LexCounsel

LexCounsel

Founding Partner

Seema Jhingan has over twenty five years of experience. She has extensively advised in areas including Mergers & Acquisition, Education Laws, Defence & Aviation, Venture Capital & Private Equity, Franchising, Media & Entertainment, Software/Information Technology, General Corporate and Commercial.

Seema has substantial expertise in representing investors, developers, venture capital and private equity funds, international corporations, sponsors/lenders and other strategic investors involved in the establishment, development and financing of infrastructure, telecom, education, information technology and satellite projects in India. Seema is recognized for her capability of structuring innovative investment models and has considerable transactional experience in representing private equity and venture capital funds and investors such as Cerestra Advisors, Gray Matters, Providence Equity, Gaja Capital, LeapStart Trust, Bedrock Ventures, on investment structuring and exits, collaborations & funding, legal due diligence & compliances, shareholders & minority protection issues, escrow arrangements, tax structuring, foreign investment and regulatory/licensing issues including SEBI registration as a VC fund, FIPB approval and other exchange control related issues.

Seema has advised a number of clients on cross-border acquisitions and financing arrangements, financial and securitization transactions, bank guarantees and bonds, enforcement of personal and corporate guarantees, external commercial borrowings, debt and equity financing and refinancing and debt structuring. Some of the notable recent representations include advising Bank of Baroda, Brussels Branch related to participation in the Trans-European Automated Real-Time Gross Settlement Express Transfer (TARGET) System and assessment of enforceability in view of foreign exchange control and Indian banking laws; advising MPurse Services India’s potential acquirer concerning regulations governing prepaid instruments/e-wallets providers; and assisting Usha Martin Limited’s promoter group on the RBI’s Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets and on the loan arrangements of the company.

Seema extensively advises in the telecom and media sector where she advises satellite services companies such as ProtoStar Inc. USA, Mabuhay Satellite Communications, Philippines on operation of foreign satellites in India and ITU regulations; value added services providers such as Iridium Satellite Inc., USA on provision of global mobile personal communication services; companies such as General Electric on closed user group network architecture, manufacturers such Gilat Satellite Networks on tax structuring issues, and media companies such as Macmillan India, Pan Macmillan, M.G.R. Spa, Italy and Eaglemoss, UK on regulatory/legislative framework on publication of magazines, books and part works in India, etc.

Seema is also active in defence, defence procurement and aviation projects and works closely with Pilatus Switzerland on supply of trainer aircrafts to Indian Airforce, Offset companies on issues related to offset contracts with Indian government and Indigo Airlines on establishment of pilot training institute and other contractual matters.

Seema has been particularly active in education sector and advices education centric companies such as Aga Khan Schools, Eurokids India, Heritage Schools, Career Launcher, Educomp Solutions Limited, Global Indian Schools, Usha Martin University, InterGlobe Education, Global Discover Academy, etc. in the domain of kinder garden to 12th, higher education, vocational training, test prep, teacher training and other unregulated segments in India including on multi-stage acquisitions, strategic collaborations and creative investment structures and joint ventures, statutory affiliations and licensing in the education sector.

Seema regularly advises on e-commerce, software and IT laws and regulatory and policy framework as it relates to provision of software and BPO/KPO services. Seema assists companies such as Liqvid, Magic Software, Shergroup, UK, InterGlobe Technologies in establishment of wholly owned captive units in India, licensing and IP protection, commercial and investment documentation, external commercial borrowings, regulatory approvals, tax efficient structures and transfer pricing related issues.

In the Infrastructure sector, Seema advises OJSC Power Machines, Russia on contractual issues concerning their Thermal Power Projects in India. She has advised Russia’s leading manufacturer of steam/gas turbines on its joint bid with Ansaldo India for the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyuth Utpadan Nigam Limited’s 2x660 MW, Super Critical Thermal Power Station at Rajasthan. She has advised Suzlon India on its infrastructure and real estate contracts across India. She has counselled Usha Breco Limited on structuring and enforcement issues relating to ropeway projects in India. She has advised Mitchell Drilling, Australia on collaborative alliance against the tender for geological exploration, drilling, borehole logging, geochemical analysis in India.

Additionally, Seema has been recently recognized as the “Partner of the Year – Overall” by the BW Business World Legal Awards. Seema has also been honoured by the Corporate Counsel Association of India in 2019 for her contribution to the Indian legal fraternity as “Shining Star of Indian Legal Fraternity” and as one of India’s “Trusted Corporate Lawyers of 2017” by the Indian Corporate Counsel Association in its publication – ‘The Vanguards’ with forwards from the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice and the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Seema has also been designated as a leading lawyer in the area of IT, Media & Telecommunications and Media by Asia Law and Practice. Seema regularly contributes to journals and publications and often takes up speaking engagements. Seema is deeply passionate about child education and is also a founder of a self-funded NGO (Parivartan) dedicated to education for socially and economically deprived children in rural India.

English, Hindi, Punjabi.

Bar Council of Delhi. Bar Association of Delhi.

B.A. Hons. (Political Science), University of Delhi, 1991 LLB, University of Delhi, 1994.