AZB & Partners has a sizeable team to call on for litigation, acting for its prestigious client list of international banks, multinationals and domestic market leaders in various sectors. Insolvency-related litigation is a particular strength, a recent highlight seeing senior partner and practice co-head Rajendra Barot lead advice to Credit Suisse on winding-up proceedings against SpiceJet before the Madras High Court. He operates from the Mumbai office, while fellow co-head of the team Vijayendra Pratap Singh is in New Delhi. Aditya Vikram Bhat is a senior partner to note for cross-border litigation, particularly shareholder disputes, and among the crop of upcoming lawyers at the firm, April 2022 partnership appointments Abhijnan Jha and Priyank Ladoia particularly stand out.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas stands out for its broad expertise in company disputes, acting in high-stakes litigation regarding shares, shareholder disputes, insolvencies and securities. The substantial team is spread across the country and coordinated from Mumbai by Indranil Deshmukh, a regular counsel for clients before the Mumbai High Court and the Supreme Court of India. Additional contacts to note include Gauri Rasgotra, whose broad experience includes representing various multinational companies in contractual disputes and corruption cases; Gyanendra Kumar, a regular counsel in M&A-related disputes, insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings, shareholder rights petitions and money laundering litigation; and Amita Katragadda, a renowned name for high-profile corporate governance conflicts. Animesh Bisht, George Varghese and Raunak Dhillon are among the up-and-coming partners at the firm, while at the associate level, Sara Sundaram is well versed in advocacy in civil, commercial and criminal litigation. Shalaka Patil left the firm in August 2022, however Abhileen Chaturvedi  has joined from Economic Laws Practice.

The dispute resolution practice at DSK Legal was considerably strengthened in July 2022 with the addition of several partners from Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India, including seasoned commercial disputes specialist H.S. Bobby Chandhoke. The incorporation has also enabled the firm to establish a litigation offering in Hyderabad, having already been well established in Mumbai and New Delhi. Managing partner Anand Desai oversees the dispute resolution department from the Mumbai office and regularly represents his clients before the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court. The team in Mumbai are particularly strong in the media sector, with Parag Khandhar a name to note in that area. In New Delhi, Dinesh Pardasani excels in the projects sphere, while Nirav Shah routinely assists clients in disputes arising from corporate and commercial transactions, shareholder agreements and real estate transactions. At the principal associate level, Iti Agarwal is an active member of the team, especially in project-related disputes.

The ‘well-knit, diverse team‘ at Khaitan & Co LLP handles a broad set of litigation matters for its client base of domestic heavyweights and multinationals operating in India. The firm assists through the life-cycle of a contentious matter, from pre-trial strategies and filing pleadings, to representing clients before all levels of court and other forums. Sanjeev Kapoor in New Delhi is well established in the market as a go-to counsel for complex cross-border litigation, and in over 20 years of practice has covered the gamut of India’s key industries. Alongside him in New Delhi, Ajay Bhargava comes with client recommendation and specialises in civil, criminal and commercial litigation; and Vanita Bhargava is a seasoned advocate across a plethora of sectors. In Mumbai, Kingshuk Banerjee, Raj Panchmatia and Peshwan Jehangir are key contacts, while Shalini Sati Prasad in New Delhi is a principal associate to note.

Having focused on dispute resolution since its inception in 1999, Dentons Link Legal has a strong background in contentious matters and while its wider offering has diversified over the years, it has remained a strong choice for clients needing advice on litigation. Managing partner Atul Sharma and senior partner Milanka Chaudhury oversee the department and both have diverse experience in the practice area. Sharma is especially notable for his support to clients in the infrastructure and transport sectors, while Chaudhury is a standout figure for matters regarding airports, especially disputes in the regulatory sphere. Nusrat Hassan is a further name to note, acting for a range of American, European and Indian clients.

Founding partners Maneesha Dhir and Alok Dhir and senior partner Sachin Gupta together oversee the dispute resolution offering at Dhir & Dhir Associates, which excels in insolvency-related litigation, as well as varied matters in regulated industries. Maneesha Dhir has particular expertise in the telecoms industry and both she and Alok Dhir are seasoned counsel, while Sachin Gupta is the primary contact for drafting. Varsha Banerjee focuses her litigation practice on corporate restructuring and insolvency, with expertise in the rehabilitation of distressed entities, debt recovery, securitisation disputes, and commercial disputes arising out of other contractual matters.

Fortune 500 companies look to Dua Associates for advice and representation in disputes in India. The chemicals sector is a particularly strong area for the practice, with Sadara Chemical Company being the most recent addition to its client base in that area, instructing Shiraz Patodia and her New Delhi-based team on a customs-related dispute in 2021. Patodia is a celebrated senior litigator in the market with numerous international clients, and is an advocate on record at the Supreme Court of India. Alongside her in New Delhi, Ashish Singh has a focus on intellectual property litigation, white-collar criminal law, environmental protection and international trade law. Principal associate Juhi Chawla is another key contact in the group.

