Mr Anand Desai > DSK Legal > New Delhi, India > Lawyer Profile

DSK Legal
Level 5 – Max House,
Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III
New Delhi – 110020, India
India

Work Department

Litigation, Arbitration, Technology, Media & Telecom and Estate Planning

Position

Managing Partner

Career

Anand has extensive specialist experience in the fields of financial services, private equity, M&A, intellectual property rights, media and entertainment, real estate, and outsourcing issues. Anand advises and appears for various large corporates, funds and high net worth individuals on diverse issues, including commercial litigation, cyberlaw, and white-collar crime.

 

Specific Expertise

Anand has been involved in a several crucial projects in diverse areas of law including:

  • Litigation and Arbitration before the Bombay High Court, the Supreme Court of India and international arbitrations in respect of commercial real estate, tax and constitutional disputes.
  • Real Estate development and redevelopment projects, construction contracts, structuring and advising on statutory and contractual rights, stamp duty, tax.
  • Banking and Financial Services: advising leading nationalized, cooperative and foreign banks and finance companies, mutual funds, asset management companies and trusts, including on structuring and loan acquisitions.
  • FDI: advising several funds in the course of their private equity and distressed asset funding of Indian corporates, including structuring advise.
  • Intellectual Property and Technology Laws: copyright, trademark, design, cyberlaws.
  • Corporate Laws: advising on investments and joint venture structuring, mergers, amalgamations and acquisitions, WTO compliance issues, corporate due diligence.
  • Insolvency and Restructuring: Advising on acquisition of distressed assets and documentation pertaining to the same. Advising on reconstructions, receiverships, administration and liquidations.
  • White Collar Crimes: Advising and appearing for banks, corporate houses and individuals in matters relating to various kinds of white-collar crimes, including cybercrimes.

Professional Activities

  • Anand Desai has been appointed as a member of the Court at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
  • Appointed by the Government of India, Ministry of Law and Justice, Legislative Department, as Chairman of a Committee to recommend amendments to the Specific Relief Act, 1963.
  • President of TiE Mumbai from April 2016 until June 2018.
  • National President of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce for the year 2011-2012.
  • Involved with several well-known NGOs as trustee for L&T Employees Welfare Foundation, advisory roles at Swades Foundation, Yuva Parivartan, and Paani Foundation. He also chairs the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program and is a council member at Vision Foundation of India.
  • Anand has been a speaker at various fora including CII, ASSOCHAM, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce GOOS (1, 2 and 4), Economist Corporate Network, SILF, Indian Film Festival at Los Angeles, Wisconsin Department of Trade, University of Wisconsin etc., addressing a wide range of issues.

Recognition

  • Featured in the book titled “100 Legal Luminaries of India”, published by Lexis Nexis.
  • Featured in the A-List of India’s 100 Top 100 Lawyers and 50 Legal Icons published by India Business Law Journal, as a Legal Icon.
  • Awarded best Managing Partner for the year 2014 by Legal Era.
  • Ranked as an “Eminent Practitioner” for Dispute Resolution by Chambers Asia-Pacific and Chambers Global.
  • Ranked as an “Elite Practitioner” by Asialaw Profiles.
  • Ranked as a “Leading Individual” for Dispute Resolution and White-Collar Crime by Legal500 Asia-Pacific.
  • Ranked as “Highly Regarded” by IFLR1000.
  • Ranked as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation.
  • Listed as one of the leading lawyers in India by Who’s Who Legal, Forbes India, Asian Legal Business and others.

Languages

English, Hindi and Gujarati

Memberships

Anand has served as the National President of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and has also served and continues to serve on various committees. He has been elected as President of TiE Mumbai from April 2016, and is currently involved with several well-known NGOs including as trustee of L&T Employees Welfare Foundation, director of Paani Foundation, advisory board member of Swades Foundation and Yuva Parivartan, Chairman of the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program, and managing council member of Vision Foundation of India.

