In A Fireside Chat With Vaneesa Agrawal, Founder, Thinking Legal

Vaneesa Agrawal is a funds and early-stage transactional lawyer with over 11 years of experience and currently runs her own boutique law firm (Thinking Legal) based in New Delhi. She has done B.B.A. LL.B. from National Law University, Jodhpur and Masters in International Law from New York University. After working with Majmudar and Partners, Amarchand Mangaldas and as an in-house lawyer at SEBI, she set up her own boutique law firm since she wanted to be entrepreneurial in her legal journey.

Thinking Legal, had advised on over 50 venture capital and growth stage transactions  and has been recognised by Venture Intelligence (a leading source for transactional analysis) in its PE/VC league table for Jan - Sep, 2021 alongside a number of India's leading law firms for VC/PE and start-up work. She advises domestic and foreign investors such as private equity funds, venture capital funds, seed funds, pension funds, angel networks, family offices and HNIs. She also advises a number of promising and fast-growing startups. Her practice areas include drafting and negotiating investment documents, setting-up venture and angel funds that invest in emerging companies and regulatory advisory on securities matters. She has advised a number of funds on formation, structuring and negotiations with limited partners.

She is also a member of the CII National Committee on Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Governance. She is actively engaged in the startup ecosystem and conduct workshops for founders (including in partnership with TIE) on key deal terms that impact on early-stage investments.

In a fireside chat with our managing editor Ashima Ohri, Vaneesa talks about her specialization and the work she handles at her firm. She also shares her thoughts on joining the BW Legal World Elite 40 Under 40 Club of Achievers 2021.

Ashima: Would you please tell us about your specialisation and the array of work you handle at your firm? 

Vaneesa: I specialise in fund formation and early-stage transactional work. I advise on the process of investment/divestment, including structuring of transactions, drafting and negotiating transactional documents. I also advise on the commercial impact of the issues identified during the diligence process. Additionally, I advise on formation, structuring and documentation of funds, including assisting on registration as alternative investment funds and foreign portfolio investors with Securities and Exchange Board of India. Further, I advise startups on everything from setting up and structuring their business, regulatory compliances, registration of trademarks to structuring ESOP arrangements and executive compensation. 

Ashima: Many Congratulations on joining the BW Legal World Elite 40 Under 40 Club of Achievers 2021. What to your mind has helped you get to where you are and what advice would you have for others who want to set off in a similar direction? 

Vaneesa: As I pause and reflect on my journey in the law so far, I definitely think my curiosity and desire to learn something new every day has held me in good stead. Over the years, I have been able to figure out the specific areas of law that excite me and I focus on those. It is honestly inspiring to work with founders who are so innovative and passionate about building something great. I have also been very fortunate to have mentors who have advised me and believed in me. My advice to others would be to follow your passion and choose the path that seems exciting and stimulating. Even within the legal field, there are many options that one can pursue and it is very important to find your passion. Specifically for corporate lawyers, it is helpful to understand the commercial aspects and consider those while giving legal advice.