Top Corporate Lawyers in Sydney: 2024 Edition

As a corporate lawyer with over 7 years of experience practicing in Sydney, I have had the privilege of working with and encountering many of the top legal talents in the city. In this article, I will be highlighting 10 corporate lawyers who I believe are among the very best in Sydney as we enter 2024. These are attorneys that I hold in high professional regard for their skills, expertise, integrity, and contributions to the legal community. Read Top Corporate Lawyers in Sydney: 2024 Edition below.

An Effective Corporate Lawyer:

Key Qualities Before introducing my Top 10 picks, I wanted to share some insight on what makes for a truly exceptional corporate lawyer. From my extensive first-hand experience, these are some of the top qualities that set the leading practitioners apart:

• Expertise in business law with a strong grasp of issues impacting major industries
• Sharp legal analysis skills combined with attentive listening to deeply understand client needs
• Creative problem-solving abilities to strategize optimal solutions
• A high degree of responsiveness and accessibility for clients
• Strong negotiation talents to secure favorable outcomes
• Continuing education to stay updated on regulatory changes
• Impeccable professional integrity and ethics
• Genuine passion for the law and helping businesses succeed

The lawyers featured below exemplify these qualities at the highest level. Their expertise and contributions have rightfully earned them recognition as leading legal talents within Sydney’s competitive business law community.

1. Priya Singh

As a partner and practice group leader at a top Sydney firm, Priya Singh stands at the forefront of corporate law in the city. With over 20 years of experience, Priya leads her firm’s Corporate Services group and concentrates her practice on M&A, corporate governance, and commercial matters.

Regarded as a deal-making maestro, Priya has headed up some of the largest public company transactions in recent years, including the $4 billion merger of major Australian retail players. Clients praise her ability to spearhead negotiations and create breakthroughs when deals reach their most critical junctures.

Furthermore, beyond her robust deal sheet, Priya is also an influential leader in Sydney’s legal community. She sits on the board of a leading industry group and has spearheaded several initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion within the legal profession.

2. Ryan Chu

Ryan Chu is a distinguished M&A advisor with over 25 years of experience based in Sydney. His practice centers on domestic and cross-border public and private M&A, joint ventures, and strategic investments across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on the technology, healthcare, and consumer goods sectors

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Moreover, Ryan stands out for his creative deal-structuring abilities and knack for finding workable solutions to complex transactional issues. One long-time client describes him as “a master strategist when it comes to getting deals done, regardless of the obstacles.” He has led negotiations on some of the largest technology sector deals in Australian history.

In addition to his robust practice, Ryan holds a Visiting Professor position at a leading Sydney university where he teaches advanced M&A structuring techniques. He is also a prolific writer on transactional matters with columns in legal journals.

3. Sonia Varma

Sonia Varma is an accomplished corporate attorney with over 15 years of experience spanning private practice and in-house roles. Currently a partner at a top Sydney corporate law firm, Sonia represents both domestic and international public and private companies on a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, compliance and governance matters.

Additionally, Sonia wins consistent praise from clients for her business-minded approach, ability to explain complex legal issues in practical concepts, and talent for providing tailored guidance aligned with commercial objectives. She frequently works with technology companies, manufacturers and emerging high-growth businesses on strategic legal needs, corporate structuring, and regulatory issues.

Beyond client mandates, Sonia has made significant contributions to Sydney’s legal community through her pro bono work and involvement with non-profit organizations supporting women entrepreneurs. She also teaches courses at a Sydney university focused on legal issues pertinent to startups and emerging companies.

4. Sanjay Patel

Sanjay Patel is a leading M&A practitioner in Sydney with over 18 years of experience spanning complex cross-border transactions across the Asia-Pacific. Currently a partner at an international law firm, he concentrates on public and private M&A, joint ventures, strategic investments, and corporate governance matters on behalf of global corporations.

Sanjay has led teams on high-value M&A deals in the aviation, transportation, industrial manufacturing and telecommunications sectors. One recent highlight was his representation of a major Asian airline on the $500 million acquisition of an Australian carrier—one of the largest deals in the airline space globally that year.

In addition to his active transactional practice, Sanjay holds leadership roles in multiple industry groups focused on promoting foreign direct investment and cross-border partnership between Australian and Asia-based companies.

5. Aditi Chavda

Aditi Chavda is a skilled corporate attorney with over 10 years of experience based in Sydney. As a senior associate at a leading international firm, Aditi focuses her practice on M&A, joint ventures, investments and general corporate-commercial matters.

Furthermore, Aditi stands out for her stellar client management abilities and talent for explaining intricate legal issues in simple concepts. She has extensive experience representing Asian companies on complex cross-border transactions, including major Chinese technology conglomerates expanding into Australia.

