India’s corporate law landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade, evolving from a relatively closed market dominated by a few legacy firms into a dynamic and sophisticated ecosystem that rivals the world’s leading legal markets. As we move through 2026, Indian corporate law firms are not merely service providers but strategic partners that shape the nation’s economic trajectory through their involvement in landmark mergers and acquisitions, groundbreaking regulatory frameworks, complex cross-border transactions, and the evolution of India’s business ecosystem. This comprehensive guide explores the ten leading corporate law firms that are defining excellence in India’s legal profession and setting benchmarks that resonate globally.
1. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas stands as India’s preeminent corporate law firm, consistently ranked at the pinnacle of legal excellence across virtually every practice area and industry sector. The firm emerged from the 2015 division of the historic Amarchand & Mangaldas, which had been India’s largest law firm, with Cyril Shroff leading the Mumbai-centric operation while his brother Shardul Shroff established a separate firm based in Delhi. This division, resulting from family disputes following the death of matriarch Bharati Shroff, paradoxically created two powerhouse firms that now compete at the highest levels of corporate practice.
As of 2026, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas employs over one thousand lawyers including more than one hundred seventy partners across offices in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, GIFT City, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. The firm has distinguished itself as the first Indian law firm to comprehensively adopt artificial intelligence technology to drive legal service delivery, recently selecting Legora as its firm-wide generative AI platform in a move that marks a significant milestone in its transformation into an AI-first organization. This technological leadership reflects the firm’s understanding that the future of legal practice lies in combining traditional expertise with advanced technology that enhances efficiency, accuracy, and insights.
The firm’s practice areas span corporate and mergers & acquisitions where it regularly handles some of India’s largest and most complex transactions, litigation and dispute resolution with capabilities across commercial disputes and arbitration, infrastructure and project finance supporting India’s massive infrastructure development, capital markets work on initial public offerings and debt issuances, banking and finance covering lending transactions and restructurings, tax advisory providing integrated tax planning, and regulatory practice addressing sector-specific compliance requirements. Cyril Amarchand serves a diverse clientele including domestic and international corporations, financial institutions, private equity and venture capital funds, startups navigating regulatory complexities, and government bodies shaping policy frameworks.
The firm’s recent strategic moves include hosting policy dialogues on critical issues such as open data for AI training as part of the India-AI Impact Summit in 2026, demonstrating its thought leadership on emerging legal issues. The firm has also been active in lateral hiring, bringing in partners from competitor firms to strengthen specific practice areas, and has advised on landmark transactions including Adani Power’s joint venture with Bhutan’s state-owned hydropower operator for a five hundred seventy megawatt hydroelectric project.
2. AZB & Partners
AZB & Partners has established itself as one of India’s most respected full-service law firms, known for technical excellence, client service, and a distinctive culture that emphasizes quality over quantity. Founded by Ajay Bahl and Zia Mody, the firm has built a reputation for handling the most sophisticated and challenging transactions while maintaining relatively selective growth focused on exceptional talent rather than aggressive expansion. This approach has resulted in a firm that commands premium fees and attracts clients who prioritize legal excellence above all other considerations.
The firm’s dispute resolution practice has earned particular acclaim, with Chambers and other leading legal directories consistently ranking it in Band 1 for arbitration work. AZB boasts a highly skilled team of dispute resolution specialists whose expertise is further strengthened by the firm’s corporate practice, enabling seamless integration of litigation strategy with business objectives. The team acts for a diverse roster of multinational corporations and financial institutions in high-stakes litigation as well as domestic and international arbitration proceedings. The firm continues to be active in high-value insolvency cases and enforcement proceedings in distressed sectors including steel, infrastructure, and banking.
In corporate and mergers & acquisitions work, AZB & Partners is widely admired for its excellent market reputation and frequent involvement in the most high-profile transactions. The firm has notable strength advising leading buyers, sellers, and investors in sectors such as real estate, financial services, technology, media, and telecommunications, and energy. The corporate group handles a broad range of issues including high-profile mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, outbound investments, distressed asset acquisitions, and the formation and restructuring of companies. Recent notable engagements include advising Max Life Insurance on its merger with HDFC Standard Life Insurance, a transaction expected to create India’s top private-sector life insurer with one trillion Indian rupees in assets under management.
