art of converting leads into instructions and with the continued patronage from my clients, I knew SunLegal was an idea whose time had come, she says.

Her initiation into the projects and energy space happened in her early years as a lawyer. She took a deep dive into this subject during her association with IDFC, an organisation that was a frontrunner and a champion of India’s PPP movement, where she undertook assignments relating to structuring and drafting of cross sectoral concession agreements, development models to improve bankability of PPP projects, government advisory, transaction advisory, bid process management, experimenting with the PPP templates on new sub-sectors, world bank projects, projects supported by international aid agencies, tender disputes and more. Over the period of time she became a passionate professional working towards easing the legal and regulatory bottlenecks for all stakeholders in this sector.

“Throughout my professional journey, I have strived hard to create value for my clients and their businesses through practical legal solutions.” she says.

From her initial years as a lawyer she had considerable interest in and was also exposed to the business side of law. Alongside her practice specialisation she continued to gain insights into the functioning of a law firm, the overall organisational strategy, new business acquisition, practice development, pricing as well as billing practices.

Parul Kashyap

Parul established SunLegal with a view to provide end-to-end legal advisory services to all the stakeholders on Partner legal matters relating to Founder infrastructure projects. The firm also caters to other service verticals like public procurement, contract advisory, corporate-commercial advisory, dispute resolution, SME advisory as well as start-up advisory. “We have embarked on this journey with a hope to build a firm that is known for its strong ethics and unmatched service.” states Parul.

Motivation behind Choosing Legal Profession and Taking the Entrepreneurial Plunge Over the last two decades, law firms in India have grown in size and influence as also in client profile, deal size, practice groups, geographies and of course in number, proving to be a highly lucrative business model for experienced lawyers with an entrepreneurial spirit. “As I progressed in my career, I did not lose touch with my entrepreneurial zeal and I knew that my calling was to ultimately establish my own legal services firm some day and leverage all that I had learnt on the way.” said Parul. Furthermore, she said “Being politically aware and opinionated, I found myself drawn towards law and politics during my student days and on a lighter note, being an avid John Grisham fan, tilted the balance in favour of law as a career as against other subjects.”

Every Matter Matters The firm’s tagline ‘Every Matter Matters’ speaks volumes about its commitment to providing its best services to every client of the firm, without any discrimination based on the ticket size of the matter. Parul says, “We only take up what we can handle efficiently and the moment we take up an assignment we see it through to the complete satisfaction of the client. We aim to be the trusted advisors of our clients that inspires confidence in them to entrust us with their both routine and sensitive matters, knowing, that we will do everything that it takes to deliver results”.

In addition to being the preferred advisors to its clients, SunLegal is firm on its objectives to create a safe, positive, efficient, collaborative workplace, where ideas are genuinely valued and

FOR US,

EVERY MATTER MATTERS where each lawyer is given the opportunity to maximize their full potential while being associated with the firm, because the firm believes, only happy lawyers can deliver happy clients.

Key Practice Areas SunLegal’s practice areas complement each other in a way that the clients can benefit from a seamless service on a range of connected matters.

In terms of the practice areas, the firm helps companies in doing business with the government.

Government offers a variety of business opportunities by procuring goods and services from the private sector

through public tenders. These tenders can be comprehensive, complex, voluminous and at times complicated. Under its Public Procurement THE MOST RECOMMENDED Practice, the firm assists companies right from the tender stage till the award of the contract, navigating legal and regulatory risks on the way. & The firm’s Contract Advisory services helps clients in structuring and COMMERCIAL LAW management of contracts while the Corporate Advisory services provide SOLUTION PROVIDERS all possible legal assistance on day-to-day matters of a company including employment laws and compliances, legal due diligence, corporate compliances, setting up of business in India and so on. SunLegal’s dispute resolution practice works in tandem with the clients and of counsels to formulate strategy for effective resolution of disputes. “While dealing with an impending dispute, we pay an equal amount of stress on dispute avoidance strategies as we remain mindful of how sometimes avoiding a court fight, may be worth fighting for” says, Parul.

10 CORPORATE

The firm supports both Indian and foreign SMEs in a big way. Similarly, they have a dedicated vertical for start-ups that helps the entrepreneurs deal with legal risks and compliances.

Core Competencies – Infrastructure Projects and Energy Infrastructure is amongst the high priority areas in India with massive government spending at the federal, state and municipal levels. There are numerous development models that are employed to build infrastructure assets in India like BOT, BOOT, DBFOT, Hybrid Annuity etc.

The firm understands both the opportunities and challenges in the sectors hence, provides full board of services in the infrastructure sector. Since development of infrastructure requires private sector capital, the services of the private sector are generally procured through open competitive bidding. The firm amongst other things supports the clients through the tender process by: • Advising on the bidding parameters and selection criteria • Analyzing the legal, regulatory and contractual risks in a project • Drafting the terms of the JV/consortium agreement • Advising on the principles of forfeiture of bid security • Assistance with dealing with black-listing by the authority SunLegal works closely with the government as well as the concessionaires, developers, contractors, equipment suppliers, design engineers, infrastructure consultants and advises them on drafting, vetting and negotiating contracts such as Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract, Operation and Maintenance Contract, Concession Agreement, Shareholders Agreement, Consortium Agreement, Off-take Agreement, Supply Agreement, Service Agreement and more.

For companies involved in execution of complex contracts involving provision of works and services, the significance of effective contract management cannot be overstated, therefore it is crucial for such companies to progressively consider moving towards a robust contract management regime. The firm assists its clients in comprehensively managing project risks over the entire life cycle of the projects. Once the contracts are in place, the firm takes over the contract management function from the clients. Every aspect of the contract is reviewed in detail and every obligation managed in collaboration with the business and project teams to ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises down the road.

The Best Investment The firm is ‘invested in technology’ that offers simplified process and services to clients and the benefits derived from such operational efficiencies are swiftly passed on to the clients. With experience of working alongside international law firms the firm is completely at home with the global best practices. The firm is well networked with law firms in all major cities worldwide, thereby has the ability to help the clients in connecting with the right legal advisors for their cross-border needs.

Social Responsibility First and foremost, SunLegal is an equal opportunity employer. Further, it supports initiatives concerning children in relation to provision of shelter, education and nourishment. The firm is also passionate about the cause of skilling women from the marginal sections of the society as it believes that an empowered woman is the bedrock of an empowered generation.

