Interview with: Nabin Bhandari, Founding and Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Bhandari Law and Partners from your competitors?

Bhandari Law and Partners distinguishes itself as one of Nepal’s leading corporate and dispute-resolution firms with a strong focus on corporate law, commercial transactions, and corporate dispute resolution, including arbitration and complex litigation. What sets us apart is our commitment to delivering global-standard legal solutions that are practical, commercially sensible, and tailored to the diverse needs of businesses, investors, and multinational clients.

Our young, dynamic, and highly professional team brings a modern approach to legal practice combining technical excellence with agility. Clients appreciate our quick response time, our commitment to quality, and our ability to handle sophisticated matters.

As an innovative law firm, we integrate technology, data-driven insights, and continuous internal learning to ensure our advice matches the evolving nature of global commerce. This blend of expertise, innovation, and responsiveness makes us a trusted partner for clients navigating Nepal’s rapidly changing regulatory and business environment.

 

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Over the next 12 months, we anticipate significant growth in several key practice areas:

Technology Law (Data Privacy & Cybersecurity):
As businesses become more digitally integrated, we are seeing a strong rise in matters relating to data privacy, cybersecurity compliance, digital governance, and technology-driven transactions. Nepal’s increasing adoption of digital frameworks and regulatory reforms will further drive this growth.

Cryptocurrency-related Legal Matters:
Although the use of cryptocurrency remains prohibited in Nepal, the number of investigations, enforcement cases, and compliance-related issues continues to rise. This is creating a marked increase in advisory and dispute-resolution work in this area, especially concerning cybercrime, banking regulations, and financial system integrity.

Private Equity & Venture Capital:
As Nepal experiences a steady rise in entrepreneurial activity, tech start-ups, and foreign investment interest, there is a growing need for private equity, venture capital structuring, investment documentation, due diligence, and fund governance. Our corporate team is already witnessing more transactional activity and cross-border investment enquiries.

 

What is the main change you have made in the firm that will benefit clients?

In recent years, we have taken several strategic steps that significantly enhance the client experience:

• We strengthened our position as a full-service corporate law firm, enabling clients to access end-to-end advisory across corporate, commercial, regulatory, and dispute-resolution matters.
• The firm has upgraded its technology infrastructure, improving efficiency, case management, and client communication.
• By integrating AI-powered research, analytics, and digital collaboration tools, we now deliver deeper insights, quicker turnaround times, and more accurate legal assessments.
• We introduced weekly internal training sessions across various areas of Nepalese and international law to ensure our lawyers remain current with global best practices.
• A dedicated Knowledge Management Department was created to monitor legal developments, regulatory updates, and industry trends allowing us to provide clients with timely, proactive guidance rather than reactive advice.

These improvements collectively reinforce our commitment to providing clients with a modern, efficient, and forward-thinking legal service.

 

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Absolutely. Technology is central to our service delivery model. With our upgraded technology infrastructure, we now rely extensively on AI-assisted research, secure communication tools, and digital workflows to speed up client service and improve accuracy. Tools such as email, video-conferencing, teleconferencing, cloud-based document management, and secure online portals have entirely changed how we interact with domestic and international clients.

This digital transformation enables us to provide faster, more transparent, and more collaborative legal services—regardless of geographical boundaries. For a firm handling multinational clients and cross-border transactions, this shift has been invaluable.

 

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

One of the core responsibilities of a corporate lawyer is to anticipate risks, prevent disputes, and ensure full regulatory compliance so that businesses can operate without unnecessary legal interruption.

A notable example involved a client facing potential penalties due to multiple regulatory non-compliances. Our team conducted a comprehensive compliance audit, identified the gaps, and implemented corrective measures across licensing, governance, reporting, and labour regulations. As a result, the client avoided significant fines, strengthened internal processes, and achieved full corporate compliance creating long-term operational stability and improved investor confidence.

Our value lies not only in resolving issues but in helping businesses avoid them altogether.

 

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Yes. Today, clients seek more than legal representation they expect stability, strategic guidance, and long-term partnership. At Bhandari Law and Partners, we meet this expectation by offering consistent, reliable service and by proactively advising clients on legal trends, regulatory changes, and business risks.

In the next three years, we envision the firm expanding its role as a trusted advisor by:

• Strengthening our position in corporate law, arbitration, and cross-border investment
• Deepening our expertise in technology, cybersecurity, data governance, and fintech-related matters
• Enhancing our technological infrastructure to provide even more sophisticated, data-driven legal solutions
• Growing our team of talented corporate and dispute-resolution lawyers
• Broadening our international collaboration and presence

Our goal is to establish Bhandari Law and Partners as one of Nepal’s most innovative and client-centric corporate law firms in Nepal delivering world-class service rooted in local expertise.