Abir Roy represents the kind of legal professional who has successfully built a career at the intersection of law, economics, business strategy, and regulatory complexity. As Co-Founder at Sarada Legal, he has carved a strong niche in competition law, dispute resolution, and corporate litigation—while also bringing a commercially sharp lens to legal practice. What makes his journey stand out is his ability to move fluidly between litigation, merger control, business advisory, and teaching, making him a lawyer who understands both the black-letter law and the market forces behind it.

In this episode of The Koffee Conversation Show, Abir shares a practical and deeply insightful perspective on competition law, antitrust enforcement, merger control, tech regulation, leadership, entrepreneurship, legal education, and the future of regulatory practice in India. His reflections show that competition law is not just about statutes and penalties—it is about understanding how markets behave, how businesses grow, and how regulators interpret power, dominance, and fairness in an increasingly digital world.

Abir’s career journey began in the world of corporate and M&A law after graduating from National Law University, Jodhpur in 2007. In the early years of his practice, he worked across prominent firms including Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe, Paragon Partners, and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, where he was initially immersed in the M&A space. Over time, however, his path evolved into competition law—a shift that became one of the most defining turning points of his professional life.

A second major defining moment came in 2019, when he co-founded Sarada Legal with his partners. Moving from large law firm practice to building an independent firm marked not just a career move, but a mindset shift—from practitioner to institution-builder. Since then, his journey has been about shaping a future-focused legal practice while also mentoring young lawyers, teaching competition law, and navigating some of the most interesting legal questions emerging from India’s fast-changing market ecosystem.

Key Highlights of the Koffee Conversation with Abir Roy

• Competition law is not just legal theory—it is deeply tied to market behavior, economics, and business strategy
• Companies often make compliance mistakes by overlooking problematic clauses in agreements, such as exclusivity and resale price maintenance
• Businesses must stay alert to evolving legal interpretations—not just the law as written, but also how regulators and courts are applying it
• In M&A transactions, one of the biggest legal risks is failing to assess whether a deal requires Competition Commission of India approval
• Recent changes in India’s merger control regime, especially around deal value thresholds, are highly significant for businesses and deal lawyers
• Competition law in the next five years will increasingly focus on new-age markets, digital ecosystems, AI, and data-driven businesses
• Big Tech and e-commerce sectors are likely to remain at the center of high-stakes antitrust scrutiny
• Effective advocacy in complex antitrust matters depends on making the issue simple, sharp, and judge-friendly
• The bigger the case, the more important it becomes to keep arguments clear, concise, and easy to absorb
• Building a law firm is not just about legal skill—it is also about people, systems, trust, and long-term team building
• Great legal leadership requires taking the team along and being open to learning from younger colleagues and evolving work styles
• Teaching law sharpens legal thinking because it forces practitioners to stay updated and engage deeply with first principles
• Being a specialist is valuable, but understanding other areas of law gives lawyers a much stronger commercial and litigation edge
• Technology has transformed legal practice not just through AI, but also through client relationship management and operational systems
• For young lawyers entering competition law, focus and depth matter—but so does developing a broader commercial understanding of the legal ecosystem

▶️ Watch the full episode on YouTube on The Koffee Conversation Show to explore how competition law, antitrust strategy, merger control, business thinking, leadership, and legal entrepreneurship come together in the making of a modern regulatory lawyer.