In the heart of New Delhi this March, a high-stakes legal conclave will unfold—not just any conference, but a power-packed gathering aimed at decoding India’s next big leap: becoming the world’s go-to manufacturing powerhouse.
The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), a nearly century-old global network of legal professionals, is convening a two-day seminar on March 29 and 30, 2025. Held at the Delhi International Arbitration Centre within the Delhi High Court complex, the event is themed “India Ahead: Exploring Legal, Regulatory and Geopolitical Updates Impacting FDI in the World’s Fastest Growing Economy.”
UIA’s mission is as global as its reach—110 countries strong—fostering international dialogue among lawyers and promoting the rule of law. But this time, the spotlight is squarely on India.
A Legal Braintrust Converges
Day one will open with ceremonial gravitas. Among the dignitaries headlining the event are seasoned legal minds such as Mamta Tiwari, A.K. Ganguli, Kapil Sibal, and Prashant Kumar—representing both the national and international legal spectrum.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta step in as Guests of Honour, while the ceremonial baton will be passed to Carlo Mastellone, UIA President from Florence, Italy, serving as Chief Guest.
Then comes the engine room of the seminar: a series of panels and keynotes diving into India’s complex legal terrain surrounding manufacturing, trade, and investment.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is set to deliver the keynote address, likely touching on policy shifts and incentives driving India’s FDI inflows.
Justice Hrishikesh Roy (Retd.) will preside over a panel dissecting foreign direct investment strategy and India’s place in the web of global trade agreements and BITs (Bilateral Investment Treaties). Justice Sanjay Karol will helm discussions on M&A intricacies in India’s manufacturing domain.
Next, Justice K.V. Viswanathan leads a panel into the world of finance, public-private partnerships, and the ongoing war against financial crime. Across the globe, from Georgia, USA, Clayton Cartwright will take the stage to explore the cross-border tax and immigration implications tied to India’s export ambitions.
Contracts, Conflict & Complexity: Day Two
If day one was about entry and expansion, day two is about staying power and legal foresight. Justice L. Nageswara Rao (Retd.) will kick things off with a session on the fine print—and pitfalls—of international sales and manufacturing contracts.
Then comes the art and anatomy of arbitration. Justice Rajesh Bindal will chair a session on drafting airtight arbitration clauses, with an eye on bringing non-signatories into proceedings—a thorny issue in many cross-border disputes.
Capping off the seminar will be a deep dive into non-arbitrable matters: from fraud and criminal allegations to regulatory minefields where tribunals—not arbitrators—rule supreme. This final panel will be led once again by Justice Vibhu Bakhru, also Chairperson of DIAC.
Closing Notes, Forward March
As the curtains draw on the event, Krishnan Venugopal and Rachana Srivastava will deliver the valedictory addresses, summing up two days of high-powered legal introspection.
More than just a legal event, the seminar stands as a strategic briefing room for those tracking India’s accelerating rise in the global economic order—where law, policy, and geopolitics are not background noise but the core drivers of transformation.
India isn’t just open for business. It’s rewriting the rules.