“WE BELIEVE IN COLLABORATING WITH THE CLIENTS TO FIND VIABLE SOLUTIONS TO THEIR CONCERNS WHILE ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS AT ALL TIMES”

Words of Wisdom for New Entrepreneurs To the budding entrepreneurs I would say, take the entrepreneurial plunge when it feels right. Notwithstanding the thrill and glamour of owning your own business one needs to take a cautious and calculated approach because entrepreneurship is and has always been a tough call. My advice would be to know your market, identify the need for your services, refine your product or service, identify the risks, take small steps and stay the course. A successful enterprise is a holy grail that is a result of sustained and unrelenting effort of its promoter. Foresight and preparing ahead for eventualities is the only hedge against business risks.

Future Planning Apart from the overall range of services in the energy and infrastructure sector, SunLegal is also developing specialties within specialties to provide sector specific advice with accuracy and precision.

The firm is devoted to providing superior legal representation and dedicated service to its clients. The firm believes that the diversity of practice, its quick turnaround, adherence to deadlines, transparent billing and impeccable integrity will hold it in good stead.

Furthermore, Parul said “We will continue to do good quality work and remain focussed on consolidation of our clients and practices. On questions regarding growth, she says “Growing for the sake growth is not something that we will buy into. We will grow only when our clients want us to grow.”

Parul Kashyap can be reached on Parul.kashyap@sunlegal.in. Website: www.sunlegal.in

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Ahlawat & Associates The Next Big Blessing in the Legal Industry

T

he advent of the corporate industry over the last few decades in India has been tremendous and accordingly, it has revamped the entire business eco-system. With a steady rise in the trajectory of corporate industry, multiple new avenues and verticals have witnessed a surge of growth – that marginally existed in the earlier decades. Corporate Legal practice is one such sector that has gained prominence over the last few years and has emerged as a matured vertical for the lawyers.

Ahlawat & Associates (A&A) is one such leading full-service law ďŹ rms in India addressing issues related to Foreign Direct Investment, Joint Ventures, Corporate Compliance & Governance, Dispute Resolution as well as advisory support to the booming startup ecosystem.

Delivering paramount legal and business solutions to countless domestic and global clients since 2011, A&A has successfully evolved as a matured player in the Indian legal industry. It has adopted an approach that demands the highest levels of knowledge, technical skill and service delivery that empowers A&A to provide accurate, reliable, timely, and cost-effective services to a plethora of industry groups and sectors.

Today, A&A takes prides for being amongst the most sought legal service providers that offers a comprehensive range of services including Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Real Estate, Education, Intellectual Property, Employment, Labour, Commercial Litigation and much more.

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Uday Singh Ahlawat Founding Partner

A&A aims to innovate an even mix of highest global standards and local expertise while delivering high quality; practical, strategic legal solutions alongside helping clients to accomplish their goals. It is committed to revolutionizing the approach to legal service in a way that clients are not hesitant in seeking services at any stage.

The Founding Duo Avnish Ahlawat – Founding Partner Litigation & Dispute | Resolution Employment & Labour Law | Real Estate | Taxation The journey of excellence commenced in 1976 when Mrs. Avnish Ahlawat started practicing and gained the status of being one of the most sought after litigators. Opining the legal profession as the noblest profession, Mrs. Ahlawat started her independent litigation practice in 1981 and had been leading various government departments to successful conclusions. She has over forty years of experience in service, criminal and civil matters in the Supreme Court of India, the Delhi High Court, the subordinate courts and MAY 2019

service tribunals. She also has vast experience in arbitration dispute resolution work, including company/commercial.

With her acumen, A&A has accomplished the unique ability to handle all dispute related matters within the firm and does not have to rely on outside counsels.

eco-system, A&A focus is to assist the evolution of startups, early-stage companies, and investors. It plans to work along with all the phases of their growth process that includes incorporation, structuring, compliances, funding options, employee stock options, and much more!

Uday Singh Ahlawat – Founding Partner

By crafting efficient and cost-effective legal services for these segments, it encourages them to seek sound legal advice to avoid complex issues for them in the future. Since inception, A&A has been aligned with startups from diverse fields - education, health, logistics, food, technology, and continues to strive to identify people and ideas that we can service towards their growth. Over the years, it has maintained this ideology that has resulted in winning the hearts of innovative thinkers, entrepreneurs and path breakers as clients. Along with understanding the nuances of large enterprises it has a highly-experienced team of startup lawyers. These lawyers advise and assist clients from setting up new businesses, raising funds as well as addressing roadblocks faced by new companies.

Much later in 2011, her son Uday Singh Ahlawat – Founding Partner, joined her Mother and collaborated their expertize to deliver innovative services after analyzing the gaps in the legal sector. While both of them had their own respective areas of practice, the mother-son duo came from the same trail of thought that strongly believed in honesty, hard work, and been true to clients. Embracing these family values and work ethics in their profession to the core, they have managed to evolve amongst the most preferred firms in the legal domain.

Right from the beginning of his career, Uday was focused to acquire expertize in the area of corporate commercial legal services. Staying true to his area of expertise, i.e. mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, private equity, and fund formations, he focuses on providing the best solutions and correct advice to his clients. His ability and acumen of managing complex legal issues ensured the transition from an employee in a law firm to founding his own law firm was an obvious progression. Uday is a specialist in Foreign Direct Investment and has structured numerous India entry strategies for his clients.

“It is the discipline that the profession brings to your life and that is what motivates me. Every day there are professionals like us who are solving some or the other legal issues. Reducing the legal burden is what keeps me going” – asserts Uday.

Focus Areas - Pursuing an Agenda of Continuous Evolution In its endeavor to contribute and build a stringent business MAY 2019

Alongside working with budding professionals, A&A extends its services across diverse industry segments. From extending assistance to aid investment, obtaining licenses and completing various registrations in the areas of HR & Labour, Infrastructure, Tax, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Intellectual Property (Trademark, Copyright, Patent) along with other support services.

