M&A NEXT LEGAL TRENDS

The third and last panel of Day 2 of Week 3 was titled, "M&A Next Legal Trends" and discussed topics such as structuring M&A transactions in the pandemic; and infected deals: M&A in times of a global pandemic. The session was moderated by Sudip Mahapatra, Partner, S & R Associates; and saw participation from Neera Sharma, CEO- CLO, Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd; Rupesh Mishra, Executive Director, StarLaw LLP; Kaizad Hazari, General Counsel, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India; and Sameet Gambhir, Vice President (Corp. Law) & Company Secretary, DCM Shriram LTD. Rupesh Mishra said, ""M&A playbooks need to adapt very quickly to the new circumstances. While considering a transaction, parties need to be mindful of pandemic-related deal risks (e.g., regulatory delays, execution challenges, business interruptions, national security measures, etc.) and should try to mitigate such risks." Sameet Gambhir said, "Some very good proactive actions by the Govt. of India during the pandemic include many exemptions and relaxations. Some of which are so liked by all concerned stakeholders that the Govt. is think of making them permanently."