Herbert Smith Freehills and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad enter into a first of its kind collaboration to advance best practices in corporate and commercial laws

Leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), one of the world's prestigious and leading business schools with its principal office located in Ahmedabad (India), have entered into an unprecedented two-year collaboration focussing on corporate and commercial laws.

The collaboration, which will be the first of its kind, is aimed to (i) help bring together best practices from around the world in the areas of corporate and commercial laws for the benefit of international businesses in India, private capital institutions, and importantly the Indian business community; (ii) export best practices from India to international markets; and (iii) work with the leaders of the future across business, private equity houses, banks and the legal industry.

Through their combined expertise, institutional capability and wider market participation, Herbert Smith Freehills and IIMA will produce academic and practice-based research on a range of legal topics, including cross-border M&A, finance, insolvency and commercial disputes.  The intention is to create output which can be used meaningfully (i) by businesses and market participants; (ii) to inspire jurisprudence to create a business-friendly environment; and (iii) contribute towards India's legal system and policy-making.

Siddhartha Shukla, London based corporate / M&A partner and member of the senior leadership of Herbert Smith Freehills' India practice, commented:  "It is not every day that two institutions of such repute come together.  We are extremely excited to be partnering with IIMA.  Our joint work will bring something special to the Indian and international business communities."

He added, "We have already started work on a couple of areas, first of which would focus on cross-border M&A transactions and investments. Over the years, we as a firm have led on some of the most landmark cross-border M&A deals internationally, and of course in India.  With high-quality teams from IIMA and Herbert Smith Freehills, this collaboration will define the direction of the market."  

Professor M P Ram Mohan, who is coordinating this collaboration from IIMA, said, “This collaboration marks a unique intersection of law, management, and international business- three critical pillars shaping today’s global economy. IIMA and Herbert Smith Freehills are both leaders from different geographies with distinct expertise. This partnership, which has a shared connection to India, will help exchange best practices in the areas of corporate and commercial laws. We look forward to the opportunities that this partnership will create.”