When it comes to navigating legal challenges, having the right lawyer by your side can make all the difference. In Mumbai, India’s financial and legal hub, the demand for top-tier legal expertise is high, with lawyers specializing in everything from corporate law to criminal defense.
This article presents a carefully curated list of the best lawyers in Mumbai, known for their exceptional skills, extensive experience, and commitment to achieving favorable outcomes for their clients. Whether you need legal assistance in business, personal matters, or complex litigation, these top lawyers in Mumbai are trusted professionals ready to guide you through your legal journey.
Mohit Saraf
Mohit Saraf, Founder & Managing Partner of Saraf and Partners, has close to three decades of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Dispute Resolution, Projects, Infrastructure and Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency. He has advised global and Indian companies; as well as large institutional investors such as Viatris, Baxter, Bayer, Carlyle, Abbot Laboratories, SBI, Goldman Sachs, Capgemini, Everstone Capital, Arcelor Mittal and Nippon Steel on multi-billion dollar deals.
Mr. Saraf is a member of the Steering Committee and the National Executive Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). He is also the co-chair of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Committee of FICCI.
Mr. Saraf is a member of the Corporate Laws, the Stressed Assets and the Capital Market Committees respectively. He is also a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Council of Arbitration.
Mr. Saraf is actively involved in the Government of India initiatives and has assisted in the drafting of the Electricity Bill, 2003; advised the Planning Commission on various concession agreements and also deposed in the Parliament on the Nuclear Liability Law, leading up to the enactment of Civil Nuclear Liability Act 2011. Mr. Saraf has led the drafting of the “Judicial Reforms Paper” which was presented on behalf of FICCI to Mr. Narendra Modi, the Honourable Prime Minister of India.
Mr. Saraf is regularly invited by the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal to share his experience with the Judicial Officers including High Court and Supreme Court Judges.
He has been highly recognized for his work and has received a several prestigious accolades such as ‘Eminent Practitioner’ by Chambers and Partners, Global Guide 2023, recognized amongst ‘Top 10 Corporate lawyers in India’, ‘Managing Partner of the Year’ by BW Legal Global Leaders Award 2021, ‘India Super 50 lawyers’ by Asian Legal Business 2021, ‘M&A Lawyer of the Year’ for India by IFLR 1000 India (2020), Who’s Who Legal Award 2021, and more.
Apart from the professional recognition, Mr. Saraf has also been awarded the ‘Shaurya Chakra’, a national peacetime gallantry award by the Honourable President of India, Mr. R. Venkatraman in 1991 for his selfless service to the nation. Further, he was awarded the Delhi Police Award, 1989, Significant Xaverian Award in 1992, and was appointed as a Special Police Officer, Delhi Police. St. Xavier High School also conferred upon Mr. Saraf the Distinguished Xaverian Award, 2019 as an achiever and a fine human being who dedicated his life ‘For God and Country’. He is also the recipient of the Hindu College Distinguished Alumni Award-2022 for excellence in Legal Affairs. Hon’ble Justice S.Ravindra Bhat, Judge Supreme Court of India was pleased to give him this award.
Mathew Thomas
Mathew is a Partner with the Capital Markets Practice Group at Saraf and Partners.
Mathew has more than 14 years of experience in equity, debt and hybrid securities offering. He has advised domestic and international clients in capital markets related transactions including initial public offerings, rights offerings, qualified institutions placements etc. He has also worked on public offering and institutional placement of units and debt securities by REITs and InvITs. Recent transactions include the initial public offering of equity shares by Popular Vehicles and Services Limited, Harsha Engineers Limited, Inox Green Energy Services Limited and Fino Payments Bank Limited, qualified institutions placements of equity shares by JTL Industries Limited, MAS Financial Services Limited, Satin Credit Care Network Limited and DCX Systems Limited, public offering of debt securities by NHAI InvIT and Indore Municipal Corporation and US Bonds issuance by India Bulls Housing Finance Limited.
Prior to joining Saraf & Partners, Mathew used to be a Partner with JSA, Capital Markets team. He has also worked in the capital markets teams of other firms such as Trilegal, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. and Khaitan & Co.
Navomi Koshy
Navomi advises clients on a broad range of corporate transactions, particularly on M&A, private equity investments and associated regulatory work. She has represented acquirers and financial investors across a wide range of industries: aviation, real estate, technology, pharma, diagnostics, manufacturing, quick service restaurants, fashion, energy and power sector in India. She also routinely advises clients on structured acquisitions and stressed asset M&A with a mixture of debt enforcement and equity, including as part of an insolvency process.