“

Adopting an innovative approach that demands the highest levels of knowledge, technical skill, and service delivery

“

Corporate Commercial Law | Foreign Direct Investment | IT/ITES | Merger & Acquisition | Technology Transfer

17

“

Always strive for quality and not quantity. Respect your clients’ time, as they will always respect yours

Understanding the fact that every client is unique and has different needs and concerns are one of the most distinctive features of A&A that cement their brand and help them to shine in the market. By adapting modernbusiness approaches and solutions, A&A aims to deliver premium-quality legal services, enhance client interaction and create a personalized approach to answer their legal issues. The fee structure is tailored to meet the client’s specific requirement and is highly customized that results in erasing financial burdens from the client that ultimately leads to winning countless hearts by the end of each assignment.

Having an insight into unexplored territories helped A&A to concentrate on the issues coming from specific geographical territories. This paved the path of extending its footprints out of the Indian sub-continent as it took a ubiquitous approach for regions such as the U.K, Japan and Korea. The firm has dedicated desks for these territories, which are led by experienced foreign resident specialist professionals. A&A is perhaps the only law firm in India to offer comprehensive solutions while eliminating even grassroots level difficulties faced by

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“

USP - Exceptional Services and Innovative Practices

clients and have helped them seamlessly facilitate foreign direct investments and business setup in India.

The Next Year and Times Ahead The firm strongly feels that India has evolved as one of the hottest investment destinations at the global platform. As the focus has shifted towards the inbound and outbound investments, A&A expects a rise to the practices relating to Foreign Direct Investment, India Entry Strategy, and Mergers and Acquisitions. Due to the changes in the insolvency laws and the arbitration laws, the firm is witnessing a steady growth in these practices over the last year. A&A is optimistic that these trends will prevail for a long time and continue to grow in the next year.

Talking about the future prospects of A&A, the firm has set a positive foot forward to expand organically with more lawyers coming onboard and taking leadership roles within the firm. It also plans to setup three-four international desks that are in tune with the firm’s current growth trajectory.

MAY 2019

Virtual

Law Firms E

very sector is evolving including legal sector and lawyers are embracing the newedge technologies. This is what truly transforming the way legal firms and lawyers serving clients and their way of working. With this growing law firms and solopractitioners, implementation of the virtual firm has become the primary way to serve clients and deliver services. Most of the lawyers believe in an online law firm which helps them to connect with clients more efficiently and effectively.

Understanding the concept of an online lawyer one that the legal industry should embrace: Virtual Firm- Definition Providing remote access to the legal services with the assistance of lawyers app and some of the cloud-based law firm software can be defined as virtual law firms.

This virtual law firm may not have an official and permanent physical office address, but they have their clients connected through their law firm website and stay connected through emails.

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MAY 2019

Capturing Legal Savvy Clients Many people use the internet today for u n d e r s t a n d i n g o r g a i n i n g ba s i c information about some legal issues.

Some clients feel confident that they can now solve legal issues. But the best thing about the virtual law firm is that it not provides the information but also helps them to understand solving the issue.

Retaining Existing Clients By providing deeper information to the existing clients can benefits in retaining the existing clients.

The virtual law firm is the only the best possible way to maintain the active relationship between the clients and the firm.

Educating the Masses

Expanded Reach As having a virtual firm, you don’t require To have present with the team physically in The room. But rather you have the Opportunity to expand in every possible way where it is difficult for the traditional law firms. It is very cheaper to hire a lawyer in virtual law firms. The lawyer can work from another city by sitting at the home.

Benefits Here we have mentioned some of the core benefits of virtual law firm

MAY 2019

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Client Expectations If you are looking at the true desire of the client, they only want good value for their money. Problem with a traditional law firm is high overhead and very high prices for legal services. But many of the clients want to pay lower fees and thus they won't mind working with virtual law firms.

Good Customer Service

Adapting Change

The core of any firm is to provide good customer services to the clients. To maintain professional relation is by delivering quality services to the clients, to satisfy them to maintain business with the firm.

Some changes are hard to accept, and especially when it is about the legal industry.

Here we have listed a few points that every law ďŹ rm should think about, as the legal sector is looking forward to the great success.

Quality Information The days have gone when the clients staying in the dark about their legal troubles. Every client wants quality information about their legal issues just to understand clearly what’s happening. Whether it is a virtual law firm or physical law firm, providing quality information on their leg.

Shruti P. Jambhale Editor

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MAY 2019

Interview with Insightssuccess

Fortune Legal Evolving as a World-Class Law Firm

A

new era law firm, Fortune Legal is a dedicated to provide pioneering solutions to its clients. In an interview with Insights Success, Pankaj Mehta, the Founder and Managing Partner of Fortune Legal Advocates and Legal Consultants have shared some insightful views and highlighted the influences made by their company to be the most recommended law solution provider.

01. Kindly brief us about your company and its initial journey.

The Firm, Fortune Legal Advocates and Legal Consultants, was incorporated in the year 2013. Ever since its inception, the firm’s professional team of lawyers work tirelessly to secure justice in a time bound and cost effective manner. The initial years of running the firm was an arduous task as it involved a lot more than just knowing the law or possessing business acumen. It taught me a lot about sacrifice, prioritizing and resilience. It was a challenge to maintain a balance between making court appearances and also staying afloat while doing this. No big client would trust a new Firm like ours but the passion for the profession kept us going. There were times when I did not draw a salary as I had to make sure that my staff was paid and all the overheads were met but looking back at it now, it’s all worthwhile. The firm used to handle a lot of small litigations back then most of which were pro bono as the clients were not in the condition to pay but we made sure that whether the work was pro bono or paid handsomely, the quality should be exceptional and that's what got us to where the firm stands today.

The firm’s fine work was slowly getting attention with every passing day. All the effort, determination and

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resilience were paying off. Then in 2013, the firm filed a Public Interest Litigation captioned Shweta Singh Vs Union of India & Ors, WP(C) 383 of 2013, before the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi and got the Court to constitute a committee of 3 district judges to formulate guidelines on protection and preservation of judicial records and further direct the reconstruction of court files in a 20 years old rape case. This was the case which put the name of the firm on the map and got us on the radar of big clients. After the PIL, Clients came flooding in with varied problems and even more varied areas of litigation. This enabled the firm to learn and grow and gain expertise in several areas which were hitherto unknown to the team. This was the time which also led to the expansion of the team at the Firm.

All this while, the firm also used to handle a few small corporate clients, taking care of their agreement vetting and drafting and handling their legal compliances, Beumer Group approached us to handle their Corporate Compliance and other related work. After being engaged by Beumer Group, the firm did not stop.

