A passage to India

Denied the ability to practise law within India, international law firms have created centres of legal excellence outside the country to serve their India-focused clients

George W Russell investigates where India-related deals are being done

By common sense standards, one would expect Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to be the major hubs for legal transactions involving Indian clients and multinational corporations investing in India. But they’re not – at least not for international law firms which undertake the lion’s share of cross-border deals.

Thanks to restrictive trade practices preventing non-Indian law firms from setting up local offices, major Indian cities are playing second fiddle to foreign financial and commercial centres.

Traditionally, London has dominated the Indian legal landscape, although its paramount position – at least until the US-led financial flux – has long been challenged by New York with its huge securities industry.