Corporate Lawyers in Ahmedabad — M&A, Private Equity & Companies Act
for companies across India.
Candour Legal advises promoters, boards, founders and investors on the transactions and decisions that shape companies — acquisitions, private equity investment, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, governance and Companies Act compliance. The corporate team works from Ahmedabad with offices in Mumbai and New Delhi, and a GIFT City practice for cross-border structures.
Who we act for
Gujarat’s corporate economy is built on promoter-led and family-owned businesses, and much of our corporate work starts there — succession-conscious restructurings, first institutional fundraises, and sales to strategic buyers. Alongside them we act for startups and their investors, mid-size companies acquiring or being acquired, and Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies that need board-level counsel on the ground.
The same team handles the disputes that corporate life produces. When a shareholder arrangement breaks down, the matter moves to our NCLT practice without a handover to another firm.
What we handle
Eight core workstreams, from term sheet to closing — and after.
Mergers & acquisitions
Share purchases, asset and business transfers, and slump sales — structuring the deal, running legal due diligence, drafting and negotiating the SPA and transaction documents, and managing conditions precedent through closing. We flag the tax, stamp duty and approval consequences of each structure before you commit to it.
Private equity & venture capital
Acting for companies, founders and investors on funding rounds — term sheets, shareholders’ agreements, share subscription agreements, CCPS terms, anti-dilution, RoFR, drag-along and tag-along provisions, and exit mechanics. We negotiate from your side of the table, whichever side that is.
Joint ventures & shareholder arrangements
JV agreements and shareholders’ agreements that anticipate the hard questions — governance and veto matters, deadlock resolution, transfer restrictions, non-compete boundaries and exit routes — drafted so they hold up when the relationship is tested.
Companies Act advisory
Day-to-day advice under the Companies Act, 2013 — board and shareholder processes, related-party transactions under Section 188, loans and investments under Sections 185 and 186, deposits, charges, and ROC filings — coordinated with your company secretary.
Corporate governance & board advisory
Advising boards, audit committees and independent directors on fiduciary duties, conflicts, disclosures and board processes — including the difficult single questions that arrive before a board meeting and need an answer the same day.
Commercial contracts
Master service agreements, supply and distribution arrangements, franchising, licensing and vendor contracts — drafted and negotiated against Indian contract, stamp and enforcement realities. For high-volume needs, we build contract playbooks under our Managed Legal retainer.
Corporate restructuring
Mergers, demergers and schemes of arrangement under Sections 230 to 232 — scheme design, valuation and regulatory interfaces, tribunal process before the NCLT, and implementation after sanction.
Founder & shareholder disputes
Deadlocks, exclusion from management, exit and valuation disputes — advised commercially first, and litigated where necessary through our oppression and mismanagement practice before the NCLT.
How a transaction runs
The typical sequence for an acquisition or investment round.
We test the structure — share deal, asset deal, or scheme — against tax, stamp duty, approvals and liability, and negotiate the term sheet so the leverage is set early.
Legal diligence on title, contracts, licences, employment, litigation and compliance — reported by exception, so the findings you read are the ones that affect price or terms.
SPA, SHA and ancillary documents drafted and negotiated — representations, warranties, indemnities, conditions precedent and closing mechanics.
Approvals, third-party consents and filings managed against a closing checklist; funds flow and share transfers completed with the corporate actions to match.
ROC and regulatory filings, board reconstitution, employment transitions and integration contracts — the part that is forgotten most often, and litigated most often when it is.
Why Candour Legal for corporate work
Ahmedabad head office, with clients across the state’s promoter-led businesses and manufacturers — and a GIFT City practice where cross-border structures need it.
The lawyers who draft your shareholders’ agreement sit beside the ones who litigate them at the NCLT. The drafting is better for it.
We act for founders and for investors, buyers and sellers. Knowing the counterparty’s standard positions shortens every negotiation.
Transaction work on agreed fee structures, and ongoing corporate support available on a monthly retainer through Managed Legal — one invoice, no hourly surprises.
Frequently Asked Questions
What clients ask our corporate team — answered directly.
What does a corporate lawyer actually do?
Corporate lawyers advise companies, boards and shareholders on transactions and compliance — buying and selling companies, raising investment, structuring joint ventures, drafting shareholder and commercial agreements, and keeping the company on the right side of the Companies Act, 2013. The measure of the work is practical: deals that close on defensible terms, and documents that hold up when tested.
Should we incorporate as a Private Limited Company or an LLP?
For businesses seeking institutional investment, a Private Limited Company is the standard structure — LLPs cannot issue equity to VC or PE investors in the conventional sense. LLPs suit professional practices and closely-held businesses with no fundraising plans. The tax treatment and governance obligations differ, and converting later is possible but has costs. We advise on the choice against your actual plans.
What is a shareholders’ agreement and do we need one?
A shareholders’ agreement (SHA) governs the relationship between a company’s shareholders — board composition, veto matters, transfer restrictions, exit rights, deadlock resolution and what happens when a founder leaves. If a company has more than one shareholder, it needs one; the articles of association alone rarely cover the situations that actually cause disputes. Provisions should also be reflected in the articles to strengthen enforceability.
What does legal due diligence cover in an acquisition?
Corporate records and capitalisation, title to shares and assets, material contracts and change-of-control clauses, licences and regulatory compliance, employment and ESOP terms, litigation and disputes, related-party arrangements, and intellectual property. A good diligence report is organised by consequence — what affects price, what needs an indemnity, what blocks closing — rather than by volume.
When does a related-party transaction need approval?
Under Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013, specified transactions with related parties require board approval, and shareholder approval where they exceed the thresholds prescribed under the rules — with interested parties abstaining. Transactions in the ordinary course of business on an arm’s-length basis are exempt from Section 188, though listed companies face additional requirements under SEBI’s LODR regulations. The classification questions are where most mistakes happen.
How are founder and shareholder disputes usually resolved?
Most resolve commercially — a negotiated buyout, a valuation mechanism from the SHA, or mediation. Where that fails, the routes are arbitration (if the SHA provides for it) or a petition for oppression and mismanagement under Sections 241 and 242 of the Companies Act before the NCLT. The quality of the original SHA usually determines how expensive the dispute becomes.
Do you act for companies outside Ahmedabad?
Yes. The corporate team is based in Ahmedabad and acts for clients across India, with offices in Mumbai and New Delhi and a GIFT City practice. Transaction work runs remotely as a matter of course; we travel for signings, board meetings and negotiations where presence matters.
Discuss your transaction
An acquisition, a funding round, a joint venture, or a shareholder question that will not wait — start with a conversation with the corporate team.
Discuss Your Transaction →