Samir co-founded Axiom5 Law Chambers after having spent more than two decades at various law firms – most recently as a Senior Partner and the head of the competition law practice at AZB & Partners. He advises his clients on all aspects of competition law and has had a ringside view of the development of this law in India: first as counsel to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in its earliest litigation and then as a practitioner in some leading antitrust cases and merger filings. He has appeared before the CCI and superior courts, including the Supreme Court of India, in complex litigation involving difficult constitutional challenges in sectors as diverse as automobiles, pharmaceuticals, digital markets, and media. Samir has been deeply engaged with the formulation of competition policy in India since its inception – including as a member of the ad hoc group advising the CCI on the formulation of its merger regulations, and later as a special government invitee to the Competition Law Review Committee. He lives in New Delhi with his wife, daughter, and golden retriever. His current interests include attempting to grow San Marzano tomatoes in the Delhi heat, and brewing the perfect espresso.

Some representative work:

•  Advised and led arguments before the Competition Commission of India in antitrust cases involving cartel defence and unilateral conduct/dominance cases in a wide range of markets, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, television and broadcast media, healthcare pharmaceuticals, hospitality, automobiles, auto-components, technology, and digital markets
• Advised on numerous complex merger filings including Lafarge/Holcim, Syngenta/Chinachem, GE/Alstom, AT&T/Time Warner, Agrium/PotashCorp, Abbott/St Jude, and others. This includes designing appropriate remedy packages where required, working with monitoring trustees, and advising on complex gun-jumping and non-compliance proceedings
• Counselled clients on competition compliance issues by working with business, product, and commercial teams to propose bespoke solutions, including dawn raid protocols and redesigning agency, distribution, and franchise models
• Non-Governmental Advisor to the CCI
• Visiting faculty at the National Law School of India University