Litigation work was ever increasing and so was the corporate portfolio of the firm. After Beumer Group, the firm got engaged by many corporate portfolio such as Deepak Builders, M&C Saatchi February Communications, Gasotech Engineering, Dynamic Staffing Service India, Datar Security Group, World Bank, Delhi Government, Decathalon, Ralph Lauren, Siemens India, Espire Infolabs, Alf Engineering, Rai Foundation, Wazzeer Consultancy, Taction Software, Double AA Restaurants Private Limited, Tabula Beach Restaurants, Vijohn, Wembley Systech Private Limited, Keventers and the clientele kept growing.

MAY 2019

Pankaj Mehta

Founder & Managing Partner

02. Brief us about the Founder/CEO and the motivation behind choosing Law as a profession.

The Founder and Managing Partner of the ďŹ rm, Mr. Pankaj Mehta is a passionate lawyer and an inspirational leader. He strongly believes in the concept of teamwork and is always encouraging the team to learn. He makes sure that people at the Firm are MAY 2019

learning. He strongly believes that mistakes should not hinder anyone from making an attempt but ensure not to repeat the mistakes by learning from previous mistakes.

Mr. Mehta ensures that every Associate at the Firm has the liberty to express his opinion and show their

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personality when assigned a task. Any corrections, if needed, are made by Mr. Mehta in a respectful and educational manner. His motivation behind choosing Law as a profession springs from his ideology of ‘justice for all’. He strongly believes that the money is not important but client satisfaction and justice is. He is enrolled with the Delhi Legal Service Authority and takes up pro bono cases for those less fortunate and ensures that they get the relief they desire in law. He finds the legal profession to be comparable to what superheroes do; the superpower that lawyers possess is that of knowledge and determination. He strongly believes that the black robe puts a lot of responsibilities on the shoulders of the one who wears it and he makes sure everyone at the firm understands the gravity of the work done at the firm and how it impacts lives of the parties involved.

03. What kind of ethics, principles and manner of working does company follows while running the business?

The firm and its advocates have attained sterling testimonies from its clients for their integrity, honesty, trustworthiness and cohesion. Our firm deeply believes in the principles of ethics and integrity, and the firm has always promoted and contributed to the well-being of the society by fighting for justice by using every single legal remedy at our Client’s disposal and handling each and every matter with responsibility and accountability as if the firm has a personal interest in every case.

Other undertakings of the firm which separates us from the rest are as below: i. Associates are deputed to work with different teams of firm for their all-round development so that they have the knowledge in every field. ii. Workshops, conferences and seminars for employees to keep them update and familiar with the legal developments and to ensure that employees should never be made to falter because their knowledge or exposure is restricted. iii.Work from home: Our firm makes all endeavors to increase productivity of its people and also giving them the space to maintain a healthy personal life.

This also provides for greater flexibility with work schedules and reduces the stress of juggling work and personal life.

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iv. Motivating and supporting the Employees to participate in seminars, conferences and research work. v. Recognize Efforts and Reward Laudable Contributions of the Associates: At our Firm, the Associates are given the liberty to take initiative and convey their ideas and decisions to the Partners, making them feel confident and also to reward them for the initiatives taken for the betterment of the Firm. This instills in the Associates the reassurance that their thoughts and opinions are valued and appreciated, making them all the more likely to work for the Firm as its own. vi. Independence: At our firm, every individual is allowed to take some independent decisions in the case/task allotted to them. This enables them to take ownership of their work and also increases accountability for the effects of their own decisions.

Through empowerment, the individual is capacitated or warranted to conceive, function, perform, and control work and determine the course of events independently.

04. State the vision and mission of the company.

The firm deeply believes in the latin maxim servimus, which means simply ‘We serve’. Our lawyers are compulsive about client service, and at any stage never compromise with the quality of client satisfaction. The vision of the firm that is deeply imbibed in the undertakings and functioning of the firm and from the Partner level to the Associate level, is to ensure efficient, sincere and unhindered delivery of top notch legal services to the clients. The firm strives to provide for the all our clients’ legal needs and ensure so at reasonable costs. The firm also believes in giving back to the society and helping those in need. Assisting start-ups right from their incorporation to their functioning and compliances, the firm does it all and at extremely reasonable costs so as to make sure that these new companies can grow and contribute to the economy, not just in taxes, but also by creating employment. The firm’s mission is to ensure that every individual has access to justice, that the fear of approaching a court of law wanes away gradually and people can approach courts as matter of right and not because of desperation and helplessness.

MAY 2019

05. What are the distinct areas of practice of the company?

Corporate and Commercial laws, foreign investment in India including joint ventures and collaborations, handling complete portfolio of the companies from incorporation of the company, handling all the statutory compliance, agreements pertaining to various services and all the related work, trademark, copyright, patent related registration and litigation, civil and criminal law, opinions on various compliances required under laws of India, banking sector, retail, energy, education, IT, media and entertainment laws, cross-border transactions, theft/ fraud/ embezzlement, matrimonial laws/ divorce, child custody/ adoption, immigrations laws, due diligence, infrastructure and construction law, consumer protection and labour laws in India.

06. Kindly highlight your achievements. Please mention your awards and accreditations. i. The Managing Partner of the firm, Mr. Pankaj Mehta is recommended as preferred lawyers by Embassy of United States in India; ii. The Managing Partner of the firm, Mr. Pankaj Mehta is empanelled with Delhi Government for advisory and litigation; and iii. The firm has contributed for ease of doing business in India for World Bank for year 2016, 2017 and 2018. iv. The firm was awarded the Social Impact Initiative Law Firm of the Year Award 2016 by IDEX Legal v. The firm won the Law Firm Innovative Award at the India Legal Awards, 2018 vi. The firm qualified amongst the Top 3 Criminal Law Firms of the year at the Asia Legal Business Awards, 2019. vii.The Managing Partner of the firm has been nominated as Young Achiever of the Award by Legal Era Award, 2019 07. Share with us the challenges that start-up law firms face in India.

Start-up law firms face the challenge with the trust factor and the reliability as there are already established law firms who are already in the profession and have made a mark for themselves. Ensuring clients that the quality deliverable with confidentiality is the focus of the firm and once they rely on us, our attorney’s will do every needful required to ensure they get the desired

MAY 2019

results. Another challenge is regarding the fees, initially clients are reluctant to pay higher fees as the firm is new and don’t have much experience but as they see the quality and the results, the trust factor spirals and clients are also happy to compensate for the professional services.