AZB & Partners has been extremely active in lateral hiring during 2026, bringing in several partners from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas including corporate specialists and competition law experts. The firm led recent campus placements at prestigious National Law School of India University with five offers, more than any other firm, demonstrating its continued appeal to top emerging legal talent. The firm’s partners are regularly recognized as future leaders of India’s legal profession, with accolades for combining sharp legal expertise with commercial acumen and solution-driven approaches that anticipate client challenges and deliver cost-efficient, high-quality, pro-business solutions.
3. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas
Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas represents the Delhi-based entity that emerged from the 2015 division of Amarchand & Mangaldas, led by Shardul S. Shroff as Executive Chairman. The firm is one of India’s largest top-tier practices with over nine hundred lawyers and one hundred eighty-eight partners operating from offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Gurugram. Shardul Amarchand serves a globally successful client base and holds the distinction of being the exclusive Indian member of Lex Mundi, a global network of independent law firms that facilitates cross-border transactions and provides local expertise in jurisdictions worldwide.
The firm’s core practice areas include mergers and acquisitions where it regularly handles cross-border corporate matters, tax advisory providing comprehensive planning and structuring, competition law and antitrust work helping clients navigate India’s evolving regulatory framework, dispute resolution and arbitration with geographical breadth across India’s major hubs, regulatory litigation addressing sector-specific issues, capital markets supporting equity and debt issuances, and private equity practices serving major funds and institutional investors. The firm is especially noted for the geographical breadth of its dispute resolution practice, which provides high-quality service across most of India’s major cities and represents clients in both litigation and some of the country’s most significant commercial and investment arbitration matters.
Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas has been extremely active in strategic hiring during 2026, bringing in corporate specialists from competitor firms including Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas to strengthen its practice capabilities. The firm’s future leaders include partners who balance technical legal excellence with commercial awareness, such as those who lead large cross-border deals with expertise in Korean investment and infrastructure work that delivers both technical and service excellence. The firm advises clients across regulated sectors from real estate and infrastructure to finance, demonstrating the versatility required to serve sophisticated corporate clients with diverse needs.
Recent major engagements include advising HDFC on its merger discussions with Max Life Insurance, working alongside Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas which advised Standard Life on the same transaction. The firm’s ability to work on different sides of major transactions demonstrates both the scale of India’s corporate law market and the specialized expertise that different firms bring to complex matters. Shardul Amarchand has also been active in campus recruitment, securing four offers at National Law School of India University and five pre-placement offers, reflecting strong appeal to emerging legal talent.
4. Khaitan & Co
Khaitan & Co holds the distinction of being India’s oldest full-service law firm, founded in 1911 by the late Debi Prasad Khaitan. This century-plus legacy provides the firm with deep institutional knowledge, established client relationships spanning generations, and a reputation for stability and reliability that appeals to conservative corporate clients who value long-term partnerships. The firm has its headquarters in Mumbai with a vast network of twelve hundred legal professionals including three hundred partners and counsel spread across major Indian cities and international locations.
The firm’s practice areas encompass banking and finance where it advises on complex lending transactions and restructurings, capital markets supporting both equity and debt offerings, competition and antitrust work helping clients navigate regulatory approvals and investigations, corporate and commercial matters including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance advisory helping boards fulfill their responsibilities, and sector-specific expertise in areas such as technology, media, intellectual property, and infrastructure. Khaitan & Co is particularly known for its strength in private equity and structured deals, making it a preferred advisor for sophisticated financial investors who require both legal expertise and commercial understanding.
The firm has made significant investments in technology and innovation, recognizing that modern legal practice requires sophisticated tools for research, document management, collaboration, and client service. Khaitan & Co has also emphasized professional development and training, understanding that its century-old heritage will only remain relevant if the firm continuously evolves its capabilities to meet changing client needs and market conditions. The firm’s ability to balance tradition with innovation represents one of its defining characteristics and explains its sustained relevance across different economic cycles and regulatory regimes.
