Sawant Singh
Co-founding Partner
Mumbai
He is hailed for being "very strong technically and at the same time very pragmatic" and for "his attention to detail, promptness in advice and documentation.
Sawant’s areas of expertise include private equity, project finance, securitisation, asset reconstruction, consortium banking, domestic and external commercial borrowings and debt restructuring. He also advises clients on a host of corporate and commercial, labor/employment and real estate issues including inbound and outbound foreign investment, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.
Sawant’s services have been widely recognized and he is known for having a "great reputation” in the market. According to Asialaw Profiles, Sawant "is highly respected by peers and much acclaimed by clients” and according to Chambers and Partners, Sawant "has great clarity of thought and varied exposure, and handles very big transactions with ease”. He also has been referred to, by Chambers & Partners, as one of India’s most in-demand banking practitioners and has been listed in the ‘A-List: India’s Top 100 Lawyers’ by the Indian Business Law Journal.
Clients praise him for his "solution-focused and practical approach" in addition to his "very calm demeanor, which is a huge plus in high stakes negotiations". They admire him for being "accessible, smart and quick in his responses" and for being "able to see the commercial aspects of the matter". Chambers and Partners has also certified Sawant as "Highly recommended as a leading lawyer in ‘Banking and Finance’ and ‘Projects, Infrastructure & Energy’". According to them Sawant is described as "a very good corporate lawyer", as being "a very well-regarded lawyer on the banking side," and a "project finance veteran".
- Suburban Diagnostics (India) Private Limited, a leading healthcare company involved in the business of establishing, maintaining, running and managing diagnostic centres, radiology centres, cardiology centres, and centers for providing preventive health check-ups on their acquisition by Dr. Lal Pathlabs Limited.
- Advised Oricon on the sale of its plastics packaging business to Manjushree Technopack.
- Citibank, devising and successfully implementing India’s first revolving securitisation for working capital loans.
- IFMR Capital, structured the world’s first multi-originator securitisation issuance with the underlying pool being micro-loans.
- Sanctum Wealth Management on the management buy-out of the Indian private banking and wealth management business of the Royal Bank of Scotland, including assistance with obtaining approvals under the Competition Act, 2002.
- Deutsche Mutual Fund on the acquisition of its mutual fund schemes and portfolios under management by Pramerica Mutual Fund, including assistance with obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals under the SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations, 1996, the SEBI (Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 1993 and the Competition Act, 2002.
- Advised clients such as the Hilti Group, J.P. Morgan, Paypal, Deutsche Bank, Mizuho Bank, Australia and New Zealand Bank, Messe Frankfurt, MoneyGram, KCG Holdings Inc. and RuderFinn on various issues relating to employment laws.
- Sojitz, on a USD 40 million joint venture (including equity infusion, credit support, exclusive supply arrangement and technical services) with the Archean Group to set up and operate a marine chemicals plant.
- Legal500 2026 - Ranked as a Recommended Lawyer for Banking & Finance, Corporate and M&A, PE Funds, Real Estate & Constructions.
- Recognized as an ICON in The A-List: India’s Top 100 Lawyers 2026 by the Indian Business Law Journal.
- Chambers Asia Pacific 2026 – Ranked as a Leading Lawyer for Banking and Finance.
- Recognised by IFLR1000 2025 as a Highly Regarded in Banking.
- Recognised by Asialaw 2025 as a Distinguished Practitioner in Banking and finance and Infrastructure.
- Recognised among India’s Super 50 Lawyers 2025 by Asian Legal Business.
- Lexology Client Choice Awards 2024 – Winner.
- Who’s Who Legal (2024) – Recognized as a Thought Leader for India’s Banking sector.
- Who’s Who Legal (2022) – Recommended for Project Finance, described as “very well regarded” with “deep knowledge on a wide range of project finance matters.
- Legal Era - Legal Media Group (2022) – Ranked among Leading Lawyers.
- Who’s Who Legal (2022) – Recognized as a Thought Leader in Banking, noted for expertise in debt restructuring, private equity deals, and complex finance transactions.
- Asialaw Leading Lawyers (2022) – Recommended as a Distinguished Practitioner in Banking & Finance.
- IFLR1000 – Recognized as a Highly Regarded lawyer for Banking and Project Finance.
- The A-List: India’s Top 100 Lawyers – Recognized by Indian Business Law Journal.
- Chambers & Partners – Consistently ranked for Banking & Finance and Projects, Infrastructure & Energy.
- AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers Survey – Recognized as a Market-Leading Lawyer in Banking & Finance, Project & Infrastructure.
- IFLR1000 – Recognized as a Notable Practitioner in Banking & Finance.
- AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers Survey – Recognized as one of the most highly recommended lawyers in Project Finance and Labour & Employment.
- Asialaw Profiles (2020) – Recognized as a Distinguished Practitioner in Banking & Finance.
Testimonials:
Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific:
- Sawant Singh advises a range of prominent foreign and domestic banks on project and real estate finance, as well as regulatory issues. A source reports that "Sawant is the go-to person for tactical solutions" and "always makes himself available" Banking & Finance, Chambers and Partners.
- “Described by peers as "a very good corporate lawyer," Sawant Singh has considerable experience in power and renewable energy – Projects, Infrastructure & Energy.
- Sawant is described by one market observer as "quite active, " and the same source notes that he has been "in this space for a long time, so he is quite experienced. " – Banking and Finance.
- Described by peers as "a very good corporate lawyer," Sawant Singh has considerable experience in power and renewable energy.
- Sawant has been consistently ranked for Banking and Finance and Projects, Infrastructure and Energy practice.
- "Sawant Singh is hailed for being "very strong technically and at the same time very pragmatic" and for "his attention to detail, promptness in advice and documentation." He is experienced advising on a wide range of finance matters, spanning from cross-border lending to project finance.
- "Sawant Singh is a project financing practitioner who has garnered a significant reputation acting for major lenders across the region. He has notable experience advising on the financing and refinancing of power and renewable energy projects.
Legal500 :
- “Sawant Singh is always at hand to provide clients with quality and practical solutions. His pleasant interactive style is a big positive.” – Labour & Employment.
- “Recognized by clients and peers as one of the top financing lawyers in India, he impresses clients with his ability to make difficult transactions seem simple and provides first-class advice.” – Corporate & M&A.
Who’s Who Legal (2019) – “A Recommended Global Leader in Project Finance, praised for clear and quick responses, clarity of thought, and ability to provide great solutions while understanding commercial rationales.”
RSG Consulting (2019) – Recommended in Corporate M&A and Banking/Finance, applauded for “sound and firm legal advice” and “providing solutions to complex legal problems.
Asialaw Leading Lawyers Survey (2019) – Recognized for “prompt response, good knowledge of the financial services industry, and clean, crisp, accurate advice.”
