Aarav Merchant
Managing Partner · Corporate & PropertySixteen years advising founders, family businesses and housing societies. Formerly of a national full-service firm; left to build a practice where the partner still drafts.
Mumbai · Est. 2009
Clear counsel.
Clear counsel.
Measured strategy.
Meridian Legal Partners advises businesses and families across corporate, employment, family and property law — every matter partner-led, every fee agreed in writing before work begins.
17 yrsAt the Mumbai bar
1,400+Matters concluded
92%Resolved pre-trial
Practice areas
Four disciplines, practised deeply
We deliberately keep the firm narrow. Each practice is led by a partner who works in that field exclusively — no generalists, no hand-offs to juniors you have never met.
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Corporate & Commercial
Led by A. MerchantCompany formation, shareholder agreements, commercial contracts, private-round documentation and dispute avoidance for founders and SMEs from Fort to BKC.
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Employment & Workplace
Led by R. DeshpandeSeverance and release review, wrongful termination, POSH compliance, employment contracts and workplace investigations — for employees and employers alike.
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Family & Matrimonial
Led by N. KulkarniDivorce, maintenance, custody and settlement structuring — handled with discretion, a preference for mediation, and candour about likely outcomes from day one.
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Property & Real Estate
Led by A. MerchantTitle due diligence, redevelopment agreements, society disputes, leave-and-licence drafting and RERA matters across Mumbai and the wider MMR.
The firm
A quieter way to practise law
Founded in 2009 by two partners who left larger chambers, Meridian was built on a simple premise: clients deserve to know what their matter will cost, who is actually working on it, and what a realistic outcome looks like.
- Written fee estimate before any work begins — fixed-fee phases wherever the matter allows.
- Every matter is partner-led. Juniors assist; they never carry your file alone.
- We will tell you when not to litigate — 92% of our matters conclude before trial.
- Plain-language advice memos after every consultation, in English, Hindi or Marathi.
1,400+Matters concluded
3Equity partners
48 hrsMemo turnaround
4.9Rating · 310+ reviews
How an engagement works
Three steps, no surprises
Most clients tell us the anxiety of hiring a lawyer is not the law — it is the uncertainty. So we removed it.
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Step one
Structured 30-minute consultation
A fixed-fee session with the relevant partner. You send documents beforehand; the partner reads them first, so the full 30 minutes goes on advice — not intake paperwork.
Credited against your matter if you instruct us.
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Step two
Written strategy memo
Within 48 hours you receive a plain-language memo: your position, realistic outcomes, the routes available, and a fee estimate for each. Yours to keep, whoever you hire.
Including the honest option of doing nothing.
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Step three
Partner-led matter
If you proceed, the same partner runs your matter end to end — fixed-fee phases where possible, fortnightly written updates, and email answered within one working day.
One partner, one file, start to finish.
The partners
Who will actually run your matter
Three equity partners, one office, no revolving door. The person you meet at the consultation is the person who signs your filings.
Rhea Deshpande
Partner · Employment & WorkplaceActs for both employees and employers — which is exactly why her severance and POSH advice is trusted on both sides of the table. 400+ workplace matters concluded.
Nikhil Kulkarni
Partner · Family & MatrimonialA trained mediator who settles four matters for every one he argues. Known for candour in first consultations — including when the best advice is to reconcile terms, not fight.
Client accounts
Spoken plainly, like our advice
The strategy memo alone was worth the consultation fee. For the first time I understood my own dispute — and what each route would cost me.
Vikram ShettyDirector, logistics company · Corporate
I was asked to sign a release in four days. Ms Deshpande read everything before our call and told me exactly what to change. I negotiated double the severance.
Priya JoshiProduct manager · Employment
Our society's redevelopment agreement sat unsigned for two years. Meridian's title diligence found the actual blocker in three weeks, and the fee never moved from the estimate.
Sunil D'SouzaSociety chairman · Property
Contact
Request a consultation
Tell us briefly what has happened. The relevant partner reviews every enquiry before your consultation is confirmed — usually within one working day.