Khaitan & Co regularly appears in league tables and legal directories as a top-tier firm across multiple practice areas, and its lawyers are frequently recognized for individual excellence. The firm serves a diverse client base including multinational corporations, domestic business groups, financial institutions, private equity funds, and government entities. The compensation it offers associates ranks among the highest in the Indian market, reflecting both the quality of work and the firm’s ability to generate premium fees for sophisticated legal services.
5. Trilegal
Trilegal has earned recognition as one of India’s premier full-service law firms, offering end-to-end solutions in complex mergers and acquisitions, corporate matters, and dispute resolution. The firm’s renowned legal team offers capabilities across a whole range of corporate matters including cross-border acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and contentious restructuring transactions. Trilegal possesses particular experience and capabilities in handling acquisitions of distressed assets, an increasingly important area as India’s Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code matures and creates opportunities for acquiring stressed companies at attractive valuations.
The firm is respected for its expertise providing guidance to clients from financial services, energy, insurance, and technology sectors, demonstrating the deep industry knowledge that sophisticated clients demand from their legal advisors. Trilegal’s ability to draw on expertise across capital markets, litigation, tax, banking, and finance practices enables it to advise on corporate matters holistically rather than in isolated silos. This integrated approach ensures that transaction structures reflect not only corporate law considerations but also tax efficiency, financing arrangements, regulatory compliance, and litigation risk mitigation.
The firm consistently undertakes work of considerable value from its offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and New Delhi, handling transactions that shape India’s business landscape and influence regulatory evolution. Trilegal has been particularly active in technology sector transactions, advising on venture capital investments, initial public offerings, mergers between technology companies, and cross-border collaborations. The firm’s understanding of how technology businesses operate and the unique legal issues they face has made it a preferred advisor for both Indian technology companies expanding globally and international technology firms entering India.
Trilegal led recent campus pre-placement offers at National Law School of India University with six offers, demonstrating strong appeal to emerging legal talent and the firm’s commitment to developing the next generation of corporate lawyers. The firm is consistently recognized in compensation surveys as among the highest-paying law firms in India, offering competitive salaries, performance bonuses, and opportunities for international secondments that expose lawyers to global practice standards.
6. JSA (J. Sagar Associates)
JSA Advocates and Solicitors, founded in 1991, has grown into one of India’s leading full-service national law firms with over six hundred legal professionals spread across seven locations including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. The firm has positioned itself as the go-to advisor for the new transformative and digital Indian economy, regularly involved in many first-to-market and complex transactions while playing an integral role in advocacy and policy matters impacting various industries.
JSA has built a reputation for its client-centric approach, quality of service, domain knowledge, and insights across sectors, along with its ability to deliver innovative solutions to complex legal and commercial issues for the benefit of clients. This reputation has resulted in consistent recognition as a top-tier firm for its capabilities and expertise across practices and sectors by leading legal directories, league tables, and industry journals. The firm’s emphasis on innovation and thought leadership has made it particularly attractive to clients in emerging sectors such as fintech, digital platforms, renewable energy, and healthcare technology.
The firm’s practice capabilities span corporate and mergers & acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, capital markets, banking and finance, projects and infrastructure, dispute resolution and arbitration, intellectual property and technology law, competition and antitrust, tax advisory and planning, and regulatory and compliance work across sectors. JSA’s strength lies in understanding how these practice areas intersect and ensuring that client advice reflects comprehensive consideration of all relevant legal dimensions rather than narrow technical interpretations.
Recent notable transactions include advising IDFC First Bank on an eight hundred eighty million dollar fundraising round from Warburg Pincus and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, facilitated through convertible shares that could potentially grant investors a fifteen percent stake in the bank. This transaction demonstrates JSA’s ability to handle complex structured finance transactions that require sophisticated understanding of Indian regulatory requirements, international investor expectations, and financial structuring alternatives.
