Leading global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has advised The University of Western Australia (UWA), one of the top-ranked universities in the world, on setting up campuses in Mumbai and Chennai in India.
UWA will offer a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at its Mumbai and Chennai campuses, including AI, data science, IT, and business administration. It is expected that the campuses will become fully operational later this year.
The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer team advised the University on all aspects of the project, including corporate and structuring, contractual aspects, intellectual property, employment, and real estate, working with Indian counsel.
The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer team was led by partner and head of the India practice Siddhartha Shukla and partner Lucy Curran, along with partners Josh Lom, Nick Wright, Kathryn Coveney, Nick Pantlin, Jonathan Turnbull, and Tim Healey.
The wider cross-practice team included Miriam Everett, Adelaide Luke, Hayley Brady, Kate Meakin, Meera Thakrar, Ananya Bajpai, Charles Cunningham, Terence Lau, Duc Tran, Adam Janmohamed, Emma Sherratt, Adam Morris, Perminder Gainda, Mark Khouri, Lachlan Taylor, Eleanor Swift, Ryu Long, Hannah Kim, Andrew Owen, Holly Regan, Rahul Prakash, Ieva Fiddes, and Georgie Green.
HSF Kramer chair and senior partner Rebecca Maslen-Stannage said: "UWA is my alma mater, and I am very proud of UWA for this innovative move – and that our firm has been part of the UWA team in implementing it. I'm delighted that students in Mumbai and Chennai will also have the opportunity to progress their career journeys at such a fine university."
Partner Siddhartha Shukla commented: "This is a milestone moment for UWA as it expands its global footprint to India, an exciting market with a significant talent pool which is becoming a hub for global universities. It is great to see the thought and care being put into setting up these campuses in Mumbai and Chennai – they will be world class."
Partner Lucy Curran added: "It has been a pleasure for us to be part of this important juncture in UWA's history. We have really enjoyed working closely with the wonderful UWA team and look forward to seeing the India campuses flourish."
The firm worked closely with the senior team from UWA in Australia, including General Counsel David Nolan and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) Professor Jennifer Howell. Khaitan & Co acted as India legal counsel.