Aparna Sathe — Senior Associate, Dispute Resolution
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Disputes lawyer with six years before the Bombay High Court, the NCLT and domestic arbitral tribunals, the last four running matters end to end. Recovered ₹18.4 crore for an operational creditor through a Section 9 insolvency petition the debtor settled before admission.
Experience
Senior Associate, Dispute Resolution, Sethna Rao & Partners · April 2022 – present
Commercial disputes team of eleven. Carries a personal docket of 30 to 35 active matters.
- Recovered ₹18.4 crore for an engineering client through a Section 9 petition under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, settled by the debtor before admission.
- Argued 60 interim applications before the Bombay High Court and the City Civil Court, obtaining ad-interim relief in 41 of them.
- Standardised the brief-preparation format for senior counsel, taking turnaround from six days to two across the disputes team.
- Mentors three junior associates and reviews every pleading before filing; drafts returned by senior counsel fell from four rounds to one.
Associate, Bhavsar & Naik, Advocates · August 2019 – March 2022
- Handled 120 cheque-dishonour prosecutions under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act for a non-banking lender, closing 88 by compounding within 14 months.
- Drafted the statement of claim and evidence affidavits in a ₹42 crore construction arbitration seated in Mumbai, settled after cross-examination on the tribunal’s suggestion.
- Built the cause-list tracker the firm still uses after two listings were missed; no listing has been missed since.
Junior Counsel, Chambers of R. K. Ghatge, Senior Advocate · August 2018 – July 2019
- Researched and drafted 45 written submissions in writ petitions before the Bombay High Court, nine of which were adopted verbatim at final arguments.
- Compiled the chamber’s standing note bank on service and indirect tax matters, still the first stop for new briefs.
Education
- B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) Law · Symbiosis Law School, Pune · July 2013 – May 2018
Skills
- Forums: Bombay High Court, NCLT Mumbai, City Civil Court, Domestic arbitration, Consumer commissions
- Practice areas: Commercial suits, Insolvency and bankruptcy, Recovery and NI Act, Contract disputes, Writ petitions
- Drafting: Plaints and written statements, Interim applications, Statements of claim, Legal notices, Written submissions
- Research: SCC Online, Manupatra, e-Courts case status, Case digests
Certifications
- All India Bar Examination — Bar Council of India
- Enrolled Advocate — Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa