Rishi Ballakhan is a leader in Risk Advisory's Legal Transformation Consulting, APAC
Rishi is a non practising lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in the legal industry, having held a wide range of roles. Throughout his career, he has helped corporations, organisations, and law firms optimise and streamline operating models and processes for maximum efficiency, productivity, and cost effectiveness.
Rishi’s practice focuses on advising corporate legal departments, CFOs, CIOs, and COOs on legal department transformation initiatives, including optimising talent and sourcing models; developing data, analytics, and reporting capabilities; and designing strategies to identify, implement, and leverage technologies (including eDiscovery, matter management, contract lifecycle management, and generative AI to support and enhance legal processes. He has extensive experience in the design, development, and implementation of legal department target operating models, including performing current state assessments and legal spend analysis. He is currently supporting several multinationals as they develop shared services centres and/or Centres of Excellence for legal services.
Prior to joining Ashurst, Rishi spent nearly 15 years at a Big Four firm, where he held a variety of leadership roles across both the Forensics and Law practices. Beginning his EY career in Chicago, he led a team delivering eDiscovery, data analytics, cyber incident response, computer forensics, and legal consulting services to support corporate legal and compliance departments. In 2021, he relocated to Singapore where, as the ASEAN and Greater China Legal Transform and Operate Leader, he oversaw a team of onshore and offshore resources delivering legal function consulting, legal technology selection and implementation, and legal managed services to clients across Asia Pacific.
Additionally, Rishi worked for two law firms and spent over five years as in house counsel at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. In that role, he identified ways to utilise technology to enhance operational efficiency across legal processes, managed discovery efforts relating to several product liability class actions and government investigations, supported the establishment of a legal CoE for document review, and worked on multiple strategic acquisitions and divestments.