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For more than a decade, Covington has worked to establish an India practice and has been involved in a number of significant matters in India. We have represented U.S., European and Indian clients on a variety of India-related projects, including mergers and acquisitions, project financings, joint ventures and other corporate matters, trade and regulatory matters, and investigations. Our lawyers have also been involved in international arbitrations on behalf of and against Indian parties.
Covington’s practice is distinctive in that our clients include an even mix of major Indian companies and companies based in the U.S. and Europe; we do not focus exclusively on in-bound transactions. Our experience in representing Indian clients has given us unique insights and access to senior decision-makers in India’s largest and most prestigious companies. That experience and understanding of the Indian business and regulatory environment, together with the close relationships we have developed, enable us to provide timely, practical and effective advice on India-related matters for all our clients.
Our practice has enabled us to work with a number of leading India-based law firms, and we have developed close working relationships with India's most distinguished law firms giving our clients resources in all of the major cities in India, such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata (Calcutta), among others. These prestigious firms have practices that cover a number of areas, including arbitration and litigation; banking; capital markets; corporate and commercial; investment funds; information technology; infrastructure and project finance; intellectual property; labor and employment; real estate; tax and trade. Covington works with these firms on a number of client matters and is well positioned to provide seamless advice on matters that require both a U.S./European legal perspective and an Indian legal perspective.
Covington’s India practice is also distinctive in that we often advise clients on matters of public policy relating to India. Our advice and representation in this area covers matters of international trade and investment, foreign assistance, intellectual property rights, trade controls, and competition law. This aspect of the practice draws on our offices around the world, as well as alliances we have developed with international consulting firms and public policy firms that have deep experience in India.
Famy Care Sale of Women’s Health Business
Represented Famy Care Limited in its $750 million sale of its women's health business to Mylan Laboratories Limited.
LightBridge Communications in Cross-Border Acquisition
Represented Lightbridge Communications in its $240 million acquisition by Tech Mahindra Ltd.
Formation of the Indian Super League
Advised Football Sports Development on the formation of the Indian Super League (ISL).
The Walt Disney Company in CrossBorder Acquisition
Represented The Walt Disney Company in its $455 million acquisition of India's UTV Software Communications Limited, an integrated media and entertainment company involved in broadcasting, motion pictures, games content, interactive, and television content.
ICICI Bank in a $1.7 billion structured financing
ICICI Bank Limited, India’s second largest bank, as the lender in a $1.7 billion structured financing for an affiliate of an India-based multinational company.
Illumina in $1.2 Billion Deal with Pacific Biosciences
Represented Illumina, Inc. in its announced $1.2 billion acquisition of Pacific Biosciences and its novel Single Molecule, Real Time (SMRT®) technology, which provides high accuracy, ultra-long reads for full genome sequencing. The acquisition complements Illumina sequencing solutions with accurate long read sequencing capabilities to answer a set of complex genomic questions.
Telecommunications Infrastructure in India
Reliance Infocomm Limited in connection with its $750 million financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States and Export Development Canada, the proceeds of which were used to assist Reliance Infocomm in building a state of the art telecommunications infrastructure for India.
Indian Pharmaceutical Facility Projects
AXIS Bank Limited, India’s third largest bank, as lead arranger for $180 million in project finance supporting a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Gujarat and a pharmaceutical research and development center in Mumbai.
India Refinery Expansion Project
Advised the lenders to the expansion of a refinery in India.
Balkrishna Industries, Ltd. Patent Litigation
Representation of Balkrishna Industries Ltd. and its affiliates BKT Tires, Inc. and BKT USA, Inc. in litigation against Bridgestone Brands, LLC and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC concerning alleged patent infringement, trademark infringement and unfair competition issues in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
March 25, 2020
WASHINGTON—India Business Law Journal has named Ralph Voltmer to its 2020 “International A-list.” The list consists of the world’s top 100 India-focused lawyers at international law firms. Mr. Voltmer, chair of Covington’s India Practice and a partner in the firm’s corporate group, has been active in India for 20 years, working with companies such as Reliance ...
December 13, 2019, Inside Privacy
More than a year after the Government of India’s Committee of Experts released a draft Personal Data Protection Bill in July 2018 (the “2018 draft”), India is one step closer to passing a comprehensive data privacy law. On December 11, 2019, India’s Minister for Electronics and Information Technology introduced an updated draft of Personal Data...… Continue ...
April 15, 2019
WASHINGTON—India Business Law Journal has named Ralph Voltmer to its “International A-list.” The list consists of the world’s top 100 India-focused lawyers at international law firms. Mr. Voltmer, chair of the firm’s India Practice, advises clients in cross-border transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and financings. ...
September 12, 2018, Inside Privacy
Key Provisions in India’s Draft Personal Data Bill This post is a follow-up to our earlier post on the release of India’s draft personal data protection bill. In this post, we go into greater detail about the bill’s provisions and flag issues for companies worldwide that may process data in India or provide goods or...… Continue Reading
July 30, 2018, Global Policy Watch
On July 27, 2018, the Government of India’s Committee of Experts released a draft Protection of Personal Data Bill. Together with an accompanying report, the draft bill moves India one step closer towards enacting a comprehensive data protection regime. Last year, the Supreme Court of India issued a landmark decision holding that privacy is a...… Continue Reading
July 30, 2018, Inside Privacy
On July 27, 2018, the Government of India’s Committee of Experts released a draft Protection of Personal Data Bill. Together with an accompanying report, the draft bill moves India one step closer towards enacting a comprehensive data protection regime. Last year, the Supreme Court of India issued a landmark decision holding that privacy is a...… Continue Reading
Second dispute under Bangladesh accord settles
January 23, 2018, Global Arbitration Review
Fashion brand settles claim under Bangladesh accord
December 18, 2017, Global Arbitration Review
October 16, 2017, Global Arbitration Review
April 13, 2017, Global Policy Watch
India is home to 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world as documented by the World Health Organization (WHO). Half of Delhi’s 4.4 million children have permanent lung damage that they will never fully recover from. The 2017 State of Global Air report, published by the Health Effects Institute, shows that air...… Continue Reading
January 30, 2017
WASHINGTON—Covington represented India-based Piramal Enterprises and its wholly owned Critical Care subsidiary in the UK in its agreement to acquire a portfolio of intrathecal spasticity and pain management drugs from Mallinckrodt LLC. The purchase price was $171 million, plus an earn-out of up to an additional $32 million. This is the third acquisition that ...