08. How does the firm intend to handle its Societal Responsibility? Please mention any special charity or educational program as such.

The firm is already very aware of its Social Responsibility and is actively discharging it. Not only some lawyers being empanelled with the Delhi Legal Services Authority but also the firm take up pro bono cases outside of their time at DLSA. The firm also actively supports various NGOs and provides legal services to those under privileged who the NGO send to the firm for legal services free of cost. The firm and its Managing Partner, Mr. Pankaj Mehta, deeply believe that justice should be accessible to all and they do everything they can to ensure that justice is delivered even to those who cannot necessarily afford the process of it.

09. Share your views on the current ‘Corporate and Commercial Law Solution Provider’ in India.

One has to keep himself apprised of the various judgments given by Hon’ble Supreme Court and High Courts on varied issues pertaining to the corporate structure and liabilities of the corporate houses. While drafting contracts and even for the compliances part, the law of the land which is continuously evolving and changing has to be taken incorporated. Updated attorneys deliver the quality services.

10. What would be your advice for the budding start-ups and entrepreneurs in the industry?

Focus on the quality of work and ensure you do justify your professional commitment. Money will follow for sure for those deserving and ensuring timely and quality services.

11. Brief us about the company’s future perspectives.

Our firm is looking to expand to other cities in India like Mumbai and Bangalore and hope to grow bigger and better in the coming time with a name valued by its clients and attorneys.

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Athena Legal

A Preferred Name for Qualified Legal Advice “We are dedicated to provide a full range of corporate and litigation legal services to clients”

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he legal profession has gone through some drastic transformation over the last few years.

Today, ambitious legal firms are marking their presence in various corporate houses, law agencies, litigation, administrative services and many more. The law firms are playing a vital role in shaping up various economic laws and an implementation through their practices across all their workplaces. These firms are also playing important role in even the executive accords of the various industrial sectors.

He also has experience in Indian equity capital market and transaction advisory including legal due diligence, drafting, negotiation. He has extensive experience in general advisory work in relation to an Initial Public Offering, Qualified Institutional Placements, and Rights Issuances in the capacity of the Firm’s transaction counsel.

With a vision to provide top class services to all clients, Athena Legal was established in August 2012 as a boutique Law Firm with specialization in Dispute Resolution. With over six and a half years of its existence, the Firm has evolved as a Full-Service firm advising numerous clients across the globe. Currently, the Firm has tie-ups with approximately 200 lawyers across India and approximately 30 lawyers globally to take advantage of global exposure.

At Athena Legal, his vision is to combine legal professionalism with business acumen to effectively support the success of clients. It is his vision which has directed the Firm in its various endeavors. He was awarded as the Rising Star in recognition of Achievement & Excellence by Legal Era 2015-2016. He was also awarded Mahatma Gandhi Samman by the NRI Welfare Society of India at the House of Lords, London, and the U.K. in September 2016 and is also the recipient of ‘Visionaries of Uttar Pradesh’ award by Dainak Bhaskar Group. Under the Rajat’s leadership, the Firm is continuously scaling to greater heights.

Driving Force of Athena Legal

A Single Window for all Legal Needs

Expert in Corporate Laws and Capital Market, Rajat Prakash is the Founder & Managing Partner of the Firm. A first-generation lawyer, he is equipped with cross border experience of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (Washington D.C), Mayer Brown LLP (Brussels) and Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh Suresh A Shroff & Co. (India).

Athena Legal is a full-service law firm. The practice areas of the Firm are divided into Dispute Resolution, Corporate & Commercial law advisory and Intellectual Property & Technology, Media and Telecommunications laws. The Firm is dedicated to catering the distinctive needs of every client with fair assessment, best practices, and innovative techniques.

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MAY 2019

THE 10 CORPORATE & MOST RECOMMENDED

COMMERCIAL LAW SOLUTION PROVIDERS

The Firm’s core value lies in giving an unbiased opinion to its clients. The Firm not only helps its clients with their legal needs but also further emulates to act as their partner in the expansion of their business and opportunities across the globe. Having an office in New Delhi, the Firm’s clients include amongst others Leading Indian FMCG company, a global real estate company, leading Indian conglomerate, mid-sized IT- Company. The Firm believes that the talent and viewpoint of a diverse team create a fulfilling professional environment, and this has brought them a consistent recognition from clients.

Thriving Values that Signify Firm’s Strength With a growing network of lawyers across the country, the Firm strives to provide the best legal services not only to corporates but to each individual. The Firm is giving access to its services to individuals who do not have recourse or who cannot afford these services. The Firm’s vision is to educate each and every individual about their legal and fundamental rights and fighting for their justice.

In a country like India it is difficult for a vast number of people to get quality legal services. The Firm has done pro-bono work for under trial prisoners by representing them before courts. The Firm has provided assistance to NGO’s and public-spirited individuals to draft their contracts and other documents. Going forward one of the missions of the Firm is to create more avenues of making legal advice accessible to people at large by use of technology.

Leader’s View on Guiding Budding Businesses

Rajat Prakashh

Founder & Managing Partner

The Journey towards Flourishing Future The Firm has grown tremendously in the last six years.

Progressing forward with a positive approach, the Firm’s one of the endeavours is to expand practice internationally. In addition, the Firm would like to nurture and grow its team and be an employer of choice for lawyers and para-legal staff.

From inception, it is important for start-ups/ small businesses to seek proper legal advice. In most cases, early-stage start-ups/small businesses see legal consultation as a cost.

However, getting proper legal advice and doing things in a legally sound manner is very beneficial in the long run.

“By the time startup, founders realise their folly it is usually too late. Also, a good lawyer due to his experience can be a trusted advisor for start-up founders. Hence I would advise start-ups to engage with an experienced legal advisor from the very beginning”, says Rajat.

MAY 2019

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J Sagar Associates Exceeding Client Expectations

We invest in our attorneys with focused continuing legal education and training in industry related issues and soft skills. We have been consistently ranked as the No.1 “Best law rm to work”.

stablished in the year 1991, J. Sagar Associates (JSA) is one of the leading national law Firms in India. For the past 28 years, the Firm has provided legal representation, advice, and services to leading international and domestic businesses. Also, it provides services to the leading banks, financial services providers, funds, governmental & statutory authorities, and multilateral & bilateral institutions.

