Nilanjan Sen
INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT LAW ADVISORY, INTERNATIONAL LITIGATION & ADR PRACTICE
Nilanjan Sen is an experienced lawyer with a long history in the profession spanning over three generations of legal professionals. He practices litigation in multiple jurisdictions including Calcutta High Court, Delhi High Court, Supreme Court of India as well as other Tribunals. Nilanjan is an expert in Commercial Litigation and Arbitrations. He completed his LL.M. from Leiden Law School in the Netherlands specializing in Investment Treaty Arbitrations and International Commercial Arbitrations and additionally also has expertise in Dutch and European commercial laws. He has experience handling multiple institutional as well as individual cases in diverse branches of law such as corporate law, consumer, civil, criminal law, environmental and constitutional Law.
He regularly advises clients on commercial contracts ranging from formation to insolvency, pre-dispute settlement strategies as well as on the formation of trusts, securing business licenses from Governments, agreements relating to capital funding, employment for startups among other matters.
Nilanjan has represented and holds a clientele comprising of Fortune India 500 companies and leading Indian as well as International corporations including the Government of India. Over the course of his practise, he has had the honour of being appointed Special Officer by the Calcutta High Court (Court of Appeal) on multiple occasions, for purposes ranging from conducting seizure of premises, to taking evidence upon administering oath by virtue of the Court having conferred upon him the powers of a territorial court of first instance under India’s Civil Procedure Code of 1908. Along with his legal practice, he is an academician delivering lectures and holding workshops for students in leading Indian universities.
Debolina Sen Hirani
INDIA LITIGATION PRACTICE & ADR
With over a decade of experience in litigation before various courts and tribunals in India, Debolina brings to Seven Seas Partners LLP, specialisation in litigation as well as advisory service in a wide array of Indian laws such as Company Law, Employment & Labour, Family Law and Writs amongst others. She has over the years, represented various Large & Small Corporations as well as State Governments and multiple individual clients.
Sahil Sharma
TAX LITIGATION
Sahil is a seasoned lawyer with a distinguished legacy of legal expertise spanning four generations. His dual qualification as a Chartered Accountant brings added depth and value to his legal expertise in taxation laws. He has a rich professional background, having worked with prestigious law firms and Big 4 firms. He practices income tax litigation, and he appears before various quasi-judicial and judicial bodies, including Appellate Tribunals, High Courts, and the Supreme Court of India.
Sahil’s extensive experience encompasses the handling of income tax assessments and disputes particularly in areas such as corporate tax, international tax, and transfer pricing. He also represents clients in economic offenses disputes. Furthermore, Sahil serves as a counsel for search and seizure assessment matters, demonstrating his comprehensive understanding of tax law.
In addition to his litigation practice, Sahil offers valuable counsel to clients on transactional deals, tax treaty interpretations, transfer pricing due diligence, and structuring assignments. He is well-versed in alternate dispute resolution mechanisms and has successfully negotiated advance pricing agreements for multinational clients.
Beyond his corporate practice, Sahil extends his legal expertise to serve various NGOs and not-for-profit organizations, assisting them with registrations, contracts and income tax exemption claims.
Sahil’s involvement in the field of taxation goes beyond being a practitioner; he is also an avid contributor to tax journals. His notable accomplishment as a co-contributor to the treatise on taxpayer rights, titled “Deciphering the Indian Charter,” published by Oakbridge, was honored with the SKOCH Literature Award, underscoring its significant impact on the field of taxpayer rights.
Kriti Chawla
TAX & TRANSFER PRICING ADVISORY
Kriti is a Chartered Accountant and a Company Secretary, bringing in over a decade of professional experience to the realm of corporate and international tax advisory. An alumni of King’s College London, she completed LL.M. in International Tax Law in 2015. With a background rooted in Big 4 consulting firms and Tier 1 tax law firms, she has established a reputation providing expert tax guidance for diverse clientele.
Currently, Kriti serves as a Partner with Bharti Chawla & Co., a chartered accountancy firm in Delhi. Her professional focus extends to compliance, advisory, and transaction due diligence in corporate and international tax matters. She is also an ‘Expert Member’ of the Direct Taxes Committee, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
Beyond her role as a tax advisor, Kriti holds the esteemed position of Associate Professor for Law of Taxation at Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), O.P. Jindal Global University. In addition, she serves as the Director of the Centre for Comparative and International Taxation (CCIT), the tax research centre under the aegis of JGLS.
Kriti’s passion for international tax is evident through her prolific writing and research contributions. Her research papers on international tax and transfer pricing have garnered acclaim, earning publication in various prestigious tax publications and forums. Kriti is also recognized for her active participation as a speaker at tax events and global seminars.
As a past ‘Special-Invitee Member’ of the Committee on International Taxation, ICAI, she had made significant contributions to the field of international taxation through several noteworthy publications, including ‘Taxation of Non-Residents,’ ‘Basics of International Taxation,’ etc. Her academic pursuits are exemplified by her co-authorship with Dr. Girish Ahuja and Dr. Ravi Gupta on the book ‘Principles of Taxation Law.’ This comprehensive work offers a thorough exploration of direct, indirect, and international tax concepts, all approached from an Indian standpoint.
Soumyadeep Bera
TAX & TRANSFER PRICING (U.S. & LATIN AMERICA)
Soumyadeep is a highly accomplished lawyer and international tax professional specializing in direct tax laws in India and the U.S. With an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington DC, and a wealth of experience in India and the United States, Soumyadeep has become a seasoned professional in international tax planning, compliance, and transfer pricing.
