India’s top lawyers, law firms, law schools named in the first-ever Legal Powerlist, organised by Forbes & Legitquest

By LE Staff

New Delhi, April 1: The country’s top lawyers, law firms and law schools have been enlisted in the ‘Legal Powerlist 2020’ — the first-ever listing of top-notch stakeholders of India’s legal fraternity — at a grand virtual event organised on Wednesday by Forbes India and Legitquest. 

Forbes India had last year joined hands with Legitquest, India’s highly efficient AI-based legal research database, for the ‘Forbes India Legal Powerlist 2020’. The first edition of the Legal Powerlist identified and felicitated lawyers who exemplify distinction, quality service delivery and demonstrate superior leadership, reputation and profile as Indian lawyers.

The ‘Legal Powerlist 2020’ involved six categories and 40 practice areas — including a separate listing of lawyers with less than 10 years experience — from various private and public institutions drawn from different sectors in India being nominated, shortlisted through a stringent jury process and felicitated at a grand virtual event in the presence of an august gathering of some of the most prominent and powerful names in the legal profession.

The six main categories were —  Top Individual Lawyers, Top Managing Partners, Top General Counsels, Top In-House Counsels, Top Law Firms and Top Law Schools.

The jury members who selected the finalists from a large number of applications were — Justice A K Sikri (former Judge, Supreme Court of India; International Judge of Singapore International Commercial Court), Justice M B Lokur (former Judge, Supreme Court of India; International Judge of Fiji Supreme Court); Dr V Vijayakumar (Vice Chancellor, NLIU, Bhopal), Dr Faizan Mustafa (Vice Chancellor, NALSAR, Hyderabad), Dr V C Vivekanandan (Vice Chancellor, HNLU, Raipur), Dr Amar Kumar Pandey (IPS; PhD in Law from NLSIU, Bangalore); Mr R Venkatramani (Senior Advocate; former member, Law Commission of India); Mr Sidharth Luthra (Senior Advocate; former ASG of India); Ms Aishwarya Bhati (Senior Advocate; Additional Solicitor General of India); Dr Menaka Guruswamy (Senior Advocate); Mr Sajan Poovayya (Senior Advocate); Mr Gopal Sankaranarayanan (Senior Advocate); Mr Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Co-founder, Info Edge India); Mr Manish Kheterpal (Founder & Managing Partner, WaterBridge Ventures).

The registration process seeking nominations from lawyers, law firms and law schools started in November 2020 and the final names selected after perusal of all applications and deliberations by the jury members were announced on March 31, 2021. 

Legitquest is one of India’s most efficient, comprehensive, accurate and current AI-based legal research database with a 1-click judgement insight system — iDRAF (Issue, Decision, Reasoning, Arguments, Facts of judgements) —that has helped thousands of lawyers save precious time by gaining useful insights quickly. 

Legitquest being the domain expert set the parameters for drawing entries from individual legal firms and individual lawyers to participate and nominate themselves for this recognition. Forbes India helped in amplifying the campaign with an eclectic mix of TV and digital programming.

Here is the List of Winners that made it to the Legal Powerlist 2020.