Ashok Lalwani, Global Chair of Baker McKenzie's India Practice, was named among the top India Desk Lawyers at the Legal Era Global Achievers Awards 2022, in recognition for his legal finesse, innovation and contributions to the development of the legal profession as well as making India a business-friendly destination.
The award recognizes lawyers who understand the nuances of local laws, cross-regional legal interplay, and cultural differences in practices in multiple jurisdictions while demonstrating a firm grip over international standards and procedures. It showcases lawyers who understand the challenges of doing business in Asia, are well versed with how businesses and legal systems operate in geographies outside Asia, and can skillfully weave in legal compliance and pragmatic decision-making advisory. Winners were selected based on submissions received, market review, peer review, as well as voting from the in-house counsel. This year, Legal Era received around 150 nominations with 35 lawyers ultimately chosen for this prestigious list.
Ashok has more than 25 years of experience handling Indian transactions – both inbound and outbound – for clients in various industries. During the assessment process, one of the panel judges noted that "Ashok has been one of the finest lawyers to work on cross-border transactions. He is an expert on capital markets practice and has been handling India-focused transactions for more than a decade."
Under Ashok's leadership, the Firm has been regularly selected at industry awards and publications as the top foreign law firm for India-related work.
With sustainability at the core of Baker McKenzie's global strategy for the coming decade, the Firm continues to explore ways to make meaningful contributions to the community, including most recently hosting the Indian Preparatory Meeting of the World Congress on Justice with Children in March 2021, where leaders, learners, experts and advocates for child rights in India came together to debate and brainstorm. Key findings from this gathering were submitted to the UN for their consideration. The Firm also ran a fundraiser dubbed "Baker McKenzie for India" last March when the second wave of COVID-19 hit India, and successfully raised a total of USD 100,000 to purchase medical supplies in various government hospitals in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujrat, as well as in villages and towns in rural India.