Touchstone Partners has made a significant double lateral hire, onboarding Tanay Agarwal and Puneeth Nagaraj as Partners in Mumbai and Bangalore, respectively. Agarwal joins from Trilegal (TT&A), while Nagaraj arrives from Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. (SAM). The dual appointment strengthens the firm across two distinct and high-demand practice areas.
Agarwal will anchor Touchstone Partners’ Banking and Finance practice, bringing over 11 years of experience in domestic and cross-border transactions. Nagaraj will lead the firm’s Emerging Technologies and Data Privacy practice, drawing on more than thirteen years of specialist expertise in technology regulation and data protection in India.
Education Background and Career Progression
Education
Tanay Agarwal is a 2015 alumnus of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. Puneeth Nagaraj is a 2013 alumnus of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.
Career Journey
Tanay Agarwal built his career in Banking and Finance, developing deep expertise in corporate banking and structured private credit. Before joining Touchstone Partners, he served as a Partner in the Banking and Finance team at TT&A, Mumbai. Over his career, he has advised top-tier banks, fund houses, promoter offices, and conglomerates across sectors including airports, infrastructure, InvITs, retail, hospitality, ed-tech, financial services, and real estate. His transactional portfolio spans strategic stake acquisitions, listed company takeovers, asset monetisations, promoter-level fundraising, margin finance, construction finance, pre-IPO bridge financings, and fund raises by financial institutions. Notably, he has advised on landmark private credit deals, including the largest private credit debt placement in India and the Asia-Pacific region, social loan ECBs, and the establishment of India’s first asset-backed securitization fund in GIFT City.
Puneeth Nagaraj has spent over thirteen years advising leading technology companies on technology regulation and data privacy frameworks in India. Prior to joining Touchstone Partners, he was a Partner in the Technology and Data Privacy practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. His sector experience covers social media, gaming, fintech, healthcare, and telecom. Nagaraj was invited by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 to testify as an expert witness, and he continues to engage actively with clients, industry groups, and government stakeholders in shaping data protection and technology regulatory frameworks.
What the Firm Said
On the dual appointment, Touchstone Partners stated:
“Both Tanay and Puneeth bring in accomplished legal experience, share our ambition to drive and deliver impactful, high-profile transactions, reinforcing our high standards for providing a ‘best-in-class’ experience for our clients, while also bringing a fresh perspective to our leadership.”
Strategic Significance
The appointments signal Touchstone Partners’ intent to scale in two of India’s most dynamic legal markets — structured finance and technology regulation. Agarwal’s record on landmark private credit mandates deepens the firm’s transactional capabilities in Banking and Finance, while Nagaraj’s policy-facing expertise and established regulatory relationships position Touchstone Partners as a serious player in the fast-evolving data privacy and emerging technologies space.
For more partner moves and lateral updates, see Inside the Partnership.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is based on the details provided.
