Khaitan & Co advised TwentySeven Bakehouse, which operates under Urban Gourmet India Private Limited, on its collaboration with Tata Starbucks.

The collaboration involves the introduction and supply of a curated food range across selected Starbucks outlets in Mumbai, including Starbucks Reserve® and coffee experiential stores.

Khaitan & Co provided end-to-end legal support, covering the drafting, negotiation and execution of documents connected with the transaction.

Law firms are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into core legal operations to manage rising caseloads, complex compliance demands, and client expectations.

Platforms like Lawttorney.ai are moving AI from experimentation to everyday legal infrastructure. With over 50,000 users and 1.78 million prompts, the platform has supported thousands of legal drafts and court arguments, delivering measurable time savings and workflow efficiency.

Lawyers report improved accuracy, consistency, and faster turnaround, allowing greater focus on strategy and advocacy.

Emphasising data security and India-specific legal alignment, Lawttorney.ai reflects a broader shift towards AI-enabled, efficient, and future-ready legal practice.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas acted as legal advisor to Shadowfax Technologies and selling shareholder International Finance Corporation for its INR 1,907.27 crore initial public offering (IPO).

JSA Advocates and Solicitors and Linklaters served as domestic and international counsel to the book-running lead managers.

The IPO includes a fresh issue of 8.06 crore shares amounting to INR 1,000 crore and an offer for sale of 7.32 crore shares valued at INR 907.27 crore.

ICICI Securities, Morgan Stanley India Company and JM Financial acted as lead managers.

Wadia Ghandy & Co advised Inspira Global, its promoter, and Lenexis Foodworks on the acquisition of an 11.26 percent equity stake in Restaurant Brands Asia, valued at around ₹460 crore.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised Restaurant Brands Asia and QSR Asia on the transaction.

The existing promoter group, comprising QSR Asia and F&B Asia Ventures (Singapore), exited its controlling interest.

Under the transaction structure, new investors will invest ₹1,500 crore through preferential shares and warrants, resulting in an open offer of up to ₹3,416 crore.

Trilegal and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) advised Pixxel and IN-SPACe on India’s first public-private partnership to design, build, and operate a fully indigenous commercial Earth Observation satellite constellation valued at over ₹1,200 crore, with SAM acting for IIFCL Projects, IN-SPACe’s transaction adviser.

The project will be executed by a consortium comprising Pixxel, SatSure, PierSight and Dhruva Space, which will deploy a 12-satellite constellation over five years using optical, multispectral, hyperspectral and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads.

The system will provide satellite imagery and analytics to commercial, government and strategic customers.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised McDonald’s Corporation on the setting up of its Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad, Telangana.

The GCC is McDonald’s largest office outside the United States and will function as a key hub for business operations, technology, analytics, and artificial intelligence.

The firm provided legal assistance on corporate and regulatory matters, foreign exchange, contracts, technology and intellectual property, employment, taxation, real estate, insurance, and finance.

The Hyderabad GCC will support McDonald’s global innovation initiatives and enterprise operations.

The Delhi High Court expressed concern over the Bar Council of India’s rules prescribing stringent penalties against foreign law firms for alleged unauthorised legal practice.

A Division Bench observed that the punishment provisions appeared “drastically disproportionate” and indicated that either the BCI must amend the rules or the Court may read them down.

The Court emphasised the need for balanced regulation and suggested that the BCI reconsider the penalty framework while ensuring effective oversight of foreign legal practice in India.

The Court also directed the BCI to defer proceedings against the petitioners, originally listed for November 16, and ordered them to furnish the documents sought by the Council.

[Avimukt Dar and Ors v Bar Council of India and Anr.]

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has withdrawn its August 5, 2025, press release and issued a revised notice following developments in the Madras Bar Association case.

The BCI reiterated that partnerships between Indian and foreign law firms, whether through Swiss Vereins, strategic alliances, exclusive referrals, or joint branding, are impermissible without registration under the Advocates Act and the Foreign Lawyers Rules.

BCI cautioned that such tie-ups mislead clients into believing in unified “global” firms unlawfully practising Indian law, and clarified that foreign lawyers may practise only foreign or international law within statutory limits. Show-cause notices have been issued to non-compliant firms. 

Law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas is providing legal counsel to Urban Company (formerly UrbanClap) for its upcoming ₹1,900 crore IPO.

The home services platform aims to list on Indian exchanges, leveraging the growing gig economy and digital service demand. The IPO will include a fresh issue of shares and an offer for sale by existing investors.

This landmark transaction marked the first listing of a home services provider on the Indian stock exchanges. This is also the most oversubscribed IPO among new-age companies in India, with overall demand exceeding 103x, including aggregate QIB demand of over 140x.

AZB & Partners has announced the adoption of Harvey, a generative AI platform, across all its offices. The rollout includes automating tasks like document review, translation, due diligence and other routine legal work.

The firm aims to enhance efficiency and reduce turnaround times, while allowing its lawyers to focus on higher-value, strategic legal matters.

Senior Partner Zia Mody states that this move reflects AZB’s commitment to innovation and maintaining a competitive edge in legal services.

The Delhi High Court recorded the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) decision to withdraw its August 5 press release that had named Dentons Link Legal and CMS IndusLaw over alleged unauthorised collaborations with foreign law firms.

A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted that BCI will issue a fresh release. Meanwhile, the interim order restraining BCI from taking a final decision on the show cause notice to Dentons Link Legal will continue. 

The Court directed BCI to file its counter-affidavit within four weeks, with rejoinder due thereafter.

The Income Tax Department has appealed to the Delhi High Court against an Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) decision that significantly reduced the tax liability of Clifford Chance, a global law firm.

The ITAT had earlier ruled that only a portion of the firm’s India-sourced income was taxable, dismissing the department’s claim of higher dues.

The case revolves around the interpretation of permanent establishment and tax treaties. 

The department argues the ITAT order undermines tax compliance for foreign legal entities. 

[Commissioner of Income Tax (International Taxation) v Clifford Chance Pte Ltd.]

The Delhi High Court has restrained the Bar Council of India (BCI) from deciding on its show-cause notice against Dentons Link Legal over alleged violation of regulations pertaining to the entry of foreign law firms.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela expressed concern that the BCI’s press release naming the firm prior to adjudication was premature.

The Court directed the BCI to reconsider the press release, issued notice to the firm, and listed the matter for further hearing, cautioning that no final decision should be made before then.

Dentons Link Legal has challenged both the notice and the legality of the underlying BCI regulations.

(Atul Sharma v. Bar Council of India)

Milky Mist Dairy Food Ltd has filed its draft red herring prospectus for a ₹2,035 crore IPO, which includes a fresh issue of ₹1,785 crore and a ₹250 crore offer for sale by its promoters. 

Khaitan & Co. is advising the company. TT&A is representing the book running lead managers, JM Financial, Axis Capital, and IIFL Capital Services, while Hogan Lovells is acting as international counsel.

Established in 1997, Milky Mist is a leading dairy brand in India, known for over 150 value-added products like milk, curd, paneer, and cheese.