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committee and two joint managing partners.

JSA is the first Tier 1 Indian law Firm to have undergone democratic leadership selection processes ensuring partner succession with institutional support. JSA operates from Gurugram, New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), and Hyderabad with the vision to become the finest Indian law Firm.

Regional Growth and Operations JSA is one of the top national law firms that has a robust presence in the south of India operating from Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. In the west, the firm has a strong presence in Ahmedabad and the Gift City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City).

The Core Ideology JSA’s core building blocks are its values that include exceeding client expectations, serving them best with the teamwork & collaboration, believing in the fact that ‘people matter’, and the constant learning which is the beauty of this profession is the secret mantra for the pace of the Firm’s growth. At 300 lawyers and growing, it believes in intergenerational equity, ensuring that its lawyers of today have opportunities to be equity partners of the Firm tomorrow.

The Founding Partners Jyoti Sagar is the Founder & Chairman of JSA. He founded JSA in New Delhi, in 1991. Berjis Desai started the Firm’s Mumbai office in 2003 and remained as the Managing Partner of the Firm till 2015. The retirement age of Partners at JSA is 65, both Jyoti and Berjis chose to retire a few years earlier.

The partnership structured its management and administrative duties such that it is led by an executive

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The executive committee and the managing partners have a term of three years, on the expiry of which a new management team is democratically elected by the equity partners of the firm. Currently, the firm has 35 equity partners including managing partners Amit Kapur (Delhi) and Vivek Chandy (Bangalore).

In these regions, the firm believed in merging practices of practitioners with strong practices than adopting a brick by brick set up approach. In Chennai, Aarthi Sivanandh and Vinod Kumar who had co-founded Vichar Partners as a boutique firm merged their practice with J.Sagar Associates in 2014. Similarly, Bangalore office was formed as a product of a merger with the practice of Vivek Chandy combining hands with existing JSA practice then in Bangalore. The Ahmedabad office was created by merging the practice of Bijal Chatrapathi.

All these offices integrated with JSA in vision, mission, and philosophy making it a force to reckon with in the Indian sub-continent.

Company’s Distinct Areas of Practice JSA’s practices are organized in three practice clusters – Corporate, Finance and Disputes. These clusters collectively contain 30 service lines. ·

From restructuring, mergers and acquisitions (including those in the public space) to private equity and joint MAY 2019

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Aarthi Sivanandh - Partner ventures, we advise clients through all stages of complex and marquee assignments. We also assist our clients in dealing with diverse corporate governance and compliance issues. ·

JSA has perhaps the widest and deepest commercial and regulatory disputes capacity in the field of complex multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary dispute resolution

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Our finance practice caters to the legal needs of asset reconstruction companies, banks, corporates, developmental finance institutions, market intermediaries, multilateral financial institutions for raising and lending money in the form of credit facilities, debt capital market instruments and equity capital market instruments.

Rewards and Recognitions JSA is recognized as the Indian law Firm that continues to lead India with a fundamental shift towards institutionalising and professionalising law Firm ownership and management. JSA places Firm belief in providing quality legal advice to parties and representing them on their journey to justice. It has been the recipient of global pro-bono awards where its attorneys co-worked with lawyers across other jurisdictions. Ranking agencies across the world count JSA as amongst the leaders in capital market services, M&A, Private Equity, go to counsel for disputes resolution that require sector specific expertise.

Vinod kumar- Partner

to community outreach and pro-bono activities, the Firm associates with various organisations like Trust Law Connect (the global pro-bono service of the Thomson Reuters Foundation), Give India and Healing Hearts that serve as connects to the people who need pro bono legal services and the lawyers who give their time freely away from their usual commercial engagements. Pro bono time committed by attorneys is also counted for their appraisal within the firm year on year, the strong culture to give back to the community we live and work in is encouraged.

Advice for the Budding Start-ups Budding entrepreneurs and start-ups who are building for the future should focus on fundamentals of getting good legal advice. Start ups are big game changers for mature players who are increasingly acquisitive in todays environment. The need for start ups to think big on compliance and thinking like mature companies cannot be overemphasised.

Future Perspectives JSA is encouraging partners to specialize and acquire deep industry knowledge & engagement as a part of the value proposition to its clients i.e. providing advice of very high calibre in quick time as compared to generalists.

While concluding the interaction with Insight Success, partner Aarthi Sivanandh said -“As a firm we hire partners for the future not just lawyers for today. There is no better time to specialize in offering quality advice than now, in a time where today’s client has global ambitions.”

Societal Responsibility Aarthi Sivanandh, who is currently leading the pro bono efforts of the firm describes that as part of its commitment MAY 2019

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Lex Jurists

Achieving Best Legal Outcomes

“Best Litigation Law Firm in India in terms of Strength and Revenue”

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ith an objective to provide best quality legal advice and services acknowledging the time and cost efficiencies for its clients, Lex Jurists® have been in the Legal Sphere since 1993. Based out of New Delhi, the Firm specializes in compliances & regulatory work for major corporate clients and deals in arbitration matters both in India and at London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). It provides comprehensive professional services for obtaining registration for clients under various applicable local and central laws including under Shops & Establishments statutes, Trade Licenses, Legal Metrology Act etc. The Firm has extensive experience in advising Indian as well as international clients including High Commissions of foreign countries in India.

A Renowned Founder The Founder member –Rajinder Singh is a Law Graduate from the esteemed Faculty of Law- Campus Law Centre, Delhi University. He has extensive experience in litigation and has been counselling some of the most publicized cases in India. Over the years, he has earned a formidable reputation in criminal law practice. He had been the Legal Coordinator of Rape Crisis Intervention Centre of Delhi Police for more than 10 years. He has also delivered lectures at various institutes including HR Academy of Delhi Police and has conducted conferences in the UK on issues relating to matrimonial laws for Non-resident Indians. He has successfully contested cases at London Court of International Arbitration and has led Corporate Fraud Investigation Teams in Cyprus. He has also undertaken numerous pro bono assignments for various clients which have added to the stature and prestige of the Firm.

During Rajinder’s school and college days, he had been a sportsperson of national and international repute and won laurels for the country. In his spare time, he was also a drummer with leading rock bands in India. He is an avid Golfer and a Harley Davidson rider. He has given various

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presentations to teachers of Government and Leading Private Schools on POCSO Act. Awards and Rewards • The Founder and Managing Partner of the firm have been honoured with the award for “Excellence in Criminal Litigation” in CXO + GC Leadership Summit 2018.

