Shinoj Koshy

Profile Overview

Shinoj Koshy is a leading Cross-Border M&A lawyer in India, recognised for advising global sponsors, sovereign investors, multinational corporations and founder-led businesses on high‑stakes inbound and outbound transactions. He founded SK & Partners in 2026 as a senior‑led boutique focused on complex India‑facing cross‑border deals, regulatory strategy and governance matters where international strategy must be translated into practical execution within India’s legal and regulatory framework.

Professional Background & Credentials

Shinoj trained and qualified as a solicitor at Linklaters in London before joining Cleary Gottlieb in London, gaining deep exposure to cross‑border transactional work. On returning to India in 2013, he held senior roles at Nishith Desai Associates and was a Partner at Luthra & Luthra for over a decade, where he led significant inbound and outbound M&A mandates, prior to launching SK & Partners.

He graduated with B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, where he was awarded the Justice V. G. Ramachandran Gold Medal for excellence. Thereafter, he was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of India before proceeding to London to embark on his career in corporate law.

Shinoj is dual‑qualified, enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi and admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales and has completed advanced studies in international commercial negotiation.

Cross-Border M&A Lawyer in India & Expertise

As a specialist Cross‑Border M&A lawyer in India, Shinoj’s practice spans sell‑side and buy‑side mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and private equity transactions. He also advises on strategic investments, cross‑border corporate restructurings, and FDI‑related regulatory clearances. He is regularly instructed on matters that require a trusted and conflict-free Indian co-counsel for cross-border transactions. He is known to devise sophisticated governance solutions and bespoke transaction structures tailored to India’s regulatory environment.

Shinoj is particularly sought after where global investors must navigate India’s regulatory framework, including FDI restrictions, and where swift, partner‑led decision making is essential to maintain deal momentum. His approach blends international standards with on‑the‑ground Indian regulatory and commercial insight.

Representative Transactions & Matters

Over more than two decades in practice, Shinoj has acted on marquee transactions across industry sectors and deal sizes, with a cumulative deal value exceeding USD 50 billion. Legal directories and firm disclosures attribute to him roles on large, cross‑border mandates such as Luthra & Luthra teams he led on JSW Steel’s acquisition work, leading Renault’s global restructuring resulting in major realignment in the Renault-Nissan JV, Vodafone’s landmark entry into India, Everstone’s acquisition of Aon Hewitt’s payroll business, and multiple private equity and strategic investments across logistics, technology and infrastructure. These matters demonstrate extensive experience managing complex transaction structures, regulatory approvals and cross-border execution.

Client testimonials and published deal reports also recognize his role as lead counsel on cross‑border acquisitions and carve‑outs, and on post‑closing disputes and governance remediation involving cross‑border compliance and anti‑corruption issues. His transactional teams have been credited with closing multi‑jurisdictional deals involving Asia, Europe, the US, the UK and the Middle East.

Thought Leadership, Teaching & Professional Engagement

Shinoj contributes to practitioner resources and regulatory overviews and has authored and contributed to Reuters’ guide on doing business in India for international counsel. He is a visiting faculty at law schools and business schools including NLSIU, NUJS and various IIMs; he is also involved with industry associations such as FICCI and Invest India on inbound investment policy dialogues. Through these engagements, he regularly contributes to discussions on India’s evolving legal and regulatory framework for cross-border investment.

He has been recognized in market surveys and industry shortlists for leadership in M&A and PE transactions in India, including listings in regional peer reviews and practitioner rankings like Asian Legal Business, IFLR1000, Legal 500 that reflect strong client feedback on responsiveness and technical capability.

What Distinguishes His Practice

Shinoj’s practice centres on partner-level involvement throughout every matter, early identification of India-specific execution risks and close alignment with clients’ commercial objectives. Through SK & Partners, he leads a senior-driven team focused on complex cross-border transactions, combining agility with practical regulatory strategy to deliver commercial outcomes.

Shinoj has built a practice that works seamlessly with international counsel, multinational clients and cross-border deal teams. Supported by SK & Partners’ corporate, regulatory and governance capabilities, the firm advises on the full lifecycle of India-facing transactions. This combination of international training, local execution experience and an integrated team approach is a key reason clients and international law firms instruct SK & Partners on complex India-related mandates.

Cross‑Border M&A In India: Context & Counsel Imperatives

The Indian Cross‑Border M&A landscape is shaped by evolving FDI rules, sectoral caps, competition and national security screenings, tax incentives, and an increasing focus on compliance and ESG considerations. Successful cross-border transactions depend as much on regulatory strategy and execution as on commercial negotiation. Specialist counsel with deep on-the-ground Indian regulatory experience and international transactional skills is essential to manage those risks and to preserve deal value.

For businesses and investors pursuing deals in India, a Cross‑Border M&A lawyer in India who combines practical regulatory know‑how with a partner‑led service model helps accelerate approvals, mitigate execution risk and align closing mechanics with international financing and governance expectations. Shinoj along with the team at SK & Partners’ is geared to deliver that combination.

Client Profile & Sector Focus

Shinoj advises strategic acquirers, private equity sponsors, family offices and multinational corporations across technology, infrastructure, logistics, energy, manufacturing and consumer sectors. His work routinely involves negotiating complex share purchase and asset purchase structures, joint ventures, carve‑outs, escrow arrangements, and diligence on warranty and compliance claim exposures.

Why Engage SK & Partners

SK & Partners offers a senior‑partner led option for organisations needing hands‑on counsel for India‑facing cross‑border deals. The firm’s stated approach of applying international standards, anticipating regulatory friction, and delivering partner‑level engagement addresses the principal execution gaps that foreign investors and domestic sponsors face in complex M&A transactions. For businesses seeking a Cross‑Border M&A lawyer in India with proven transactional leadership and regulatory fluency, Shinoj Koshy and his team at SK & Partners present a pragmatic, experience‑driven choice.