Navomi also advises both lenders and borrowers in raising funds via loans, listed debentures, foreign currency bonds across various sectors.
Adil Ladha
Adil Ladha is a Mumbai based lawyer with over 13 years of experience practicing corporate law.
Adil’s key practice areas are mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions, foreign investment and employment and labour laws in India.
He has represented both domestic and multi-national clients on various corporate transactions including, acquisitions, domestic & cross-border investments, restructuring, joint ventures, private equity, business transfers, insolvency, anti-trust and allied matters.
He has advised on various sectors including, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, warehousing, real estate, media, urban developmental infrastructure, smart cities, etc.
Over his years of practice, Adil has advised various leading domestic and international clients on issues related to employment and labour laws in India.
Adil clients have commended him for his calm demeanour and considered him to be a “top class lawyer” as quoted by RSG India.
Sudeshna Guha Roy
Sudeshna is an experienced and multifaceted litigator who has advised and represented clients in a range of commercial causes. She has appeared in forums ranging from the Supreme Court of India, High Courts, and subordinate courts to tribunals such as NCLT, NCLAT, and RERA. She also represents clients in domestic and international arbitration, including institutional arbitration.
Sudeshna has significant experience addressing litigious mandates relating to shareholder disputes, deadlock in management, foreign investors’ exits from their portfolio companies, real estate projects, real estate regulations, and immovable property generally. She is recognised for her experience in litigious mandates requiring expertise in development control regulations and slum rehabilitation in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Sudeshna regularly advises and represents resolution professionals, borrowers, banks, financial & operational creditors, and asset reconstruction companies in restructuring and insolvency proceedings.
Her clients include institutional investors and multi-national corporations who seek her advice on non-contentious mandates. She advises them on mitigating risk arising from investment agreements and shareholders’ arrangements and also helps structure transactions which allow for robust insolvency resolution.
She has also been appointed as a sole arbitrator by the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) in a commercial dispute, successfully completed the arbitration, and issued an award in less than a year.
Abhiraj Arora
Abhiraj Arora serves as Partner within the Securities Regulatory Practice team at Saraf and Partners. With a career spanning over a decade, Abhiraj specializes in providing strategic counsel to publicly listed companies, their promoters, directors, and key management personnel on an array of pivotal regulatory frameworks. His areas of expertise encompass Listing Regulations, SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, Takeover Regulations, PFUTP Regulations and Insider Trading Regulations.
In addition to his advisory role, Abhiraj has substantial experience in conducting due diligence assessments for transactions involving listed companies. Abhiraj has experience in conducting due diligence on transactions by listed companies and drafting and filing of Reclassification Application and assisting in the Scheme of Arrangements before Stock Exchanges. Additionally, Abhiraj also assists clients in the investigations and enforcement proceedings before the Stock Exchanges and Regulator. Furthermore, Abhiraj extends his expertise in assisting clients during investigations and enforcement proceedings before Stock Exchanges and regulatory bodies.
Vivek Pareek
Vivek is a Partner in the Corporate practice at Saraf and Partners and specialises in mergers & acquisitions, private equity, and restructuring & insolvency transactions. He has rich experience in advising on wide range of corporate transactions including, cross border and domestic M&A, private equity, distressed M&A i.e. (acquisitions under insolvency regime) and corporate structuring transactions. Vivek regularly works with leading funds and strategic players on investments and restructuring matters and has credible experience of advising clients on all aspects of a transactions including appropriate strategies in relation to investments in India, strategies for exits, advising on corporate restructuring drafting and negotiating related documentation. He has experience of both equity and structured debt transactions which enables him to find solutions to cater to the client’s commercial objective and gives him a wider perspective to advise clients on structuring issues to navigate through regulatory landscape.
Vivek has advised clients across a wide array of sectors including, manufacturing (steel, cements), healthcare & pharma, bulk logistics, new age consumer tech, retail renewable energy, media and broadcasting, education and construction development.
Madhura Samant
Madhura Samant is a Partner Designate at Saraf and Partners in the Real Estate practice. Madhura’s practice focuses primarily on Real Estate and Commercial Laws and has an experience of over a decade. Madhura has advised on several high-value transactions involving large tracts of land as well as high profile transactions pertaining to lands across jurisdictions, both greenfield and brownfield.
