Exclusive: VR Neelakantan exits Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas with two partners to join Khaitan & Co

VR Neelakantan, who has spent close to two decades at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM), has resigned to join Khaitan & Co.

He will join Khaitan's Projects and Project Finance practice along with Partners Prashant Sirohi and Mrinal Sharma.

Confirming the move, Khaitan & Co Executive Director – Human Resources Amar Sinhji told Bar & Bench,

"Yes, VR Neelakantan, Prashant Sirohi and Mrinal Sharma will be joining our firm as Partners in our Projects and Project Finance practice. Their joining represents a transformative step in strengthening our Energy, Infrastructure and Projects expertise, significantly enhancing both the depth and breadth of our capabilities in this critical sector. It reflects the firm’s long-term strategic commitment and reinforces our ambition to build a best-in-class Projects and Project Finance practice, thus further cementing our position as trusted counsel to leading Indian and multinational enterprises in this sector."

It is understood that a team of associates will also follow these partners to Khaitan & Co.

A query sent to SAM did not elicit a response at the time of publication.

Neelakantan, an NLSIU alumnus, is best known for his work in the oil and gas sector, advising on PPP transactions, LNG sale-and-purchase, gas sale and transportation agreements, and farm-in/farm-out arrangements for leading Indian and multinational energy companies. At SAM, he started his career with Jatin Aneja, who heads the national Projects and Infrastructure practice at the firm.

Sirohi, also from NLSIU, has over 15 years of experience in advising on commercial law matters, including drafting, structuring and negotiating business and share purchase agreements.

Sharma, a UPES graduate, has over 15 years of experience and has advised clients on large scale PPP projects, government contracts and cross-border projects across in jurisdictions. 

Haigreve Khaitan, Managing Partner, Khaitan & Co said,

“We are pleased to have V.R. Neelakantan, Prashant Sirohi and Mrinal Sharma join the Firm. Their deep expertise and significant experience will further bolster our capabilities and market presence in the energy, infrastructure and projects sector. As a Firm, we are committed to investing significantly in this critical practice area and ramp up our coverage. I wish them the very best as they embark upon this new journey in their professional chapter.”

This is the second major lateral move in the Projects, Energy & Infrastructure space, following the move of four CAM lawyers to AZB & Partners earlier this month.

Corrigendum: This story has been updated at 16:00 on April 29, 2026. We have now been informed that Samridha Neupane is staying back at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas along with his team members and will continue in their current roles at the firm. A previous version of this story stated that Neupane was joining Khaitan & Co along with three other partners from SAM.

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