• The Firm has received the award for “Criminal Litigation Law Firm of the Year” in December 2018.

The Significant Partners The Significant Partners Moinuddin Khan began his career at Lex Jurists ® in the year 2010, and with his commitment, discipline and toil he earned a position of Partner in the Firm in 2017. He is successfully leading the Civil Practice of the Firm and also catering to corporates for criminal law advisory work. He has participated in the conferences on International Law and practice areas in India.

Nirpreet Kaur also began her career as an Associate at Lex Jurists ® in the year 2013, and with her sheer dedication and hard work has earned a position of Partner in the Firm in 2019. She qualified as a lawyer in the year 2012 from Jamia Millia Islamia University and done her post-graduation in IPR from Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University. She had been actively involved in Criminal Litigation at trial Courts in the Firm. She is also an External Member of IC’s of many corporates under the POSH Act. Mani Chander is a dual qualified attorney, admitted to the practice of law at the New York State Bar and the Punjab & Haryana Bar Council. She is an LL.M. graduate from the John W. Glynn Law & Business Program of the University of Virginia and holds an LL.B. from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Previously, Mani worked at the New York office of Duane Morris where she worked on various MAY 2019

THE 10 CORPORATE & MOST RECOMMENDED

COMMERCIAL LAW SOLUTION PROVIDERS

corporate compliance and regulatory matters. She is an avid golfer and sports enthusiast.

Area of Specialization The Firm specializes in three core areas of practice: Litigation; Compliances; and Registrations & Due Diligence Criminal Litigation The Firm deals in matters related to cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, cyber-crimes, corporate fraud, Motor Vehicle Act, negligence, counterfeit currency and others. It specializes in cases related to economic offences and serious fraud investigation office.

Matrimonial Disputes The Firm deals with matters related to divorce, maintenance, domestic violence, dowry and custody etc. It has a holistic approach and humane touch in handling matrimonial disputes.

Consumer Forums The Firm deals in matters related to consumer disputes at District Consumer Forums, State Consumer Commissions and National Consumer Commission.

Sexual Harassment The Firm deals in matters related to sexual harassment laws including sexual harassment at workplace issues. It has successfully advised multinational and foreign companies established in India on this issue. It specializes in drafting sexual harassment policies for Corporate Clients.

Civil Litigation The Firm deals with matters related to Civil Recovery proceedings, Injunction Suits, Partition Suits, Writs, Suit for Specific Performance, Will, Probates, Succession, Surrogacy, Adoption, Rent Control Act cases, Property Disputes, Commercial Disputes and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Cases.

Arbitration, Mediation & Conciliation Lex Jurists deals in arbitration matters and has successfully resolved several matters through the Mediation and Conciliation process.

Compliances The Firm has successfully undertaken compliances & regulatory work for major corporate clients including MNCs. The compliance requirements relating to real estate, operations, environment and labour & employment laws etc. are forte of the Firm.

Registrations The Firm provides comprehensive professional services for obtaining registration for clients under various applicable local and central laws including Shops & Establishments statutes, trade licenses, Legal Metrology Act, etc.

MAY 2019

Rajinder Singh

Founder

Due Diligence The Firm undertakes real estate related due diligence covering title searches of properties. The Firm is equipped to undertake due diligence throughout India at short notices.

Presentations It specializes in presentations on various legal aspects for clients including detection of fake currency notes, sexual harassment at workplace, women rights, domestic violence, etc. The Firm is equipped to depart training on various legal aspects to employees and employers.

Miles to Go An equal opportunity employer, Lex Jurists® has an efficient mix of lawyers. It has a team of 30 full-time lawyers including Senior Associates and Associates who handle litigations, due diligence, compliances and regulatory work at very short notices. Each year many legal interns join the Firm as para-legal for a fixed term from various prestigious law colleges of India. The Firm is standing tall since twenty-five years and plans to repeat its feats for several more years to come.

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LEGAL

PROFESSION IN INDIA A RINGSIDE VIEW

L

egally India in an article dated February 18, 2013, had stated that in 2011 there were around 1.3 Million attorneys in India which had grown at the rate of 4% during 2007 to 2011. Fancy for legal education has led to a boom in the growth of legal professionals in India since 2011. Based on rough estimates as of now, there are around 1.5 Million attorneys in India, which is much more than 1.34 Million attorneys in the USA upto 2018 as per data available in public domain. Hence, India has the largest pool of legal professionals engaged with big, medium to small ďŹ rms providing full services across sectors, boutique law ďŹ rms offering niche services to compete with larger counterparts, litigators in courts, especially lower courts and in-house counsels.

India has a federal structure and in terms of constitutional provisions, revenue and law & order subjects are with State Governments. Hence, the majority of criminal and civil matters are fought in lower and district level courts, appeals against the order of which lies to the High Court of the State. While not many cases arising out of orders of High Courts travel to the Supreme Court but still vary a large number of cases are pending decisions before Supreme Court, the highest judicial dispute resolution Institution.

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MAY 2019

Tech-trends

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Ashok Dhingra, the Co-founder of Ashok Dhingra Associates, worked with Indian Customs for more than 22 years, 7 years with Big4 Consulting Firms and for 9 years with law rms Khaitan & Co. and J. Sagar Associates (JSA). In 2014, three partners moved out of JSA to set up Ashok Dhingra Associates. Ashok heads White Collar Crimes, Investigations and Regulatory practice group.

Ashok Dhingra Co-founder

Sonia Gupta is one of the Co-founder of Ashok Dhingra Associates having the dual qualication of Chartered Accountant and an Attorney. She heads Customs and Trade including Export Controls and Sanctions practice group of Firm.

Sonia Gupta Co-founder

MAY 2019

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The large part of Indian legal professionals comprises of litigators practicing in lower courts across Country which constitute around 80% percent or more of litigators. Over a period of time, there is steady migration of litigators from lower Courts to District Court to High Court and some make it to Supreme Court. Thus, litigation practice is the backbone of the legal profession in India.

The other areas of practice are boutique, small, medium and large firms providing specialised or full services to clients.