Madhura has expertise in providing comprehensive legal services and strategic guidance in real estate transactions. In addition, she also conducts property and corporate due diligence pertaining to acquisition and financing of various types of retail, commercial and industrial properties, including manufacturing units, industrial plots, townships, Special Economic Zones, restaurants, Information Technology Parks, Renewable Energy Projects, Warehousing Facilities, etc. Madhura has also advised various premier organisations and carried out due diligence of large tracts of agricultural lands.
Her commitment to clients’ interests coupled with in-depth knowledge of the subject enables her to navigate the complexities of the of the real estate market with confidence and competence. She is known to mitigate risks, negotiate favourable terms and protect clients’ interests throughout the entire real estate transaction process. She is adept with identifying legal pitfalls and offers proactive solutions to address them thus enabling the clients to make informed decisions.
Her experience of both corporate and law firm experience is valuable in closing deals in a quick but steadfast manner with a commercial insight which aligns transaction structures with a client’s strategic interests.
Satyadarshi Kunal
Kunal is a Partner at Saraf and Partners in the Banking &Finance and Projects practice. Kunal has advised on a multitude of domestic transactions in the Banking & Finance and Projects space across multiple sectors, which include, shipping, technology, manufacturing, power, renewable energy, roads, ports etc.
In projects space, Kunal has advised governmental agencies in road, port and power sectors, in drafting and finalizing their model contracts (including concession and O&M agreements), bidding documents etc., assisted them in finalizing their proposed structures for concession and harmonizing the existing models with certain sectoral changes in law.
Kunal has also advised a few noted infrastructure companies in the market in host of issues concerning their business, in renewable energy sector. In banking and finance side, Kunal has advised various banks and financial institutions in their complex lending transactions, digitization of their lending products, restructuring of debt etc. Kunal also has considerable experience in advising new age technology companies in relation to various complex issues concerning their business expansion.
Kunal has a pragmatic and solution-oriented approach towards any complex legal issue. Kunal is known to our clients for his service first attitude.
When not at work, Kunal enjoys going for a road trip, writing poetries, listening to podcasts and music.
Satadru Goswami
Satadru is a Partner in the firm specializing in the finance, debt capital markets, insolvency and infrastructure practice having 10+ years of professional experience.
Satadru has deep experience in projects, banking, project financing, structured financing, acquisition financing and restructuring. He routinely advises leading corporates and financial institutions on infrastructure projects, structured lending, banking and financial services, debt restructuring and resolution of stressed assets.
Satadru is highly regarded for his advice on large scale complicated project financing transactions, structured secured bond issuances in both domestic and overseas markets, and intricate & complex restructurings and structured finance transactions. He is also particularly noted for his intrinsic and detailed guidance to debut issuers in undertaking industry-defining first-time launch issues in the debt capital markets.
His legal advice is regularly sought by leading corporates and NBFCs in setting up and structuring their debt raises as he exhibits a strong focus on infusing flexibility and synergies necessary to meet the client’s business objectives.
Rohan Shah
Rohan is a Partner in the firm with 15+ years of experience and he specializes in M&A, Private Equity, Venture Capital and Corporate and Commercial transactions. Rohan has represented various corporate stakeholders including investors, promoters, companies and buyers in various transactions in sectors ranging from renewable energy, roads, healthcare, financial services / NBFCs, manufacturing, e-commerce and retail.
Rohan also regularly advises clients on nuanced legal issues involved in complex corporate transactions such as capital restructurings, corporate governance, exchange control, statutory compliances and other government regulations.
Priyamvada Haridas
Priyamvada Haridas is a Partner at Saraf and Partners in the Banking and Finance practice with an impressive experience of over 25+ years in this complex domain. She specializes in corporate finance, project finance, trade finance and working capital financing, construction financing, equipment financing, acquisition financing, external commercial borrowings (ECB), overseas direct investment and FDI.
Priyamvada has acted on several high value transactions involving consortium of several banks, where complicated issues relating to the structuring of the transactions were efficiently resolved. She also advises several banks on regulatory issues related to Companies Act, FEMA, Banking Regulation Act, Negotiable Instruments Act, and various other statutes relevant to banking. She has proactively assisted banks in developing strategies to deal with potential risks and statutory and regulatory restrictions.
In her previous role, Priyamvada has worked for almost three decades in the Corporate Office of State Bank of India where she gained immense practical banking experience and skills required for resolving practical legal problems arising in day-to-day banking.
Her ability to deal with any issues related to banking law and practice with uncommon ease and elan has made various domestic and international clients covet her distinct advisory services.
