The ‘formidable’ and market-leading dispute resolution team at AZB & Partners regularly handles high-stakes domestic and international arbitrations, advising clients at every stage of a dispute, from forensic analysis to settlement negotiations. Acting for a stellar roster of clients that includes blue-chip tech companies, financial institutions, and domestic corporations, the team has extensive expertise representing clients across a broad range of sectors. The team is jointly led by Rajendra Barot, Vijayendra Singh, and Aditya Vikram Bhat. Barot, based in Mumbai, regularly represents clients across all levels of courts and tribunals, while Delhi’s Singh has deep experience handling international and domestic arbitrations. Bhat, in Bengaluru, has a strong focus on cross-border arbitrations. Roopali Singh and Sonali Mathur left the practice in April 2023.

Acting for prominent multinational corporates and domestic clients, the seasoned and experienced team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas remains a powerhouse in the arbitration space, both domestically and internationally. With broad geographic spread and clients spanning a wide range of sectors, the team has recently seen an increase in instructions in the area of insolvency and bankruptcy. Managing partner Cyril Shroff and Indranil Deshmukh oversee the firm’s disputes practice, with ‘market leader‘ Shaneen Parikh heading the firm’s international arbitration practice. The ‘outstanding‘ Aditya Mehta is a key name for infrastructure and projects-related arbitration, while Omar Ahmad is recommended for his ‘unparalleled legal knowledge and ability to think on his feet.’

With substantial experience handling disputes in the energy, oil and gas, and mining sectors, the arbitration team at Economic Laws Practice acts for domestic and international clients on a high number of arbitrations, both in India and abroad. Arbitrations regarding shareholder disputes and supplier agreements are other areas of strength. Seasoned arbitrator Naresh Thacker leads the team, handling international and domestic arbitration matters, particularly concerning infrastructure, post-M&A, and corporate and commercial disputes. The ‘commercially savvy and detail-oriented‘ Alok Jain is recommended for construction-related arbitrations, while Ashishchandra Rao is a key name for transaction disputes.

With sector-specific expertise in the engineering, heavy industry, finance, and hospitality spaces, the disputes team at Khaitan & Co. regularly acts for individuals, state-owned companies, and multinational corporations. Fielding a large team with broad geographic coverage, the group has experience representing clients in complex foreign-seated arbitrations as well as ad-hoc domestic proceedings. In Noida, Ajay Bhargava and Sanjeev Kapoor are the key names, while Kingshuk Banerjee, Chakrapani Misra, and Raj Panchmatia handle commercial and contractual arbitrations from the firm’s Mumbai office. Rajat Jariwal and Mayuri Tiwari left the practice in 2023.

Boutique disputes firm PSL Advocates and Solicitors  fields an ‘extremely competent’ team of arbitrators that is routinely engaged by clients across the power, manufacturing, defence, and banking sectors. Co-founders and managing partners Sameer Jain and Sandeep Bajaj jointly lead the team from New Delhi; the ‘outstanding‘ Jain focuses primarily on international and domestic commercial arbitration, working alongside seasoned litigator Bajaj. Suvigya Awasthy has diverse experience acting for corporate clients and public institutions in domestic and foreign-seated commercial arbitrations, as well as infrastructure, insolvency and bankruptcy disputes. Jayashree Parihar is also recommended.

The dispute resolution practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co stands out for its ‘international breadth of background and experience,’ routinely acting for clients across the financial services, consumer goods, entertainment, and insurance sectors. Pallavi Shroff oversees the firm’s overall dispute practice, while Tejas Karia heads the arbitration team. The team is well-versed in all phases of commercial and treaty arbitrations, including drafting pleadings, conducting hearings, and advising on negotiation strategy. ‘Formidable advocate‘ Binsy Susan routinely handles complex international and domestic commercial arbitrations for clients across the construction, IT, and telecoms sectors. Also in the core team is Ila Kapoor, who is recommended for arbitrations in the hospitality, infrastructure, and healthcare sectors. Unless otherwise stated, all mentioned individuals are based in New Delhi.

Dispute resolution boutique Keystone Partners fields an ‘impressive’ arbitration team that regularly handles both international and domestic arbitrations across a wide spectrum of sectors, with notable emphasis on construction, energy, and trade arbitrations. Core members of the team include Pradeep Nayak in Bengaluru, Pritha Srikumar in New Delhi, and Sita Kapadia in Mumbai; the trio jointly oversee the department. Another key contact in Bengaluru is specialist arbitration counsel Vikas Mahendra, described by clients as an ‘excellent lawyer with an incredible work ethic‘; Sulabh Rewari in New Delhi is also recommended.

The ‘very smart and highly trustworthy’ arbitration team at Kochhar & Co. stands out for its wide geographical reach as well as its strength in corporate, commercial, and construction disputes. Senior partner Krishna Vijay Singh and founder and managing partner Rohit Kochhar, in Gurgaon and New Delhi respectively, jointly oversee the team; Singh has particular expertise in handling commercial disputes including infrastructure and energy projects. Mumbai-based litigator Sheetal Sabnis focuses on civil and commercial disputes, including in the aviation sector. In Gurgaon, Manish Dembla is also recommended for arbitrations concerning highways and metro projects. Nishant Menon left in November 2022.

Nishith Desai Associates‘ ‘energetic and innovative‘ international dispute resolution and investigations team stands out for its expertise across all stages of cross-border and international commercial arbitrations. With offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Singapore, the group has notable strength in the telecoms, media, and emerging tech sectors, and also handles investment treaty mandates. The core team includes Vyapak Desai and Sahil Kanuga, who co-lead the team from Mumbai. They work alongside Alipak Banerjee, who co-heads from Delhi, as well as Singapore-based co-head Ashish Kabra.

