Indian Law Firm Awards - India Business Law Journal

Indian Law Firm Awards
Joining Mulla & Mulla in the winners’ circle are Bharucha
& Associates, Bhatt & Saldanha, Bose & Mitra, Brus
Chambers and S Venkiteswaran.
Bharucha & Associates, led by the esteemed Zarir
Bharucha, is well known for its shipping practice. Bharucha,
a Cambridge graduate, is a frequent speaker and writer on
maritime law and an authority on maritime disputes.
Bhatt & Saldanha is a leading Indian maritime law firm
with an established contentious and non-contentious
practice in wet and dry shipping matters. The firm has
drafted pleadings and obtained the arrest of vessels in
various ports across India, repatriated the crews of vessels
detained without cause and defended in cases of wrongful
arrests.
Shipping boutique Bose & Mitra is assisting fishermen
affected by the MSC Chitra oil spill and the Maharashtra
Pollution Control Board in a multimillion-dollar claim against
Mediterranean Shipping Company related to the spill, the
largest in India to date. The firm’s Amitava Majumdar is
involved in the “magic pipe pollution case” before the US
District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, on
behalf of one of the largest Indian ship owners. Bose &
Mitra is also handling several arbitration matters, including
a Singapore arbitration dealing with the failure of a tug to
perform anchor handling operations, and a London arbitration
relating to dredging contracts between private parties
and an Indian public-sector undertaking.
Charles Cummings, a partner at Baker & McKenzie in
New York, has worked jointly with Bose & Mitra on several
maritime matters including a litigation matter in the
US. “Bose & Mitra has strong and particular expertise in
maritime matters,” says Cummings. “This is a specialized
practice that many law firms do not do or do not do well.
Bose & Mitra is very good. Both I and our mutual client
were highly satisfied with Bose & Mitra’s work.” Cummings
works predominantly with Majumdar, and says: “He is a
first-rate lawyer and I recommend him highly.”
Brus Chambers is advising Global Bunkers on the arrest
of the MV Kormel for unpaid bunker dues and acting for
Chambal Fertilisers and Chemical on shortlanding of cargo
on the Pacific Wind. It is also advising and representing
Schenker International Hongkong and Schenker India
in relation to a suit filed in Bombay High Court against
them pertaining to the loss and damage of cartons and
consignments.
With over 40 years of legal practice under his belt, veteran
practitioner S Venkiteswaran has extensive experience
in port and shipping management and has also been
associated with international shipping litigation and arbitrations.
He has been credited for his recommendations relating
to amendments to India’s admiralty laws.
Structured finance and securitization
Scoring top marks for structured finance and securitization
are Amarchand Mangadas, AZB & Partners, Dave &
Girish & Co, J Sagar Associates, Juris Corp and Wadia
Ghandy & Co.
Dave & Girish & Co is a name synonymous with this practice
area. The firm drafts documentation relating to security
creation and structured finance, and advises on money
market instruments, securities law for both domestic and
offshore issues, corporate restructuring, securitization,
derivatives, and intricate financial structures for banks and
companies. Girish Dave and Mona Bhide are acclaimed
February 2012
Intelligence report
practitioners in these areas. “Dave & Girish have been very
helpful on banking matters,” says David Dannreuther, a
partner at Withers.
At full-service firm Juris Corp, structured finance emerges
as one of the strongest practices. Clients assessing their
financial options can also benefit from the firm’s strong
litigation practice. Juris Corp has advised and represented
several banks on the classification of companies as wilful
defaulters, in line with a Reserve Bank of India circular.
Bombay High Court has held that the wilful defaulter circular
would apply to derivative transaction defaulters which
have the capacity to pay and deliberately default on their
payment obligations.
The firm has expanded with the addition of Mustafa
Motiwala and his team of lawyers who specialize in commercial
law, dispute resolution, IP and real estate.
Mickey Commar, managing director at QVT Financial
Singapore, worked extensively with Sonali Sharma, a
partner at Juris Corp, on a ground-breaking litigation matter.
“While the firm is known as an expert in the financial
services space, in relation to the Wockhardt litigation,
based on recommendations from other bondholders it
seemed like a good choice given their experience in the
banking space and their commercial understanding of
matters,” he says.
To ensure full repayment of the monies owed by
Wockhardt under foreign currency convertible bonds, the
bondholders – including QVT – were challenging the terms
of the corporate debt restructuring scheme intended to be
implemented by Wockhardt and its secured creditors. ”The
strategy for the litigation was virtually run by Juris Corp
acting for the bondholders. The ultimate outcome of the
Wockhardt litigation and the dedication of the team not
only from a legal perspective but also in understanding
commercial aspects played a crucial role in obtaining the
order from the court. We were delighted.”
Taxation
Taking awards for their tax practices are AZB & Partners,
DM Harish & Co, Economic Laws Practice, Lakshmi
Kumaran & Sridharan, Nishith Desai Associates and Vaish
Associates.
Vaish Associates, which celebrated its 40th anniversary
last year, was founded as a tax practice in New Delhi by
Naik Naik & Co is the best in
the country [for copyright and
filmed entertainment]
Madhu Mantena
Director at Kwan Entertainment
& Marketing Solutions
India Business Law Journal 49