The Legal 500

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has a longstanding focus on India and continues to be involved in some significant M&A and investment transactions including recently advising Arysta LifeScience on its majority stake acquisition of Mumbai-based agrochemicals company Devidayal Sales. Other recent highlights include advising JB Chemicals on divesting certain Indian businesses to Johnson & Johnson. The firm also handles banking and capital markets work and, for example, advised Essar Energy on its $1.3bn IPO on the LSE. London-based Pratap Amin heads the team.

Herbert Smith LLP has a longstanding reputation for advising corporate clients on inbound and outbound India-related instructions. Its major Indian clients include Tata Group 
and Essar Group, and the firm has also managed to expand its client base to include Bharti 
Airtel, which it represented on the $10.7bn acquisition of Zain’s African telecoms businesses. On the capital markets side of the practice, it has advised on two major IPOs and recently represented the lead managers on Essar Shipping Ports & Logistics’ $280m convertible bond issuance. London-based Chris Parsons and Nimi Patel head the team and are supported by colleagues in the firm’s European and Asian offices.

Linklaters LLP provides ‘very effective’ advice to Indian and non-Indian corporates across a range of inbound and outbound M&A, investments and financings. London-based group head Sandeep Katwala recently advised BP on its $9bn acquisition of a minority stake in 23 oil and gas production blocks from Reliance Industries. Other highlights included advising Zain on the $10.7bn sale of its African 
telecoms business to Bharti Airtel; and representing Fortis Global Healthcare Group on acquiring Quality HealthCare Asia’s healthcare businesses in Hong Kong and Macau. Singapore-based banking partner Philip Badge has an excellent reputation and recently represented Vedanta Resources on the $6bn financing for 
its acquisition of a controlling stake in Cairn Energy.

Headed by London-based Jonathan Brayne, who is supported by lawyers in Singapore, Allen & Overy LLP’s India group focuses on M&A and finance mandates. Recent highlights include advising Standard Chartered as underwriter in Bharti Airtel’s $10.7bn acquisition of Zain 
Africa. The firm has a referral arrangement with leading Indian corporate and finance firm Trilegal.

Clifford Chance is ‘very responsive and provides commercial advice which is based on 
a very good level of local knowledge as well as experience’. Rahul Guptan, a key member of the firm’s Singapore-based India capital markets team, is ‘very plugged into the Indian legal market and new developments’, and the ‘very calm’ Edward Bradley is also well regarded. The firm’s “best friends” relationship with AZB & Partners has come to an end, although relations remain cordial.

Latham & Watkins LLP staffs its India practice with lawyers in Singapore, London and Silicon Valley, and it has earned an ‘outstanding reputation’ in the market. ‘Always on the short list for capital markets transactions’, the team 
recently advised the underwriters on ICICI Bank’s $1bn bond offering. On the M&A side, 
the firm advised Vedanta Resources on its acquisition of Cairn India. Singapore-based Michael Sturrock and Rajiv Gupta are the lynchpins of the practice.

Resourced from the firm’s Singapore, New York and London offices, White & Case LLP’s India practice group provides a ‘top service’ to clients engaged in M&A, finance and litigation. 
As well as handling a flow of financing instructions for core clients such as Deutsche Bank, the team has picked up an increased volume of strategic M&A - most notably advising GMR Group on the sale of its stake in InterGen. Nandan Nelivigi in New York heads the team, which also includes ‘outstanding’ Indian private equity and M&A specialist William Kirschner.

Arnold & Porter (UK) LLP’s India group advises on M&A, banking, real estate and IP, and is based in offices in the US and Europe.

Ashurst LLP has ‘exceptional India experience’, and benefits from a ‘deep understanding of clients’ commercial concerns’. Spread across 
London, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong, the team handles an array of corporate, banking and projects work with recent highlights including advising Jubilant Energy on its £50m IPO. 
London-based team head Richard Gubbins has ‘unlimited energy’. Clients include Reliance Industries, Morgan Stanley and Wilcox Power Generation Group.

Headed by Sydney-based David Jacobs, Baker & McKenzie LLP’s India practice 
handles a raft of inbound and outbound 
financing and corporate work, and includes lawyers from across the firm’s extensive international network. The team has developed a niche advising on inbound pharmaceutical investments, and recently advised Abbott Laboratories on its $3.8bn acquisition of 
Piramal Healthcare’s domestic healthcare solutions business. Singapore-based James Huang has also seen an uptick on banking and finance work for clients such as Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Natixis and Standard Chartered.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP provides ‘excellent expertise, knowledge and reliability’ to a raft of Indian corporates such as ArcelorMittal, Tata Group and Reliance Industries, and also advises private equity sponsor TPG on its investments in India. London-based Tihir Sarkar represented TPG Growth on its investment in Greenko Group, an independent power 
producer focusing on developing clean energy assets in India; he is praised for his ‘strong leadership, acute business sense and great negotiation skills’.

