The Legal 500

Pratap Amin leads Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s practice where significant transactions have included advising MTN on its proposed $80bn combination with Bharti Airtel. Other high-profile clients include Tesco, HMV, Mitsui and Danone.

Herbert Smith’s renowned practice in India is led by Nimi Patel and chaired by Chris Parsons. The team acted for Tata Motors on its $2.3bn acquisition of Land Rover and Jaguar from US-listed Ford Motors. In addition, the team acted for for Tata Teleservices on the $2bn sale of 26% of the common shares to Japanese company, NTT DOCOMO.

Linklaters is ‘definitely one of the pre-eminent law firms in the Indian legal market.’ London-based Sandeep Katwala heads the team whose clients include Barclays Capital, DBS Bank, HSBC, ICICI Bank, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Headline deals have included advising Standard Chartered Bank, as arranger, of the proposed $1.5bn ECB financing of the upgrade and expansion of the Essar oil refinery.

With ‘excellent industry knowledge’ Allen & Overy’s India group is chaired by Jonathan Brayne. Benefiting from a non-exclusive referral arrangement with Trilegal, its practice straddles the banking, corporate, capital markets, and dispute resolution sectors. Notable clients include Standard Chartered Bank, ICICI Bank and Deutsche Bank. James Grandolfo is a ‘hardworking, streetsmart lawyer with a good eye for key issues’.

Having recently formed a ‘best friend’ agreement with AZB & Partners, Clifford Chance’s vast Indian expertise encompasses the banking, corporate, securities, dispute resolution energy, construction and real estate sectors. London-based, Chris Wyman is recommended.

Singapore-based William Kirschner leads White & Case’s India practice. The team is experienced in representing global corporate and financial institutions in their investment and financing activities in India. Key deals include advising GMR Group in its $960m acquisition of a stake in InterGen. Other clients include Tyson Foods, Lehman Brothers and BNP Paribas. New York-based Nandan Nelivigi is recommended.

Arnold & Porter (UK) LLP’s India team spans five of the firms offices. Expertise includes India entry strategies, corporate, capital markets, employment, IP, licensing, dispute resolution, real estate and tax.

With a New Delhi liason office, Ashurst LLP’s India group is led by Richard Gubbins. Focusing on corporate, energy, financial and projects work, key deals include advising India-based Piramal Healthcare Group on the acquisition of the medicinal product Haemaccel from PlasmaSelect. Further clients include Mitsui, Cairn Energy India and Expedia.

Headline deals for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP include advising Tata Steel in its $500m equity offering, the largest GDR to ever be listed in London.

Davis Polk & Wardwell’s key deals include advising Sodexo on its acquisition of the Radhakrishna Hospitality Services Group (RKHS). The team recently advised Oracle/i-flex in its significant acquisition of a majority stake in i-flex solutions, an Indian software company.

Jones Day’s highlights in 2008 included acting for Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo Company in its $4.6bn acquisition of Indian pharmaceutical company, Ranbaxy Laboratories.

Latham & Watkins LLP’s India practice is led from its Singapore and London offices. In 2008 it advised Emirates Telecommunications (Etisalat) in connection with its $900m investment in Swan Telecom.

Lovells leads its India-related work from Hong Kong, London, New York and Singapore. It mainly focuses on inbound corporate finance, M&A, banking, projects and real estate work.

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy is praised for its capital markets, M&A and project finance expertise.

Clients of Shearman & Sterling LLP’s vast India practice include JPMorgan, Barclays, Indian Hotels Company and Blue River Capital. Led by Rohan Weerasinghe, the firm recently advised Essar Steel Holdings in its proposed acquisition of Esmark Incorporated.

Led by David Jacobs , Baker & McKenzie’s India team focuses on cross-border inbound and outbound investments, and regularly advises leading Indian companies such as the Aditya Birla Group, Essar Group and Tata. Headline instructions came from GMR Energy in relation to the $80m acquisition of a 100% interest in the Barasentosa coal mine in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Ashok Lalwani is also recommended.

