Bhavana Sunder

Bhavana is an associate in Linklaters’ Washington, D.C. office. She focuses her practice on international arbitration and complex international disputes. She advises multinational companies and individuals in domestic and foreign-seated arbitrations and represents clients in arbitral award enforcement proceedings. 

Bhavana has handled complex international commercial arbitration matters under major arbitration institutions, including the SIAC, AAA, ICC and LCIA. She is a dual-qualified lawyer with experience in representing clients in a variety of disputes across numerous jurisdictions, including the United States, India, UAE, Panama, Singapore and United Kingdom, in corporate, employment, joint-venture and shareholder disputes. 

Bhavana augments her practice with thought leadership and writing on issues pertaining to arbitration.

Work Highlights

• Daiichi Sankyo: member of team that secured a zero-dollar liability win in one of the largest arbitrations in the history of the AAA/ICDR.

Prior to joining Linklaters, Bhavana was a foreign associate at a large, California-based law firm. 

Bhavana graduated from National Law, Jodhpur in 2017 with a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.). She continued her studies at Georgetown University Law Center, where she earned her LL.M. and a Certificate in International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution in 2022 as an International Arbitration Scholar. 

• Bhavana Sunder et al., Arbitration and Exchange Control Laws of India, 24(1) Int. A.L.R. 63 (2021).
• Bhavana Sunder & Kshama Loya, Demystifying Public Policy to Enable Enforcement of Foreign Awards: Indian Perspective, 1(1) IRIArb 76 (2021).
• Bhavana Sunder & Ashish Kabra, India: Supreme Court rules on apprehension of bias in arbitration, 22(4) Int. A.L.R. 241 (2019).
• Bhavana Sunder & Ashish Kabra, India: Supreme Court Settles the "Seat" vs "Venue" Debate, 21(6) Int. A.L.R. N25 (2018).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., Entry Restricted Casually: The Supreme Court of India’s Judgment on the Entry of Foreign Lawyers in India, 20(3) Asian Dispute Review 112 (2018).
• Bhavana Sunder et. al., The 2020 revisions to the IBA rules on evidence – change for a new decade, Global Arbitration Review (Aug. 27, 2021).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., Limitation Period for Enforcement of Foreign Awards in India, National Law Review (Nov. 6, 2020).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., Interim Relief in Foreign-Seated Arbitrations – Efficacious Remedy and Implied Exclusion, National Law Review (Nov. 5, 2020).
• Bhavana Sunder & Vyapak Desai, Institutional Arbitration and the Future, LegalEra Magazine (Sept. 18, 2020).

• Bhavana Sunder et al., Supreme Court refuses enforcement of foreign arbitral award finding underlying contract void, LexisPSL Arbitration (June 2, 2020).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., Delhi High Court holds limitation period for enforcement of a foreign arbitral award is 12 years, LexisPSL Arbitration (March 27, 2020).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., The Indian Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act 2019—a reflection, LexisPSL Arbitration (Sept. 4, 2019).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., India—emperor’s new clothes? Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2019, LexisPSL Arbitration (Aug. 2, 2019).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., Delhi HC sets aside arbitral award passed in the Airport Metro Express dispute, Bar and Bench (July 1, 2019).
• Bhavana Sunder et al., Supreme Court on the effect of an arbitration clause arising out of an unstamped agreement, Bar and Bench (June 17, 2019).