Boutique firms are a recent trend. Many boutique firms are set up by former partners of large firms catering to specialised practice areas or sectors having expertise in these areas. Thus, clients are also benefited by the availability of domain experts at a reasonable fee and service teams led by partners and not mid-level attorneys, as is the practice in some larger firms.

Similarly, small firms are also being set up by attorneys having few of years of experience to enjoy independent practice, carve out a name for them and serve the community. At times few partners with teams from large or mid-size firms split and set up firms which grow over a period of time. Yet large full services law firms have not lost out their charm, which corners a big chunk of work in every practice area they have.

Corporate practice including merger and acquisition are the mainstay of large firms, which also has teams in other practice areas like dispute resolution, white-collar crimes, intellectual property, taxation, etc. However, most of young attorneys’ dream of working as corporate lawyers and work on big transactions or some of them go for litigation practice.

While big full services law firms have no competition in corporate practice, these firms don’t have much to offer in taxation and valuation of deals arena in front of Big4 accounting firms.

India is big on the global map as a land of opportunities to set up a manufacturing base here, which has the dual advantage of the availability of a talented pool of professionals and large population driving consumption. In addition, the Government of India is promoting India with various initiatives to make India as a manufacturing hub like Make in India, Ease of Doing Business and pan India roll out of Goods and Service Tax creating a unified market. These initiatives have also created demand for quality legal services in the Country.

In this wave of globalisation, Indian legal industry has a high potential of growth. However, India has protected and reserved legal market barring entry of International Law Firms in India and denying foreign law firms or foreign lawyers practice law in the Country. Even fly-in to provide service and fly-out attorneys are not welcome.

While foreign law firms are not interested in doing litigation practices in lower or superior courts, they are definitely interested in the more lucrative market of corporate practice, arbitration, and other specialised services. On the other hand, a large population of legal professionals opposes entry of foreign law firms in India on the fear of being driven out of practice or losing big clients.

Entry of foreign law firms in India has its own advantages and disadvantages. While foreign law firms bring in best practices and international expertise they would also heat up the Indian market with a high cost of legal services. On the other hand, existing Indian large and medium law firms will be benefited by getting better realisation per hour of billable rates. Of course, the fear of Indian firms of losing good and talented professionals to foreign law firms who have deep pockets is also well-founded.

Having said that there are no sides that one can take. We would refrain from expressing our personal views on the issue.

It shall be the Bar Council of India which is the regulatory body of the legal profession to tackle this big question on whether or when these foreign law firms will be allowed entry into the legal profession in India.

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MAY 2019

Royzz & Co

A Multi-disciplinary Law Services Provider

“The rm’s vital pillar of strength is its multi-disciplined and experienced team which endeavors to provide end to end superior services”

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full-service law Firm, Royzz & Co was founded by Mahua Roy Chowdhury.

Headquartered in Mumbai, it has its presence in Chennai, Delhi and Pune. It works with correspondent counsels and Firms spread across 55 cities in India and 150 counsels offshore, with a worldwide reach. The Firms’ vision is to: Ÿ

Be Honest & Upfront to Clients

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Step out of the books to provide pragmatic advice

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Initiate and work towards closure with the same zeal

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Strategize holistically advise to facilitate a business

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Litigate as a last resort

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Clients are long term investment of goodwill

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Never compromise on ethics & hard work

A Founder par Excellence Mahua Roy Chowdhury is the Founder and Principal Partner of the Firm. She is a qualified advocate and a registered Patent Attorney and has had varied experience spanning from criminal as well as

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civil cases. In relation to Intellectual Property, she has successfully litigated matters related to Copyright, Patents and Trademark infringement in various courts in India. She also has hands-on experience in Anticounterfeiting actions and has coordinated more than 500 IP enforcement actions with the help of Police and Investigation agencies. She now enjoys resolving disputes related to complex technology transactions.

She has been a speaker/moderator at several conferences and workshops, conducted lectures at various National and International forums. Also, she has authored several articles published in the various national and international reputed magazines and conducts in-house IP orientation workshops for Management, in-house counsels and scientists.

Superior Services Royzz & Co comprises of dynamic, curious-minded tech-savvy engineers, and lawyers who excel at marrying the unconventional creative and scientific temperament with fast-paced business needs. The team strives to constantly modernize its knowledge and give its clients relevant advice and subsequently succeed in unprecedented and challenging cases. The team members are from multidisciplinary practice areas enabling the Firm to provide comprehensive solutions to all national and international businesses.

It has a team with strong expertise in litigation, MAY 2019

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t

ransactional, advisory related matters for IPR. Its IP practice consists of all IP laws such as patents, designs, trademarks, copyrights. The attorneys and technology specialists focus on preparation and prosecution, licensing, management, valuation, and litigation of IP portfolios. The team also advises on food law, advising clients on the implementation of the FSS Act and Rules, and different regulations, notiďŹ cations and advisories issued by FSSAI. Some distinct areas of practice by the Firm are: General Corporate - All areas of practice including structuring, mergers & acquisitions, compliances.

Real Estate - Beginning from due diligence and title search of properties, transaction and convincing as well as litigation and dispute resolution.

Intellectual Property - The Firm takes care of Intellectual Property rights comprising Trademark, Patents, Designs, Copyright, Transactional and Due Diligence for content acquisition.

Dispute Resolution - Strategizes and advises on complex national and cross border disputes through litigation and arbitrations.

A Responsible Firm As a Firm Royzz & Co is always on the lookout for avenues by which it can work in the academic front. The Firm has tied up with the University of New Hampshire and has partnered offering a scholarship to students applying for LLM in Intellectual property rights.

The Firm is part of an initiative of the Government of India for promoting root level innovation and assisting in protecting them through an organisation called National Innovation Foundation (NIF). The Firm also works with different institutes such as SVKM, MNLU, VIT, IIT among others for IP related training sessions and in an advisory capacity.

MAY 2019

Mahua Roy Chowdhury

Founder & Principal Partner

Miles to Go The Firm has over the years handled over 20,000 cases. Some of its most prominent clients include names like Wadia Group (Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Realty, Go Air, Bombay Burmah), Walmart, Samsonite, Symantec, Rolta, Jain Irrigation, NSE – IT and Star TV. The Firm now seeks to go even beyond its current horizons. Over the last 2 years, the Firm has worked hard to diversify its practice and has successfully built a strong general corporate practice. The Firm aims to diversify across India and build strong teams who can widen its network and provide services pan India.

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