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A royal shift - City report: Hyderabad - Asian Legal Business

Sep 1
2 min read

Hyderabad is witnessing a significant transformation in its legal market, driven by the expansion of multinational businesses, GCCs, life sciences, technology, infrastructure and real estate. According to P. Raviprasad, Co-founder and Co-Managing Partner, Tempus Law, this growth is also reshaping the nature of legal work and increasing competition among national and regional firms.


“This scale of multinational capital deployment is what’s driving demand for sophisticated legal services — cross-border deal structuring, FDI and regulatory compliance, and large-ticket transactional work in a market historically centred on real estate and litigation.”


The growing presence of national law firms has also intensified competition in the city. Raviprasad observes:

“Competition has intensified noticeably as national firms expand into Hyderabad through significant lateral hiring, competing directly with established regional practices for the same corporate and private equity mandates that were once handled largely by local firms.”


He further notes that the ability of national firms to establish a strong local presence has historically been constrained by their pricing structures and limited senior-level leadership on the ground:

“Most national law firms could not make a major impact due to their pricing and fee structure and the lack of senior and experienced local leadership. During any major transaction, the Mumbai and Delhi senior teams of larger law firms parachute in to handle the deal.”


At the same time, Hyderabad’s expanding ecosystem of GCCs, life sciences parks, logistics hubs and data centres is generating a broader range of legal requirements. Raviprasad highlights the growing demand for advice across land acquisition, commercial leasing, project development, regulatory approvals and real estate financing.


“Continued investment in GCCs, life sciences parks, logistics hubs and data centres has accelerated activity in land acquisition, commercial leasing, project development, regulatory approvals and real estate financing. Clients increasingly prefer sector-focused, full-service firms that can manage complex transactions from inception to completion.”


The city’s sectoral profile is also creating opportunities for firms with specialised capabilities. Raviprasad explains:

“This combination gives Hyderabad-based legal practices a particular strength in pharma, deep-tech and BFSI-adjacent analytics work, distinct from Bengaluru’s startup-driven orientation, Mumbai’s capital markets and large-cap M&A focus, or Delhi’s policy and government-facing practice.”


Looking ahead, Hyderabad’s expanding residential and commercial property markets are expected to generate continued legal work across a range of transactions and regulatory requirements.


“With Hyderabad’s residential and commercial property markets continuing to expand, legal work is expected to increase across land acquisition, project development, joint development arrangements, commercial leasing, real estate financing, title diligence and regulatory compliance.”


Raviprasad also identifies several factors that could influence the city's future growth, including rising costs and infrastructure pressures. He notes that the scale of the market may not always attract larger law firms, particularly given their more conservative approach.

“The steady rise in cost of housing, commercial space, talent, facilities and traffic congestion are factors to be watched. The scope and opportunities may not be of a scale attractive for larger law firms, given the conservative approach. Over the next five years, demand is expected to remain strong across cross-border M&A, private equity, employment, data protection, AI governance, semiconductor, deep-tech and infrastructure advisory.”



 

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