7. Luthra & Luthra Law Offices
Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India is recognized as a pioneer in commercial legal advice based on deep understanding of clients’ businesses across diverse sectors and jurisdictions. The firm is known for its adeptness at identifying and mitigating risks for clients by providing top-notch legal solutions that combine legal expertise with business acumen. The firm’s fifty-five partners and over three hundred members, spread across New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai, work closely together with clients to find solutions to legal challenges and help them succeed in competitive markets.
The late Rajiv K. Luthra, the firm’s founder and former managing partner, transformed the practice from a single-person firm into one of India’s pre-eminent top-tier corporate law firms. Harry Chawla, the current managing partner, along with the management committee, are dedicated to advancing the firm’s legacy by driving positive changes and ensuring continued success. This commitment to evolution while honoring founding principles creates a culture that balances stability with innovation, tradition with adaptation.
Luthra & Luthra’s practice areas include corporate and mergers & acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, banking and finance, capital markets, dispute resolution and arbitration, tax advisory, intellectual property and technology, competition law, and regulatory work across sectors including infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, and financial services. The firm has developed particular expertise in cross-border transactions where international clients require guidance on Indian regulatory requirements and local clients need support for overseas expansions.
The firm is consistently recognized as among the highest-paying law firms in India, offering compensation packages that include competitive base salaries, performance bonuses, and benefits designed to attract and retain exceptional legal talent. Luthra & Luthra has also invested in professional development programs that help lawyers build not only technical legal skills but also the business development, project management, and client relationship capabilities that distinguish outstanding lawyers from merely competent ones.
8. S&R Associates
S&R Associates has established itself as a respected full-service law firm with particular strength in complex intellectual property disputes and licensing matters. The firm’s capabilities extend across corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, dispute resolution and arbitration, intellectual property, competition law, tax advisory, and regulatory practice. This breadth enables S&R to serve as a comprehensive legal partner for clients who prefer working with a single firm across multiple matters rather than engaging different specialists for each issue.
The firm has developed a reputation for handling sophisticated intellectual property matters that require both technical legal knowledge and understanding of business strategy, technology innovation, and market dynamics. S&R’s intellectual property practice handles patent prosecution and litigation, trademark protection and enforcement, copyright matters, design law, licensing and technology transfer agreements, and intellectual property due diligence for transactions. This expertise has made the firm particularly valuable to clients in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, information technology, media and entertainment, and consumer products where intellectual property represents core business assets.
S&R Associates offers structured onboarding programs, internship-to-associate pathways, and excellent learning environments for young lawyers, making it an attractive destination for legal talent at the beginning of their careers. The firm’s commitment to professional development reflects an understanding that today’s junior associates represent tomorrow’s partners and that investing in talent development creates long-term competitive advantage. The firm regularly appears in legal directory rankings and receives recognition for both firm-level capabilities and individual lawyer excellence.
9. Anand and Anand
Anand and Anand stands as India’s premier intellectual property law firm, remaining the top choice for intellectual property services in 2026. The firm specializes in patents, trademarks, copyrights, design law, and intellectual property litigation, representing clients at national and global forums including the World Intellectual Property Organization and various intellectual property offices worldwide. Anand and Anand is particularly known for innovation in sectors including media, technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and data privacy, where intellectual property protection represents a critical business imperative.
While many full-service corporate law firms have intellectual property practices, Anand and Anand’s singular focus on intellectual property law enables depth of expertise that generalist firms typically cannot match. The firm’s lawyers combine legal training with technical backgrounds in engineering, science, and technology, enabling them to understand complex inventions and innovations at a level that facilitates effective patent prosecution and litigation. This technical competence, combined with legal expertise and strategic business understanding, makes Anand and Anand invaluable for clients whose competitive advantage depends on intellectual property protection.
