The Legal 500

India

Antitrust and competition

Antitrust and competition - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

The antitrust and competition practice at Khaitan & Co LLP is highlighted as 'one of the top groups in terms of depth and breadth', and is instructed on a range of all transactional, enforcement, and advisory work. Associate partner Sagardeep Rathi successfully represented InterGlobe Aviation in an appeal of a penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged cartelisation in the levy of fuel surcharges. The team also acted for Reliance Aerostructure Limited and Thales India Private Limited in pre-merger notification matters on the companies' formation of a joint venture in the defence and aerospace sector. It also assisted with notification to the CCI prior to the merger of British American Tobacco and R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The department is jointly led by 'creative thinker' Manas Kumar Chaudhuri and Arshad (Paku) Khan. Changes to the team include Avaantika Kakka's departure to Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Leading individuals

Next Generation Partners

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Banking and finance

Banking and finance - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

Khaitan & Co LLP's practice has been notably active in acquisition finance, external commercial borrowing, and restructuring and insolvency matters, and is adept in aviation finance; recent work includes assisting Air India with a $123m loan to purchase five Boeing 787 aircraft. Shishir Mehta, debt financing expert Kumar Saurabh Singh and Devidas Banerji are names to note.

Next Generation Partners

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Capital markets

Capital markets - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

The capital markets group at Khaitan & Co LLP reports an increase in instructions relating to IPOs and private placements, particularly in the insurance sector. Recent work highlights include representing the underwriters in the $1.6bn IPO of the General Insurance Corporation of India; advising Edelweiss Financial Services on its QIP; and acting for Cochin Shipyard on its IPO. Sudhir Bassi leads the team, in which Abhimanyu Bhattacharya is a name to note. Aditya Cheriyan and Madhur Kohli both made partner in April 2018.

Next Generation Partners

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Corporate and M&A

Corporate and M&A - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co.

At Khaitan & Co., recent highlights include advising Fosun Pharmaceutical and subsidiary companies on acquiring a 74% stake in Gland Pharma, a matter valued at approximately $1.1bn; assisting Music Broadcast with acquiring the music business of Ananda Offset via a slump sale; and acting for Flipkart in an acquisition of a majority stake by Walmart in the company, valued at $16bn. Haigreve Khaitan is highly regarded in the corporate space, while Rabindra Jhunjhunwala is noted for his expertise in cross-border mergers and Bharat Anand is a key name for advisory matters.

Leading individuals

Next Generation Partners

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Dispute resolution

Dispute resolution - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co.

Khaitan & Co. has seen an increase in infrastructure and joint venture disputes, and acts for a solid client base of banks, major corporates, high-net-worth individuals, and private equity funds in a range of disputes. The team's client base includes the Cement Manufacturers' Association. Ajay Bhargava, Sanjeev Kapoor and Chakrapani Misra are key practitioners.

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Insurance

Insurance - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

With 'excellent capabilities' across the sector the team at Khaitan & Co LLP has been highlighted as 'a go-to firm in India for insurance matters'. The team acted for Merchant Banks as book running lead managers in the initial public offering of up to 120,000,000 equity shares of SBI Life Insurance Company.  led a team which advised Swiss Re Reinsurance Holding on its acquisition of a minority stake in Acko Technology & Services. Nikhil Narayanan (based in New Delhi) heads the team alongside the Mumbai-based  Haigreve Khaitan and Anuj Shah, who 'particularly stands out' and attracts praise for being 'very responsive, anticipating issues in advance, and providing practical and commercial solutions'.  Prudential Plc,  Swiss Re and  Elpro International are all clients.

Leading individuals

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Intellectual property

Intellectual property - ranked: tier 2

Khaitan & Co LLP

The IP team at Khaitan & Co LLP boasts a client roster including Amazon Group, L'Oréal, Tata Group companies and Novartis AG. The practice, led by 'strategic thinker' Adheesh Nargolkar, handles both contentious and non-contentious matters relating to a range of rights. It is instructed by Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India/Daimler AG to draft patent specifications for India and abroad. Counsel Shailendra Bhandare is another key name to note. Jose Madan departed from the practice and Samuel Niranjan left to establish S&H Partners.

