Ila Kapoor
Ila Kapoor is a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM), and works with the firm’s dispute resolution practice. She is based out of its Delhi office. She is qualified to practice in India and New York. Her practice focuses on both foreign seated and domestic arbitration and commercial litigation.
Her experience spans across various sectors including energy, infrastructure, healthcare and corporate disputes. She also represents clients in disputes involving hospitality, construction and telecom sectors. These arbitrations have been administered under the auspices of a variety of institutional rules such as ICSID, ICC, ICDR, AAA, SIAC, and UNCITRAL. In addition to regularly appearing and arguing before courts and tribunals, Ila is also approached to provide commercial and pre-dispute advisory to clients and to assist clients with litigation planning and strategy.
In recognition of her contribution, she has been ranked a “Global Leader” by Who’s Who Legal 2023 and 2024 and by “Chambers & Partners” in Asia Pacific Guides for 2024. She has also been enlisted in the Legal Power List 2021 and 2022 as one of the top individual lawyers by Forbes India. She is also recognised as an Expert in Commercial Arbitration in the Women in Business Law, Expert Guides 2021 and Euromoney’s 2021 Commercial Arbitration Expert Guides.
Ila is a member of various coveted associations including the New York Bar Association, Commercial Bar Association (COMbar) and the Indian Arbitration Forum (IAF). She is invited to share her experience and insights at public events, seminars and conferences and regularly writes for leading newspapers and journals.
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Some of her recent publications include:
- “Supreme Court’s stands on unstamped arbitration agreements”, India Business Law Journal, January 2024
- “A regional comparison of arbitration landscapes: India”, Asia Business Law Journal, October 2023
- “Indian Supreme Court blocks arbitrations based on unstamped agreement”, Global Arbitration Review (GAR), June 2023
- “All’s (not) well that ends well: the challenge in enforcing domestic awards before Indian courts”, SCC Online, May 2023
- “An indelible stamp on arbitration”, The Hindu Business Line, August 2021
- “Arbitration ordinance: Reopening the floodgates to litigation”, Financial Express, December 2020
- “Please Mute Yourself: Cross-examinations in the new virtual reality”, Bar and Bench, August 2020
- “COVID Lockdown: When you can’t litigate, arbitrate”, The Financial Express, May 2020
- “Is public policy back to haunt enforcement in India?”, Global Arbitration Review, May 2020
- “Is there a difference between seat and venue under Indian law?”, Global Arbitration Review, February 2020
Before joining SAM, Ila worked for several years at an international firm in New York and as an advocate in the Supreme Court of India. She also trained with the World Trade Organization, Geneva and the ICC, Paris.
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Select Experience Statement
- Sole Arbitrator in a dispute involving sale of coal under the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration Rules, 2017 seated in Mumbai.
- Successfully argued and represented InterContinental Hotels Group, in its proceedings against a hotel owner in Pune, including an application for emergency interim relief under SIAC Rules.
- Successfully argued and represented Reynders India, an Indian subsidiary of a leading Belgian pharmaceutical label printing company in an ad-hoc arbitration against Reckitt Benckiser. The dispute related to labelling of pharmaceutical products.
- Successfully argued and represented a global hotel management company in an international arbitration administered by SIAC to obtain favourable award against an Indian hotel owner pertaining to disputes arising under a hotel management agreement.
- Successfully argued and represented Mott MacDonald, an Indian subsidiary of a global engineering, management, and development consultancy company in an ad-hoc arbitration proceedings on disputes relating to design consultancy works.
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- Successfully represented a leading Korean power company in a Singapore seated SIAC arbitration proceeding against an Indian company relating to a JV Agreement for establishing a power plant in Maharashtra, India.
- Successfully represented InterContinental Hotels Group before the Supreme Court of India in a petition for appointment of arbitrator, against an Indian hotel owner of a five-star hotel in Bengaluru.
- Representing Hilton Worldwide Management Ltd in several disputes with the owner of Conrad Pune, a hotel being managed by Hilton, and was successful in obtaining urgent interim relief before the Bombay High Court directing the owner to re-open the Hotel. The proceedings are now pending before an international tribunal seated in Singapore constituted under the SIAC Rules.
- Represented a leading French multinational in the food & beverage industry, pertaining to a dispute under a JV entered into with an Indian company in an international arbitration under SIAC Rules.
- Representing a leading South Korean Electric Utility company in an ad-hoc arbitration proceeding on dispute relating to operation and management of a power plant.
- Representing a leading Indian Tyre manufacturing company in ad hoc arbitration proceeding against an Indian conglomerate relating to breach of representation and warranties given under a share purchase agreement.
- Successfully represented the Indian subsidiary and construction arm of a Korean headquartered multinational company, in an ad-hoc domestic arbitration against the employer who was an Indian builder.
- Represented OCI Corporation, a Korean green energy and chemical company in proceedings for enforcement of multiple arbitration awards passed by arbitral tribunals constituted under GAFTA.
- Represented Harbour Victoria Investment Holding Limited (HVIH), subsidiary of JP Morgan in enforcement proceedings of a foreign award (over INR 4000 million) obtained from an international arbitration under ICC Rules.
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A detailed experience statement can be shared on a confidential basis.
Professional Memberships
- Member of the Delhi Bar Council
- Member of the New York Bar
Education
- B.A., St Stephen’s College
- LL.B, London School of Economics
- LL.M, Cambridge University