His extensive background includes working with a top-tier tax consultancy firm in India, specializing in transfer pricing controversy projects and as a former transfer pricing and international tax consultant with Ernst and Young US LLP (“EY”) in Boston. Soumyadeep excels in developing strategic tax planning solutions for multinational corporations, ensuring compliance with complex international tax laws. Soumyadeep is an expert at creating robust transfer pricing documentation that stands up to scrutiny. His involvement in drafting and negotiating APAs with the IRS adds a strategic dimension to his expertise, facilitating international tax compliance for businesses. He is also extremely proficient in conducting thorough economic and financial analyses which in turn empowers his Clients in making informed decisions in the ever-evolving global tax landscape.
Soumyadeep is an active member of various legal and tax associations such as IBFD in the Netherlands, fostering connections with like-minded professionals and staying at the forefront of industry developments. Continuously driven by a passion for excellence,
Soumyadeep aspires to further expand his influence in the field of international tax, helping businesses navigate the complexities of global taxation.
Sumeir Ahjua
TAX & TRANSFER PRICING (E.U.)
An international taxation and transfer pricing expert who has had the distinction of being associated with one of the top law firms in India on this subject of law, Sumeir brings with him experience of working with many established corporate houses in this area of specialization.
Sumeir completed his masters in International Tax Law from Leiden University and upon his return to India, has over the years successfully developed his clientele, which represents multiple top tier entities.
Apart from lawyering, he is passionate about contributing to developing the jurisprudence on this branch of law and in his journey, has partnered with Industry top names to contribute to several research projects and tax policy prescriptions including one titled, “Removing roadblocks in taxing business income in the digital era”, that has earned him the appreciation of the Director General, taxation and Customs for the EU Commission.
Shantanu Kanade
CORPORATE LAW – M&A
Shantanu is an India-qualified lawyer with over seven years of work experience across practice areas and jurisdictions. His practice focuses on domestic and international arbitration (commercial as well as investor-state), public international law, commercial litigation and corporate M&A transactions. He is an LLB from Hidayatullah National Law University and holds an MA in Diplomacy, Law and Business from O.P. Jindal Global University and an advanced masters (LLM) in International Dispute Settlement and Arbitration from Leiden University.
His work experience in international dispute resolution includes projects in the international arbitration practices of global law firms based in Rotterdam, as well that with a renowned think-tank based in Brussels. Notable among his achievements in this field is the recognition of his contribution to editing a book titled ‘International Arbitration and EU Law’ published by Edward Elgar in March 2021.
Apart from the above, Shantanu is also an experienced transactional lawyer having worked extensively with a law firm based in Mumbai, where he advised clients across a range of sectors with M&A transactions, formation of investment funds and formulating pre-litigation strategy for post- M&A disputes.
Shantanu is also a Lecturer at Jindal Global Law School and an Adjunct Lecturer at Maharashtra National Law University (Mumbai).
Over the years, he has delivered lectures in several law schools in the capacity of a guest lecturer on a range of topics across fields including public international law, international arbitration and corporate laws.
Saamir Raketla
CORPORATE LAW – M&A
Saamir is a transactional lawyer with particular expertise in Private Equity, Venture capital and General Capital Advisory. He routinely advises client on the sell side and the buy side of transactions and is also proficient with foreign exchange laws and compliance to facilitate cross border deals.
Saamir regularly advises and assists startups in setting up business in India as well as, extensively advises them in their issues surrounding compliance and capital funding.
Among his accomplishments, he has had extensive experience in enabling a Venture Capital to invest in the Healthcare Sector of India.
Harshita Verma
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Harshita is a civil litigation lawyer with core expertise in the field of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Arbitration, Mergers and Amalgamations, and Competition Law.
She is a Bcom (Hons) graduate from the prestigious Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and has graduated in Law from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University.
Harshita has extensive experience in IP Law, including trademark, copyright and patent. She provides strategic guidance on IP portfolio management, registration and enforcement. She also advises various companies in myriad company law matters relating to insolvency and bankruptcy, oppression and mismanagement, contractual disputes, among others.
She caters to diverse clientele that includes Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and multinational companies. Her representation spans various Indian courts, including the Supreme Court of India, Delhi High Court, National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), and various district courts in Delhi.
Shubhamay Dutta
SPACE LAW & INTERNATIONAL AVIATION
Shubhamay is an India-qualified lawyer, presently based out of Mumbai. A Leiden University alumni, he completed his Advanced LL.M in Air and Space Law.
Shubhamay is extremely passionate about Aviation and Outer Space. His love for airplanes and spacecraft from childhood days culminated into his inspiration to carve a niche for himself in the aviation and outer space sector. He is presently associated as Research Assistant with the ‘’Center for Research in Air and Space Law”’ (CRASL) run by “Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai’’ (MNLU) and is involved in various research activities including but not limited to Airport Governance in India, Arbitrability of Space Disputes and Exploring the Space Start-up Ecosystem in India.
Prior to joining Leiden University, Shubhamay has had experience in Domestic Litigation in India. Based out of Mumbai, He was majorly involved in commercial and civil dispute resolution. He has also worked on several white-collar crime matters. Shubhamay has appeared before various courts and tribunals in Mumbai ranging from the Magistrate’s Court to the Bombay High Court.
Shubhamay is currently working on assisting companies and startups from across the world to rise and shine in the global platform in the areas of aviation and outer space.