About

Indian online transportation network company OLA was founded as an online cab aggregator in Mumbai but is now based in Bangalore. Primarily a technology and innovation driven company, to enable innovation OLA engages with several technology service providers across the globe. As part of this engagement, the legal team plays a significant role in negotiating complex software license, Software as a Service (SaaS), developer and subscription agreements. The team comprises of in-house lawyers covering a multitude of practice areas with experiences acquired at some of the most well-reputed law firms and established corporate houses in the country. The team of 17 lawyers and one legal secretary is led by senior director and general counsel, Anurag Sharma, who is directly assisted by lead counsels in the litigation and corporate functions. The team have experienced tremendous growth in the last year and a half – both in terms of the calibre of the professionals who have joined the team as well as the quality of work which the team has been involved in. The constant business and technology innovations at OLA means that the in-house team ends up working on a plethora of laws spanning from banking and finance to data privacy. Sharma elaborates further: ‘The culture at OLA, like in any other start up, is fast-paced and provides a tremendous learning opportunity to a young professional looking to learn the ropes. Working at the HQ, where the decision making happens, means that the legal team is involved pre – facto in most strategic endeavours’. Behind some of the most innovative and pivotal projects seen in the country, the team have helped the launch of electric vehicles which is in accordance with their innate sense of protection towards the environment and reduction of the carbon footprint. ‘The legal team has advised on applicable laws for the launch of the first ever aggregation of electric vehicles as taxis in Nagpur and the setting up of OLA charging stations’, explains Sharma. Utilising their strong knowledge of telecom regulations and intellectual property rights, the team support the business in negotiating and closing the agreements to enable them to acquire more merchants. For instance their involvement in beginning the in-car entertainment platform through the flagship “Ola Play” product, a first in this business, as well as Ola Money, a semi-closed pre-paid payment instrument that is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India.