Jai S. Pathak is a partner in the Singapore office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.  He is a member of the firm’s corporate department and its Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group.  Mr. Pathak established the Singapore office in 2008 and has served as its Partner in Charge through 2021.  He has also served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Pathak has extensive experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, dispositions, privatizations, joint ventures, licensing, infrastructure development, as well as private equity and structured finance transactions.  He has significant experience in the telecommunications, technology, banking, hospitality, oil/gas, pharmaceutical, FMCG and chemical industries.  His clients have included governments, financial institutions, investment banks, multinational companies and U.S., European, and Asian companies.  His practice has included projects in the United States, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Canada, Australia and China.

Mr. Pathak previously practiced with Jones Day since 1985, where he was a partner heading the transactional practice in Los Angeles and coordinating the M&A section for the California region.  He previously served as head of that firm’s India practice and partner-in-charge of the Singapore office.  He also spent more than a decade practicing in that firm’s London, New York and Cleveland offices.

Representative Accolades

• Chambers Asia-Pacific 2023 and Chambers Global 2023 ranked Mr. Pathak as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A in Singapore and India (top tier).  Chambers Asia-Pacific notes that “Jai Pathak is characterised by peers as “an excellent lawyer” with “many years of experience working in India.””  Client feedback from the publications also note that he is a “tremendous lawyer” and “his reputation precedes him, and his hold on the Indian market is unsurpassed.”  He is also known for being “a good manager and a good relationship partner” who “goes way beyond the call of duty” on cross-border takeovers and joint venture work.  Clients report favorably on his work, one client saying: “For the first time, I feel that we have got somebody committed to our interests.”
• Chambers Global 2023 also ranked Mr. Pathak as Foreign Expert for India in the category Singapore: Corporate/M&A.
• The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 recognized Mr. Pathak as a Leading Individual for Corporate and M&A in Singapore.
• Best Lawyers in Singapore 2023 recommended Mr. Pathak as a leading lawyer for Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Banking and Finance.
• IFLR1000: Financial and Corporate guide 2022 recognized Mr. Pathak as a Highly Regarded Lawyer for M&A in Singapore.
• Legal Era named Mr. Pathak as a Leading Cross Border (India Desk) Lawyer of the Year at its annual Global Achievers Awards 2022.
• Asia Business Law Journal recognized Mr. Pathak as an A-List lawyer in its 2019 Top 100 Lawyers list featuring “the best lawyers from the top law firms in Singapore.”
• India Business Law Journal named Mr. Pathak to its 2022 International A-List, featuring “the top 100 foreign lawyers for India-related matters.”
• Asialaw Leading Lawyers 2013 identified Mr. Pathak as a leading lawyer in Singapore.
• Asian Legal Business’s Legal Who’s Who Singapore 2003 awarded Mr. Pathak the “Best Corporate Lawyer” award.
• The Indian Council of Jurists presented Mr. Pathak with the “National Law Day Award – 2001” for his unique contribution to the development of Indian corporate law.
• The American Lawyer named Mr. Pathak in its February 2009 issue to its Top 20 Lateral Partner Hires list for 2008.

Mr. Pathak graduated from law school with a B.A. in Jurisprudence (Honors) in 1984 from the University of Oxford where he also earned a M.A. in 1989.  He received his LL.M. from the University of Virginia in 1985.  He previously earned his B.A. (Honors) and M.A. degrees from the University of Delhi (St. Stephen’s College) and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.