The firm handles the full spectrum of intellectual property matters including patent applications and prosecution, trademark registration and enforcement, copyright protection, design registration, intellectual property litigation before courts and specialized tribunals, licensing and technology transfer agreements, intellectual property due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, and strategic counseling on intellectual property portfolio management. Anand and Anand’s global reach and relationships with intellectual property firms worldwide enable it to coordinate multi-jurisdictional intellectual property strategies for clients with international operations.
The firm’s client base includes multinational corporations, domestic companies, research institutions, universities, inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs who rely on intellectual property protection to commercialize their innovations. Anand and Anand’s reputation for excellence has made it the preferred intellectual property advisor for many of India’s most innovative companies and international corporations entering the Indian market.
10. Desai & Diwanji
Desai & Diwanji rounds out the top ten as a respected full-service law firm offering structured onboarding, excellent learning environments for young lawyers, and strong capabilities across corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, dispute resolution, tax advisory, and regulatory practice. The firm has built a reputation for combining technical excellence with practical business understanding, helping clients navigate complex legal challenges while keeping focus on business objectives and commercial realities.
The firm’s practice encompasses advising on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments, joint ventures and strategic alliances, corporate restructurings, banking and finance transactions, capital markets offerings, dispute resolution and arbitration, tax planning and advisory, and regulatory compliance across sectors. Desai & Diwanji serves both domestic Indian companies and international clients entering India, providing the local expertise and regulatory knowledge that successful cross-border transactions require.
Desai & Diwanji has emphasized building a collaborative culture where lawyers work across practice groups and offices to deliver integrated solutions rather than operating in isolated silos. This collaborative approach ensures that clients receive advice that reflects comprehensive consideration of all relevant legal dimensions rather than narrow technical interpretations from individual specialists. The firm’s investment in professional development and its reputation as an excellent training ground for young lawyers contribute to its ability to attract and retain exceptional talent in a highly competitive market.
The Evolving Legal Landscape
Several powerful trends are reshaping India’s corporate law market as we move through 2026. Technology adoption is accelerating across leading firms, with artificial intelligence being deployed for legal research, contract review, due diligence, and document automation. Firms that successfully integrate technology into their workflows gain significant efficiency advantages while freeing lawyers to focus on strategic thinking and client counseling rather than routine tasks.
Cross-border work continues expanding as Indian companies pursue international acquisitions and international investors deploy capital into India. This trend requires law firms to develop either global capabilities through office networks or strategic relationships with foreign firms that can provide local expertise in key jurisdictions. The globalization of Indian legal practice creates opportunities for Indian lawyers to work on sophisticated international transactions while exposing them to global practice standards.
Specialization is increasing within firms as practice areas become more complex and clients demand deeper expertise. While full-service capabilities remain important, firms are developing centers of excellence in areas such as technology law, data privacy, insolvency and restructuring, competition law, and environmental regulation. These specialized capabilities differentiate firms and justify premium fees for work requiring exceptional expertise.
Conclusion
India’s corporate law landscape in 2026 represents a mature, sophisticated market characterized by world-class firms that combine deep local expertise with global perspectives and capabilities. The ten firms highlighted in this comprehensive guide demonstrate the diversity of excellence available to clients, from historic institutions like Khaitan & Co with their century-plus legacy to innovative leaders like JSA and Trilegal that are shaping the future of legal practice. Each firm brings unique strengths, distinctive cultures, and proven capabilities that serve different client needs and preferences.
The choice among these leading firms depends on factors including specific practice area requirements, industry sector experience, geographic coverage needs, cultural fit between client and firm, and individual lawyer relationships that often determine satisfaction levels. Corporate clients benefit from a competitive legal market where multiple firms can deliver excellent service, enabling them to select partners based on specific engagement requirements rather than accepting one-size-fits-all solutions.
As India’s economy continues its impressive growth trajectory and the business environment becomes increasingly complex and regulated, the role of outstanding corporate law firms in facilitating transactions, managing risks, and shaping regulatory frameworks will only grow more important. The firms that succeed will be those that combine traditional legal excellence with technological innovation, local expertise with global capabilities, and technical proficiency with the business judgment that helps clients achieve their strategic objectives.
