Professional experience and credentials

Dharmendra Chatur is a first generation lawyer, with over eleven years of experience in cross-border and domestic dispute resolution. He is a partner at Poovayya & Co., a leading full-service law firm in India. 

Dharmendra has represented and advised clients across industry sectors namely banking and finance, infrastructure, healthcare, news and online media, social media, logistics, FMCG, hospitality, deep tech, among others. He is regularly engaged as a counsel and advisor in disputes across practice areas such as corporate and commercial, IP, tech, white collar crime, restructuring and insolvency, constitutional law, which have been litigated before courts, tribunals, and arbitrations across India (Supreme Court, High Courts, Commercial Courts, National Company Law Tribunals and Appellate Tribunals, etc.) and jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, DIFC, ADGM, Singapore, Russia, and the United States.

Most recently, Dharmendra was instrumental in advising and securing a successful dismissal of an $8 Billion claim in New York against a large Indian public sector Bank. He is also currently advising and representing Indian clients in two multi-billion dollar lawsuits pending before courts in the United Kinddom, UAE, as well as a trademark infringement lawsuit before the US Federal District Court in Seattle.  

Dharmendra is recognized as one of Asian Legal Business’ Rising Stars in India for the year 2022.

Academic credentials

Dharmendra has been a visiting faculty at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and Christ University. He has a keen interest in legal writing, legal education, pro bono legal services, and legal and judicial reforms, and has published papers in renowned peer-reviewed law reviews on topics such as insolvency reforms, arbitration reforms, judicial systems, the postgraduate legal education system in India, and mental healthcare law.

He is frequently invited to speak at conferences and events organised by CII, ASSOCHAM, LawAsia, LFN, etc. on topics related to technology, dispute resolution, insolvency, arbitration, legal education, and law reforms.

Dharmendra holds an LLM from the University of Chicago Law School where he was awarded the UChicago Merit Scholarship and Sajan Poovayya Scholarship for Advanced Legal Studies. Dharmendra completed his undergraduate legal education by earning a BA, LLB (Hons.) degree from Christ University. At Christ, he secured the Basant Kumar Sarala Birla Gold Medal as the Best Outgoing Student and was the Class Valedictorian.