A controlling stake in an auto-components maker
Acquisition of a Pune auto-components maker by a listed Indian industrial group, with a SEBI takeover open offer.
Lead associate on the SPA and open offer
Associate · Corporate, M&A & Private Equity · Mumbai
Ishita Deshpande
A corporate associate with 3.5 years' post-qualification experience at a Mumbai full-service firm — 21 completed transactions worth about ₹4,800 crore.
- 21completed transactions
- ₹4,800 Crapproximate aggregate value
- 14legal due diligence exercises led
- 11FC-GPR / FC-TRS filings prepared
Selected matters
Acquisitions, investments and restructurings
Matters at Kapadia & Rao Advocates, described without naming clients.
Carving out a specialty chemicals division
Slump sale of a specialty chemicals division, including the transfer of its employees.
Business transfer agreement and employee transfer
Series C in a logistics platform
Counsel to the lead PE investor in a Bengaluru B2B logistics platform's Series C.
SSA, SHA and investor rights
Folding a group into one company
Amalgamation of 3 group companies of a Mumbai real-estate developer.
Scheme drafted and sanctioned by the NCLT
Venture rounds for two funds
Nine venture investments for two early-stage funds.
Rounds of ₹15 crore–₹120 crore
The filings after closing
FC-GPR and FC-TRS filings for foreign investments, and ODI filings for outbound deals.
11 FEMA filings; ODI on 2 outbound deals
Diligence in focus
From a finding to a protection in the SPA
₹38 crore of pending demands, caught before signing
Context
Ishita was lead associate on the acquisition of a controlling stake in a Pune auto-components maker.
Finding
Legal due diligence flagged ₹38 crore of pending GST and provident-fund demands against the target.
Outcome
The SPA carried a ₹25 crore escrow and specific indemnities to cover them.
Beyond the deals
The rest of the practice
Diligence, advisory work and the firm's knowledge programme.
- Runs the day-to-day on mid-size deals under a partner, supervising 2 junior associatesSince 2023
- Legal due diligence led on 14 targetsDiligence
- Drafts and negotiates SPAs, SSAs, SHAs and business transfer agreementsDrafting
- Companies Act 2013 compliance, ESOP schemes and board processes for 6 venture-backed companiesAdvisory
- 4 client notes on SEBI and FEMA changes, co-authored; internal training for new associatesKnowledge
A corporate associate who runs due diligence and first drafts under partner supervision, and sees deals through the filings that follow closing.
Ishita joined Kapadia & Rao Advocates, a full-service Mumbai firm of about 60 lawyers, after a pre-placement offer from a 2021 corporate internship. She was enrolled with the Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa in January 2023, and now runs the day-to-day on mid-size deals under a partner, supervising two junior associates. Her work spans private equity and venture investments, domestic acquisitions, slump sales and NCLT schemes.
- Based inMumbai, India
- Current roleAssociate, Corporate & M&A
- EnrolmentBar Council of Maharashtra & Goa, 2023
- AIBEPassed, 2023
- EducationB.L.S. LL.B., Government Law College, Mumbai
- LanguagesEnglish, Marathi, Hindi
Practice areas
Where she works
Experience
Career
- Jan 2023 — Present
Associate — Corporate & M&A
Kapadia & Rao Advocates, Mumbai
21 completed transactions (≈₹4,800 crore); due diligence led on 14 targets.
- Aug 2022 — Dec 2022
Junior Associate (pre-enrolment)
Kapadia & Rao Advocates, Mumbai
Due diligence on 3 transactions; board and shareholder resolutions, closing checklists.
- 2019 — 2022
Legal Intern
Corporate law firms and a Bombay High Court advocate's chambers
Five internships, ending in a pre-placement offer.
- 2017 — 2022
B.L.S. LL.B. (5-year integrated)
Government Law College, Mumbai
First Class; semi-finalist, national corporate law moot, 2021.
Contact
Building a transactions team?
ishita.deshpande@email.com
- +91 98196 52408
- Mumbai, India
Fictional candidate — contact details shown as plain text only.