#finance practice

In a tradition-bound, change-resistant world like the legal profession, such instances occur only occasionally, when individuals blaze through the system, mastering it and then transforming it. Possessing an incisive legal mind, an empathetic leader, and an institution builder, Anish Mashruwala is a strong lawyer who fits the persona perfectly. He is the current Co-Chair of the Finance Practice and Head of the Banking & Finance group at JSA — Advocates & Solicitors.

His journey doesn’t start in a courtroom or a boardroom but in a moment of clarity that turned youthful aspiration into a lifelong mission. Starting from an interest in the law, over the years, there has been a shift into a professional life characterized by integrity, innovation, and impact in India’s legal and financial landscape.

Curious Teenager to Legal Luminary

Long before Anish would go on to become one of India’s most dynamic lawyers and a renowned name in the corridors of financial law in the country, he was at school: a young, curious student among friends whose families were in the business of practising law. Anish was from a business-oriented family, and he could have gone down the same path. But his calling was different. He was drawn by the power of advocacy, of legal reasoning’s discipline, and the force law could bring to bear on society.

That idealism in his youth gave way to a more grounded vision as India opened up its economy in the 1990s. Having graduated in 1999, a time when a newly muscular India was beginning to make itself felt on the world stage, Anish saw an opportunity not only to expand with India but also to shape the country through legal scaffolding. So, he aimed for an international audience and went to study for his LL.M., worked across continents embracing the best legal practices from foreign lands, to make a meaningful contribution to India’s international rise upon his return.

What has made this journey even more inspiring is that it did not arise from familial pressure or legacy. It was a deeply held personal belief to be impactful and stand for value, ultimately creating a future where legal excellence drives the nation’s growth.

Guiding Values — Curiosity, Passion and Discipline

Ask Anish the secret to his success, and he doesn’t peddle pretentious soundbites. Instead, he imparts three archetypal virtues: curiosity, passion, and discipline.

“Curiosity,” he says, “makes you dive deeper, ask more, keeps you constantly evolving.” Passion gives work a sense of purpose rather than feeling like an obligation. Discipline, he thinks, is what separates promise from performance.

To Anish, it’s not just the accolades or high-stakes deals that equate to success. It’s the deep pleasure of doing good work, of contributing to something bigger than oneself — a sentiment that comes through clearly in everything he touches, from deal rooms to firm culture.

The Heartbeat of Leadership — Passion, Power, and Purpose

What sets him apart is his emotional intelligence and cross-cultural wisdom in leadership, not just from years of experience, but also from his extensive travels across the globe. Unlike many leaders who grow up with legacies, Anish is a non-legacy lawyer, a person who had to figure it out for himself. It is what makes his leadership more inclusive, empathetic and people-first.

He has an interest in the innovative ways lawyers work today to drive change. “Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all. It’s about tuning into each person’s aspirations and putting them on a path to align with a collective goal. Your service can only shine after your team is in sync,” he shares.

That human-first approach delivers tangible results, higher client retention, increased trust among team members, and a culture where people feel heard, supported, and empowered.

When Law and Integrity Collide — The Right Balance of Boundaries and Boldness

At a time when the boundaries created by client demands are often a matter of grey, Anish is a staunch believer in legal ethics. “We’re not only advisers; we’re protectors of the law,” he insists. When clients come to him with suggestions that might not fall on the right side of law, and often they do so unwittingly, he doesn’t simply say no; he instructs.

Even in some of the grey areas, he’s going to make sure that people know what’s happening. “If you give a good warning, you may ingratiate yourself, but save your client down the road,” Anish says. And that integrity, he finds, is not only valued but also respected by clients who come back, time and time again, for exactly that rare combination of boldness and boundaries.

Anish’s clear style of communication has made him a personal brand and one of the trusted advisers for both Indian and international clients.

Green Ideas in Black and White Spaces

Sustainability is not just a buzzword for Anish. It’s a practice.

At JSA, sustainability begins with the small things that have a big impact, such as using recycled paper wherever possible, implementing water-saving at every area, and sustainable office design. When Anish helped design JSA’s new Mumbai office, he fought for a space that breathed, physically. Constructed in one of India’s highest-rated green buildings, the office incorporates biophilic design throughout, with natural plants and light woven into the space’s DNA.

