Zoeb S. Cutlerywala

Zoeb S. Cutlerywala is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution practice at Phoenix Legal, with over 16 years of experience advising and representing Indian and international clients in complex commercial disputes, arbitration, investigations and contentious regulatory matters. His primary practice area is Dispute Resolution. He regularly appears before the Supreme Court of India, various High Courts, tribunals and arbitral forums across the country.

He is particularly recognised for handling high-value, strategically sensitive disputes requiring urgent relief, coordinated multi-jurisdictional litigation and complex enforcement strategies across diverse industry sectors. He regularly advises and represents clients in complex commercial disputes involving contractual claims, infrastructure and EPC projects, banking and financial services litigation, tender and procurement disputes, insolvency and bankruptcy, real estate disputes, constitutional and writ proceedings, and regulatory litigation. He has extensive experience acting for multinational corporations, financial institutions, public sector undertakings and promoter groups.

A significant part of his practice is devoted to shipping and maritime law. He regularly represents shipowners, charterers, cargo interests, P&I Clubs, commodity traders and financial institutions in admiralty proceedings, charterparty disputes, bills of lading disputes, marine casualties, cargo claims, maritime liens, vessel arrests and releases, and cross-border maritime disputes. He frequently appears before the Bombay, Gujarat, Kerala and Orissa High Courts in admiralty matters involving actions in rem and in personam, and advises on sanctions-related shipping issues and cross-border enforcement.

He also maintains a substantial white-collar crime and corporate investigations practice, advising and representing corporates, promoters, boards of directors and senior management in matters involving economic offences, fraud, corruption, money laundering, financial crimes and other criminal proceedings arising out of commercial transactions. He leads internal investigations arising from whistleblower complaints, allegations of employee misconduct, fraud, regulatory non-compliance, governance concerns and conflicts of interest, including coordinating multi-jurisdictional investigations, conducting witness interviews, reviewing documentary records and advising on regulatory exposure, risk mitigation and remedial measures.

His recent experience includes representing public sector undertakings such as BPCL, HPCL, IOCL, RBI, Mazgaon Dock Ltd. and Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd. in litigation and arbitration matters, and successfully enforcing and executing an award for BPCL against Kingfisher Airlines before the Bombay High Court. He represented Malayan Bank, one of the largest banks in Malaysia, in various jurisdictions in India in respect of Letter of Credit transactions and UCP 600, and represented Larsen & Toubro to successfully secure awards in a domestic arbitration against the levy of price adjustment for delay in an EPC/LSTK contract for construction of a petrochemical and oil refinery.

He successfully represented Intuitive Surgical India Private Limited before the Himachal Pradesh High Court, securing dismissal of a writ petition challenging the technical evaluation process; represented Aquaro Logistics & Trading LLC FZ in a series of high-value admiralty proceedings before the Kerala High Court, securing multiple back-to-back arrests of the vessel MT Vision arising out of charterparty disputes; and represented the applicant vessel MV Hai Jin Jiang SH before the Gujarat High Court in successfully seeking vacating of a wrongful arrest obtained by the plaintiff in admiralty proceedings.

He regularly represents HDFC Bank Limited in highly contentious recovery proceedings before the Debt Recovery Tribunal, as well as proceedings before various High Courts and the Supreme Court arising from such recovery actions. He represented KSR Marine Services Pvt. Ltd. in a domestic arbitration arising out of non-payment of invoices under a Special Conditions Contract, and EOC Belgium NV and its Indian subsidiary EOC Polymers India Pvt. Ltd. in an international commercial arbitration arising out of a joint venture cum technology sharing agreement.

He represented Damas Jewellery LLC, a jewellery giant based in Dubai, before the Bombay High Court in a major trademark dispute with its joint venture partner in India, Gitanjali Brands Limited and Gitanjali Gems Limited, succeeding in getting an ad-interim injunction order against use of the mark belonging to the client. He also represented Gabon SEZ SA in an admiralty suit for a maritime claim and securing custody of barges within the territorial waters of Goa, and UAB Garant Service, a Lithuania-based company, in arresting the vessel "Hamburg" belonging to Triplezea Shipping Corporation. He represented GMS Inc, the world's largest purchaser of ships and offshore assets, in an admiralty suit for a maritime claim for ownership of a vessel.

He represented ARG Outlier Media Private Limited and Republic Media Network in the TRP scam investigated by the Crime Branch Mumbai, along with other pan-India matters against the company, and represented the Editor-in-Chief of ARG Outlier Media Private Limited, Mr. Arnab Goswami, in the alleged abetment to suicide case filed against him. He also represented the Shipowners P&I Club and Durmast Enterprises in relation to the sinking of the Vessel Papaa 305 due to Cyclone Tauktae.