Ashima Obhan
Recognitions
Harish Doraiswamy, the Vice President of Pearson India Education Services and a person we have worked with on multiple transactions, had the following to say about our team:"
The A List contains a mention of the work done by the Firm for Penguin Random House and the recommendations of their senior manager and head of legal which we are setting out below:
Ashima Obhan
Senior Partner, Obhan & Associates
Ashima Obhan is the Senior Partner at Obhan & Associates, ranked among India’s leading firms. She heads the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) practice and co-chairs the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) practice. She is ranked Band 1 for TMT: Media & Entertainment by Chambers Asia-Pacific, and has also been recognised by Asian Legal Business as “one of India’s top TMT / Fintech Lawyers.”
She is an integral pillar of the firm, which is regarded as “a reputed source of high-quality legal solutions for clients from across India and abroad,” and that “offers prompt, effective advice, and aids prominent businesses with everything from managing large portfolios to prosecution, licensing and contentious proceedings.” Clients especially appreciate her for having “built a committed team that is willing to do what it takes to meet aggressive deadlines.”
The firm’s highly experienced corporate law and M&A practice, under Ashima’s leadership, provides a broad range of transactional and advisory services to institutions and entrepreneurs alike, as well as public and private companies. The team, which is equipped to handle corporate transactions across sectors, prides itself on building personal relationships with its clients, and providing responsive services tailored to meet specific client needs. Clients have particularly noted the “simply fantastic” ensemble, and the firm’s culture where “all members of staff ensure that each and every issue is treated with individual care and consideration”.
Ashima’s extensive experience ranges across joint ventures, M&As and private equity transactions, including domestic and cross border deals involving assets or share sales, option arrangements, international joint venture transactions and group re-organisations. Ashima represents both sellers and buyers in complex transactions across business sectors. She has advised various multinational corporations and private equity funds in relation to foreign investment into India as well as outbound investments. She has advised clients across varied sectors, with a focus on fintech, renewable energy, EV, media, publishing, education and information technology.
The practice led by Ashima is acknowledged for working “fast, competently and efficiently” and has been routinely lauded for being “exceptional”, “very responsive”, “reliable”, “a good staff of people”, who are dedicated, hard-working and have a meticulous thought process.
Ashima has been consistently recognised over her career across leading directories, including:
- Legal 500: Recommended Lawyer since 2023
- IFLR 1000: Leading Lawyer – Notable Practitioner since 2023
- India Business Law Journal: The A list of India’s top 100 lawyers since 2024
- Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: Asia Pacific: Highly Commended for ‘Private Practice (Individual) Generational Inclusion Lawyer, 2020
- Chambers Asia Pacific: Ranked among the most established and respected names in private practice since 2008
- Chamber Asia: Ranked as Notable Practitioner in the Corporate/M&A and TMT practices since 2022
Besides its headquarters in New Delhi, Ashima’s team also works out of offices in Pune and Bengaluru, where it services clients in high-tech and start-up ecosystems. The firm’s corporate team is complemented by a robust IP and litigation teams, which helps the firm offer holistic services, and take on high-stakes contentious and transactional mandates across domains.
Ashima joined the firm in 2011 after more than seven years’ experience at another leading law firm in India. She is a member of the Bar Council of Delhi, and has written and commented extensively on foreign investment, company law, and TMT issues. She has co-authored Data Protection Laws Demystified (Oakbridge, New Delhi: 2019), on issues of privacy and protection of personal and confidential data. She has also spearheaded the firm’s efforts on corporate social responsibility, pro bono advisory, and the promotion of artists and support of underprivileged children, which was recognised by Legal 500 (2022).
On 11th October 2019, Obhan & Associates organized the book launch party of ‘Data Protection Laws Demystified’ at the Delhi Gymkhana Club. The book is co-authored by the Firm’s Senior Partner, Ms. Ashima Obhan, who heads the Corporate and M&A team. The other co-authors of the book are Ms. Anghrija Chakraborty, who is currently the Associate Director; R&D, Operations and Enabling Functions Compliance Business Partner at Astra Zeneca and Mr. Amar Kumar Sundaram, Head of Legal at Royal Bank of Scotland. The book is published by OakBridge Publishing Private Limited.
This book comes at a time of impending sweeping changes in policy and tactical challenges in the field of data protection, privacy and cyber security. As the world moves towards an increasingly digital, and internet and AI driven model, there are rapid and sea-changes in the privacy, data protection and cyber security legislations. Governments and policymakers are scampering to catch up. Due to this growth and change, it is expected that there will be rapid changes both in legislation as well as in policy. Read more
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