India Inc taps law firms' pros to make legal their strong suit

Mumbai: India Inc is increasingly hiring senior lawyers from top law firms to lead in-house legal teams, as regulatory pressures and business risks grow more complex.

This trend signals a shift in corporate priorities, with companies seeking leaders who bring not only deep legal expertise but also a strong command over strategy, risk management, and business operations. Law firms are becoming prime talent pools, as companies prefer to hire from them rather than from industry peers, to bolster internal legal capabilities.

"For leadership roles, tier-1 law firm experience is often viewed as a strong marker of technical depth, rigour and pedigree," said Karl Fernandes, senior partner and head of corporate practice group at Vahura, an executive search and consulting firm, while confirming an increase in such demand from companies.


"Many Indian corporates and MNCs explicitly seek out partners or senior counsel from firms like AZB & Partners, Khaitan & Co, Trilegal, SAM & Co (Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas), and CAM (Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas)," added Fernandes.

Recent appointments underscore the trend. Last month, Vishwanath Pratap Singh joined Bharti Enterprises as head of corporate legal from CAM.

In February, ArcelorMittal India named Heena Singh to head its legal team; she came from TT&A.

In January, Anjali Menon Malhotra, a former partner at SAM & Co, took over as head of legal at UPL Speciality Chemicals.

The same month, Luthra & Luthra's Sabrina Afroze became general counsel-India at BrightNight.

Shama Gupta, executive director at global executive search and advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates, said while legal and regulatory acumen remain foundational, companies are increasingly seeking general counsel with expertise in emerging areas such as intellectual property and data, artificial intelligence, and ESG, among others.

"Many companies are realising that their legal leadership structures are no longer built for long-term resilience. Historically, GCs were promoted internally based on tenure and legal excellence. Now, organisations are casting a wider net, prioritising leadership capability and cross-functional expertise over pure legal pedigree," said Gupta.

Last year, JSW appointed Ananya Sharma as group general counsel, and Tata Sons tapped Siddharth Paranjpe as senior legal counsel - both previously partners at AZB & Partners. "At least in 15-20% of hiring, especially in middle management, experience in law firms has become a prerequisite," said Ritambara Vasudeva, regional director at executive search firm Michael Page. "This is specifically higher for MNCs and sectors that have niche practice areas at law firms like projects, real estate, banking and TMT (telecom, media and technology)."

Such roles carry hefty packages, with base compensation ranging from ₹ 1.2 crore to more than Rs 3 crore, depending on company size and complexity, said executive search professionals. "Our interactions with CEOs and boards in their approach to hiring legal heads have shown a transition to viewing legal departments as strategic assets, and business partners, which is a shift driven from the top down," said Shivani Desai, chief executive officer at BDO Executive Search Services.