Hong Kong-based Kirtee Kapoor heads Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP’s India practice, which focuses primarily on M&A and capital 
markets work. Recent highlights include advising ICICI Bank on establishing a $5bn global 
medium-term note programme; and Warburg Pincus on its $75m investment in QuEST Global Services. Other clients include Reliance Industries and Cairn.

Jones Day’s five-partner India team is led from the Singapore office and has an outstanding reputation for capital markets; in 2010 alone, it acted on 21 completed transactions, including advising the underwriters on Adani Enterprises’ $850m QIP. Other clients include Godrej Group, Tata Group, Daiwa Capital and HSBC. Sushma Jobanputra and Manoj Bhargava are recommended.

Led by London-based Crispin Rapinet and drawing extensively on its broad international network, Hogan Lovells International LLP represents Indian and international clients 
across a wide array of practice areas including M&A, finance, projects and litigation. New York-based Waajid Siddiqui handles inbound work for foreign corporates and recently advised GlobalLogic on acquiring Hyderabad-based Rofous Software.

Staffed by lawyers in London, Singapore and Hong Kong, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP’s India practice focuses on high-end corporate and capital markets transactions. Recent highlights include advising the underwriters on Tata Motor’s $750m issuance of global depository shares and convertible notes.

Headed by New York-based Rohan Weerasinghe and including lawyers from London, Singapore and Hong Kong, Shearman & Sterling LLP’s India group handles a broad range of capital markets, M&A, fund formation and litigation. Recent highlights include advising the initial purchasers on Vedanta Resources’ $1.65bn bond offering; and advising Cals Refineries on the $417m acquisition of oil refinery assets from the Hardt Group.

Covington & Burling LLP provides ‘very commercial and practical’ advice to a mix of 
Indian and international corporates. Effectively marrying regulatory and transactional expertise, the firm has particular expertise at advising on FCPA issues. Team head Ralph Voltmer in Washington DC is ‘outstanding’, and is regularly at the forefront of the most significant 
deals including having advised Reliance Industries on its joint venture with D E Shaw. Other 
highlights included advising Disney on its $455m acquisition of India’s UTV Software Communications.

DLA Piper is a ‘class act’ for Indian capital markets work, undertaking a tremendous volume of IPOs, private placements, and government disinvestments. It advised the government on 
Coal India’s $3.43bn IPO - the largest to date in India - an instruction led by key team member Stephen Peepels. Other clients include IDFC Capital, Kotak Mahindra Capital and Morgan Stanley.

Based in Hong Kong and London and led by the experienced Thomas Britt, Debevoise & Plimpton’s India practice handles M&A, 
private equity and capital markets transactions for Indian and international clients. Recent 
highlights include advising D E Shaw on its high-profile joint venture with Reliance Industries.

Led from New York by Talat Ansari, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP handles inbound and outbound transactional work for Indian and US corporate clients. Recent highlights include advising Sprint Nextel on its joint venture with Indian corporate Persistent Systems. Other 
clients include Matheson Tri-Gas and Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics.

Norton Rose (Asia) LLP has a significant focus on the Indian market and is active across a number of industry sectors including energy, transport and financial. It recently advised HSBC on acquiring RBS’ Indian retail bank operations. Singapore-based Adam Summerly is the key contact.

Primarily based in New York, Sidley Austin LLP’s Indian team is particularly accomplished at handling private equity and capital markets mandates.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is ‘particularly good at capital markets 
work’. The ‘outstanding’ Jonathan Stone, who 
heads the team from Hong Kong, recently represented the underwriters on Jaypee Infratech’s combined $500m primary/secondary IPO. Rajeev Duggal is excellent for corporate and M&A work.

Slaughter and May focuses predominantly on inbound M&A for its blue-chip corporate client base but also handles India-related arbitrations. London-based Nick Archer heads the team.

Leveraging off the firm’s IP expertise, Taylor Wessing LLP’s London and Germany teams handle a raft of India-related corporate and financing work for technology corporates. The group has recently handled a number of 
equity raisings for Indian corporates in 
London. Clients include Jet Airways, Times Infotainment, Tata Consultancy Services and Elephant Capital. Team head Omleen Ajimal has a ‘complete knowledge of the Indian corporate 
world and the actions that take place in India’..