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Our India practice has over 25 years' experience in working on some of the most important India-related matters and is recognised as the number one international law firm for high-profile cross-border mandates.
Clients value our deep knowledge of the Indian market and trust us to support them seamlessly across the full spectrum of their legal needs. This includes advising on complex M&A, investments, international arbitration matters, cross-border disputes, and large-scale energy and infrastructure projects in India, acting for project sponsors and both lenders and borrowers.
We bring a distinctive edge to the legal support we provide, by combining our understanding of Indian businesses and their ecosystem with our ability to bridge cultural gaps.
Operating from London, Singapore, Dubai, and New York, positions our India practice to strategically support Indian corporates as they expand globally, as well as international companies and private capital institutions as they invest in India.
Services
- Corporate/M&A
- Private capital
- International arbitration and dispute resolution
- CC&I investigations
- Banking and finance
- Projects and energy
- Competition, foreign investment and other regulatory
Awards
Our team continues to be recognised by leading legal directories. We have been ranked as a Tier 1 Legal 500 India (foreign firms) for 17 consecutive years and Band 1 by Chambers' India (international firms) for 14 consecutive years. Most recently, we were delighted to be named International Law Firm of the Year 2025 by Asian Legal Business, reflecting our track record in this important jurisdiction.
Our wider commitment
We are proud to run several initiatives which demonstrate our dedication to supporting India's thriving legal market and nurturing future legal talent. These include: (i) a long-standing graduate recruitment programme that directly hires from Indian law schools, resulting in one of the largest cohorts of dual-qualified UK-India lawyers among international law firms; (ii) our collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), bringing together global best practices in corporate and commercial law to support international business and private capital in India; and (iii) the International Negotiation Competition, a prestigious global event in Delhi that fosters legal talent bringing teams from around the world including the UK, Australia, Singapore, Japan etc.
Experience
Sumitomo Corporation
Advising in relation to their 49:51 joint venture with Ampin to develop and operate renewable energy projects in India
Bharti Airtel
Advising on its US$10.7 billion acquisition of the 15 African mobile networks of Zain Africa
A leading international hotel brand
Advising in a dispute involving an ICC arbitration relating to a property in India against the India-based owner involving related criminal and insolvency proceedings
Goldman Sachs
Advising on multiple investments including its investments in PeopleStrong, Aragen Life Sciences and Biocon Biologics
British American Tobacco
Advising on its £1.5bn sale of shares in ITC through a block trade: largest block trade in India ECM history to cross in the block window, third largest block trade in India and largest block trade in Asia ex Japan YTD
Tata Steel
Advising on the acquisition of Corus the Anglo-Dutch steel maker for £6.2 billion
Awards and recognition
Tier 1 India Foreign Firms - Ranked for 17 consecutive years
Legal 500, 2008-2024
Band 1 (international firms) - Ranked for 14 consecutive years
Chambers' India
International Law Firm of the Year 2025
Asian Legal Business
Band 1 Energy & Natural Resources - India
Chambers Asia Pacific 2024
Band 1 Corporate/M&A - India
Chambers and Partners 2024
Band 1 Domestic – India - Corporate M&A (Expertise Based Abroad)
Chambers Asia Pacific 2024
Band 1 Arbitration (International)
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024
"[Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer] was able to provide timely guidance and support on cross-border issues, with multi-geography teams working seamlessly for timely deliver ".
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024 (India)
"Their ability to identify complex issues and then simplify such issues for our consumption helps the legal and business teams a lot to navigate these issues and make decisions".
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024 (India)
Recognised for 13 consecutive years as one of the top international law firms for India-related work
Indian Business Law Journal (IBLJ)
A market source notes: "The team at [Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer] is one of the active firms in the Indian market and has good knowledge of the requirements of their clients; we have found their team to be extremely thorough in their advice, with business-oriented solutions.”
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2022 (India)
"Longstanding local relationships and highly regarded hands-on team of superlative partners.”
Legal 500 Asia Pacific (India) 2022
"General counsel and law firms alike agree that [Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer] is an undisputed leader on the India circuit.”
India Business Law Journal, 2021
The best thing about the team is that they are able to tailor their legal advice in practical and business terms. “Client centric with a deep focus on business partnering.”
Legal 500 Asia Pacific (India) 2020
"[Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer's] commitment to India is unshakeable."
India Business Law Journal, 2019
Band 1 Energy & Natural Resources - India
Insights
Key contacts
Alan Montgomery
Partner, Head of Pharmaceuticals Sector, Chair of India Group, London and India Group
Siddhartha Shukla
Partner, Head of India Group, London and India Group
Dhananjaya Chak
Partner, Head of India Group, London and India Group