India > Antitrust and competition Tier 1

Cartel investigations and abuse of dominance matters are points of focus of the antitrust and competition practice at L&L Partners Law Offices. Recent highlights for the team - which is co-led by GR Bhatia, Abdullah Hussain, Kanika Chaudhary Nayar and Rudresh Singh - involved extensive representations before the CCI, securing successful leniency applications for food and drink and insurance companies. Engagements are received from diverse, highly regulated sectors ranging from aviation, energy and auto parts to healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Merger control applications on high-value M&A deals and joint ventures are regularly referred to the practice, notably for a roster of global private equity funds, asset managers and public sector utilities. Clients’ interests are also represented during CCI investigations into abusive market practices.

India > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

The mergers and acquisitions team at L&L Partners Law Offices has a wealth of experience in undertaking complex transactional work and advising clients on corporate law issues. The department, which acts for buyers and sellers on a multitude of share and asset purchase transactions,  has the capability to handle deals concerning private and public-listed companies. Founding partner Rajiv Luthra oversees the team alongside Mohit Saraf, who specialises in M&A and private equity deals. Another core member of the practice is Vaibhav Kakkar, who brings into play thorough knowledge of regulatory issues to advise on foreign investment. Damini Bhalla, who has a thorough understanding of the 'Indian investment environment', is also noteworthy.

India > Projects and energy Tier 1

L&L Partners Law Offices has longstanding experience in the projects, energy and infrastructure sectors, acting as legal counsel to private and public entities. The group is well-equipped to assist with the full range of mandates, including financing transactions, development matters, concession agreements as well as EPC contracts and power purchase agreements. Mohit Saraf has thorough experience advising on projects in the energy, telecoms and airports sectors. Focusing on financing matters, Pallavi Bedi is noteworthy for projects pertaining to renewable energy, mining and oil & gas. Deepak Kumar Thakur, who recently joined from HSA Advocates, is knowledgeable of the PPP framework, and a seasoned practitioner in nuclear and renewable energy. Another key individual is Priyanka Singh, who assists with project development and financing.

India > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 1

The practice group at L&L Partners Law Offices focuses on insolvency resolution processes as well as debt and corporate restructuring. The team is adept at advising the full range of players in IBC proceedings, demonstrating particular strength representing bidders, lenders and insolvency professionals. Leading the department is Mohit Saraf, who has a strong track record in large insolvency cases in the country, as well as acquisition of distressed assets. Fellow co-heads Sudhir Sharma (dispute resolution) and Bikash Jhawar (corporate) are also noted for corporate insolvency resolution processes. Managing associate Avinash Subramanian is another key practitioner in this field.

India > WTO/international trade Tier 1

L&L Partners Law Offices is a go-to destination for complex cases involving WTO laws, evidenced by its impressive track record of representing the Government of India in landmark WTO disputes, including compliance and arbitration proceedings. On the trade remedies front, the firm is adept at acting for clients operating in the steel and manufacturing sectors in relation to anti-dumping matters. H.S. Chandhoke, who is a leading authority in the field of arbitration and trade litigation, heads the department with Saurabh Tiwari and Ashish Chandra. Tiwari is a seasoned practitioner across foreign trade policy issues, WTO agreements, and bilateral investment treaties, while Chandra focuses on WTO regulatory issues, dispute settlement, and trade remedial actions.

India > Aviation (including aerospace and defence) Tier 2

L&L Partners Law Offices  is regarded for its aircraft and airport financing and lending expertise supplied to domestic and international airlines and developers. Joint ventures between aerospace manufactures are handled by the team, as well as maintenance contracts, parts procurements and vendor contracts.

India > Banking and finance Tier 2

L&L Partners Law Offices's 'solutions oriented' practice specialises in project financing, structured products, acquisition financing, restructuring mandates and cross-border transactions. The team is also well known for its expertise in securitisation and trade finance.  'Approachable and prompt' Karan Mitroo is active in various financing transactions on behalf of banks, financial institutions, lenders and borrowers, including structured finance, project finance and external commercial borrowing. Mohit Saraf advises major global and Indian banks and funds on bilateral and syndicated loan transactions, project financing and ECB arrangements. Bikash Jhawar is known for structuring and documenting financing deals for Indian borrowers in various sectors. Abir Lal Dey joined the practice from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas in January 2020, whereas former partner Aditya Periwal left the firm to join AZB & Partners in 2019.

