Ace arbitrator

"I am delighted to be joining Stewarts, a leading disputes firm with ambitious plans for the future,” Sherina Petit was quoted on the firm’s website, stewartslaw.com. UK’s largest litigation-only law firm with more than 400 staff, when Petit joined Stewarts in the first week of November, 2023 she became the 84th partner there, tasked to lead their International Arbitration team of 11.

Petit alluded to "an aggressive, targeted plan to grow the team and become a major force within the London arbitration market. We have a focused international strategy covering South Asia (particularly India and Singapore) and the Middle East, and will also build on the team’s existing expertise in Latin America and Africa. This is just the beginning.” Managing partner Stuart Dench remarked, "I look forward to working with Sherina to implement these exciting plans.”

Listed as a global leader by The Legal 500, said to be the world’s leading legal directory, Petit is described as a "powerhouse in the international arbitration world, particularly as regards India-related work… (She) is exceptional. She gives 110% to her clients and is a fantastic strategist.” Featuring in Tier 1 of Chambers Asia Pacific (India Dispute Resolution — International Firms), she is lauded as "one of the best arbitration lawyers (who)… stands out for her hands-on approach to the case, her tactical sense and her user-friendly manner, which combine to make her a great team leader… One of Sherina’s skills is managing to avoid getting into arbitration in the first place.” She also ranks among the global leaders in arbitration in Who’s Who Legal which researches best in class lawyers and is on the Legal Business Arbitration Power List.

As one who is always open to change, Petit’s new responsibilities at Stewarts will see her focus on high-value, complex disputes using her knowledge and experience to act as a strategic adviser to global clients seeking assistance. Specializing in international commercial arbitration, investor-state arbitration, litigation and alternative dispute resolutions, her client base spans a broad range of industries, including energy, construction, oil and gas, trade, transport, pharmaceuticals, commodities, finance and technology, notes her life profile on the Stewarts website.

In addition to acting as counsel in arbitrations, she also sits as an arbitrator and has practiced across multiple jurisdictions. Petit is on the board of the London Court of International Arbitration and the European Federation of Investment Law and Arbitration. Further, she is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Indian Arbitration Group and has worked closely with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre being a member of several councils, committees and chambers connected with arbitration.

Interested in international arbitration which she had studied when pursuing her LLM (Master of Laws) from the King’s College in London, Petit considers herself fortunate that she got appropriate offers from the top five legal firms in the UK at the required time. After her postgraduation, just as she was readying to return to India she got an offer from Linklaters to join as a trainee in project finance. While she did not enjoy this field, she was able to qualify as a solicitor in the UK during this period.

Soon she found an opening in international arbitration as a junior associate at Shearman & Sterling. Gradually establishing a practice targeting multinational companies in their disputes relating to India, she was happy to be part of a global network while regularly going home to parents Aban and Homa Petit (best known in the community for their dedication to The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital). After six years Sherina moved to Norton Rose Fulbright where she continued for nearly 15 years, resigning as partner when she joined Stewarts.

The grueling 16 to 18 hours a day she was required to put in to stay ahead of competition did not deter her, spurred as she was by "the excitement and the adrenalin and…the immense experience. I was working on some of the biggest and most confidential deals in the world! Most of all, it was the sense of achievement — knowing that I was doing this on my own (her father is a respected lawyer in India as was her grandfather)… There are a lot of women who start out at a law firm but sadly very few make it to partnership. It is important for someone entering law to find a mentor who believes in them and pushes their limit,” Sherina had stated in an interview with Agilis Executive Consulting two years ago.

"I have been absolutely snowed under with the move,” stated Sherina when Parsiana sought responses from her. Citing "work commitments,” she requested we defer the interview to early 2024. An alumna of the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sophia College and Government Law College, for Sherina, both Bombay and London are home. As she remarked in the Agilis interview, "For me, personal and professional success is very much interlinked. It is important to find the right balance between hard work, peace of mind and having fun. Most importantly, it is impossible to achieve success without the right support system. To this end, I am blessed to have amazing parents and an extraordinary husband (Nosherwan Vakil, also a lawyer)… Each of them in different ways is my friend, philosopher and guide…and I owe them everything.”