Washington-based Ralph Voltmer leads Covington & Burling LLP’s India practice. The team’s experience encompasses advising on corporate transactions; financing transactions; including project financings, private equity and strategic investments; as well as on regulatory and commercial projects, FCPA investigations, international trade matters and international dispute resolution matters. Highlights for the team include acting for BT Americas in relation to security measures being imposed on foreign telecom providers in India. Other significant clients are Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.

Focusing on M&A and capital markets work, Debevoise & Plimpton’s India practice is led from Hong Kong. Recent highlights have included advising Providence Equity Partners on its $640m investment in Aditya Birla Telecom.

With strong links to Mumbai firm Wakhariya & Wakhariya, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP’s seven-partner practice is headed by Talat M Ansari. Notable transactions include advising Tata Consultancy in its acquisition of a business process outsourcing company belonging to Citibank. Other significant clients include Avon, Indian Hotels and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Special Indian counsel Rahul R Mahajan is recommended.

Singapore-based Adam Summerly leads Norton Rose (Asia) LLP’s India practice, which is ‘thorough’ and praised for its ‘excellent response times and in-depth industry knowledge’. Headline work includes include advising Axiata Group Berhad on its acquisition of an interest in Idea Cellular.

Pinsent Masons is skilled in advising clients in relation to Indian construction projects. Martin Harman is recommended.

Sidley Austin’s India team is led from the New York office. Its clientele includes government institutions, multinationals, investment funds and investment banks.

Past clients of Slaughter and May include Cairn India, Standard Chartered Bank and Corus. Recent transactions include advising the Wadia group of companies in relation to the termination of their joint venture relationships with Groupe Danone.

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP’s India practice is led by Paul Supramaniam.

Bird & Bird LLP’s team is led by the ‘excellent’ Nipun Gupta, who joined from White & Case’s India practice in March 2008.

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s client base includes Indian companies and conglomerates whom the team advises in their business activities in Canada, as well as Canadian clients in their Indian activities.

Clyde & Co’s recently established alliance with ALMT Legal has strengthened its India presence.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP focuses on capital markets and M&A work emerging from India.

Denton Wilde Sapte opened a Singapore office in early 2008 which is expected to sharpen its focus in India in the future.

Dorsey & Whitney LLP is recommended for its advice to investment banks, Indian entities and foreign companies investing in India.

Eversheds’ India expertise includes areas such as arbitration, finance, energy, international trade, IP, IT, M&A, real estate and telecoms.

Fladgate LLP’s client base includes Cambridge Assessment, Flex Industries and the India F1 team.

Freehills has acted for clients including Tata Steel and Tata Consulting Services. Kennedys maintains a close association with Tuli & Co, which empowers its presence in India.

Sunil Kakkad leads LG’s India practice, where clients include Grant Thornton Corporate Finance and Arden Partners.

Mallesons Stephen Jaques has an established reputation advising multinational companies and financial institutions doing business in India, as well as experience in advising on outbound investments and cross-border capital raisings by Indian companies.

Mishcon de Reya has advised Mauritian fund managers Saffron Capital Advisors on the establishment of Saffron India Real Estate Fund.

With experience of outsourcing in India, Morrison & Foerster recently advised Pearl Group on the outsourcing of its life and pensions administration services to Tata Consultancy Services.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison’s India expertise includes advising on a number of private equity and joint venture transactions involving real estate developments.

Reed Smith’s Roy Montague-Jones is recommended for his strong presence in the India market.

Key transactions for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP include advising NTT DOCOMO in its acquisition of a stake in Tata Teleservices via a $2.7bn strategic investment.

Dee Rajpal leads Stikeman Elliott’s India practice.

Recent clients for Sullivan & Cromwell LLP include Tata Motors.

Thelen LLP is recommended for its outsourcing expertise and advises clients on foreign investment in India.

Torys is recognised for its strength in India-related M&A transactions.

Hong Kong-based Gary Kotara at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. is highly regarded for energy matters.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ India practice focuses on in-bound investment for international clients including multinationals, private equity firms. The managing partner of the firm’s Hong Kong office, Akiko Mikumo, is recommended.