India > Capital markets Tier 2

L&L Partners Law Offices advises issuers, selling shareholders and underwriters in relation to equity and debt transactions, including IPOs, QIPs, private placements and medium-term note programmes. Mohit Saraf has been instructed by clients to assist them with major IPOs and QIPs throughout his career, including DLF's $414m QIP and Ujivan Small Finance Bank's $97.5m IPO. Geeta Dhania has standout expertise assisting the Government of India with primary and secondary listings of public companies. The team lost Manan Lahoty and Jitesh Shahani who joined IndusLaw and S&R Associates, respectively.

India > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 2

L&L Partners Law Offices' team represents clients in civil and commercial disputes across India, showing particular expertise in energy, consumer, corruption, defamation and competition litigation. H.S. Chandhoke has standout expertise in judicial reviews, investigations and prosecutions by the Enforcement Directorate and other regulators regarding money laundering and anti-corruption laws. Sudhir Sharma handles a wide range of commercial disputes, including joint venture and competition cases.

India > Insurance Tier 2

Mohit Saraf and Samarth Gupta are key names at L&L Partners Law Offices for insurance advice. Corporate instruction for insurance and reinsurance clients are a focus, with ongoing matters including private equity investment negotiations, minority and majority stake acquisitions, IPOs and joint venture structuring.

India > Intellectual property Tier 2

Prosecution and enforcement services for the breadth of IP assets are provided at L&L Partners Law Offices by a team led by Gayatri Roy with sectors of focus including life sciences, media and entertainment, FMCG and IT. Litigation in the healthcare and technology sectors is also a strong point, with recent engagements concerning trade mark and copyright infringement and complex High Court patent infringement litigation involving pharmaceutical products. The team also handled commercial IP and transactional matters for high-profile multinationals. Since publication, Nirupam Lodha departed to Khaitan & Co.

India > Labour and employment Tier 2

Suyash Srivastava leads the labour and employment practice at L&L Partners Law Offices with a broad focus encompassing HR guidance, transactional due diligence and contentious matters. Regarding the latter, Srivastava and Damini Bhalla are involved in trade union disputes for employers in the heavy industries. William Vivian John regularly handles workforce restructuring exercises, internal misconduct investigations and ESOP structuring. The team recently handled extensive employee transfers in high-value corporate transactions in the private equity, media, pharmaceuticals, IT and electronics sectors.

India > Private equity and investment funds Tier 2

The investment funds team at L&L Partners Law Offices advises venture capital firms, hedge funds, private equity funds, mezzanine funds and infrastructure funds on structuring investment vehicles, including sector specific funds such as technology, healthcare, infrastructure and real estate.

India > Real estate and construction Tier 2

L&L Partners Law Offices renders services to international and Indian developers, private equity funds and investors, which seek assistance in relation to financing issues, acquisition of property, leasing agreements and construction of real estate projects. Drawing in resources from firm-wide practices in the areas of corporate and tax law, the firm is a one-stop shop for construction and real estate mandates. Sachit Mathur has recently advised on land aggregation for renewable energy projects, and assisted with the development of warehousing parks in India. Mathur’s areas of activity also include commercial and residential plotted developments, as well as M&A and PE transactions within the real estate sector. Vaibhav Suri is knowledgeable of multi-state legislation and regulatory issues pertaining to leasing, ownership and usage of property.

India > Tax Tier 2

Vikas Srivastava and Jatinder Pal Singh are go-to names at L&L Partners Law Offices for direct and indirect tax matters respectively. Corporate transactions and investment structuring are points of focus. Transfer pricing litigation is also handled.

India > White-collar crime Tier 2

Key names at L&L Partners Law Offices for white-collar crime litigation include co-heads Bharat Chugh and Vijay Sondhi. Ongoing instructions from multinational financial institutions and healthcare companies include criminal proceedings spanning all forms of financial misconduct claims. Internal and regulatory investigations and anti-corruption compliance measures are spearheaded by co-heads William Vivian John and Samarth Gupta. Particularly noteworthy is the significant number of financial misconduct and money channeling claims handled by the team. The expansive client roster on this side comprises global names in IT, manufacturing, chemicals, defence, FMCG, and heavy industry.