Education

Anand has bachelor degrees in Commerce and Law from Bombay University and LLM from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Lawyer Rankings

India > Dispute resolution: litigation

(Leading individuals)

Anand Desai  – DSK Legal

Acting for an impressive roster of clients that includes major international and domestic pharma, construction, and power companies as well as governmental entities, the litigation offering at DSK Legal runs the gamut of contentious matters. Managing partner Anand Desai, in Mumbai, oversees the team and regularly represents clients before the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court, handling a broad range of high-profile matters. Senior partner H.S. Bobby Chandhoke is a seasoned commercial and corporate disputes expert with a broad practice, while Parag Khandhar stands out for his expertise in media and entertainment disputes. At the principal associate level, Iti Agarwal is a key contact for stakeholder disputes and regulatory issues in the projects sector. Nirav Shah  left the team in April 2023.

India > Dispute resolution: arbitration

The growing arbitration team at DSK Legal handles a large volume of arbitrations, with notable expertise across the infrastructure, railways, defence, and construction sectors. Managing partner Anand Desai oversees the firm’s dispute resolution practice from its Mumbai office, working alongside Jatin Pore, a key name for corporate advisory and real estate-related arbitrations. Acting for high-net-worth individuals, large international corporations, and government entities, the team also includes the New Delhi-based duo Dinesh Pardasani and Kirat Singh Nagra, recommended for telecoms- and projects-related arbitrations, respectively. Nirav Shah left the firm in April 2023.

India > TMT

Counting businesses from across the advertising, sports, and gaming sectors amongst its key clientele, the DSK Legal team specialises in contentious and non-contentious aspects surrounding IP, regulatory, and tech matters. The team is particularly strong on IT, software development, and e-commerce issues, with the Mumbai-based team of Anand Desai and Chandrima Mitra bringing vast expertise in advising companies in the media and entertainment industries to the group. Parag Khandhar focuses on IP and commercial disputes, and in New Delhi, Rishi Anand handles cross-border M&A in the tech field and Nakul Batra is an expert on emerging tech. Siddharth Suresh operates out of Bengaluru, concentrating on commercial law issues in fintech.

India > Private equity and investment funds

DSK Legal acts for private equity managers and limited partners in the establishment of alternative investment funds, as well as advising domestic and foreign venture capital funds across various jurisdictions, including India and Mauritius. Managing partner Anand Desai leads the team and advises on private equity and hedge fund transactions, in addition to disputes arising between funds and investee companies. Sharath Chandrasekhar acts for startups and investment funds across the banking, hospitality and fintech sectors on transaction structuring mandates, while Aninda Pal handles a range of domestic and cross-border private equity and venture capital deals. Other key contacts in the group include Aparajit BhattacharyaHemang Parekh and Ajay Shaw and Harvinder Singh.

India > White-collar crime

(Leading individuals)

Anand Desai DSK Legal

DSK Legal represents a broad range of corporate and individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals of significant public profile, in the full range of white-collar proceedings, including internal compliance, investigations, and full criminal trials. The team is able to handle proceedings brought by the CBI, SFIO, and state and local police forces, with a broad geographic presence across India, with expertise encompassing issues such as fraud and bribery, sexual harassments, corporate malfeasance, and insider trading. Leaders in the team include managing partner Anand Desai and Vikrant Singh Negi, experienced practitioners in the Mumbai office, and New Dehli-based Prashant Mishra, Prashant Pakhiddey, and Saleem Hasan Ansari. Other key team members in Mumbai include Ekta Tyagi, who has strong expertise in corporate investigations, and senior associate Pratik Thakkar, an accomplished litigator.

India > Corporate and M&A

Demonstrating significant strength in the corporate advisory, M&A, and regulatory compliance spaces, DSK Legal’s team provides a bespoke service to international and domestic entities. The firm’s sector-specific expertise is particularly broad, covering industries ranging from life sciences to real estate, and the addition of Kunal Mehra from Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India in June 2022 bolsters the group’s offering on de-mergers and private equity transactions. From Mumbai, managing partner Anand Desai has over 30 years of domestic and international experience, and Hemang Parekh focuses on client’s investments. New Delhi-based Aparajit Bhattacharya is an expert on joint ventures and corporate restructurings, whilst Gaurav Mistry specialises in foreign investments law matters.