Offering 'exceptional attention to detail, commercial understanding, and highly efficient execution', Zaiwalla & Co supports a wide range of clients, from agri-traders and agri-businesses to charterers and conglomerates. The firm is particularly well-versed in recent matters regarding the US-, UK- and European-led sanctions against Russia. The team is led by Sarosh Zaiwalla, who acts in London-based arbitrations, and Leigh Crestohl, who advises on both hard and soft commodities issues. Varun Zaiwalla acts in multi-jurisdictional disputes under a range of arbitral rules, including LMAA and GAFTA.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Zaiwalla and Co provides excellent and creative solutions for a truly global range of clients, often in urgent, business-critical circumstances.
- Leigh Crestoll – a class act. Varun Zaiwalla – strategically excellent.
- The biggest strength is personalised service and understanding of the commodity business. I like their approach in patiently understanding client requirements and then working out strategy together.
- Daniel Powell is a star in the making. Very bright and very committed.
- Partner Leigh Crestohl has a measured and imaginative approach; new associate Daniel Powell is on top of details and very reliable.
- What makes this practice stand out is its exceptional attention to detail, commercial understanding, and highly efficient execution. The team approaches every matter with a very hands-on and thorough approach, which differentiates them from many other firms. In our commodity dispute matter, the team carried out an extensive review of all disputed contracts and carefully analysed every supporting document and piece of evidence. Their preparation, strategic thinking, and diligence significantly strengthened our position and contributed to achieving a positive outcome, with strong expectations for the remaining matters as well. The team combines strong legal capability with practical commercial insight, ensuring that advice is both technically sound and business-oriented. Their responsiveness, clarity in communication, and ability to manage complex matters efficiently have been particularly valuable throughout the engagement. A key quality I have particularly valued is their dependability. They approached the matters as if they were personally invested in achieving the best possible outcome for us, while remaining calm, structured, and highly responsive even under tight timelines.
Key clients
- Sharp Corp Limited (India)
Work highlights
Acting for a leading Indian agri‑business Sharp Corp in a successful UK Supreme Court appeal against Viterra, clarifying GAFTA damages valuation for unaccepted goods and the limits of court intervention on arbitration appeals.
Acting for Indian plc ITC in various claims including pre‑action recoveries against West African and UAE buyers for rice shipments, GAFTA arbitrations and shipping matters with related seizures disputed in Benin and Guinea.
Acting for Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (IIP) Limited, a major UAE agri‑trader, in various claims including a FOSFA crude soy oil non‑payment dispute and GAFTA soy oil and soybean meal claims.
Practice head
Sarosh Zaiwalla; Leigh Crestohl
Other key lawyers
Varun Zaiwalla; Daniel Powell