Legal professionals from across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond are gathering in New Delhi for the Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s (IPBA) 2026 conference and annual meeting.
The first full day features headline speakers, panel discussions and sessions across major areas of legal practice.
Proceedings begin at 9am on 26 February, with the opening ceremony and keynote session (9am to 10:30am), featuring Tushar Mehta, the solicitor general of India. Appointed in 2018, Mehta has represented the government of India in a range of high-profile matters.
At 11am, the managing partner’s panel (11am to 12pm), themed “Reimagining the Modern Law Firm – Agility, Innovation and the Business of Value”, will be moderated by Richard Briggs of Hadef & Partners. The programme features Pallavi Shroff of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co (SAM), Sridhar Gorthi of Trilegal and Gaurav Dani of CMS IndusLaw.
From 12pm to 1pm, the session titled “Role of AI in a Competitive Economy and India’s Position as a Superpower” includes a special address by Deepak Anurag, a member of the Competition Commission of India. Nisha Kaur Uberoi, a partner and the chair of competition law at JSA, will moderate a panel featuring Matt Takeshi Komatsu (managing partner, Mori Hamada Singapore), Manish Gupta (CIO, Aditya Birla Group), Vikram Raghani (partner at JSA), Shin Jae Kim (partner, TozziniFreire Advogados) and Bhavna Verma (vice president for strategy, Schneider Electric).
Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution Practice
Chandhiok & Mahajan
Rahul Narayan, a partner and the head of the dispute resolution practice at Chandhiok & Mahajan in New Delhi, said the multiple IPBA sessions on AI and its impact on the legal space would be timely. “I think the conference has chosen issues that are topical and of great interest to lawyers everywhere,” he said.
The afternoon begins with the first concurrent committee sessions (2:30pm to 4pm). These include “Engagement and Takeovers: Building Shareholder Trust and Navigating Minority Interests”, examining corporate governance expectations and engagement strategies in complex M&A transactions. Another panel, moderated by Fi Ling Quak (partner at WongPartnership Singapore), addresses minority interests in contested and consensual transactions, with speakers Mithun V Thanks (SAM, Mumbai), Saurav Kumar (CMS IndusLaw), Miranda Liu (Stellex Law Firm, Taipei) and Frederic Ruppert (Fr Law-Avocat, Paris).
A panel moderated by Björn Otto (partner, CMS Germany, Cologne) addresses alternative work arrangements, including a four-day work week and tighter working-time regulation, against utilisation pressures, demographic change and skills shortages. Speakers include Ajay Solanki (AZB & Partners, Mumbai), Harold Berrier (Ydès, Paris), Poorvi Chothani (LawQuest, New York) and Pimvimol (June) Vipamaneerut (Tilleke & Gibbins, Bangkok).
From 4:30pm to 6pm, the second concurrent committee sessions begin. “Navigating IP Issues in the Middle of the Global Trade War” examines how intellectual property has become both a target and a strategic asset amid escalating sanctions and supply chain nationalism. Moderated by Jie Tai of Reiz Law Firm in Shenzhen, the speakers include Keiko Hasegawa of Reiz Law Firm, Shenzhen, and Sucheta Chitgopekar at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur in Chicago.
“Governing Law Really Governs M&A Transactions? Key Considerations and Issues Arising from Choice of Law in Cross-Border M&A”, moderated by Youn Nam Lee (Bae Kim & Lee, Seoul), examines the practical difficulty of choosing governing law where multiple jurisdictions intersect.
Senior Partner
Obhan Mason
Ashima Obhan, a senior partner at Obhan Mason in New Delhi, said she was particularly looking forward to this session. “It would be interesting to hear the varied perspectives and practical challenges that the panel would discuss.”
Obhan added that she was drawn by “the opportunity to reconnect with old colleagues from across the world and also forge new connections. With the shift in the legal and political landscape in many countries, IPBA is a good forum to evaluate how these affect our practice”.
The session “Early Dispute Resolution Assistance in Court and Arbitrations” brings together Paras Lalwani (Rajah & Tann, Singapore), Stefanie Pfisterer (Homburger, Zurich), Kumar Kanagasabai (Halim Hong & Quek, Kuala Lumpur), Lawrence Schaner (Schaner Dispute Resolution, Chicago) and Sapna Jhangiani (Blackstone Chambers, Singapore). The discussion focuses on user concerns about cost and delay, and the growing move towards proactive judicial and arbitral settlement facilitation.
The conference day closes with a gala dinner from 8pm to 11pm.
