Indian law firm Trilegal has appointed Sandeep Ghosh as its first Chief Executive Officer, a structural shift the firm says is designed to prepare for accelerated growth as technology and AI reshape the legal services market.

The appointment, announced on Wednesday from Mumbai, is notable for a firm of Trilegal’s standing — a lockstep partnership model, typically resistant to corporate-style management layers.

The firm said its partnership structure remains intact, with the management committee and board retaining strategic and governance authority. Ghosh’s mandate is execution: translating strategy into operational outcomes, aligning practices across offices and deepening client relationships.

Leadership experience

Ghosh brings over three decades of leadership experience in financial services and advisory, most recently as Group Country Manager for India and South Asia at Visa. He has held senior roles at EY, AXA, ANZ and Citi. His background is in large-scale transformation and multi-market operations — skills the firm appears to be deliberately importing from outside the legal profession.

Trilegal is among India’s larger full-service firms, with 157 equity partners operating under a lockstep model — the largest such partnership in the country by that measure. The firm employs over 1,300 professionals across seven offices including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and GIFT City.

The move reflects a wider trend among top-tier law firms globally, where the growing complexity of client demands, AI-driven legal tools, and competitive pressure are pushing partnerships to professionalise their management functions.

Ghosh said the firm was well-positioned to lead through industry change, citing shifting client expectations and new delivery models as key forces.

Published on May 13, 2026