Shaneen Parikh

She focuses on arbitration and has represented clients in domestic, international and foreign seated arbitrations, under the rules of various international arbitral institutions as also in ad hoc proceedings.  She has also advised in relation to investor-state disputes.

Shaneen also has extensive experience in commercial litigation, having represented parties in various courts and tribunal across India, including High Courts, the Supreme Court, NCLT, etc.

Shaneen has represented clients in several sectors and in relation disputes arising out of commercial contracts, post M&A disputes, financial and structured products, infrastructure, construction and real estate projects, and media / intellectual property disputes. Her expertise lies in advising parties in respect of their dispute resolution strategy and representation in multi-forum and multi-jurisdictional disputes.

She regularly acts in complex (often cross-border) post M&A, private equity and shareholder disputes, including in relation to exit rights, valuations, corporate governance, fraud and oppression / mismanagement etc.

Shaneen has represented clients in some precedent setting litigations in India, relating to securities fraud, commodities trading and financial products transactions. She acted for various Indian and foreign banks in relation to disputes (both arbitrations and litigations), arising out of foreign exchange derivative transactions and structured financial products under ISDA Master Agreements. She acted for foreign banks in proceedings arising out of the 1992 securities scam. She defended the parent of a private commodity exchange in proceedings in various courts and tribunal across India, against alleged fraud and fund mismanagement.

She represented the successful party in a foreign arbitration and enforcement of a foreign award which resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision which ruled that two Indian parties could choose a foreign seat of arbitration, thus upholding the fundamental principle of party autonomy.

She has also advised both funders and clients on litigation financing in the Indian conspectus.

Shaneen is appointed as Vice Chair to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR for a three year term, till June 2027. She is appointed on the Council of the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) and is an ambassador of Asia Pacific Arbitration Group of the International Bar Association (IBA).  She was as a Member of the Court of Arbitration of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) from 2018-2022.  Shaneen was a Member, the Expert Committee for drafting of the institutional arbitration rules for the proposed International Arbitration Centre for the GIFT International Financial Services Centre, Gujarat, India, which issued its Expert Report in July 2024.

Shaneen is ranked for her arbitration practice by Who’s Who Legal, as a “Thought Leader”, Arbitration 2023, 2024,  and “Most Highly Regarded (Partner)”, – Arbitration 2020, 2021 & 2022.  She has also been ranked The Legal 500 (Dispute Resolution – Arbitration, Lawyer of the Year for India, 2024), and by Chambers & Partners, Asia-Pacific – Dispute Resolution,  as a Notable Practitioner in Dispute Resolution by Asia Law, and ALB India (Top Disputes Lawyers), Benchmark Litigation’s Top 100 Women in Litigation (Asia-Pacific), 2024.

Shaneen is a published writer and speaker and is involved in various dispute resolution-related initiatives. She has been a speaker at several conferences and is a published author.  Her published pieces include the chapter on the public policy challenge to enforcement of arbitral awards in the Lexis Nexis book, ‘Enforcing Arbitral Awards in India’, the Chapter on Interim & Final Reliefs in GAR’s Guide to IP Arbitration, the India Chapter on Class action in Class & Group Actions Laws and Regulations Report,  amongst others.  She has also written extensively on third party funding in the Indian conspectus, including the Chambers & Partners Litigation Funding 2024 Jurisdictional guide to India, and ‘Third-Party Funding in India: The Legal and Practical Landscape’, published by the TDM Journal.

Serving on the global board of Magic Bus, an organisation that through its Childhood to Livelihood approach, equips children with the skills and knowledge they need for personal development, getting employment and moving out of poverty, gives Shaneen immense personal satisfaction.

• Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration: ‘Thought Leader’ for 2023, 2024, and ranked from 2020 to 2022
• Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration: ‘Thought Leader’ for 2023, 2024, and ranked from 2020 to 2022
• Benchmark Litigation 2024: Top 100 Women in Litigation;
• Benchmark Litigation 2024: Litigation Star
• Legal 500 – Dispute Resolution (India) – Arbitration, Lawyer of the Year (2024)
• Legal Era 2023 – Leading Lawyer Champion for dispute resolution
• Asia Law – ‘Distinguished Practitioner’
• Ranked by Chambers & Partners
• Ranked by India-ALB India

• Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa
• Council of the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA)
• Ambassador, Asia Pacific Arbitration Group of the International Bar Association (IBA)
• Vice Chair to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (2024-2027 term)
• Former Member, Court of Arbitration of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) (2018-2022)
• Member, the Expert Committee for drafting of the institutional arbitration rules for the proposed International Arbitration Centre for the GIFT International Financial Services Centre, Gujarat, India.