Experience 

Sonia Baldia is a partner in the firm’s Business & Technology Sourcing Practice and Co-Chair of the firm’s global India Practice.

Sonia represents clients in a broad range of  information technology and business process sourcing transactions, including structuring, negotiating, renewing, renegotiating and terminating major outsourcing agreements.  She also advises on complex technology transactions involving cross-border technology transfers, strategic alliances, procurement of IT products and services, software licensing, development and support of proprietary technology platforms, systems implementations, vendor management, OEM arrangements, Internet-related agreements, and consulting agreements. 

Sonia is a registered patent attorney in the US and in India. She counsels clients on IP-related matters in the US and internationally, including IP procurement and management strategies; IP aspects of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and venture capital investments, including IP due diligence and transfer; and IP development, nondisclosure, licensing, acquisition, financing, distribution and marketing arrangements.  Sonia is also qualified to practice law in India, in addition to her US bar admissions, and leverages that combined experience on behalf of clients in India-related matters. Her India practice involves a range of transactions, including technology transfer, technical assistance services, outsourcing, intellectual property and other cross border aspects of foreign investment activities in India.  She is fluent in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.

Sonia is a frequent speaker and has published extensively on topics relating to sourcing, intellectual property and India. She has been recognized by Chambers USA (based on client and peer reviews) as a rising star and one of the leading lawyers in the business process and information technology outsourcing fields, for her “tremendous knowledge of the field, both legally and business wise. She is pleasant to deal with,  friendly but focused and an extremely good negotiator,” in addition to being “intelligent and upfront when it comes to negotiating.” Chambers USA 2006/2007/2008/2009.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Sonia was a consultant to the US Agency for International Development and to the US Department of Commerce, advising foreign governments on information technology, telecommunications, e-commerce, and IP-related development projects. She has served as Adjunct Faculty in IP law at the George Washington University Law School and has been a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute in Munich; the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology in Tokyo; and the International Development Law Institute in Rome.

Notable Engagements 

• Represented a major bank in restructuring existing  IT outsourcing arrangements to enable offshoring to India.
• Represented a global bank in multiple outsourcing transactions involving  IT infrastructure and application development, maintenance and support services.
• Assisted a global bank with the development, implementation and support of online retail banking platform.
• Advised a major bank in multiple transactions involving procurement, licensing, implementation, hosting and maintenance of proprietary technology solutions.
• Advised a major public utility conglomerate on sourcing strategy and multiple sourcing initiatives, including offshore outsourcing of application development, maintenance and support services to India, and comprehensive procurement/supply chain management arrangements with multiple suppliers.
• Represented a major defense contractor in offshore outsourcing of information technology and infrastructure services, involving US and European operations.
• Assisted a global technology corporation with the outsourcing of complex finance and accounting and HR business processes involving operations in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
• Counseled a major REIT on more than 20 technology transactions, including telecom and Internet agreements, software licenses, and agreements for development, maintenance, commercialization, and licensing of critical business systems.
• Advised a global consumer products leader on outsourcing of employee services, call center operations and related IT support; advised in resolving contract disputes and in expanding arrangements to include major corporate acquisitions.
• Counseled multiple companies on outsourcing of legal services to India.
• Counseled multiple companies on IP protection and enforcement aspects of technology licensed to Indian counterparts.
• Counseled multiple companies on IP due diligence , IP transfer and technical services assistance in joint ventures in India.

Education 

The George Washington University Law School, SJD, Intellectual Property Law, 1998 • University of Georgia School of Law, LLM, 1992 • University of Delhi Faculty of Law, LLB, 1991 • Punjabi University, BS, 1987 • Recipient of multiple scholarships and research grants from US and international organizations, 1991-2001

Admitted

• District of Columbia
• New York
• Registered Patent Attorney, United States Patent and Trademark Office
• Bar Council of Delhi (India)
• Registered Patent Agent, Indian Patent Office