The green movement at JSA, both in policy and action, epitomizes how law firms can be environmentally responsible. “Law firms don’t have to be a carbon-heavy organisation. We can be lean, we can be green, we can be clean,” says Anish.

Transformative Deals, Industry Impact

Throughout his career, Anish has been involved in transactions that have shaped and in some cases, birthed whole industry practices.

The biggest hardship was during one of the most formative chapters, during the 2008 global financial crisis, he said, when Anish, then working overseas, participated in high-stakes rescue operations for banks. “It felt like watching the world remould itself in real-time,” he said.

Upon his return to India, he consistently pushed the frontier of financial law, whether facilitating the first-ever large foreign private equity financing transaction in Indian real estate or helping with cross-border finance for MSMEs. He was instrumental in establishing platforms that enabled banks to deliver structured trade finance, particularly in sectors that had been historically underserved.

“These were not just deals,” he notes. “These were seminal for finance as practised in the Indian legal ecosystem.”

Using Tech to Change How Legal Services Are Delivered

Long before the world was forced to shift to remote work, JSA had already invested heavily in technology. “When COVID-19 hit, we had 350+ lawyers fully functional from home in less than a week,” Anish notes proudly.

Today, legal automation and the ability to effortlessly interact with clients virtually are the new normal at JSA. But for Anish, the potential of technology is not in what it displaces — rather, in what it transcends.

“Technology is that assistant that frees up more of your time to process more deeply, serve clients more effectively and strategize more intelligently,” he says. And as tech innovation accelerates, JSA continues to pilot AI tools that redefine what it means to be a 21st-century legal outfit.

The Grace of Strategic Stillness

Anish and his team hit a spot involv­ing a high-profile cross-border cor­porate purchase involving several off­shore jurisdictions. After almost two years of work, the deal stalled, and guarantees provided by their client’s bank were in danger of being encashed.

Instead of playing the blame game as is usual and customary, Anish took a different path — joining forces with the guarantor bank to jointly defend the client. The tactic not only shielded the client but also strengthened the alliance with the bank, paving the way for future work together.

“That failed transaction, and that interaction, has given rise to a whole bunch of other transactions,” he shrugs and smiles.

This incident embodies a core ethos of Anish, i.e. looking at every challenge as a seed for new possibilities.

Gender-Responsive Legal Culture, Equality and Opportunity

Regarding gender inclusion, Anish has a level head, providing a balanced viewpoint. Although he values political initiatives such as the Women’s Reservation Bill, he argues that real legal parity stems from equal opportunity, not quotas.

“JSA has been a merit-first organisation from the beginning,” he says. In his team, there are more women than men. Not policy-wise, but performance on merits.

Two of JSA’s former joint managing partners have been women, and with its teams and all verticals evenly balanced, stand as a testament to things going right, when it comes to gender diversity.

Counsel to the Aspiring: Know Thyself, and Then On to Law

Anish encourages fresh law graduates to reflect more deeply before jumping into internships or enhancing their CVs. “Ask yourself — what kind of lawyer do you want to become? What are your strengths? What is your passion?”

The message is clear — don’t just be employable. Aim to be intentional!

“The strongest résumé is one that demonstrates clarity, not just activity,” he says.

He also recommends that aspirants seek exposure abroad, if such requirements exist. “It’s not mandatory. But it can be transformational,” he believes.

With India on the verge of opening its legal market to foreign firms, he describes this as a moment of reckoning and opportunity. But he is unfazed.

He had returned to India decades ago, after a stint abroad, with a global worldview and shared JSA’s vision of institutionalizing legal practice, building a firm that transcended individual names.

“My vision now is to mentor the next generation of leaders. If we keep fostering a culture of collaboration, merit and trust, JSA will thrive notwithstanding foreign competition,” he says.

After All Final Words — The Law as a Living Thing

Anish Mashruwala has approached law at every stage of his career not as a codified principle, but as a plasma of living, breathing, changing stuff, one that can chart the course of industries, motivate human beings, and shape nations.

Whether it’s consulting with Fortune 500 clients or coaching recent graduates, his principles remain the same: integrity, innovation, and impact.

And maybe that’s a key reason he isn’t just a great lawyer, but now one of the most influential legal minds of our age. That strong sense of duty, almost he would say obligation, to the country.

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