IndusLaw fields an ‘experienced, robust and dynamic‘ dispute resolution team, whose presence covers the country, with the firm’s incorporation of real estate and litigation practitioners from ASLF in March 2022 adding a Chennai location to its already established offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Hyderabad. This bolstering of the real estate litigation offering adds to a practice well versed in commercial disputes and insolvency, and representing a client base that has diversified from the crop of start-ups it advised at its inception in 2000, now including corporate entities, government bodies, investors, shareholders, lenders, directors, high-net-worth individuals, and other institutions. ‘Very quick thinker and extremely talented strategist‘ Amit Jajoo leads the litigation side of the practice and specialises in promoter and shareholder disputes, insolvency and restructuring. The highly regarded Sushmita Gandhi has been instrumental in growing this practice area at the firm and has expertise in contentious proceedings against some of the biggest debt defaulters in India, as well as having a notable pro bono practice. Principal associate Anamika Singh and senior associate Darpan Bhatia provide robust support to the partners across the breadth of matters.

Phoenix Legal is praised for its ‘deep knowledge of local laws, customs and international practice‘ and handles various corporate, civil and criminal matters before courts, quasi-judicial authorities, and tribunals. Public interest litigation, white-collar crime cases and corporate disputes are all firmly in the wheelhouse of the sizeable team, which works across the firm’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. Vasanth Rajasekaran is one of the team’s most active litigators and has acted for a number of Fortune 500 companies at the New Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India. He is based in New Delhi, while in Mumbai Gautam Bhatikar is the name to note; vastly experienced in Indian dispute resolution, Bhatikar is qualified in India and England and Wales, and strong in representing EPC contractors, banks, shipowners, oil companies and insurers.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co‘s team of senior litigators is particularly strong in the banking and finance field, but the firm’s sizeable dispute resolution practice also represents clients in an array of fields, in courts across India. Leading names in financial services, electronics manufacturing and insurance are among those to instruct the team, whose expertise covers a range of matters from corporate fraud to shareholder disputes and insolvencies. Pallavi Shroff heads the department and has a particularly impressive track record representing clients in competition-related cases. Manu Nair counts JP Morgan India among his recent clients, while another key contact Ajit Warrier had a busy 2021, including multiple appearances at the Supreme Court. Angad Kochhar is another of the deep bench of experienced litigators who regularly appear at all levels of court.

S&A Law Offices assists its clients with litigation strategy, insolvency matters, labour and tax disputes, and its practitioners have experience advocating in court. Gunita Pahwa coordinates the firm’s wider dispute resolution team and excels in representation before courts and regulatory bodies, as well as reviewing contracts and transactions with an eye on potential contentious issues. She works from the Gurugram office, while in New Delhi Vijay Kumar Singh draws on more than 20 years’ experience in his broad litigation practice. Alongside him, senior counsel Manoj Kumar Singh is another litigation and ADR expert, and Manish Gopal Singh is strong in projects disputes.

Juris Corp‘s litigation team focuses on insolvency and banking-related matters, frequently acting for lending consortiums and domestic banks. Shubhabrata Chakraborti is the primary contact and has experience acting for clients at all levels of court in the country. She co-leads the practice from Mumbai with fellow senior partner Bindiya Raichura. The team also has a litigation offering in New Delhi, where principal associate Sharmistha Ghosh is the name to note.

Breach of contract cases, commercial recovery, banking disputes and insolvencies were busy areas for Majmudar & Partners‘ litigation department in 2021 and 2022, the team drawing on its extensive experience acting in matters at the New Delhi and Mumbai High Courts, as well as the Supreme Court of India. Neerav Merchant, who has expertise in commercial, IP and insolvency litigation, and A.K. Hirani, a name to note for banking disputes, co-lead the practice from Mumbai.

Gagrats‘ practice is led by Mumbai-based partner Rustam Gagrat  and undertakes disputes in the areas of commercial, competition,  tax litigation and restructuring and insolvency. It is also experienced in  the aviation sector, regularly representing airlines and lenders.

Kachwaha & Partners is best known for its dispute resolution offering and fields an experienced team that have represented clients before the District Court, High Court and Supreme Court in India. Sumeet Kachwaha, Ankit Khushu and Tara Shahani are the primary contacts, all based in New Delhi.

Rajiv Luthra leads the litigation practice at Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India following the departure of H.S. Bobby Chandhoke and Sudhir Sharma. He has three decades of experience in both domestic and international disputes, and is particularly noted for his representation of government bodies. EPC contracts and anti-corruption litigation are niche strengths of the practice.