Archana Balasubramanian

Archana BalasubramanianPartner

“India Business Law Journal” as one of India’s top lawyers and a member of the prestigious A-List for 2022-23.

Through her immersive corporate commercial and transactions law experience of over 17 years, Archana knows the pulse of how to get deals done. Her tactical understanding is sector agnostic. Her wide range of advice includes working with clients involved in sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, media, pharmaceuticals, financial services,shipping, real estate, technology, engineering, infrastructure and health, amongst others.

The foundational value motivating Archana is that client growth and Agama’s growth are two synergistic forces. Clients commend Archana for her result-oriented approach and ability to grasp the commercial impact of legal concerns to advise in the most pragmatic manner as a business partner. She wears the hat of a generalist. The foresight gained from her extensive experience managing commercial disputes also adds value.

Current clients: Listed / Unlisted enterprises, fast growing start-ups, HNI and private clients such as sports players, entrepreneurs including CEOs and owners of SME businesses and family offices.

Range of advice: All legal and regulatory support needed to set up, operate and grow a corporate organisation. This would include, among other aspects, the standardization and negotiation of documents, statutory compliance advisory including employment advisory, corporate advisory, advice on compliance with Companies Act, foreign exchange laws as well as SEBI laws. She also advises clients on dispute strategy and actively provides pre-dispute advisory services for commercial litigation before various courts and tribunals. Private client practice including business advisory, set up of businesses, managing investments abroad or FDI into India, succession and estate planning, endorsement agreements and other similar things for HNI clients.

Focus sectors: Archana has recently advised several logistics companies – global as well as Indian listed entities, in running and managing their existing contracts, creating templates for new business verticals and structuring transactions with clients and vendors. Archana has also been instrumental in developing retail expansion strategies for her clients in healthcare and apparels sectors. End-to-end documentation and diligence support on a pan-India basis was part of these mandates. Other than that, Archana has experience giving advisory services to clients in sectors such as Logistics, Education, IT, Agro and Allied Industry, E-Commerce, Healthcare, Information and Technology, Health and Retail amongst others.

Highlights: Leading with a homegrown diligence and documentation process for enterprises that makes them legally compliant, risk free and self-sustained in the shortest possible timeline is one of the strong suites of Archana’s practice which is focussed on commercial documentation. The use-cases of the cost saving accomplished on this self-grown system are not a few.

Agama routinely advises clients in the business of creation software on data protection agreements with international clients. This includes assistance with transfer impact assessment, assessing internal requirements, reviewing client requirements to check whether they are in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation to ensure full compliance by the client as well as General Data Protection Regulation compliance as a processor. She routinely conducts data privacy compliance sessions for clients and training for inhouse teams in this area.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Archana’s corporate law practice of almost 2 decades is deeply entrenched in understanding the intricacies of transactions, including investments, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, carve outs and various structural collaborations.

Her deep understanding of the risks and challenges associated with M&A and other transactions,complimented by her kaleidoscoping multi-practice perspectives in a sector agnostic manner on business ecosystems, is what has helped her lead on impactful dealmaking. She is skilled at identifying, planning, and implementing effective risk minimization strategies. She offers comprehensive support for M&A transactions, including due diligence, regulatory compliance, deal structuring, documentation, and closing.

Archana has a proven track record of success in M&A transactions. She has been recognized as one of India’s top lawyers by Forbes Legal Powerlist, India Business Law Journal, and Legal Era. She has advised clients on a wide range of deals, including deals in the logistics, healthcare, retail, and technology industries.

Archana’s clients benefit from her deep understanding of the M&A process, her ability to identify and mitigate risks, and her comprehensive support for all aspects of M&A transactions.

Start-up focus: Process-driven, first principles conditioning of the risk management systems of start ups from the get-go starts them off at the right foot on a sustainable long term basis.

Archana takes on end-to-end advisory for start-ups. This would include preparation for funding and structuring of business relationships with clients and vendors as well.

Past experience- She has advised various e-commerce entities – marketplace, sellers as well as service delivery partners in various sectors and ISPs– on their online contracts, terms of use and privacy obligations. Archana and team have also concluded an acquisition of health-tech and fin-tech start-ups through innovative deal structures leveraging maximum benefits for promoters in such deals.

Thought leadership: Archana routinely contributes her views and opinions to various publications including the Economic Times, Business Standard, Money Control, Mint, Financial Express, and the Business Manager HR. She has authored articles on various topics and issues, including disputes, insider trading regulations, corporate social responsibility and prevention of money laundering.

Recognition: Archana has recently been named as One of the finalists under the category ”Woman Lawyer of the Year 2023” by Asian Legal Business India Law Awards, and has been recognised as a Mondaq Thought Leader: Autumn 2022 for Employment and HR in India, Government and Public Sector in India. Archana was previously identified as a “Leading Lawyer in Top 100 Lawyers” by Forbes Legal Powerlist 2022, given “India Business Law Journal” as one of India’s top lawyers and a member of the prestigious A-List for 2022-23, given “Women in Law 2022” award for Corporate Law by Legal Era, India Rising Star Award (2021) by Asian Legal Business. Archana was previously identified as one of “The 30 Influential Business Leaders in 2017” by Insights Success Magazine. Archana was shortlisted for “Women Lawyer of the Year” by ALB India Law Awards 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.