Dhaval Vussonji & Associates

Managing Partners: 2

Number of partners: 3

Number of lawyers: 60

Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi

Firm Overview:

Founded in 2013, Dhaval Vussonji and Associates is a young and dynamic full-service law firm headquartered in Mumbai. Today, the firm’s presence is built with over 60 lawyers in Mumbai and affiliate offices in Bengaluru and Delhi, Ahmedabad and GIFT City.

With a team of advocates who are also qualified solicitors, company secretaries, and chartered accountants, the firm is well-equipped to provide comprehensive solutions that analyze the legal, commercial, regulatory, compliance, and taxation aspects of any matter.

The firm's success lies in its solution-oriented approach, which involves identifying issues in real-time and providing well-researched and practical advice to clients.

Ithas achieved significant success by prioritizing exceptional quality in its endeavors.Professionalism, effectiveness and quick turnaround are the cornerstones of the firm’s service. The partners provide strong leadership and the team's skilled legal advice has earned them the trust of their clients. Clients appreciate the team's diversity in gender, thought and approach.

The firm's exceptional work has been recognized by publications such as Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, IFLR1000, and Global Law Experts, among others. The RSG India 2019 Report has ranked the firm as one of the top 50 firms in India.

Practice Areas:

■ Real Estate

■ Banking & Finance

■ Capital Markets

■ Corporate Advisory

■ Dispute Resolution & Arbitration

■ Energy and environment

■ Insolvency & Bankruptcy

■ Infrastructure

■ Investment & Takeovers

■ Information Technology

■ Securitisation & Structured Finance

Main Areas of Practice:

Real Estate:

4 partners, 30 fee earners based in Mumbai.

As one of India’s leading law firms in the real estate sector, the firm is known for it’s unique approach towards title diligence and review. The firm has investigated complex titles for agricultural lands, in-depth investigation of the laws relating to humane rehabilitation, statute of limitations, principles of harmonious interpretation and jurisprudence. The firm acts as an umbrella service for real estate work, providing funding, lending, structuring advice.

■ Advised PRL Developers Private Limited (a Piramal group company), in the acquisition of 3.2 acres in Mumbai from Sanofi India Limited and Nirmal Lifestyle Limited

■ Advised Lucrative Properties Private Limited (a Shapoorji Pallonji group company), for a development management agreement with Nirmal Lifestyle Ltd

■ Advised grant of term loan facilities by a consortium of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd. and JM Financial to Forum Group for construction and development of some projects

■ Advised Virtuous Retail Services Private Limited, a retail arm of the Xander Group in their acquisition of approximately 20 acres of land in Mumbai belonging to J.K. Investo Trade (India) Limited, an associate company of Raymond Limited

■ Advised Piramal Realty in acquisition of the iconic Dhobighat Redevelopment Project – Piramal Realty has joined hands with Omkar Group to execute redevelopment of 12 acres of prime land at Mahalaxmi, Mumbai

Banking & Finance:

4 partners, 15 fee earners based in Mumbai

The firm has rich experience in advising banks, NBFCs and borrowers in concluding transactions involving term lending, consortium working capital lending, pre-shipment and post-shipment facilities, among others. It regularly advises domestic and cross border financing transactions in the real estate, aviation, education and shipping sectors. The firm has represented lenders in large infrastructure projects in sectors like power, road, metro- rail, telecom and oil. It has been involved in corporate debt restructuring and revival/rehabilitation of sick companies in India. The firm provides astute advice and handholding, for structuring of transactions, including a bird’s eye view on tax liability such as GST implications and testing aspects of the tax from a client standpoint.

■ Advised Piramal Finance Ltd. to loan to premium home developer Wadhwa Group, to buy a plot in suburban Mumbai

■ Advised Yes Bank when they were funding the restructuring of the Lodha Group, when the Lodha Group was issuing fresh debentures

■ Advised Aditya Birla Group for structuring private placement of secured non-cumulative rated, listed redeemable non-convertible debentures issued by Prestige Estates Projects Limited

Dispute Resolution:

2 partners, 15 fee earners based in Mumbai

The dispute resolution practice extends to both domestic and international conglomerates and high net worth individuals. The firm represent clients at various courts and forums, aiming to prevent litigation. Where contentious work is inevitable, the firm represents the best interests of clients before the Supreme Court, various High Courts, SubDivisional Officers, Estate Officers, Administrators and Divisional Commissioners. It also represents clients in several commercial arbitrations, both domestic and international. The firm has a team of dedicated legal professionals who advise and represent clients before the Securities Appellate Tribunal, Securities and Exchange Board of India, National Company Law Tribunal, National Company Law Appellate Tribunal and other tribunals including the ones constituted under NSE and BSE Rules and byelaws.

