Nishith Desai Associates

Nishith Desai Associates prides itself as being a domestic firm with an international presence. It has market-leading labour and employment, private equity, regulatory, tax and technology and telecommunications practices. This year, its prominence in the media and entertainment space is acknowledged as it climbs up into the ‘Highly recommended’ tier. In the frontier space of technology, the firm has been a pioneer and cultivated a leading presence in privacy and data protection, crypto-assets and blockchain, payments, media, education, life sciences, and gaming and gambling. Vikram Shroff heads the labour and employment practice, while Vaibhav Parikh and Nishchal Joshipura are key partners for technology and private equity, respectively.

Corporate and M&A

Work highlights

Advised Radiant Life and its promoter Abhay Soi in signing an agreement, alongside KKR, to acquire Max Healthcare from Analjit Singh and create a $1.1 billion listed healthcare entity through a series of demergers and a reverse merger. With this acquisition, Radiant will add 20 more hospitals to its current roster of two.

Acted for Square Dotcom on the merger between its subsidiary Square Yards and FITRR Technologies.

Represented buyer Actis on its $500 million acquisition of fully operational solar power projects in Jaipur and Andhra Pradesh from Acme Solar.

Advised Nexus Venture Partners and Jungle Ventures on the sale of their entire stake in consumer lending platform Paysense to PayU.

Key clients

Foundation Holdings, Intel Corporation, Ryan Group, Tiger Global Five Holdings

Dispute resolution

Work highlights

Successfully represented the petitioners Internet and Mobile Association of India and a Unocoin co-founder, in a case where the clients challenged a circular released by the Reserve Bank of India prohibited regulated entities from engaging in any form of cryptocurrency and blockchain business. In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court quashed the circular and deemed it unconstitutional. The judgement opens the door for millions of Indians to invest, buy and sell crypto assets via bank accounts and allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to use banking facilities.

Representing the Federation of Indian Airlines in a case related to petitions filed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport over the user development fee.

Key clients

Invisalign India, Maynards Europe, Vedant Dyestuff Intermediates

Labour and employment 

Work highlights

Advised Disney on Indian employment law issues arising out of its $71.3 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, including but not limited to the transitioning of employees.

Assisted NVidia on the local employment aspects related to its $6.9 billion acquisition of Mellanox.

Key clients

Accenture, Amdocs, Blackstone, Crocs, Discovery, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, Rockstar, Slack, Softbank, TPG Global, Uber

Private equity

Work highlights

Advised GIC Singapore on its $500 million investment into a private unlisted infrastructure trust (InvIT) sponsored by IRB Infrastructure Developers. This is the first-ever private unlisted InvIT in the country and the largest investment in the road sector.

Assisted Solara Active Pharma Sciences on its fundraising from TPG and its promoters for the first time since its demerger.

Represented Dewan Housing Finance Corporation on its securitisation of $200 million debt to Oaktree Capital.

Key clients

Hillhouse Capital, Naspers Ventures

Pharmaceuticals and life sciences 

Work highlights

Engaged by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company part of Johnson & Johnson, to file and prosecute its patent applications in the country.

Advising Abbott Laboratories  on its trademark portfolio and related prosecution and infringement matters.

Assisted a pharmaceuticals company in successfully negotiating an existing arrangement with a large local contract manufacturer, wherein a change of manufacturing facility as well as price points for product supply were becoming very unfavourable to the client.

Key clients

Danaher Corporation, Fisher & Paykel