Mr Abhishek Saxena > Phoenix Legal > NEW DELHI, India > Lawyer Profile

Phoenix Legal advises on voluntary liquidation, dissolution of companies, and other matters under the IBC. The team is headed by Saket Shukla, Manjula Chawla, and Abhishek Saxena, alongside Gautam Bhatikar, who is based in Mumbai. The team is especially proficient at handling corporate insolvency matters for resolution professionals. In particular, associate partner Neha Naik has represented several notable banks and foreign-owned enterprises in relation to insolvency proceedings. Lawyers are in Dehli unless otherwise stated.

The experienced litigation team at Phoenix Legal regularly handles various corporate, civil, and criminal matters before courts, quasi-judicial authorities, and tribunals, handling commercial contracts, shareholders’ disputes, debt recovery, and competition law matters. Saket Shukla takes point on matters concerning infrastructure, mining and resources, and construction, while Abhishek Saxena is the key name for contentious transactional matters. Aman Avinav joined from independent practice in September 2022 and has significant experience defending clients against criminal proceedings, while Gaurav Dudeja joined from King, Stubb & Kasiva in April the same year. Vasanth Rajasekaran left the practice in August 2022.

Based in New Delhi, Phoenix Legal acts for domestic and international private equity and venture capital funds on structuring and exit strategies, spanning across various phases of the funds lifecycle. Jointly led by Saket Shukla, Pranav Srivastava, and Abhishek Saxena, the team also assists clients in restructurings, from inception to exits, in addition to navigating regulatory landscapes.

The team at Phoenix Legal advises clients across the pharma, biotech, healthcare, and medical devices spaces, combining transactional and corporate advice with work on disputes, intellectual property issues, and regulatory matters. The firm has particular expertise in handling regulatory issues relating to M&A and financing transactions, with practice co-head Abhishek Saxena noted for his expertise in cross-border M&A. The team is also led by Pranav Srivastava , who combines transactional and disputes experience, and Manjula Chawla, who has a strong record in cross-border commercial structuring and corporate matters.

Adept at handling both contentious and non-contentious employment matters, Phoenix Legal regularly advises on employee transfers, disciplinary inquiries, industrial disputes, and terminations, with particular sector expertise in the manufacturing and service industries. Manjula Chawla and Abhishek Saxena take point on corporate employment matters; Saket Shukla handles restructurings and senior executive exits; Sawant Singh in Mumbai has a broad practice and is recommended for M&A-related employment mandates, while Pranav Srivastava is the key contact for clients in the tech and life sciences sectors. The five co-lead the practice. All lawyers mentioned are based in Delhi unless otherwise stated.

At Phoenix Legal, the team is highly regarded for handling oil and gas sale purchase agreements, as well as corporate transactions for infrastructure companies. The practice has extensive experience in advising entities in the crude oil and LNG sectors, and boasts a growing presence in the renewables arena, often assisting with wind, hydro, and solar mandates. Operating out of New Delhi, Abhishek Saxena is an expert on joint venture and M&A transactions, and Pranav Srivastava focuses on infrastructure and power-related mandates. Pallavi Bedi and Mumbai- based Aditya Bhargava are key individuals to note.

Fielding one of India’s largest maritime teams, Phoenix Legal provides comprehensive advice across a spectrum of maritime matters, including chartering arrangements, ship financings, regulatory issues, disputes and ship arrests, among others. Gautam Bhatikar leads the Mumbai office, representing various large banks, shipowners, oil companies and insurers in high-stakes litigation and arbitration, both domestically and overseas. Meanwhile, based in the New Delhi office, Abhishek Saxena and Pranav Srivastava co-head the practice, supported by Zoeb Cutlerywala and senior associate Vikram Kamath.

Phoenix Legal offers in-depth experience in providing advice on corporate, regulatory, and corporate governance matters across a wide range of spaces, ranging from infrastructure to healthcare. The firm displays skill in handling multi-jurisdictional M&A and business restructurings, along with assisting corporations on investment models which ensure a beneficial tax structure. Operating out of New Delhi, Manjula Chawla focuses on corporate finance and joint ventures, Saket Shukla specialises in strategic advisory work, and Abhishek Saxena’s practice includes insolvency and restructuring matters. Pranav Srivastava is an expert on the technology and life sciences sector, whilst from Mumbai, co-founding partner Sawant Singh has expertise in private equity and project finance work. Akshay Sachthey is also noted as a key lawyer.

Phoenix Legal is highly experienced in the structured capital and debt market space and regularly advises a variety of lending institutions. The team is equally effective in syndicated lending work and assists clients with the structuring of loans, letters of credit and transactional banking facilities. Sawant Singh is known for his expertise in asset reconstructions and consortium banking transactions and jointly heads up the team with Abhishek Saxena and cross-border financing expert Aditya Bhargava. Other key members include Harsh Arora, who has built a reputation for advising major international and Indian banks and financial institutions on investments in Indian companies, and Mithila Bhati, who regularly advises clients on acquisition financings.

Phoenix Legal regularly assists clients with domestic tax, both direct and indirect tax including GST, transfer pricing, as well as the application of tax treaty principles. Abhishek Saxena and Pranav Srivastava  co-lead the team from New Delhi, while Jatin Arora leads from the Mumbai office. Saxena is active in direct tax and Arora is the lead for indirect tax. Srivastava focuses his practice on the tax aspects of transactional work.