Leading individuals

Next Generation Partners

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Investment funds

Investment funds - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

Khaitan & Co LLP is frequently engaged in matters concerning domestic and international funds. Its team is instructed to act for India Alternatives Private Equity Fund II, which is seeking to invest up to INR 1bn in mid-growth companies. A team, led by practice head Siddharth Shah and associate partner Divaspati Singh, acted for White Oak Capital on the structuring, document preparation and registration required for the establishment of offshore funds and a domestic fund seeking to invest in Indian capital markets.

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Labour and employment

Labour and employment - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

The employment, labour and benefits practice at Khaitan & Co LLP frequently acts for large corporates, such as British Telecom, Lions Gate Corporation and Tesco, on a full range of matters. Anshul Prakash led a team advising Tenneco Inc on due diligence in India as well as on the employment aspects of its $5.4bn acquisition of Federal-Mogul.

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Projects and energy

Projects and energy - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

Khaitan & Co LLP's team 'is responsive and has great industry knowledge'; 'their advice is pragmatic and user-friendly'. The group's core strengths lie in handling sector-specific M&A deals and project financing, and has considerable experience in renewable energy mandates. Dibyanshu Sinha is the key contact.

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Real estate and construction

Real estate and construction - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

The real estate and construction team at Khaitan & Co LLP are 'very cooperative with sound knowledge of the sector'. The group acted for the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council on the due diligence and other considerations associated with the acquisition of commercial premises in Mumbai. Sudip Mullick attracts praise for his 'availability, in-depth knowledge and reasonable fees'. Abhishek Sharma, and principal associate Harsh Parikh (both in the Mumbai office) are key names to note. The team has been bolstered by the arrival of Avnish Sharma from Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

Leading individuals

Next Generation Partners

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TMT

TMT - ranked: tier 2

Khaitan & Co LLP

The team at Khaitan & Co LLP is frequently instructed in commercial and M&A matters by clients in the TMT sectors. A team, jointly led by Ganesh Prasad and Vinay Joy (both based in Bangalore), advised Flipkart on the acquisition by Walmart of a majority stake in the company. In addition, the group has been engaged by telecoms sector clients in transactions. The practice also handles contentious matters and represented NTT Docomo in enforcement proceedings in relation to a shareholders agreement with Tata Sons. Key names to note in the Mumbai office include Vineet Shingal and Rahul Dutt, particularly for cross-border transactions and telecoms sector matters respectively. Associate partner Harsh Walia is also highlighted.

Next Generation Partners

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Tax

Tax - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

Khaitan & Co LLP's substantial team boasts expertise across direct and indirect tax matters in advisory, contentious, transactional matters. The group represented NTT Docomo Inc in an abritration, resulting in the award of $1.2bn of contractual damages from Tata Sons. Ritu Shaktawat led a team which advised Luxoft International on the structuring of its acquisition of Deriv IT Solutions. The group has particular experience acting for insurer and private equity funds with clients including Apax Partners and AIG Europe. Key names to note include Sanjay Sanghvi and Bijal Ajinkya for direct tax, and Nihal Kothari and Dinesh Agrawal for indirect tax. Principle associate,  Shabnam Shaikh, is also highlighted. Changes to the team include the addition of associate partner Indruj Rai, who joined from DSK Legal, and the departure of Daksha Baxi to Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Next Generation Partners

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White-collar crime

White-collar crime - ranked: tier 1

Khaitan & Co LLP

Khaitan & Co LLP is noted for its strength in advising clients on investigations by government agencies including the Serious Fraud Investigation Office, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, in matters relating to corporate fraud, money laundering and bribery. Other recent work highlights includes data protection and privacy matters. Litigation partner Susmit Pushkar heads the practice.

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