October 21, 2016
WASHINGTON—Covington represented India-based Piramal Enterprises and its wholly owned Critical Care subsidiary in the UK in the acquisition of five anesthesia and pain management injectable products from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, in an all cash deal for an upfront consideration of US$155 million, and up to an additional US$20 million. The products to be acquired ...
Covington secures DOJ declination for AB InBev
August 30, 2016, Global Investigations Review
Global Investigations Review highlights Covington’s role in helping AB InBev secure a declination notice from the U.S. Department of Justice in an FCPA investigation regarding the company’s business partners in India. The Covington team was led by Steven Fagell, who worked with Lanny Breuer, Jason Criss, and Benjamin Haley on the matter.
UK Votes to Leave the EU
June 24, 2016, Covington Alert
The UK has voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. 52% leave - 48% remain. Were the UK to leave the EU, this would have significant implications for the UK and for international businesses operating in the UK. The longer term impact of the decision on the regulatory framework for the UK will depend, in part, on the relationship that the UK ...
January 28, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC - Law360 has named six Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts Insurance International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports
November 18, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2015 - The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the eighth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 400 major US businesses that ...
September 15, 2015, Global Policy Watch
In the midst of questions about how China’s economic health will impact Africa, the foreign ministers of China and South Africa have announced that the sixth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be upgraded to a summit. Nearly a decade after the first China-Africa Leaders summit which was held in Beijing, this...… Continue Reading
Covington’s arbitration app
July 23, 2015, Global Arbitration Review
A piece on our new arbitration app quoting Marney Cheek and Jeremy Wilson and mentioning William Lowery’s and Catherine Karia’s roles in developing the app.
June 11, 2015, Global Policy Watch
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his tenure at the helm of one of the world’s fastest growing economies, he made it a priority to attract foreign investors to continue India’s economic growth. However, just one year after assuming office, Prime Minister Modi and his administration must confront the concerns of foreign investors, following the...… ...
June 11, 2015, Global Policy Watch
On June 3, 2015, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar signed a 10-year defense framework agreement during Secretary Carter’s 10-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region, which included a stop in India. This framework agreement comes at a time when the United States and its allies are stepping up defense...… Continue ...
June 2, 2015, Global Policy Watch
In the wake of the April 2, 2015 announcement that the P5+1 countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany), together with the European Union had reached agreement with Iran on the parameters of a deal in which Iran would curtail its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from the...… Continue Reading
India’s Investment Treaties – Will the Government Reject a Core Standard of Investment Protection?
May 18, 2015, Global Policy Watch
Almost all of the more than 3,000 bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in existence offer foreign investors the protection of “fair and equitable treatment” under international law. India’s new draft model BIT does not. In place of the well-established standard of protection, which has been interpreted and applied in hundreds of prior investment arbitrations, ...
May 15, 2015, Global Policy Watch
Despite recent improvements in India’s economic stability, the hangover from India’s credit fueled boom isn’t over yet. Estimates of the percentage of bank loans that are “impaired” — where repayment of the loan is classified as doubtful — run as high as 9%. Following the global financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, India joined countries...… Continue Reading
May 11, 2015, Global Policy Watch
Growth in India’s insurance market has been hampered by a lack of capital, and also a lack of consumer demand. The two problems are related: with the market still dominated by large, government-linked companies, insurance products have not always been effectively promoted by stakeholders. This in turn has left individuals and small businesses unaware of...… ...
May 5, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC, May 5, 2015 — Covington and Tatva Legal are hosting the Third Annual India-U.S. Defense and Security Forum on Wednesday, May 6 at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. Coming on the heels of President Obama and Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to deepen their countries’ bi-lateral defense relationship, this landmark forum will focus on the ...
May 5, 2015, Global Policy Watch
Net neutrality has become a hot button issue, not only in the United States, but worldwide. Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the content’s source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites. Supporters of net neutrality worry that ...
August 1, 2014, Law360
John Veroneau is quoted in this article regarding the news that WTO members have failed to convince a group of developing countries led by India to budge from their demands that enactment of a trade facilitation agreement over agricultural subsidies run in parallel with efforts to shield their domestic food security programs from legal challenges: “The fact ...
August 26, 2011, Inside Privacy
By Dan Cooper and Helena Marttila On 24th of August 2011, the Government of India’s Ministry of Communications & Information Technology finally issued clarification on the application of the 2011 Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules (the “Rules”). As we blogged here, much ambiguity ...
June 2, 2011, Inside Privacy
By Helena Marttila This April, the Indian government quietly passed the 2011 Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules (the “Rules”). Among other things, the Rules require written consent for the processing of “sensitive personal information” in India and that organizations processing ...
11/20/2008
WASHINGTON, DC, November 20, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that both Chambers Asia 2009 and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific have recognized the firm’s India practice. This is the first time that Covington has been included in either guide for that region. Chambers Asia 2009 recognizes Covington in the Overseas Counsel - Corporate & Finance ...
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