■ Advised the operational creditors of Binani Cement Ltd. in a landmark case. This case helped lay a legal precedent for the protection of rights of the operational creditors during a resolution under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code in India

■ Advised the Promoters of Bharti Defence and Infrastructure Ltd. for insolvency before the National Company Law Tribunal

Corporate Advisory:

3 partners, 8 fee earners

The corporate advisory practice primarily involves advising clients with corporate and secretarial compliance suited to meet their individual business needs. The firm has rich experience in advising clients on regulatory aspects and compliances, structuring transactions and achieving optimum solutions effectively. Apart from this, the advisory practice extends to restructuring schemes for listed and unlisted companies which includes matters relating to listing of unlisted companies pursuant to such restructuring schemes. The firm has a team of dedicated individuals who are engaged in drafting of the scheme, making filings before courts and advising matters on corporate law in relation thereto. The firm specializes in various areas, including hotel management contracts, aircraft leasing contracts, and contracts for sports event franchises. Furthermore, the firm also assists and advises celebrities on their film and endorsement agreements.

■ Advised SWAMIH Investment Fund - I for subscription to Debentures issued by real estate developers.

■ Advised Indiabulls for listed debentures being issued by Tapir Constructions Limited (group company of Indiabulls Real Estate Limited)

Insolvency & Bankruptcy:

3 Partners and 8 lawyers

The insolvency and bankruptcy team is engaged in actively rendering advice to several clients across, power, cement, real estate, shipping, manufacturing and transport industries on Insolvency and bankruptcy matters, extensively. The firm represent clients in the NCLT, NCLAT and the Supreme Court with our competent litigation teams based in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. It has represented and advised financial creditors, corporate debtors, operational creditors, resolution applicants and suspended board of directors in the course of initiation of and during the insolvency resolution process. The firm works together with clients, both debtors in default and creditors to identify, to enable them to find the most effective and suitable resolution, provided under the law.

The firm's scope of practice includes advising on the drafting and implementation of resolution plans for distressed companies, analyzing the impact of insolvency laws on various transactions and assets being acquired from potentially insolvent corporates, determining the appropriate course of action for loans and investments with potentially insolvent corporates, and developing pre-pack insolvency plans.

■ Advised SWAMIH Investment Fund - I for subscription to Debentures issued by real estate developers.

■ Advised Indiabulls for listed debentures being issued by Tapir Constructions Limited (group company of Indiabulls Real Estate Limited)Represented Raheja Universal (Pvt.) Limited in a matter valued at about 178 Crores. The firm has assisted in structuring the Transaction and advising the client on various hurdles, permissions and approvals in relation to the transaction including satisfying all the queries raised by the Assignee.

■ Represented Certus Capital in a matter valued at Rs. 40 Crores wherein we undertook title due diligence in respect of the lands underneath the Projects.

Information Technology:

2 partners and 5 lawyers

The firm has rich experience in handling a range of issues overlapping with and including the information technology laws. The expertise extends to drafting agreements pertaining to information technology, advising on data privacy, data protection, cyber laws, software development and licensing e-Commerce contracts, regulatory compliances, assistance in taxation-related issues in the IT domain and providing transactional support.

Energy and Environment:

2 Partners and 5 lawyers

The team works with stakeholders, vendors across the lifecycle, renewable and conventional, urban, oil and gas, mines and minerals, telecom, and logistics. The firm advises across the construction and energy sectors on all areas relating to the procurement, regulation, construction, and operation of renewable energy sources. It is engaged in providing advice on onshore and offshore wind farms, biomass and biodiesel fuel production plants, Power plants, waste to energy facilities and hydro plants. Given the rich experience spanning acquisitions, divestments, private equity investments, project finance, structured finance, and securitization as well as project documentation work covering concession agreements, EPC and O&M contracts, power purchase agreements, fuel supply agreements, offtake agreements, etc, the firm majorly works towards implementing integrated services of mega-projects, and multifaceted deals.