Litigation Manager — Legal (Litigation & Dispute Resolution)

ABOUT THE ROLE You will own the company's litigation portfolio end to end — commercial disputes, arbitrations, recovery matters, contractual claims and regulatory proceedings. This is a coordination and outcome role: you will not typically appear in court yourself, but you will instruct and manage a panel of external advocates across multiple forums and cities, keep internal business teams aligned, and drive matters toward resolution rather than allowing them to drift. The company operates across multiple jurisdictions and forums, so comfort with running parallel matters at different stages is essential. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES External counsel management Act as the single point of contact for all external advocates, law firms and senior counsel across mattersBrief counsel and review drafts — plaints, written statements, applications, affidavits, written submissions — before filingTrack hearing calendars, ensure counsel readiness, and follow up on adjournments and non-effective hearingsEvaluate and onboard new counsel; maintain a panel with clearly defined scope and fee terms End-to-end matter trackingMaintain a live litigation tracker covering stage, next date, exposure, counsel and internal owner for every matterPrepare periodic status reports and dashboards for management and the boardFlag limitation dates, statutory timelines (including Section 29A mandate periods in arbitrations) and filing deadlines proactivelyDrive matters to closure — identify stalled proceedings and escalate to expediteInternal stakeholder coordinationWork with Finance, Projects, Sales, Procurement and Operations to gather documents, facts and witness inputsTranslate legal positions into commercial language for business teams and managementSupport commercial teams on dispute avoidance — escalation notices, demand notices and pre-litigation settlement discussionsCommercial and cost controlReview counsel fee proposals against agreed schedules; validate invoices before paymentTrack legal spend by matter and against budgetAssess settlement options on a cost-benefit basis and present recommendations Documentation and riskMaintain case files, pleadings, orders and evidence in an organised, retrievable systemSupport contract teams with lessons learned from disputes — recurring clause failures, warranty/DLP issues, payment defaults REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONSLL.B. from a recognised university; enrolled with a Bar Council4–5 years' experience in litigation — in a law firm/chambers with in-house exposure, or within an in-house legal teamDemonstrated experience running multiple matters simultaneously across different forums Working knowledge of the Civil Procedure Code, Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, Commercial Courts Act 2015, and NCLT/IBC procedureStrong drafting review ability — able to spot gaps in a pleading even where counsel has drafted itProven track record of coordinating with external counsel and non-legal internal teams PREFERREDExposure to construction, real estate, infrastructure or manufacturing disputesExperience with arbitration proceedings (institutional and ad-hoc), including Sections 9, 11, 17, 29A and 34 applicationsFamiliarity with legal-tech or matter-management systems, or having built a litigation tracker from scratchExperience negotiating counsel fee structures and managing legal budgetsMulti-state litigation exposure (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi) WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOROwnership — treats every matter as theirs to close, not merely to report onFollow-through — persistent with counsel and internal teams; things do not slipCommercial judgment — knows when to fight and when to settleClarity — can explain a complex dispute to a non-lawyer director in five minutesComposure under deadline — same-day filings and urgent applications are part of the job