Practice areas

What the firm advises on

The work below is what actually comes through the door. If your matter is not listed, ask — it is quicker to say yes or point you to the right person than to guess from a list.

Corporate

Company & corporate advisory

The recurring legal housekeeping of a company, and the decisions that change its shape. Most of this work is routine until it is missed — a lapsed filing surfaces years later during a due diligence or a bank sanction.

When to come in: A company is being formed, a filing has been missed, ownership is changing, or a bank or investor has asked for the corporate records.

Incorporation of private limited companies, LLPs and partnerships
Board and shareholder meetings, notices, minutes and resolutions
Statutory registers and annual and event-based ROC filings
Share transfers, allotments and changes in capital structure
Director appointments, resignations and DIN formalities
Registered office change, object clause and name change
Voluntary strike-off, dormant status and winding up
Secretarial clean-up before a transaction or bank facility

Commercial

Contracts & documentation

Agreements a business can actually rely on, written so the people signing them understand what they have agreed. Most commercial disputes trace back to two or three clauses that nobody read closely.

When to come in: Before signing anything a counterparty has drafted, before a new line of business starts, and whenever the same agreement is being signed repeatedly.

Supply, distribution, dealership and franchise agreements
Services, consultancy, job-work and outsourcing agreements
Employment contracts, appointment letters and HR policies
Non-disclosure, non-compete and settlement agreements
Powers of attorney, indemnities, undertakings and affidavits
Review of a counterparty's draft with a marked-up risk note
Standard-form templates a business can reuse in-house
Renewal, variation and termination correspondence

Transactions

Mergers, acquisitions & investment

Buying, selling or taking investment into a business, from the first term sheet to closing and the filings that follow it. The work is mostly diligence and drafting; the value is in what gets found early.

When to come in: As soon as a price has been discussed — not after a term sheet has already been signed.

Legal due diligence and written diligence reports
Term sheets, letters of intent and exclusivity arrangements
Share purchase, subscription and shareholders' agreements
Business transfer agreements and slump sale documentation
Family business separation and partner exit arrangements
Valuation, escrow and deferred consideration mechanics
Conditions precedent, closing checklists and completion
Post-closing filings, stamping and record updates

Regulatory

Licensing & compliance

Getting registered, staying registered, and answering the department when it writes. A compliance calendar costs very little and prevents most penalty exposure.

When to come in: Before a notice becomes an order. Departmental correspondence has short reply windows and they are rarely extended.

Trade licences, shops and establishment registration, renewals
GST, professional tax and other statutory registrations
Labour law compliance for shops, offices and establishments
FSSAI, weights and measures and sector-specific licensing
Replies to show-cause notices and departmental correspondence
Compliance calendars and periodic compliance review
Import, export and trade documentation support
Representation before authorities and appellate forums

Property

Property & conveyancing

Title, documentation and registration for commercial and residential property. In older parts of Chennai the title history matters more than the building, and a search is cheaper than a suit.

When to come in: Before any advance is paid. A title defect found after part-payment is a negotiation; found before, it is a decision.

Title scrutiny, encumbrance search and written title opinions
Sale deeds, agreements to sell and settlement deeds
Lease, rental and leave-and-licence agreements
Joint development and construction agreements
Registration, stamp duty assessment and mutation formalities
Partition, gift, release and family arrangement deeds
Patta, chitta and revenue record corrections
Tenancy, eviction and rent control matters

Disputes

Commercial disputes & recovery

Getting paid, defending a claim, and knowing the likely cost and timeline before anything is filed. A candid view of whether a case is worth running is part of the advice, not an add-on.

When to come in: The day a payment goes seriously overdue or a notice arrives. Limitation periods run whether or not anyone is watching them.

Legal notices, demand notices and replies
Cheque dishonour proceedings under Section 138
Recovery suits, summary suits under Order XXXVII and execution
Arbitration, conciliation and mediated settlement
Civil, commercial and consumer court matters
Contract, partnership and shareholder disputes
Injunctions, attachment and interim relief
Enforcement of awards, decrees and settlement terms

Questions people ask

Before you come in

No — incorporation can be done directly on the MCA portal. What an advocate adds is the part that is hard to undo later: how the shareholding is split, what the articles say about transfer and control, and whether the object clause covers the business you actually intend to run. Fixing those after incorporation costs more than getting them right at the start.

Before any work begins you receive a written note setting out the scope and the fee for it. Routine work — a drafting job, a filing, a notice — is usually a fixed fee. Longer matters are quoted stage by stage, so you are never committing to an open-ended amount. Court fees, stamp duty and government charges are separate and are always payable at actuals.

The notice stage is quick and is fixed by statute. The complaint stage is not: it depends on the court's board, whether the accused appears, and whether the parties settle. Many matters end in a negotiated settlement before evidence begins. You will be given a realistic view of the range before anything is filed, not an assurance.

Yes, and it is a large part of the work. The output is the draft marked up, plus a short note in plain language: which clauses are standard, which ones shift risk onto you, and which are worth pushing back on given how much bargaining power you have.

Advisory, drafting and documentation work is not tied to a location. Court matters outside the jurisdiction are handled by engaging and briefing local counsel, with the firm coordinating and staying accountable to you for the file.

You explain the matter and hand over whatever papers you have. You leave with a plain reading of where you stand, what the options are, and what each one is likely to cost and take. If the matter is not worth pursuing, you will be told that.

Next step

Not sure which of these your matter falls under?

Answer three questions on the home page and you will get the area it falls under, plus the papers worth bringing in.

Try the matter finder Write to the office