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Rising tensions in West Asia are now beginning to reshape India’s IPO market, with more companies reportedly considering confidential filings for their stock market debut as uncertainty grips global financial markets. Investment bankers and legal experts have said that a growing number of IPO-bound firms are now exploring the confidential filing route with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) instead of going through the traditional public filing process. “Given that there is a lot of business uncertainty arising from the West Asia crisis, this additional time is an important benefit for IPO bound companies,” Pracheta Bhattacharya, partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. “Additionally, companies in niche sectors or the technology-led businesses do not want to reveal confidential performance metrics at the DRHP stage, with limited deal certainty. For them, it’s making perfect sense to go for the confidential route,” he added. Read more

Rising fuel costs have intensified pressure on commuters and transport operators, especially as taxi and auto unions across Delhi-NCR launched strikes demanding fare revisions. The report notes that recent fuel price increases have already impacted household budgets and transportation expenses, while global crude oil volatility and geopolitical tensions continue to keep fuel markets uncertain. The situation has renewed focus on inflation, public transport costs and urban mobility challenges. “Recurrent increases in fuel prices have a broad-based impact across sectors, particularly in infrastructure and other fuel-intensive industries, materially affecting both commercial arrangements and operational performance. Sustained escalation in fuel costs may render existing contractual arrangements commercially impracticable or economically unsustainable,” said Poonam Verma Sengupta, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. She added that sectors such as aviation, transport, manufacturing, FMCG and construction could face higher costs, margin pressure and contract renegotiations if fuel prices continue rising. Read more

Amidst business uncertainty from the West Asia conflict, more companies are choosing confidential IPO filings to protect sensitive information and gain a longer preparation window. This trend is particularly noted in sectors like pharma, fintech, and healthcare, where maintaining competitive advantage and managing regulatory challenges are crucial. “Given that there is a lot of business uncertainty arising from the West Asia crisis, this additional time is an important benefit for IPO bound companies,” said Pracheta Bhattacharya, partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. “Additionally, companies in niche sectors or the technology-led businesses do not want to reveal confidential performance metrics at the DRHP stage, with limited deal certainty. For them, it’s making perfect sense to go for the confidential route.” Read more

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Sebi’s April concession allowing IPO-bound companies to cut fresh issue sizes by up to 50% without refiling documents has found few takers, as issuers treat valuation alignment as the only variable worth managing. “We have not seen issuers exploring this option as of now,” said Sourav Modi, partner at law firm JSA. “Indian markets have an appetite for deals which match their pricing expectations. We have seen big-ticket InvITs (Infrastructure Investment Trusts), Reits (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and IPOs being massively oversubscribed in the last four weeks, and none of them reduced their size by more than 20%,” he explained. Read more

Senior lawyers are departing top Indian law firms for faster leadership opportunities, prompting firms to hire experienced professionals to strengthen key practices. This trend reflects a shift from traditional loyalty, with firms adjusting leadership structures and succession plans to remain competitive in high-demand legal areas. Read more

This story also appeared on ET HR World

Senior lawyers are leaving top law firms for better leadership roles at rivals, driven by limited growth opportunities. This trend is reshaping the legal industry, with firms focusing on cultural alignment and strategic hiring to expand in high-demand areas. The movement is expected to persist as firms adjust leadership and succession plans. However, firms are careful while choosing partners from rivals. “For us, cultural alignment is probably the most important consideration when hiring lateral partners and their teams,” said Vivek Chandy, Joint Managing Partner at JSA Advocates. “As a result, only about one in four such discussions ultimately translates into onboarding.” Read more

This story also appeared online and on Newspoint by TOI

As per the new labour code rules, the Code on Wages (Central) Rules, the number of hours constituting a normal working day for an employee whose wage period is not on a daily basis shall be fixed in such a way that the total weekly working hours do not exceed 48 hours. Sajai Singh, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors said that this provision for four-day workweek should not be considered a “mandatory provision as it is merely an option, allowing employers flexibility.” As per Singh, employers may allow a four-day workweek, so long as certain conditions are met. Read more

