Adv. Payal Chawla

Payal Chawla is the founder of JusContractus, a Delhi based, all-women, full-service law firm, specialising in commercial transactions and disputes particularly arbitration and corporate law.

Payal has been named as one of the thinkers to watch out for, in 2015, by Forbes India. She was named as the “Corporate Lawyer of the Year” – India, for 2016, by Corporate Live Wire Legal Awards and “Partner of the Year-Female” by Annual IDEX Legal Awards.

In 2019 the JusContractus was photographed by Ms Lynn Johnson, a Pulitzer nominee photographer of the National Geographic, as part of their celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the US Suffrage Movement. Payal was recently featured as part of Jaipur Writers Shorts at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2021.

Payal’s epic battle against a corporate giant has been an inspiration to many.  Recently her life and work were captured in the form of a short biopic by Tapasya Productions, which was adjudged the ‘Best Film’ in the category of Women Empowerment at the Kolkata Shorts International Films Festival, 2016, and ‘Best Film’ at the Noida Short Films Festival, 2017 along with receiving a Special Jury Mention at the 7th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival, 2017. Payal regularly writes on legal matters for newspapers and other publications and also speaks on legal issues.

Payal is a Rotary Scholar, a Russel Baker Fellow and a recipient of the University of Chicago International House Grant.  She is a part of the Board of Directors of the Nani Palkhivala Arbitration Centre. She has previously served as an independent director on Jamna Auto Ltd., Ballarpur Industries and on the Board of Governors of IILM. Payal had the privilege of being part of the Judicial Commission headed by Hon’ble Justice Usha Mehra (Retd.) in the Nirbhaya rape tragedy.