New Delhi: With the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) due to come into force on 15 July, international law firms are positioning themselves to capitalise on what they expect will be a surge in cross-border transactions, investments and disputes between the two countries.
Rather than rushing to open offices in India, many are instead expanding dedicated India desks and strengthening partnerships with Indian law firms, a model they say sits comfortably within the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) evolving regulatory framework.
Among the firms to most recently launch a dedicated India desk is London-based Child & Child, a commercial law firm known for advising on high-value international property transactions.
In May, the firm entered into a formal partnership with Mumbai-based Solicis Lex while simultaneously launching its India desk, aimed at serving clients investing between India and the United Kingdom.
“The India-UK corridor is one of the most exciting investment stories in the world right now,” said Gaurav Anarkat, India Desk Lead at Child & Child.
He said the firm has seen growing demand not only from Indian businesses and high-net-worth individuals investing in London, but increasingly from UK investors and the British-Indian diaspora deploying capital into India, particularly in real estate and growth businesses.
The India-UK FTA is expected to accelerate that trend, he said.
“As tariff and market-access barriers fall, more UK companies will build Indian operations and more Indian businesses will invest into the UK – and every one of those journeys needs corporate, real estate, regulatory and financing advice on both sides,” Anarkat said.
He added that easier movement of professionals under the agreement would simplify cross-border business, while a rise in transactions would inevitably translate into more disputes and arbitration work.
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC), an international law firm headquartered in London, has also formalised its India practice this year, appointing dual-qualified lawyer Ankit Goyal as head of its India Desk based in Singapore.
According to Goyal, the decision was driven less by regulatory changes in India than by the increasing internationalisation of Indian businesses.
“India’s position as a core priority market” and the growing international footprint of Indian companies had prompted the firm to invest further in the market, he said.
Indian companies are expanding across multiple jurisdictions while multinational clients increasingly have operations, investments and supply chains linked to India, creating greater demand for advice on international disputes, arbitration, insurance, regulatory matters and other cross-border issues.
“The formal creation of the India Desk is building upon the considerable work undertaken by colleagues across the firm over a sustained period,” Goyal said.
He added that the desk is intended to better coordinate India-related work across RPC’s international offices and deepen relationships with Indian clients and law firms.
Amended rules
The growing number of India desks reflects a broader strategy adopted by international firms.
Rather than immediately seeking a physical presence in India, firms are expanding overseas teams focused on India-linked transactions, disputes and regulatory work while relying on collaborations with Indian law firms for domestic law advice.
The trend of dedicated India desks comes against the backdrop of the BCI’s Rules for Registration and Regulation of Foreign Lawyers and Foreign Law Firms, first notified in 2023 and substantially amended in 2025.
The framework allows registered foreign lawyers and law firms to advise on foreign law, international legal issues and international arbitration matters in India on the basis of reciprocity, while continuing to prohibit them from practising Indian law or appearing before Indian courts and tribunals.
The amended rules also introduced a formal registration mechanism and additional compliance requirements, including No Objection Certificates from the Ministries of Law & Justice and External Affairs before registration is granted.
The emergence of dedicated India desks also comes after more than a decade of lobbying by UK legal bodies for greater access to the Indian market.
The Law Society of England and Wales has repeatedly argued that India’s restrictions on foreign lawyers have unfairly forced much India-related work to be handled from London, Singapore and other international hubs.
Even after the UK-India FTA was agreed without legal services provisions, the society described the omission as “a missed opportunity” for market access, while welcoming the Bar Council of India’s incremental regulatory reforms.
The difficulty of registration under BCI rules has often been cited as a factor preventing foreign law firms from establishing a physical presence in India.
Lalit Bhasin, who heads the industry body Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF), told ThePrint that “no law firms have come here [under the BCI rules], except one or two”.
Even so, neither Child & Child nor RPC sees the regulatory framework as the principal driver of its India strategy.
“The BCI Rules represent an important step in providing a framework within which foreign law firms may engage with the Indian market,” Goyal said.
“That said, our current focus is not on establishing a physical presence in India and RPC’s India strategy is not driven by the regulatory framework. It is driven by the growing international footprint of Indian businesses and the increasing volume of cross-border work involving India.”
Anarkat similarly described the rules as “a pragmatic and welcome step”, saying they recognise the commercial reality that cross-border transactions often require advice on English or other foreign laws while preserving the role of Indian lawyers in domestic matters.
“The restrictions are clear, and rightly so; the real value is being able to engage with the Indian market openly and visibly,” he said.
Both firms emphasised that the future lies in collaboration rather than competition with Indian law firms.
“Indian law firms bring an exceptional understanding of Indian law, regulation and the local commercial landscape,” Goyal said. “RPC complements that by advising on the international dimensions of a matter, whether that involves English law, Singapore law or other foreign law issues.”
He added that RPC views Indian firms “not simply as referral partners, but as long-term collaborators”, arguing that as cross-border transactions and disputes become more sophisticated, combining local expertise with international capabilities will become increasingly important.
Anarkat echoed that view, saying Child & Child works alongside Indian lawyers on matters involving Indian law while handling the English law and international aspects of transactions.
“It is a genuinely complementary relationship that benefits clients and builds capability on both sides,” he said.
Industry observers say dedicated India desks have emerged as a relatively low-risk way for international firms to deepen engagement with the Indian market without testing the limits of India’s regulatory framework.
Typically based in legal and financial hubs such as London, Singapore and Dubai, the teams coordinate India-related work, maintain relationships with Indian firms, and advise multinational clients on the foreign law aspects of India-linked transactions.
Whether the India-UK FTA produces the anticipated surge in cross-border work remains to be seen.
But for now, international firms appear to be betting that dedicated India desks, rather than full-scale Indian offices, offer the most practical way to capture growing India-linked work while remaining within the contours of the BCI’s regulatory framework.
Sahaj Sankaran is a TPSJ alum, currently interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also read: India-UK FTA to kick in on 15 July. What gets cheaper & how Indian exporters stand to benefit