Dipali Sarvaiya Sheth is the Founder of Eternity Legal, a boutique law firm with a practice spanning corporate and commercial law, electricity and energy regulation, employment law, intellectual property, ESG, and regulatory advisory. A qualified Solicitor in India as well as England & Wales, her career has taken her from established law firms to building an independent practice of her own, with energy regulation emerging as one of her key areas of expertise. Over the years, she has advised corporates on complex transactions, commercial arrangements, and regulatory matters, while representing clients before electricity regulatory commissions and appellate forums. In this interview, she reflects on the personal influences that drew her to law, the experiences that shaped her approach to practice, her decision to establish Eternity Legal, and the unexpected journey that led her into the energy sector. She also speaks about continuous learning, the growing significance of ESG, the value of remaining a boutique practice, and the lessons she would share with young women lawyers building their own careers today.
This interview has been published by Rakshit Rajput and The SuperLawyer Team
Looking back to your days as a law student, what first inspired you to pursue a career in law, and when did you realise this was the field you wanted to build a career in?
My interest in law was shaped quite personally. My uncle is a solicitor, so I had some early exposure to the profession, but the stronger influence came from my mother. She wanted to pursue law herself but was unable to do so, and it became her dream that I should take that path. What began as her aspiration gradually became my own passion. As I studied law and understood the profession more closely, I realised that this was not simply a career I had chosen for my family, it was something I genuinely enjoyed and wanted to build my life around. Even today, I feel fortunate that her dream became a profession I continue to enjoy every day.
Your early years were spent at Thakker & Thakker, Fox Mandal Little, and J. Sagar Associates before you became a Partner at MDP & Partners. Looking back, which of those firms shaped the lawyer you eventually became the most, and why?
I would say that every firm I worked with contributed something different to the lawyer I eventually became. However, the period that shaped me most was the time I spent with the same team as it transitioned from Little & Co. to J. Sagar Associates. Working with that team over a longer period gave me continuity and allowed me to grow with the matters I was handling, rather than simply moving from one experience to another. It helped shape the way I approach a matter, from understanding the client’s concerns and analysing the legal issues to preparing strategically and thinking about the practical outcome. Those years played an important role in building both my confidence and my approach to practice.
Alongside your Indian law degree, you also qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales through BPP Law School. What made you pursue a dual qualification, and how has it shaped the way you practice?
While I was pursuing my Solicitors qualification in India, I felt that gaining an international qualification would broaden my perspective and expose me to a different legal and academic environment. That led me to pursue the Solicitors qualification in England & Wales through BPP Law School. Around the same time, I had a close friend studying at the London School of Economics, and visiting LSE gave me my first real glimpse into how foreign universities functioned and how differently legal education could be approached. The experience widened my outlook and made me more comfortable engaging with different legal systems, methods of learning, and professional expectations. Even today, that exposure influences the way I approach cross-border matters and think beyond a purely domestic perspective.
You represent clients before CERC, APTEL, and state electricity regulators. What drew you specifically into power and energy regulatory law, and what makes it different from general corporate practice?
Frankly, my entry into electricity and energy law happened almost by chance. A client placed confidence in me to handle a particularly complex matter, and that one opportunity opened the door to an area of practice I had not originally planned to specialise in. What surprised me was how intellectually demanding and engaging the sector was. It sits at the intersection of law, regulation, policy, economics, and infrastructure, which makes every matter quite different from conventional corporate work. Over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to the complexity of the issues and the constant evolution of the regulatory framework. What began as an unexpected assignment gradually became a niche that I genuinely enjoy and continue to find both challenging and rewarding.
In January 2014, after years as a Partner at MDP & Partners, you founded Eternity Legal. What was the moment that told you it was time to build something of your own rather than rise within someone else’s firm?
I had always carried an entrepreneurial instinct, even while working within established firms. After more than a decade of practice, I felt I had reached a stage where I understood not only the law, but also the kind of practice I wanted to build and the values I wanted it to reflect. By 2014, the timing felt right to take that step and create something of my own. Founding Eternity Legal was therefore both a professional and a personal decision, it gave me the freedom to shape the firm’s culture, choose the kind of work I wanted to focus on, and build long-term relationships with clients in a way that felt true to my own approach to practice.
Starting and running your own law firm in a field as competitive as corporate and regulatory law comes with real risk. What was the hardest period in building Eternity Legal, and what did it teach you?
I have always believed that there is no shortcut to success, and building Eternity Legal has reinforced that belief many times over. There have been difficult phases, as there are in any entrepreneurial journey, but each challenge has taught me to remain patient, consistent, and focused on the larger vision. Every time you overcome a difficult period, you gain the confidence to face the next one with greater clarity. The legal sector is undoubtedly competitive, but from the beginning, we have consciously chosen not to measure growth only by volume. At Eternity Legal, we have always believed that quality is more important than quantity, and that principle has helped us build the practice with greater purpose and confidence.
