ALMT Legal Partners
Kruti Desai
Partner
Express Towers, 2nd Floor,
Nariman Point
Mumbai 400 021
India
kdesai@almtlegal.com
Area of Practice- Labour & Employment & POSH
- Corporate/Commercial
- M&A & PE
- Insolvency
Kruti has over 15 years of experience in advising Indian and international clients on corporate and employment laws. She specialises primarily in labour and employment laws, commercial contracts, PE investments, JVs, M&As. Kruti is an expert in dealing with POSH complaints and is also a POSH trainer. Besides this, Kruti advises on exchange control laws, IPR, data privacy, winding up and restructuring matters.
Kruti joined ALMT Legal immediately on graduation from Government Law College, Mumbai in 2005, moved to Delhi and worked with another leading law firm for 2 years. In 2009, Kruti rejoined ALMT Legal as Senior Associate and very soon got promoted to Partner. Kruti was seconded for 6 months in London with an English law firm where she worked on cross border corporate transactions.
Practice Areas
Kruti’s main practice areas include:
Kruti joined ALMT Legal immediately on graduation from Government Law College, Mumbai in 2005, moved to Delhi and worked with another leading law firm for 2 years. In 2009, Kruti rejoined ALMT Legal as Senior Associate and very soon got promoted to Partner. Kruti was seconded for 6 months in London with an English law firm where she worked on cross border corporate transactions.
Practice Areas
Kruti’s main practice areas include:
- Advising extensively on labour & employment laws involving hiring and firing policies, employee handbooks and policies, regulatory compliances, payment of statutory benefits, retirement policies, etc.
- Dealing with sexual harassment complaints, framing POSH policy, conducting POSH training for employees and ICC members.
- Advising on domestic as well as cross border M&A and PE transactions - providing structuring advice, preparing term sheets, conducting legal due diligence on the target company, negotiating, finalising definitive agreements, closing and post closing actions.
- Advising on exchange control laws relating to inbound and outbound investments. Kruti has a special interest and knowledge in the current FDI policies and trends.
- Advising on winding up & restructuring of Indian companies, closure of liaison offices set up by overseas companies and acting as a voluntary liquidator for companies under liquidation.
- Kruti has advised extensively on the data privacy regulations under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
- Advising on IPR matters including filing of trade marks applications, patent searches and copyright issues such as obtaining performance and other licenses from copyright societies.
- Advising on commercial laws and contracts.
- The Enterprise World Magazine featured Kruti as one of ‘The 20 Prominent Women Lawyers to Watch in 2020'.
- Asialaw Profiles 2019 recommends Kruti as a recognized practitioner for Labour & Employment and IT Telco & Media (TMT) practice areas.
- Chambers & Partners (Asia Pacific) 2019 recommends Kruti as a recognized practitioner for Employment
Kruti has been a speaker/ expert panelist at various events:
- Trainer at “Virtual Masterclass - Labour & Employment - Termination & Pay cuts of Employees during COVID-19" hosted by International Business Intelligence, Mumbai 2020.
- Guest Speaker on “Sexual Harassment: Complaint, Inquiry, Actions & Consequences” at the Employee Engagement Experience Summit & Awards, Mumbai 2018.
- Guest Speaker on “A Hands on Guide to Drafting Commercial Contracts” at the Contract Drafting Workshop, held at Hotel Orchid, Mumbai 2018.
- Guest Speaker on “Policy against Sexual Harassment” at ICFAI Business School Mumbai, 2018
- Guest Lecturer on “Setting up Different Types of Entities” at Kirit P. Mehta School of Law (NMIMS University), Mumbai, 2018
- Guest Speaker on “PE/ VC Investment in a Startup – Documentation & Negotiations” at Startup Leadership Program (SLP), Mumbai, 2017
- Guest Lecturer on “M&A deals” at Kirit P. Mehta School of Law (NMIMS University), Mumbai, 2017.
- Speaker on “Documentation, Legal Issues & Negotiations For PE, VC & M&A deals” at the GST Seminar held by the All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA), Mumbai 2016
- Speaker on “Corporate Structures and Partnerships” at the Indian School of Design & Innovation (Parsons), Mumbai, 2015
- Speaker on “Strategic Negotiation of Commercial Contracts” and “Electronic Contracts” at a workshop on “Drafting of Commercial Contracts” organized by Wolters Kluwer in association with ALMT Legal as their knowledge partner, Mumbai 2014
- Speaker on “Outbound Investment Policy” at VC Circle’s training workshop on FEMA & FDI Policy, Bangalore, 2014
- Speaker on “Sexual Harassment at workplace” at IBS Business School’s seminar on Labour Laws, 2014
- Expert Panelist on “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” at CII’s Industry-NGO Connect conference, 2013
- Expert Panelist on “Single Brand Retail Trade in India” at FICCI’s ‘Massmerize 2012’ conference, 2012
- Member of the Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa (2005)
- BLS/ LLB (5 year course) from University of Mumbai in 2005
- Diploma in Cyber Laws from Asian School of Cyber Laws, Pune & Government Law College, Mumbai in 2004 -2005
