MUMBAI: As India’s real estate market becomes more institutionalized and deal-making grows complex, developers are enhancing their in-house legal teams to manage various challenges from land acquisition to insolvency transactions.
Experts note that this hiring trend reflects significant changes in the industry’s operational strategies.
Recently, several prominent developers have appointed new legal leaders. Arvind SmartSpaces, part of the Lalbhai Group, recruited Tarpit Patni from Godrej Properties to oversee its legal operations. Godrej Properties, in turn, appointed Astha Punjabi, formerly general counsel at BPTP, as the legal head for its northern zone.
Hero Realty has brought Sachin Sharma on board as chief legal advisor, while Anant Raj has appointed Arun Kumar from Jaypee Infratech to head its legal team. Monika Dhingra joined DLF last year as executive vice-president of legal from ReNew.
According to Jyoti Bowen Nath, managing partner at Claricent Partners, companies now expect general counsels to act as strategic advisors, assessing risks and participating in key business decisions. “Previously, the functional role focused mainly on contracts, land acquisition, due diligence, and litigation management,” she explained. “Now, boards prefer legal heads who can engage directly in negotiations for REIT structures or M&A term sheets, rather than reviewing them post-factum.”
A recent report by KPMG and Ficci, ‘Reimagining India’s Real Estate Landscape’, anticipates that the country’s real estate market will grow to $650 billion by 2025 and reach $1 trillion by 2030.
Shweta Sheth, a partner at Vahura, pointed out differing approaches among promoter-led and fund-led companies as they expand their legal departments.
“Promoter-led firms are establishing roles such as head of litigation and land acquisitions that report to a group general counsel, thereby building leadership teams,” she said. “On the other hand, private equity firms are hiring specialists and deputy general counsels to navigate complex legal and regulatory risks as their project portfolios stretch across locations and governance requirements tighten.”
This hiring boom isn’t isolated to in-house legal teams; law firms are also recruiting talent from within the real estate sector. For instance, Abhilash Pillai from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has joined Trilegal, while Veeral Vakharia from AZB & Partners is now with Stratage Law, and Farhana Merchant Malik from JSA Advocates has moved to Dentons Link Legal in its real estate practice in Mumbai.
Sajit Suvarna, deputy managing partner at DSK Legal, noted that the real estate sector is evolving into a more organized environment driven by significant capital, making legal planning essential for business strategy. Clients now seek lawyers with in-depth industry expertise integrated into their organizations.
“While developers, investors, and similar stakeholders strengthen their internal legal teams, they continue to rely on specialized law firms for major deals, complex transactions, and intricate disputes,” Suvarna added.