Nipun Vaid
Nipun Vaid is a Partner in our corporate practice and specializes in M&A, private equity and general corporate having 14+ years of professional experience. She advises on both the buy and sell side and has worked on several high value, multi-jurisdiction transactions in several sectors including BFSI, energy, infrastructure, retail, manufacturing, pharma, telecom and ITES etc.
She has assisted clients in negotiated transactions as well as acquisitions under the IBC and SARFAESI Act. In addition to transaction advisory, she also routinely advises clients on regulatory compliance, general business operations and risk mitigation.
Murtaza Zoomkawala
Murtaza is a Partner in the firm’s capital markets practice having 9+ years of experience. He has extensive experience representing issuers and underwriters on a variety of equity and debt securities offerings. He has spearheaded a variety of capital market transactions such as Rule 144 A and Regulation S equity public offerings, private placements, international and domestic debt offerings, and equity linked offerings of exchangeable and convertible bonds. In addition, he has represented issuers on liability management transactions which include tender offers of equity and debt securities.
He has advised issuers across diverse sectors for their fund-raising activities. He also advises clients on public mergers and acquisitions (including takeovers), block trades, buy-backs, and issues relating to restructuring, insider trading, and other securities laws.
He has published articles on various subjects including financial policy and aspects of capital raising in India. As a trusted thought leader, he is often quoted in leading financial newspapers such as Business Standard, Hindu Business Line, Mondaq and Economic Times.
Ketan Khare
Ketan Khare is a Partner at Saraf and Partners in the Real Estate practice and has an overall professional experience of 15+ years. Ketan’s practice focuses primarily on Real Estate and Commercial Laws involving an interplay of various statutes of the Indian legal system.
Ketan has expertise in property and corporate due diligence and acquisition and financing transactions involving various types of retail, commercial and industrial properties, including manufacturing units, industrial plots, townships, Special Economic Zones, restaurants, Information Technology Parks, Renewable Energy Projects, Warehousing Facilities, etc.
In his career, Ketan has successfully handled various complex and high value assignments. His approach in conducting due diligence and advising on transactions is to identify the potential issues, analyze the risks arising out of them and suggest options and methods to either resolve or mitigate them. This problem-solving approach has been well-appreciated by the clients.
He also advises clients on estate planning, succession laws, drafting of wills, private trusts, obtaining probates and letters of administration, amongst others.
Abir Lal Dey
Having over 17 years of experience, Abir is a Partner with the Banking & Finance, Restructuring & Insolvency, Corporate Advisory and Project & Infrastructure practice at Saraf and Partners.
Abir has a vast experience in the Indian banking & finance sector and other corporate and commercial practice areas. His practice primarily focuses on rendering legal advice, structuring, drafting, risk allocation and negotiation assistance to borrowers & lenders.
Abir has advised on several high-profile domestic lending structures & products, and various overseas India linked borrowing and lending matters. Abir possesses a demonstrated expertise on infrastructure and public-private-partnership (‘PPP’) related laws & practices in India, and he also advises on asset management. He is often sought out for advice on foreign investment regulations & practices and structuring investments into India.
He has extensively advised on diverse products covering the entire gamut of banking & finance practices including Project Finance, Structured Finance, External Borrowings, Trade Finance, Acquisition Finance, INR and Foreign Currency Bond issuances, and insolvencies and restructurings of companies. Abir is known to proficiently assist Indian and foreign clients for legal risk management.
Bikash Jhawar
Bikash is a Senior Partner at Saraf and Partners having over 20+ years of experience and he is also a part of the Management Committee of the Firm. He leads a team of Partners and Associates across M&A, Private Equity, Insolvency, Restructuring, Banking and Finance and General Corporate and contracting work.
Bikash has vast experience in structuring investments, fund raises and advising on Indian foreign investment regulations & practices. He has rendered corporate legal advisory, and assisted clients in their acquisitions and divestments in India and abroad.
Bikash is also recognised as an industry leader in Insolvency & Restructuring, and has acted on mandates on behalf of multiple stakeholders, including lenders, bidders and the resolution professionals and liquidators to manage corporate insolvency. He has advised on the largest and most complex restructuring matters which have established the law and practice of insolvency in India.
Bikash also advises regularly on banking and finance matters and advises lenders and borrowers alike on structuring, drafting, risk allocation and negotiation assistance. He has advised both domestic and overseas lenders. Bikash is also a market leader on infrastructure and Public-Private Partnership related laws & practices in India.