Mr Anand Desai > DSK Legal > Mumbai, India > Lawyer Profile
DSK Legal Offices

1203, One World Centre, Tower 2B,
Floor 12B, 841, Senapati Bapat Marg,
Elphinstone Road, Mumbai – 400013, India
India
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Mr Anand Desai

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 > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
With particular expertise in the pharma and real estate fields, DSK Legal is routinely retained by a plethora of domestic and offshore entities for all facets of fund and investment work. Managing partner Anand Desai‘s strengths lie in private equity and hedge fund transactions. In New Delhi, Aparajit Bhattacharya is notably well-versed in cross-border transactions and foreign investments, while Rishi Anand bolsters the practice with his tech expertise. In Mumbai, Hemang Parekh handles both M&A and private equity transactions. Ajay Shaw is also recommended.
India > Life sciences and healthcare
An extensive team at DSK Legal provides its clients with a comprehensive range of corporate services from mergers and acquisitions through to post-acquisition integrations and structurings. This is provided together with a range of financing advice, obtaining governmental approvals and regulatory matters. Managing partner Anand Desai is well known for his extensive negotiation and litigation skills while Hemang Parekh is a trusted advisor for complex mergers and acquisitions and private equity ventures. His clientele includes those from healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, e-commerce, food and agriculture. Other key practitioners include corporate specialist Ajay Shaw, Rishi Anand who provides a blend of corporate/commercial skills with technology expertise and Gaurav Mistry whose skillset is corporate, foreign investment and securities laws. Nakul Batra and Jayesh Kothari are also corporate/commercial facing partners.
India > White-collar crime
(Leading partners)The dedicated white-collar crime team at DSK Legal is regularly instructed to advise senior executives, public officials, and corporate clients on a diverse array of work, including criminal tax proceedings, money laundering and FEMA investigations, and anti-bribery and anti-corruption matters. Anand Desai heads the team and has a broad practice acting for both individual and corporate clients. Vikrant Singh Negi specialises in forensic diligence, cyber law, and white-collar litigation, representing clients in SFIO, CBI, and DRI investigations. Also in the core team are seasoned litigators Kirat Singh Nagra and Kartik Yadav.
India > Dispute resolution: arbitration
Offering representation in domestic and international arbitrations, including court-related arbitration matters, the arbitration practice at DSK Legal is capable of handling a range of disputes arising from the railway, oil and gas, and construction and infrastructure industry sectors, among others. The team’s experience acting before the SIAC, ICC, and DIFC continues to attract new and impressive clients to its roster. Heading up the group is Anand Desai who has expertise in handling arbitrations initiated due to contractual disputes. Other notable practitioners include Kirat Singh Nagra, Dinesh Pardasani, and Samir Malik, all of whom specialise in construction and infrastructure arbitration.
India > Dispute resolution: litigation
(Leading partners)DSK Legal is a popular choice for financial services, construction, and gaming companies seeking litigation assistance. The team has amassed an extensive client roster due to its experience handling a wide range of disputes including defamation suits, contractual issues, and employment matters, before various courts including the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Managing partner Anand Desai heads up the dispute resolution practice and is recognised for his expertise in criminal and civil litigation, as well as his aptitude in handling disputes arising from the real estate and IT sectors. On the transactional front, Jatin Pore is the main contact in the department with deep experience advising on joint venture, investment, and shareholder disputes, while Samir Malik concentrates on regulatory disputes, particularly in the electricity and oil and gas sectors. Bobby Chandhoke departed the firm in October 2023, while Akhil Anand and Himanshu Vij departed in July 2024.
India > TMT
Well-versed in a range of industries from film and TV to sport and fashion, DSK Legal, a team that is praised for its ‘meticulous attention to detail, clear communication, and proactive problem-solving abilities’, has a strong grounding in tech and IT transactions, data governance, digital business and tech dispute resolution, among other issues. Six team members lead the group: seasoned practitioner Anand Desai, who excels in media law mandates, Chandrima Mitra, who operates for a stellar roster of film clients, and Rishi Anand, who handles the full gamut of commercial issues for tech businesses. Alongside them, Siddharth Suresh, who is well-positioned to assist with an array of agreements. Nakul Batra, who capitalises on his background as a computer science engineer and software developer to advise on technical mandates, and experienced litigator Parag Khandhar round out the group’s leadership.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading partners India > Dispute resolution: litigation
- Leading partners India > White-collar crime
- Dispute resolution: litigation India
- Life sciences and healthcare India
- TMT India
- White-collar crime India
- Dispute resolution: arbitration India
- Private equity funds (including venture capital) India
Top Tier Firm Rankings
Firm Rankings
- Banking and finance
- Corporate and M&A
- Dispute resolution: litigation
- Life sciences and healthcare
- Projects and energy
- TMT
- White-collar crime
- WTO/international trade
- Antitrust and competition
- Data protection
- Dispute resolution: arbitration
- City focus: National Capital Region: NCR > Intellectual property
- Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Aviation (including aerospace and defence)
- Capital markets
- Labour and employment