The notification of rules under the Labour Codes marks the transition of India’s labour law overhaul from legislation to implementation, with experts pointing to likely changes in wage structures, workplace processes and compliance systems as states begin aligning their own rules. Sajai Singh, Partner at JSA Advocates & Solicitors, said several aspects of the Labour Codes framework would still depend on state-level notifications and implementation mechanisms. According to Singh, states will need to notify revised minimum wage structures based on the new wage definition, while unified systems such as single registration, single licence and single return mechanisms would require enabling state-level digital infrastructure. He also said occupational safety and health compliance standards, social security schemes for gig and platform workers, and web-enabled inspection systems under the “Inspector-cum-Facilitator” framework would require state-specific rules and procedures. Read more

The new labour code offers an optional four-day work week with conditions, including a 12-hour workday to meet a 48-hour weekly limit. It suits sectors like IT and marketing but poses challenges for industries like healthcare. Employee consent is essential, and overtime pay is required for extra hours. Conditions for four day work-week with three days rest Sajai Singh, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors said to ET Wealth Online that this provision for four days work week under the new labour code rules (central) should not be considered a mandatory provision as it is merely an option, allowing employers flexibility. Singh says: “Charitable organisations, and support functions could also consider this new work week.” According to Singh, companies operating in areas like hospitals, healthcare, hospitality, retail, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, etc. would have a challenge in introducing a 4-day work week. “Many of these industries restrict the working day of employees exposed to certain working conditions and that cannot be changed to 12 hours a day, as it may have a harmful effect on the individual worker”, said Sajai Singh, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. Read more

This story also appeared in The Economic Times-HR World

The article stresses building a robust internal response system—pre-assigning roles, ensuring all communication is routed through legal teams, and maintaining detailed real-time records of officers’ actions and seized materials. This documentation becomes crucial for challenging procedural violations later. It also underlines that while companies must cooperate with lawful investigations, they retain important rights. These include verifying officials’ credentials, asserting legal privilege, and relying on constitutional protections like the right to privacy established in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India. Overall, the key message is that effective defence is not improvised during a raid but built in advance through preparation, legal awareness, and disciplined response protocols. According to Amar Gupta, joint managing partner of JSA in New Delhi, this point “has significant implications for internal investigation materials, strategy documents and compliance assessments generated by in-house teams”. Gupta, who founded the firm’s disputes practice, says a compliance function designed entirely around in-house counsel provides no privilege protection under Indian law. Read more

Registering properties in a mother’s name offers financial benefits, including reduced stamp duty and tax advantages. Joint ownership can enhance loan eligibility and tax deductions. Proper documentation and estate planning, such as Wills, are essential to prevent disputes. Developers also provide special offers for women-led property ownership. “In the absence of proper structuring, such arrangements can give rise to inheritance disputes among legal heirs, particularly when expectations are not clearly documented. From a legal standpoint, the structure can work effectively as part of estate planning, provided it is supported by a clearly drafted Will in accordance with applicable succession laws,” cautions Brijita Prakash, partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors. Read more

Indian IT firms are increasingly engaging in legal battles over trade secrets and employee movement as growth slows and AI adoption rises. Key disputes involve major companies like Infosys and Wipro. The focus is on protecting proprietary knowledge and client relationships, with US courts often preferred for their stricter enforcement of non-compete agreements. Gerald (Jerry) Manoharan, Partner, JSA Advocates and Solicitors, said Indian IT is becoming more aggressive in pursuing legal action as it views talent movement and client-facing employee exits as direct competitive risks rather than routine attrition.“The perceived threat is that the movement of senior employees and their teams means the transition of customers to the competition. With senior employees often accessing confidential data, pricing strategies, delivery models, and key customer relationships, companies are seeking to deter alleged misuse of trade secrets and organised talent poaching by rivals. There is also a growing emphasis on enforcing contractual obligations and signalling stronger protection of business know-how and client relationships,” he said. Read more

This story also appeared online.