For any business to run smoothly and prosper unhindered, solving all the corporate, commercial, contractual and regulatory disputes expeditiously is a must. Further, swift contracts’ enforcement is any investor-friendly market’s lifeline. For this purpose, disposing of commercial disputes quickly is imperative. This is where an adept legal counsellor like Udit Mendiratta, Partner of Disputes at Argus Partners, becomes the perfect choice.
A member of the Bar Council of Delhi, Udit is a corporate and commercial disputes lawyer with extensive experience in advising and representing a vast cross-section of Indian and other multinational clients. He has practiced in New Delhi and Mumbai, successfully leading several complex and high-value commercial disputes before various forums.
In representing clients from across the infrastructure, hospitality, real estate, renewable energy, oil and gas, fintech, social media, and other domains, Udit regularly appears before the Supreme Court, the Delhi, Bombay, and other High Courts, arbitral tribunals, in both ad hoc and institutional arbitrations, as well as company courts across the country.
Fostering Commercially Viable Practical Solutions
Udit shares, “Our disputes practice primarily focuses on commercial, contractual and regulatory disputes. While advising our clients, we consider their business objectives and assess litigation’s commercial viability and reputational risks.” Udit and team Argus’ disputes practice contributes effectively in dealing with disputes and preventing potential disputes from affecting their clients’ business. “We aim to provide commercially viable and practical solutions,” adds Udit.
They further advise clients on strategies in ongoing litigation, potential disputes, recovery and enforcement proceedings, arbitration, conciliation and mediation and a host of regulatory matters. Udit, along with the team, handles cases before courts, quasi-judicial authorities as well as tribunals, including the Supreme Court of India, High Courts of various States, District Courts, National Company Law Tribunal, National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, Debts Recovery Tribunal, Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal, National Green Tribunal, the Competition Commission of India, the Appellate Tribunal for Foreign Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, Securities Appellate Tribunal, Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, Appellate Tribunal under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, Labour Courts, Industrial Tribunals and Consumer Forums.
They are also actively engaged in various domestic arbitrations, both ad-hoc and institutional, as well as international commercial arbitration proceedings under the auspices of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and International Chamber of Commerce. “Our expertise in arbitration encompasses shareholder disputes and commercial contracts in the power, automation and engineering sectors,” says Udit.
Globally Reputed Biz-Legal Wisdom
Their services typically include reviewing relevant documents, advising clients on the relevant areas of law, strategizing and proposing courses of action, drafting pleadings and legal documents, representing clients before various forums, and conducting witness actions and arguments. “Besides appearing before the forums, we regularly instruct nationally and internationally reputed counsels for matters before the Supreme Court, High Courts and tribunals,” states Udit.
An alumnus of Amity Law School, New Delhi, Udit joined the bar in 2010. Prior to joining Argus Partners, he worked at Karanjawala & Company, Trilegal (as a Senior Associate) and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM), where he was a counsel. To grow its disputes practice strength, Argus hired Udit at the beginning of the last year.
An Expert Disputes Resolution
In his capacity as Partner in the firm Argus’ Disputes domain, so far, Udit has,
~Advised and represented social media companies in various litigations before various courts, including on issues of intermediary liability, harmful content, privacy, data protection and defamation.
~Advised and represented a multinational Chinese e-commerce, retail and technology company in connection with a dispute arising out of an agreement for setting up data centres in Mumbai.
~Advised and represented a globally renowned hospitality chain in a Mumbai seated ad-hoc arbitration before three retired Supreme Court judges in a dispute arising out of hotel management and operation agreements.
~Advised and represented one of India’s leading e-payments firms in a Mumbai seated ad-hoc arbitration against former employees of the company relating to employee stock options issued by the company.
~Advised and represented an Anglo-Italian multinational helicopter design and manufacturing company in their dispute against the Government of India in an ICC arbitration seated in New Delhi and ancillary arbitration and writ proceedings before the Delhi High Court. The dispute related to an alleged breach of the pre-contract integrity pact and the contract itself, involving allegations of corruption.
~Advised and represented an Indo-Italian SPV in two separate ad-hoc arbitrations before arbitral tribunals comprising of retired Supreme Court judges. The disputes arose out of contracts for the construction and maintenance of a major highway in the state of Maharashtra.
~Advised and represented an Abu Dhabi based international energy and water company in relation to arbitration proceedings arising out of an investment agreement against the Indian shareholders of the investee company.
~Advised and represented a New York based private equity firm in connection with a New York seated arbitration under the American Arbitration Association rules and ancillary proceedings before the Bombay High Court.
~Advised and represented a Hong Kong based investment and alternative asset management firm in connection with various enforcement actions, including a corporate insolvency process initiated against multiple Indian companies before the National Company Law Tribunals in Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad.
~Advised and represented six off-shore banks in relation to insolvency proceedings initiated against an Indian guarantor before the Bombay High Court and National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad, on account of their inability to repay amounts due under debenture trust deeds.
