Some of India’s leading law firms are making a beeline for the UAE in search of a pie in the $3.5-billion legal services market. The country, which has of late emerged as a gateway to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, has positioned itself as a prominent financial and logistical centre for global enterprises, resulting in a heightened demand for various legal services, including corporate, commercial, dispute resolution, and tax advisory practices.
Currently the Arabic nation has top firms like Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) which set up an office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market finance city in 2024, Kochar & Co which has been there for some years, and mid-sized firms including AKS Partners, Goswami & Nigam, Singularity Legal, and Parin Legal. This year several top names including Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM), Khaitan & Co and Luthra & Luthra are also planning to enter the booming market.
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Pallavi Shroff, managing partner of SAM, said the firm is “in an early exploratory phase” and is scouting for tie-ups with local law firms in the UAE which are domain specialists. What is making it easier for these firms is that even seasoned lawyers from India are willing to relocate to the UAE. “The UAE is gradually modernising its legal system, allowing more foreign lawyers to practice in certain areas,” Shroff said, adding that “the region offers a high standard of living, world-class infrastructure, safety, and a cosmopolitan environment, making it an attractive destination for Indian lawyers”.
The significant improvement in bilateral ties between the UAE and India is also a big draw. Santanu Ghosh, a senior partner with ANB and also managing partner of Lex Ensemble FZ, a UAE-based boutique firm, said, “I am inundated by queries from venture capitalists, portfolio management companies and mutual funds from India wanting to enter the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).” According to rough estimates, a fifth of lawyers in UAE firms are Indians. Indian lawyers are employed by both foreign and local law firms in the UAE and also as in-house general counsels with companies.
Post the G20 summit held in India in 2023, big Indian companies like Reliance Industries, Adani Group, Larsen & Toubro (L&T),
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