Sameena Chatrapathy

Sameena Chatrapathy has been with the Firm since its inception and co-heads the Firm’s Chennai office. She has been a lead member of the Corporate and Transactional Team assisting and advising domestic and foreign clients through the life span of transactions and has led on some of the highest valued transactions in healthcare, energy and information technology sectors. Over the last decade, she has worked on several Private Equity and M&A transactions, both in India and overseas and has also facilitated raising of debt funding from banking and financial institutions for corporates in the healthcare and life sciences space.

She has spearheaded setting up of the Real Estate Practise at the Firm’s Chennai office. She has been involved in servicing a wide array of matters ranging from title opinions to joint development projects, to aggregation and township projects, to statutory compliances including RERA and advises private clients in securing title and ownership to family owned and inherited properties. She has drawn from her knowledge and experience in the corporate and transactional space in the last decade and weaved it into the real estate work that she undertakes, thereby providing Clients with a wholesome approach to any transaction, irrespective of the complexity.

Sameena, in her experience of over 15 years, has worked with some of the most well-known names including Biocon, Strides, Aster DM Healthcare, Eastern Condiments, Chaitanya Builders Group, Urban Tree, GSquare and Omnivore Partners as well as worked with financial institutions such as HDFC and Reliance.

Personally, on account of her interest in women’s rights and experience in investigation of allegations of sexual harassment, Sameena has pioneered the Firm’s initiative to bring establishments in India in compliance with the sexual harassment laws, being a key member on the internal committees of several domestic entities.ACCOLADES:

 Awarded by Business World Legal World as the Winner of 40 under 40 for the year 2022 - https://bwlegalworld.businessworld.in/article/Winners-Of-The-Third-Edition-Of-BW-Legal-World-40-Under-40-Awards-Announced-/12-12-2022-457645/
 Ranked in Chambers and Partners in Band 2 Corporate and Commercial under Asia Pacific region for the year 2022-2023 - https://chambers.com/legal-rankings/corporate-commercial-chennai-india-8:3405:110:1
 Awarded the India’s Rising Star of the year 2022 by ALB India Law awards. - https://www.legalbusinessonline.com/features/alb-india-rising-stars-2022
 Listed by “Forbes Legal Powerlist as – Top Individual Lawyers in India (in the above 10 years’ experience segment)” 2020-2021 - https://www.forbesindia.com/legalpowerlist2021/winners-2021.php
 Rated as ‘highest rated lawyers to work with’ by Asialaw Client Service Excellence for 2 years in a row, in 2020 and 2021. 2020 - https://www.asialaw.com/NewsAndAnalysis/asialaw-client-service-excellence-2020-the-highest-rated-lawyers-to-work-with/Index/581 and 2021.
 Ranked by Asia Law Profiles as “Notable Practitioner” for Private Equity for 2022 – 2023
 Ranked as Notable Practitioner in IFLR 1000 for the year 2022 and 2023.
 Shortlisted as a finalist by Asian Legal Business Awards for the category of “Young Lawyer of the Year – Law Firm
 Listed by “Forbes Legal Powerlist as – Top Individual Lawyers in India (in the above 10 years’ experience segment)” 2020-2021.
 Awarded the India’s Rising Star of the year 2022 by ALB India Law awards.
 Rated as ‘highest rated lawyers to work with’ by Asialaw Client Service Excellence for 2 years in a row, in 2020 and 2021.
 Shortlisted as a finalist by Asian Legal Business Awards for the category of “Young Lawyer of the Year – Law Firm”.

RECENT TRANSACTION HIGHLIGHTS

• Represented Eastern Condiments and Meeran Family in its acquisition by Orkla, through its wholly owned subsidiary MTR Foods Private Limited (MTR). MTR had purchased 41.8% ownership stake in Eastern from members of the Meeran family and 26% stake from McCormick Ingredients SE Asia in Eastern. The purchase price for the transaction was valued Eastern at INR 2,000 crore on a debt and cash free basis.
• Legal counsel for Aquaconnect in its various equity and debt raise, including the latest investment in 2022 of USD 15 Million from new and existing investors.
• Represented India Quotient with respect to their various primary and secondary legs of the transaction, including their latest fund raise in 2022, in Sugar Cosmetics.
• Legal counsel to Premji Invest & Celesta Capital for their investment in Questt.
• Represent Ecozen in its various round of fund raises including the fund raises in 2022 from Dare Ventures (investment arm of Coromandel International) and Nuveen.
• Represented Dare Ventures (investment arm of Coromandel International) with respect to their investment in Daksha Unmanned Systems.
• Represented Volansys and its Promoters in its 100% sale to the Alten Group at USD 26 Million
• Represented Symbio Generrics in its fund raise by Ascent Capital, and consequent two strategic acquisitions of pharmaceutical manufacturing units by way of business transfer and share purchase respectively.
• Represented Karuna Ventures and the Promoter Group in the INR 200 Cr debt raise from Barclays.
• Represented Omnivore in the largest exit which AgriTech space has witnessed from Eruvaka Technologies pursuant to acquisition from Nutreco International B.V.,

• Corporate and M&A
• Private equity
• Labour and employment
• Regulatory

• Real estate
• Pharmaceuticals and life sciences
• Technology and telecommunications
• Media and entertainment
• Consumer goods and services

• Enrolled with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, 1243/2007 (Batch of 2007)

• Indo-Japanese Chamber of Commerce.
• Women’s Leadership Network.
• Independent and External Member of Internal Committee established by several leading companies in accordance with Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

• B.A.B.L. (Hons.), School of Excellence in Law, The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University
• Masters in International Commercial Law, UK – LLM