Indian Law Firm Awards - India Business Law Journal

Indian Law Firm Awards
from clients. “Majmudar is a quality outfit,” says a partner
at a UK law firm. “We have worked with them on joint
mandates for clients such as Rolls-Royce, Capita Group,
Goldman Sachs and Barclays. The feedback we get is that
they are not the largest firm, but they’re upper midmarket.”
Managing partner Akil Hirani is recommended as are partners
Neerav Merchant and Rukshad Daver. Daver joined
the firm in January 2011. The firm advises on all aspects of
employment law, as well as employment due diligence and
IP audits of Indian companies.
“I really enjoyed working with Majmudar & Co,” says
Sven Hettesheimer, legal counsel at KSPG, a German automotive
supplier. “The legal support being provided was
excellent and always very speedy.” He adds that the firm is
“very business-orientated” and capable of “finding creative
solutions for the problems we faced in our negotiations.”
Other winners in this category are Crawford Bayley & Co,
DSK Legal, Mulla & Mulla and Singhania & Partners.
Crawford Bayley’s clients include Hindustan Unilever,
Asian Paints, Bombay Dyeing, Piramal Healthcare and
Essar Steel. Senior partner Darius Shroff is a labour
law expert and advises on a variety of employment law
matters.
Singhania & Partners’ employment practice is led by
senior partner Sunil Kumar and partner Shambu Sharan.
Both advise clients on India’s complex and rigid labour
laws and offer solutions on the gamut of employment law
questions. The firm handles employment claims and disputes
in addition to providing advice in non-contentious
matters.
DSK Legal’s employment team offers expertise on Indian
labour laws and regulatory requirements for employers,
drafting and reviewing of employment contracts and
employee manuals, due diligence reviews of employment
law compliance, advice on data protection and privacy,
and guidance on termination strategies and retirement
policies. The firm’s lawyers receive widespread praise, particularly
managing partner Anand Desai. “Anand Desai has
always been an excellent lawyer and a man who is always
available to clarify difficult issues in the simplest terms,”
says Kabir at Strides Arcolab.
Energy, projects and infrastructure
The majority of winners in this category have also
picked up awards for best overall firms. Excellent past
performance on projects and infrastructure has ensured
that Amarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, Luthra &
Luthra and Trilegal continue to be magnets for such work.
Outstanding work and acumen catapulted HSA Advocates
(formerly Hemant Sahai Associates) and Link Legal into the
remaining spots.
Amarchand and Luthra & Luthra have had great success
advising on the financing of large India projects. Amarchand
enjoys a huge lead in votes in this category. Last year, it
advised GE Energy Financial Services on its agreement to
invest US$50 million in India-based clean energy developer
Greenko Group to develop wind projects in India.
Martijn Wilder, a Sydney-based partner at Baker &
McKenzie who is head of the firm’s global environmental
markets and climate change practice, has consulted HSA
on climate change, energy and environment matters, M&A
and regulatory matters. Wilder says Baker & McKenzie was
initially doing a lot of climate change and renewable energy
work and HSA was recommended as the go-to firm. “They
February 2012
Intelligence report
Experience with K&S Partners,
particularly with Mr Ravi Bhola,
has been very good
Charanjit Sehgal
Head of IPR
Arch Pharmalabs
built up a real expertise in this area which over time has
made them the legal leader in this area,” he says. Wilder
continues to work with the firm because of its “expertise,
excellent advice” and because it has “good commercial
lawyers who are easy to work with”.
Last year, the firm acted as the sole legal adviser to
Novatec Solar on its equity investments and solar projects
in Gujarat. It represented another German company, Allianz
Climate Solutions, on its investments in hydro projects in
Sikkim. The firm was also appointed as the legal adviser for
the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project.
Litigation specialist Meenakshi Arora and banking lawyer
Anjan Dasgupta joined the firm last April. Abhishek Dutta
and Nand Kishore were poached from BMR to launch
HSA’s indirect tax practice last June.
Wilder recommends managing partner Hemant Sahai
and partner Aparajit Bhattacharya. “I used a few [law
firms in India] many years ago but now only use HSA
as they are very reliable and all our international clients
including Asian Development Bank, Macquarie Bank, JP
Morgan, Rabobank, HP, etc., are very, very happy with
them.”
Link Legal was a legal adviser on four of India Business
Law Journal’s 10 infrastructure Deals of the Year. Partner
Ajay Sawhney was the project counsel to turbine manufacturer
Suzlon Energy on its agreement with Mytrah Energy
India to develop wind power projects across India. Trilegal
partner Charandeep Kaur advised Mytrah on the US$1.28
billion deal. Link Legal also advised a consortium of lenders
on a US$937 million loan for Moser Baer Power’s Jaithari
thermal project and a US$470 million loan facility for
NTPC’s power project in Bihar.
Insurance and reinsurance
Tuli & Co, a 20-lawyer insurance boutique led by Neeraj
Tuli, handles exclusively contentious and non-contentious
insurance and reinsurance mandates and commercial litigation
and dispute resolution matters.
The firm, a pioneer in insurance work, continues to
receive instructions on high-value and complex insurance
and reinsurance disputes. The firm has been instructed on
a directors and officers liability claim arising from litigation
in Australia against an Indian company concerning a
long-term coal supply agreement. The claim value exceeds
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