Ajay Bahl is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AZB & Partners, with over 30 years of M&A experience and a range of clients including leading Indian business houses, multinational corporations and international organizations. He has been described in Chambers Asia Guide Asia’s Leading Lawyers for Business as “a figure who inspires the greatest confidence in his clients”. He has advised on varied M&A related issues including transaction structuring, tax, operational efficiencies and regulatory issues for several major corporate acquisitions, private equity investments and takeovers.
Mr. Bahl’s M&A expertise is strengthened by his background in tax accountancy and litigation. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1978 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, prior to obtaining his law degree in 1985 from the University of Delhi. He has served as an independent expert on behalf of the Government of India on accounting and tax matters before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. He is also known his for successful representation as co-counsel with a leading US law firm in litigations for multinational defendants in the State Supreme Court and the District Courts of New York. Mr. Bahl has conducted a significant arbitration as co-counsel between large US companies.
Mr. Bahl has gained recognition for his ability to lead complex M&A transactions with strong commercial insight and a specialist tax law perspective. The Asia Pacific Legal 500 named Mr. Bahl a leading attorney in the field of M&A and he is recognized by Chambers & Partners for being extremely well respected in India and overseas as an acknowledged point of reference for complex points of law. The Tax Directors Handbook has listed him as one of the “world’s leading tax advisors”, while Chambers Global as well as Chambers Asia Pacific have named him a Star Individual for M&A. He was also named a leading tax attorney by IFLR1000, and recognized as a Leading Lawyer for M&A in 2013 and 2014 by International Who’s Who Legal.
Mr. Bahl’s experience in M&A encompasses various industries and sectors including telecommunications, broadcasting and print media, financial services and information technology. He is respected by, and has established relationships with various industry associations in India. He is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Economic Growth and Investments Council since 2012-13. He has also made a number of presentations and communications to the government of India and its regulatory bodies to clarify and streamline various issues of law and policy affecting mergers and acquisitions in India.
