Mr Rohit Kochhar > Kochhar & Co. > New Delhi, India > Lawyer Profile

Enjoying both domestic and international capabilities, Kochhar & Co.’s pan-India practice is well-versed in a diverse range of TMT matters, from IP and data privacy through to tech and software issues. Stephen Mathias leads the team with a diverse practice that includes a mixture of licensing, outsourcing and privacy mandates among others. Media law expert and managing partner Rohit Kochhar, Rajarshi Chakrabarti, whose capabilities span numerous regulated sectors, and Savita Kesav Jagadeesan, who is well-positioned to advise on cyber security and data protection mandates, are other key names to note in the group.

Entrusted by significant financial service, healthcare, pharmaceutical and tech clients, Kochhar & Co.’s key strengths lie in handling a broad spectrum of employment matters, encompassing contentious proceedings, investigations, and advising on complex transactional issues. New Delhi-based Rohit Kochhar, who has substantial experience handling contentious matters involving employee retrenchments, frauds and discrimination, heads the practice along with Bengaluru-based Suhas Srinivasiah. Other Bengaluru-based key members include Sidharth Santosh, who has expertise in social security compliance. Debjani Aich departed the practice in September 2024.

Counting major airports, domestic and international airlines, and key players in the defence industry among its clients, Kochhar & Co.’s aviation, aerospace, and defence offering leverages its full-service capabilities to advise on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious aviation matters. Managing partner Rohit Kochhar and senior partners Suhas Srinivasiah and Kaveri Srivastava jointly oversee the team; Srivastava focuses on corporate advisory and employment issues, while Vaibhav Joshi is the name to note for consumer disputes.

Kochhar & Co.’s anti-corruption, corporate investigations, and white-collar crime offering spans the full range of complex fraud, money laundering, and corruption work. Founding member and managing partner Rohit Kochhar co-heads the practice alongside senior partner Krishna Vijay Singh, an experienced white-collar litigator with notable expertise acting for domestic and international corporations facing enforcement actions in India. Manish Dembla is a key contact for multinational corporations seeking advice on securities fraud, bribery, and anti-corruption issues, while Pradyuman Sewar has extensive experience defending CBI prosecutions. For clients in the pharma, infrastructure, and construction sectors, Nachiketa Goyal is a key port of call. Madhvi Datta joined the team in January 2024, strengthening its anti-bribery and anti-corruption offerings.

Kochhar & Co.‘s arbitration practice is noted for its expertise in both domestic and international construction and criminal arbitration. The group is a popular choice for businesses from an array of industry sectors, including banking and finance, construction, and oil and gas, among others, and its cross-border capabilities, alongside its experience acting before the ICC, LCIA, and DIAC, continue to attract new clients. Founding partner Rohit Kochhar and head of the Gurgaon office Krishna Vijay Singh jointly lead the team and stand out for their deep knowledge of national and cross-border arbitration laws. Kochhar specialises in handling criminal and employment disputes, while Singh concentrates on disputes arising from the construction and infrastructure sectors.

The litigation practice at Kochhar & Co. has amassed a strong client roster that continues to expand due to its extensive offering which covers corporate, commercial, and construction issues, as well as infrastructure, consumer, and insolvency disputes, among others. The group has a wide industry reach and is regularly instructed by businesses from the media and entertainment, hotels and leisure, and shipping sectors, to name a few. Founding partner Rohit Kochhar and head of the Gurgaon office Krishna Vijay Singh co-lead the team. Kochhar concentrates on corporate, commercial, and white-collar crime matters, while Singh has expertise in handling disputes arising from the construction, infrastructure, and energy sectors, as well as civil and criminal litigation. The team has been bolstered by the arrival of Shiv Sapra from DSK Legal in January 2024.

Noted for its transactional capabilities that span manufacturing, green energy, pharma and IT industries among others, Kochhar & Co. maintains a varied offering which is comprised of corporate transactions, corporate restructurings and competition clearance. The experienced team is able to draw upon expertise across tax, employment and IP teams at the firm for assistance with a litany of mandates. In New Delhi, Rohit Kochhar is an expert in high stakes corporate advisory and M&A, and seasoned practitioner Pradeep Ratnam is well-positioned to advise on foreign direct investment alongside a variety of corporate transactions. Bengaluru’s Suhas Srinivasiah is a solid choice for multinational corporations and blue-chip firms and Mumbai’s Rajarshi Chakrabarti is experienced in representing Fortune 500 companies in an array of joint ventures, asset restructurings and cross-border mandates. Savita Kesav Jagadeesan and Kaveri Srivastava are other key names to note.

The real estate and construction offering at Kochhar & Co. stands out for its broad geographical coverage, with seven full-service offices across the country. Handling the full array of real estate projects, real estate contracts, foreign and private equity investments, and construction contracts issues, the team counts both domestic and multinational heavyweights among its clients. Managing partner Rohit Kochhar oversees the firm alongside Suhas Srinivasiah and new co-heads Preetam D’Souza and Mohan Kumar; Hyderabad-based Kumar joined in April 2024. In Bangalore, Srinivasiah handles real estate assets and portfolio mandates, while D’Souza takes point on construction, design and build, and various real estate transactions. Also in Bangalore, Ranjit Mahishi is a name to note for construction projects and land acquisition matters. Simrat Grover and Shivika Upadhyay are key names in New Dehli, while Gaurav Chatterjee is a key port of call in Chennai. The ‘very responsive’ Nishant Arora joined the firm in October 2023, while Kaveri Srivastava joined in June 2023.