Corporate transactions often involve high stakes and complex negotiations. Can you share a matter that challenged you the most, and what it taught you as a lawyer?
Every transaction teaches you something, but one matter in particular made me realise how important transparency with the client really is. Sometimes the difficult negotiation is not only with the other side; it can also be with your own client, especially when you have to explain why a certain position may not work in the long run. Those conversations are not always easy, but they are necessary. That experience taught me that a good contract is not just about winning every point in negotiation. It is about arriving at something practical, balanced, and sustainable for both sides. I have carried that lesson with me ever since.
Energy regulation in India is going through rapid change, captive power rules, renewable purchase obligations, virtual PPAs. What shift in this space do you think most businesses are still underestimating?
What I find most concerning is that the regulatory framework is changing much faster than many end users realise. In my experience, a large part of the litigation in this sector begins simply because businesses are not fully aware of how quickly the rules have evolved or how those changes affect their existing arrangements. Captive power rules and virtual PPAs are two areas where I still see significant underestimation. Businesses often focus on the commercial opportunity first and the regulatory implications later, when ideally both should be considered together from the beginning.
Your practice spans mergers & acquisitions, employment law, electricity regulation, ESG, and corporate advisory. How has working across such diverse areas shaped the way you advise clients?
I often say that for lawyers, the phrase “Jack of all trades and master of none” does not always hold true. Working across different areas of law has actually made me a better adviser because it allows me to look at a client’s issue from more than one angle. A corporate decision may have employment, regulatory, ESG, or even litigation consequences, and if you are only looking through one lens, you can easily miss those connections. Over the years, this broader exposure has helped me anticipate challenges earlier, connect the dots across different legal areas, and give clients advice that is more practical and complete.
You trained as a solicitor rather than building a litigation-first practice. How has that shaped your approach to advising clients, particularly on documentation and transaction structuring?
Being trained as a solicitor under someone like Mr. Mithi gave me a very strong foundation early in my career. The training was not limited to documentation or transactional work; in those days, solicitors were also closely involved with court matters on a regular basis. That combination helped me develop both the discipline required for drafting and structuring transactions, and the practical understanding needed for regulatory work. It also gave me the confidence to move across different areas of law rather than view matters in isolation, which continues to shape the way I advise clients today.
In 2020, six years after founding your own firm, and already an established name, you went back to complete a Master’s at Jindal Global Law School. What made you return to formal study at that stage of your career, and what did you take from it?
I have always enjoyed reading and learning new things, and I strongly believe that in law, you have to keep learning if you want to remain relevant. Of course, much of our learning happens through practice, but I also value setting aside dedicated time for structured study. By 2020, I had already been practising for many years, but I felt that was precisely why returning to academics would be meaningful, I could look at what I was studying through the lens of actual experience. The Master’s programme gave me the opportunity to revisit legal concepts more deeply, and engage with new developments in a more structured way. For me, going back to study was never about adding another qualification; it was about continuing to grow as a lawyer.
You’ve also become a Certified ESG Professional and Certified Independent Director alongside running Eternity Legal. Where do you see the firm, and your own role, heading over the next five years?
I see the next five years as a very important phase, both for the firm and for me personally, because the regulatory landscape is evolving so quickly. Energy regulation will continue to remain a core focus for Eternity Legal, but I also see ESG becoming increasingly important for businesses across sectors. To me, ESG is a natural extension of the work we already do in corporate, energy, and employment law, because the compliance issues are becoming more interconnected. My own role will be to ensure that we continue to build depth in these areas while helping clients understand not just what the law requires today, but also how they should prepare for what is coming next.
Eternity Legal has stayed boutique rather than scaling into a large multi-practice institution. Was that a deliberate choice, and what does it let you offer that a larger firm structurally can’t?
Yes, remaining boutique has been a conscious choice for us. I have always valued direct involvement with clients, and at Eternity Legal, senior lawyers continue to remain closely engaged throughout a matter rather than stepping in only at key stages. That allows us to understand the client’s business, concerns, and decision-making much more closely. I think that level of continuity and personal involvement can become difficult to maintain in a much larger structure. For us, staying boutique has meant being able to offer clients greater access, consistency, and senior-level attention from the beginning of a matter to the end.
If you had to advise a young woman lawyer today who wants to build a successful corporate law practice, what advice would you share from your own journey?
I would simply say: stay focused, stay sharp, and work hard. There will be phases when progress feels slow, when you may question yourself, or when the profession feels more demanding than rewarding. But consistency matters. Keep learning, prepare well, speak with confidence, and do not be afraid to take ownership of your career. From my own journey, I have learnt that you do not need to have everything figured out from the beginning. You just need to keep showing up, keep improving, and remain committed to the kind of lawyer you want to become.
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