ZBA is a boutique firm best known for its banking, shipping, dispute resolution and debt capital markets capabilities. The firm specialises in complex commercial disputes, with a focus on maritime law. It works with owners, offshore contractors, banks, mortgagees, charterers, cargo underwriters, insurers and reinsurers, protection and indemnity clubs, shipyards, commodity traders and financial investors. Managing partner Zarir Bharucha is a respected figure for shipping disputes. He is often nominated as an arbitrator for shipping-related arbitrations in the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and he is a member of the maritime sub-committee of the
International Bar Association.
The lead partners running the disputes group are Bharucha and Niloufer Lam.
The team assisted IDBI Bank in an admiralty suit to enforce its mortgage over the vessel
DLB Nand Gaurav. The vessel was sold by a judicial sale and the sale were to be be distributed by the court under the waterfall mechanism provided in the Admiralty Act. The client had priority as a mortgagee and the ZBA team helped it to fast-track its claim before the Bombay High Court. It successfully obtained a decree in favour of its client against the sale proceeds of the vessel.
ICICI Bank and State Bank of India are recent insolvency clients of the firm.