In addition to her corporate practice, Aditi plays an active role in pro bono initiatives and legal organizations focused on increasing access to justice. Additionally, she has dedicated hundreds of hours towards projects assisting minority-owned startups and non-profit groups on business formation, contracts, intellectual property issues and other legal needs.

6. Ravi Singh

Ravi Singh is a highly-regarded corporate lawyer and academic based in Sydney with over 20 years of experience spanning private practice and university posts. Currently a Professor of Law and partner at a boutique corporate firm, Ravi’s practice focuses on M&A, corporate structuring, governance and commercial matters.

In addition to his active deal sheet, Ravi has developed in-depth expertise on legal issues pertaining to sustainability, social enterprises and stakeholder governance models. He works extensively with technology companies, social ventures and organizations pursuing environmental sustainability initiatives.

Beyond client mandates, Ravi has published seven books and over 50 articles on corporate law, sustainability and emerging governance models aligned with stakeholder capitalism. He is a frequent speaker at legal and industry conferences globally.

7. Rhea Nayyar

Rhea Nayyar is an accomplished corporate lawyer based in Sydney with over 12 years of experience. Currently a special counsel at a market-leading Australian firm, Rhea advises domestic and international clients on a broad spectrum of corporate transactions, regulatory issues and governance matters.

Additionally, Rhea has extensive experience representing clients across the technology, healthcare, financial services and renewable energy sectors. She regularly advises technology firms and emerging companies on venture capital investments, mergers and acquisitions, IP issues, regulatory compliance and governance best practices.

In addition to her corporate practice, Rhea is an active leader in legal organizations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. She also serves on the boards of non-profit groups supporting education and healthcare access for underprivileged communities.

8. Neel Shah

Neel Shah is a talented corporate, technology and data-focused lawyer based in Sydney with over 10 years of experience. Currently a partner at a boutique law firm, Neel represents both domestic and international technology companies, investors and emerging ventures on transactions, IP issues, privacy and data governance matters.

Moreover, Neel has extensive experience advising technology firms, software providers, digital health companies and organizations leveraging AI solutions on commercial contracts, licensing arrangements, regulatory issues and data governance frameworks. He regularly handles complex multi-jurisdictional transactions and licensing mandates involving EU and Asia-based counterparties.

In addition to his active practice, Neel holds a Visiting Professor post focused on legal issues and emerging technologies. He also speaks frequently at legal and technology conferences on topics at the intersection of law, technology and innovation.

9. Anjali Sharma

Anjali Sharma is a skilled corporate attorney based in Sydney with over 16 years of experience. Currently a partner at a respected Australian law firm, Anjali represents listed companies, investors and high-growth ventures on IPOs, M&A deals, equity capital markets transactions and corporate governance matters.

Anjali has extensive public markets experience, including lead representation on several major IPOs and follow-on offerings on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). She works extensively with companies across technology, life sciences, healthcare and sustainable energy sectors pursuing public listings and capital raising.

In addition to her robust practice, Anjali serves on the Advisory Board of a university program focused on legal issues pertinent to healthcare and life sciences companies. She has also taken on several pro bono mandates to assist non-profit organizations and social enterprises on legal aspects of launching impact-focused ventures.

10. Kabir Mehta

Kabir Mehta is a distinguished capital markets-focused lawyer with over 18 years of experience based in Sydney. Currently a partner at a global law firm, Kabir concentrates on IPOs, public takeovers, equity capital markets, and corporate governance issues on behalf of listed companies, pre-IPO ventures, and investment firms across Australia and New Zealand.

Kabir is praised for his capital markets acumen and expertise on public listings, M&A and complex transactions involving listed companies. He led the legal teams on two of the largest IPOs on the ASX in recent years—a NZ$850 million listing and the blockbuster NZ$1.2 billion IPO of an Australian software firm.

In addition to his active practice, Kabir holds several university posts focused on corporate governance, securities regulation, and emerging issues impacting public companies. He also serves on a regulatory expert panel focused on capital markets reforms.

Conclusion

Lastly, the legal professionals showcased above are among the top corporate lawyers in Sydney I hold in highest regard for their skills, expertise and immense contributions to the business law community. It was a privilege highlighting these distinguished individuals.

This compilation is by no means exhaustive. Sydney has a wealth of exceptional legal talent across law firms big and small. Additionally,  I limited my selections to lawyers I’ve interacted closely with and witnessed first-hand excelling for clients and the profession. There are many other fantastic practitioners who deserve recognition for their dedication and service.

Thus, I hope this article provided helpful insights on Sydney’s corporate legal landscape entering 2024, and the qualities that define legal excellence