S&A Law Offices‘ dispute resolution group has notable expertise across the mining, construction, infrastructure, energy, and projects sectors, and has acted for clients in several significant judgements and arbitral awards, in both domestic and international commercial arbitrations. The team is jointly led by co-founder of the firm Manoj Kumar Singh, Gurugram-based managing partner Gunita Pahwa, Vijay Kumar Singh, and Nilava Bandyopadhyay. All lawyers are in New Delhi unless otherwise stated.

The disputes group at Singhania & Partners LLP has a notable focus on the infrastructure and construction sectors, as well as strength in corporate, commercial, and M&A-related arbitrations. Core members of the team include firm founder Ravi Singhania, expert corporate litigator Vikas Goel, and Madhu Sweta, whose practice focuses on arbitrations in the energy and power sector. The firm also has a base in Bengaluru, where Shilpa Shah is the key contact. Shambhu Sharan takes point on alternative dispute resolution matters, while Abhishek Kumar is noted for cross-border and international arbitration matters, as well as representation before the National Company Law Tribunal. Other recommended team members include Yamandeep Kumar and Sumit Gupta. Unless otherwise stated, all mentioned individuals are based in New Delhi.

With strength in financial regulatory, insolvency and bankruptcy, and the power sector, Trilegal‘s multidisciplinary dispute resolution practice has established itself as a robust arbitration unit with significant experience handling complex domestic and cross-border commercial arbitrations. Shankh Sengupta heads the team from New Delhi and specialises in acting for domestic and multinational corporations in disputes arising from construction contracts, hotel management, and other commercial contracts. Ashish Bhan is the key contact for clients in the telecom, infrastructure, and defence sectors, while Jafar Alam is recommended for commercial and regulatory arbitrations. For complex institutional and ad-hoc commercial arbitrations, the highly regarded Tine Abraham is the key name. All mentioned lawyers are based in Delhi.

Under the leadership of managing partner and founder of the firm MP Bharucha, the dispute resolution practice group at Bharucha & Partners has a solid track record in handling complex arbitrations for multinational corporations and high-net-worth individuals. The ‘very proactive’ team includes commercial disputes expert Sneha Jaisingh, recommended for regulatory matters, and Sonam Gupta, who is a key contact in the firm’s New Delhi office. Unless otherwise stated, all mentioned lawyers are based in Mumbai. Shreya Sircar and Karthik Somasundram left in February 2023 and February 2024 respectively.

Drawing on the firm’s strong shipping and maritime law practice, the arbitration practice at BRUS CHAMBERS, Advocates & Solicitors has notable expertise in handling international commercial arbitrations, acting for major shipping companies, heavy industry corporations, and major insurers. Construction, oil and gas, and engineering are other areas of expertise for the firm. ‘Excellent advocate’ Binita Hathi and shipping and commercial arbitration specialist Shrikant Hathi jointly head the team from Mumbai. Pritish Das, also in Mumbai, is also recommended for shipping-related arbitrations.

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.

IndusLaw handles domestic and cross-border arbitrations across a range of fora, and has broad geographic spread across India’s major cities. The practice is jointly led by Amit Jajoo and Mayank Mishra; Jajoo, in Mumbai, is a seasoned arbitrator with a strong track record advising on promoter and shareholder disputes before domestic and international arbitrations, both institutional and ad hoc, while Mishra is recommended for commercial foreign and domestic arbitrations in the construction and engineering sectors. Also in Mumbai is Sushmita Gandhi, whose practice focuses on banking and finance as well as insolvency and restructuring arbitrations. Another key name for insolvency and restructuring-related work is New Delhi’s Padmaja Kaul. May 2023 saw the firm strengthening its Bengaluru offering by the arrival of Suadat Ahmad Kirmani, previously at Tatva Legal.

Acting for a diverse client base that includes governmental entities, including the Indian government, and corporate clients in the pharma, infrastructure, and telecoms sectors, the arbitration team at P&A Law Offices fields a strong bench of lawyers across its New Delhi and Mumbai offices. Vijay Purohit focuses on corporate and commercial disputes and is the key contact in Mumbai. In New Delhi, Amit Mishra oversees the overall dispute resolution practice, working alongside managing partner Anand Pathak.  Gaurav Mahajan, Arvind Thapliyal, and Evneet Kaur Uppal are further key contacts in New Delhi.

Described by clients as ‘thoroughly professional,’ the commercial arbitration team at Samvad Partners is adept at advising clients across all stages of both domestic and international arbitrations. Clients in the automobile, tech, construction, and private equity sectors regularly instruct the team on shareholders’ disputes, arbitrations related to tech services and acquisitions, and construction contract matters. Poornima Hatti leads the team and specialises in corporate and commercial arbitrations, including insolvency and employment matters; she works alongside Chennai’s Rohan George, who takes point on intellectual property and tech arbitrations, and New Delhi’s Arjun Krishnan, who is recommended for arbitrations arising out of bilateral investment treaties. The group also includes a strong team of associates, including Aakash Sherwal and Pallavi Anantharam, both based in Bengaluru.

Highly experienced international arbitration expert Prateek Bagaria leads the arbitration practice at international dispute resolution boutique Singularity Legal. The firm specialises in dispute resolution across Asia and Africa and has particular expertise in the energy and utilities, commodities, shipping, and corporate sectors. Acting for global corporations, individuals, and financial institutions, another key area of strength for the team includes investment treaty arbitrations.