The employment team of IndusLaw advises clients on all contentious and non-contentious matters and is praised for being ‘resourceful and innovative in finding creative solutions for business requirements’. Practice head Avik Biswas has extensive experience of working with legal and HR functions of multinational corporations and is ‘a trusted guide concerning the employment legal practice area’. Vaibhav Bharadwaj specialises in advising clients on complex matters such as internal disciplinary investigations and inquiries and is praised for ‘understanding client’s requirements very quickly’. Sowmya Kumar regularly advises on matters related to employee severances and reduction in workforce exercises, while rising star Ivana Chatterjee specialises in employee policies, social security legislations and compensation and benefits.

Khaitan & Co LLP assists domestic and international clients with a diverse set of labour and employment matters and is ‘always quick to respond and give comprehensive advice’. Practice head Anshul Prakash is the ‘go-to partner’ for all contentious and non-contentious matters, including workforce management, social security, industrial relations, workplace harassment and discrimination, and internal investigations. Vinay Joy regularly advises on employment agreements, policies, employee stock option schemes and has considerable experience in assisting companies with internal investigations, sexual harassment investigations and inquiries. Rising stars Kruthi Murthy and Abhimanyu Pal have been advising clients on trade union issues, drafting human resource and personnel policies, and conducting labour audits.

Trilegal has a stand-alone and specialised employment practice that works with India’s largest multinational corporations. Atul Gupta’s practice covers all aspects of employment law, with extensive capabilities and experience in dealing with high-value, complex and sensitive matters, including workplace harassment and misconduct investigations, large-scale employee exits and restructurings, and senior employee separations. Swarnima is praised for her ‘practical advice’ and specialises in matters related to compensation restructuring, framing and negotiating senior management contracts, workforce reorganizations, and compliance with social security laws. Rising star Parvathy Tharamel focuses on cases of employee separation, workplace diversity, and restrictive covenants, while Kanishka Maggon specialises in the manufacturing, renewable energy, and technology sectors.

The employment team of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas handles large volumes of complex work, both advisory and transactional, for clients from a wide range of sectors, including banking, pharmaceuticals, outsourcing, banking and finance, BFSI and telecommunications. Practice head Rashmi Pradeep advises various international and domestic corporations on both day-to-day  employment issues and has conducted many high-profile and sensitive investigations based on whistle-blower complaints. Richa Mohanty has extensive experience in the transition of employees in cases of mergers and acquisitions, individual and mass redundancies, and sexual harassment. Ankita Ray has handled many large-scale closure and downsizing matters, while Abe Abraham specialises in overseas employee stock option plans and agreements issued by overseas entities to employees of subsidiaries in India.

Majmudar & Partners‘s employment practice advises on transactional and contentious employment matters, along with significant coverage of employee tax issues. The team, led by the duo of Neerav Merchant and N. Raja Sujith, handles a wide range of matters, including due diligence, strategies on dismissing employees and reorganisations of workforces. It also handles negotiating senior-level employment agreements, and employee benefits.

The employment and labour law practice of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co offers comprehensive advice on all employment law matters in conjunction with its other practice areas to provide litigation advice and specialised assistance in industry-specific matters. Pooja Ramchandani heads the team and advises various multinationals and large corporations on employee matters related to closures, stock options, mergers, business transfers, and industrial disputes. Rising star Kriti Kaushik specialises in issues related to entry and exit strategies, contract labour, and engagement and compensation structures of senior management. Suruchi Kumar focuses on closure of establishments and severance pay, while Suryansh Gupta advises on employment agreements, restrictive covenants, HR policies and immigration.

Ashlar Law’s employment team ‘always goes above and beyond to help its clients’. Practice head Pingal Khan is ‘extremally collaborative and patient’ and advises on various critical employment law issues, including employee retrenchment, closure of undertakings, transfer of employees, and sensitive employment law disputes. Roshan Jacob is another key contact.

The HR and employment team at Bharucha & Partners handles a wide range of mandates, such as negotiating employment contracts for senior level employees, settlements with trade unions, drafting and reviewing HR manuals, compliance issues, and internal investigations. The team works with clients from a variety of sectors, including finance, telecommunications, technology, automobile, and manufacturing. Practice head Justin Bharucha is experienced in all advisory and contentious matters and is known for advising on industrial relations and labour issues in corporate transactions, including business sales, mergers, and investments. Vadana Pai specialises in labour law aspects of corporate restructurings and closure of businesses.

Phoenix Legal regularly advises clients on both contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, including employment law issues arising from M&A, business transfers, and reorganisation transactions. The firm has a strong presence in the manufacturing and services sectors, including software and outsourcing companies. The team is jointly led by Manjula Chawla, Saket Shukla, Abhishek Saxena, Sawant Singh, Vasanth Rajasekaran, and Pranav Srivastava.

Samvad Partners offers advice on all aspects of employment matters applicable to the entire life cycle of a company, from set up to shut down. The team is led by the duo of Poornima Hatti, who advises clients on cross-border contentious employment issues, and Ashwini Vittalachar, who focuses on the transactional and advisory side of employment law. Junaira Rahman regularly advises domestic and multinational corporations in the technology, insurance, retail, and manufacturing sector on complex issues relating to statutory compliance, maternity, gratuity and social security benefits. Senior associates Pratik Patnaik and Nivedita Udupa and associate Srinivas Raman are also recommended.

The labour and employment practice group of Chadha & Co provides advice related to all employment matters including restructuring pay scales, drafting internal policies, data privacy issues, and preparing business strategies. Savita Sarna covers all aspects of employment law, from drafting employment contracts to boardroom and executive disputes, along with the founder and managing partner, Namita Chadha.

Fox Mandal & Associates handles work relating to compliance, implementation of HR policies and systems for its diverse client list in manufacturing, IT and healthcare. The team is led by the trio of Kaustuv Nath Chunder, Purnima Kamble, and Shyamal Mukherjee. Kaamya Ramanan advises on a variety of employment-related matters, including advisory, compliance, structuring of policies, and disciplinary or termination-related issues.

Hammurabi & Solomon Partners offers advice on matters related to employee benefits, employment agreements and policies, and workplace diversity and discrimination issues. Other services include assistance with employee disputes, disciplinary investigations, and sexual harassment-related matters. The team is led by Manoj Kumar and Shweta Bharti. Shantanu Malik is another key contact.