Our Team – Starlaw

Rupesh Mishra

Rupesh has over 16 years of experience covering a diverse array of practices, sectors and geographies, so brings a global vision and commercial sensibility to his counsel. Prior to partnering with Starlaw Partners, Rupesh was Vice President at Everstone Capital and prior to that, a senior associate in Khaitan & Co. He has extensive experience advising funds, investors, and portfolio companies on investments and exits across private equity, real estate, data center and tactical opportunities, buy and sell-side diligences, structuring and execution of complex transactions, post-acquisition integration, market entry strategy, employment matters, disputes, etc. Over the years, he has developed significant industry knowledge across a range of industries, particularly in the financial services, real estate, technology, pharmaceutical, healthcare, e-commerce, F&B, education, manufacturing and consumer goods sectors.

Rupesh received his BA, LLB (Hons.) from the National Law Institute University and his LLM from the European Public Law Organization.

Rupesh has also been recognized as ’40 Under 40 Rising Star Lawyer of the Year 2021′ by Legal Era.

Raghavendra Hegde

Raghavendra worked at Everstone Group for over 14 years in various positions and last held the position of Executive Director before partnering with Starlaw Partners in the year 2020. He is an experienced lawyer skilled in negotiations, risk and litigation management, corporate finance and is long associated with the private equity and venture capital industry. Raghavendra has over 20 years’ experience in legal, risk, governance, corporate secretarial and compliance functions. He has also worked with leading organizations such as JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Software, HCL Technologies, Sasken Communication and Mphasis in various legal and compliance roles. Raghavendra holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Bangalore University and is a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). He has also completed WIPO’s program on intellectual properties and has taken part in the leadership classes conducted by the Harvard Business School. Raghavendra is a passionate sustainability enthusiast. In 2018, he translated the New York Times non-fiction best seller, ‘Let There Be Water’ to Kannada, titled “Naalegu Irali Neeru” which went on to become a non-fiction Kannada best seller, selling over 4,000 copies and topping the best seller charts for several months.

Nishant Kotak

Nishant is a dynamic and accomplished general counsel with a proven track record of providing strategic legal counsel to diverse organizations.

With over 20 years of experience, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of corporate law, regulatory compliance, and risk management. His expertise lies in navigating complex legal landscapes, spearheading critical initiatives, and optimizing legal strategies to support business growth. He is known for delivering pragmatic solutions that align with corporate goals and protect stakeholders’ interests and has always been a trusted advisor to executive leadership, providing sound legal insights that drive sound decision-making.

Nishant has completed his Company Secretary from Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi, and has earned degrees in Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the esteemed University of Mumbai.

Padma Bhatt

Padma brings in over 15 years of experience across diverse industries such as AIFs, industrial real estate, retail real estate, F&B, cosmetics, and green infrastructure. Her expertise spans various areas, including corporate law compliances, secretarial matters & governance, investment and exit strategies, capital raising, and corporate restructuring.

She holds an Associate membership of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi, and has earned degrees in Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Commerce from the esteemed University of Mumbai

Vimal Sota

Vimal brings in an extensive track record spanning two decades, including more than 15 years within the venture capital and private equity industry, delivering excellence in corporate compliance and governance.

Previously, Vimal has been actively involved in overseeing corporate law compliance and upholding high governance standards for renowned entities such as Everstone Capital Advisors, IndoSpace, Eversource, Everyondr, and investee companies with controlling stakes in their funds.

Vimal’s experience extends across various industries, including investment, lending, industrial real estate, retail real estate, F&B, cosmetics, and more, entailing a comprehensive understanding of the investment life cycle from inception to operations, exit, and investor distribution.

Vimal has completed his Company Secretary from Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi, and has earned degrees in Bachelor of General Law from Government Law College and Bachelor of Commerce from K.J Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce in Mumbai.

PM Devaiah

PM Devaiah is a corporate India veteran and one of the most recognised and respected legal professionals in the industry circle. Devaiah has over three decades of experience in a wide spectrum of corporate laws and has rich experience in private equity, real estate, corporate disputes, and general corporate matters among others. In his illustrious long career, Devaiah has held leadership roles, steered businesses on the legal, governance, risk, reputation, and crisis management matters, built and led large exceptionally talented legal teams at marquee corporate houses such as Everstone Group, ICICI Ventures, Carlyle, BPL Telecom, Tatas and Unilever. He has been the trusted advisor to many CEOs and the go to person for legal strategy and execution in complex and high profile legal matters.

Devaiah has been closely involved with various brown field and green field projects in India involving both federal and state level complexities. He has also been associated with a wide range of sectors like Private Equity, Real Estate, FMCG, Telecommunication, Information Technology, Food & Beverages. With his long association with plantation and agri-business on the rural India theme, coupled with strong urban businesses ranging from manufacturing, services and financial services, Devaiah brings a solution-oriented approach to ease the challenges of doing business in India against the touchstone of good governance and an ear to compliance. As a true leader, Devaiah has been a mentor, guide and friend to his colleagues and business associates and has handled complex and large transactions in India and Asia Pacific regions and has received many recognitions and awards in the last three decades.

Awards & Recognition:

Named by Legal 500 to be one among the top 100 General Counsel (GC) in India in 2016
Everstone Legal team headed by Devaiah named by Legal 500 to be one of the top 100 legal teams in India in 2016
Named by Legal 500 to be one among the top 100 General Counsel (GC) in India in 2018
One among the 8 Nominees for Innovative General Counsel- Asia Pacific by Financial Times (FT) in 2019 with Devaiah being the only GC nominated from India
First Group General Counsel in the private equity industry in India to have become a partner rising to the position of Vice Chairman donning the hat of legal, governance, risk, reputation, government affairs, and other leadership related functions.
Enlisted on FORBES legal power list 2020 as one of the top General Counsels published on in March 2021

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