Vinita Mehra

Director + Leader, Global Business Practice
vmehra@keglerbrown.com
Office: 614-255-5508
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Vinita Mehra

Director + Leader, Global Business Practice

The leader of the firm’s Global Business and Global Education practices, Vinita is a nationally renowned speaker and leading voice on global strategy and cross-border growth for some of the world’s most well-known companies and institutions of higher learning. 

She has more than two decades of experience serving as outside general counsel to her clients, offering a unique and informed perspective on matters involving data security and privacy, tax mitigation, M+A, employment strategy, and other core elements of their global growth plans.

Vinita has earned international acclaim from the industry’s foremost attorney rating services, including The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA.

Global Business

Vinita represents U.S. companies in international transactions on a wide variety of legal issues, including outsourcing agreements, joint ventures, logistics and distribution restructuring, exporting overseas, tax structuring, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, licensing, intellectual property protection, and management and operational strategies. Vinita counsels non-U.S. companies on the legal and tax issues pertaining to undertaking expanding business operations in the U.S. Vinita also advises companies on federal trade compliance issues such as export control regulations, FCPA and more.

Global Education

As leader of the firm’s Global Education practice initiative, Vinita has led dozens of education projects for institutions across the country, doing business in nearly twenty of the world’s leading markets and guiding public universities through the complex regulatory and funding process involved in global expansion. While addressing the complex regulatory, tax and contractual issues at play, Vinita works with educational leaders and university counsel to devise and execute new market strategies, implement project development initiatives, and establish education support services and recruiting initiatives.

Corporate Law

Vinita maintains a diverse domestic corporate practice, including matters related to business formation and structuring, M+A, and contract drafting and negotiation. Vinita is skilled in strategic counseling regarding the tax and legal issues important to firm clients when considering expansion into other markets.

Global Data Protection + Privacy

As part of her Global Business and IP practice, Vinita regularly advises clients on privacy and data security issues. Along with advising clients on international compliance related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), India’s Personal Data Protection Laws, China's Personal Protection Information Law (PIPL), and others. She also focuses on best practices and processes for responding to data breaches and enforcement actions in international jurisdictions.

Intellectual Property

As part of her comprehensive global business practice, Vinita counsels U.S. and international clients in the proactive protection and enforcement of their IP assets and in complying with global IP laws.

International Franchising

Vinita is trusted by clients with international franchising concerns to negotiate and draft master franchise and license agreements, prepare franchise disclosure documents, where applicable, and manage relationships and agreements across borders. Besides handling initial offerings and mediating the relationship between franchisor and franchisee, Vinita focuses on compliance with franchise and intellectual property registrations along with other filing requirements in foreign jurisdictions. Her practice also emphasizes international brand positioning and protection, as well as dispute resolution in foreign jurisdictions.

  • Mumbai University, Government Law College (LL.B., 2000)
  • Mumbai University, Government Law College (B.L.S., 1997)

  • Ohio
  • Bar Council of State of Maharashtra and Goa, India
  • The Supreme Court of India

  • Asian Indian American Business Group, general counsel
  • Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), Strategic Issues Committee, member
  • Bar Council of State of Maharashtra and Goa, India, member
  • British-American Chamber of Commerce – Ohio, board member
  • Columbus Bar Association, member
  • Forum on Education Abroad, board member
  • Greater Columbus Chinese Chamber of Commerce, board member
  • International Women’s Forum, Ohio Chapter, member
  • South Asian Bar Association of Ohio (SABA Ohio), board member, secretary
  • NACUA Annual Conference, 2020 International Programs Committee, co-leader
  • National Association of College and University Attorneys, member
  • New York State Bar Association, member
  • Ohio State Bar Association, member
  • The Ohio IP Alliance (OHIPA), board member

  • Columbus Business First, Executives of the Year Award, 2026
  • Ranked as a Foreign Expert for India for Corporate/M+A by Chambers Global, 2016-2019
  • Ranked as an International A-List Top Lawyer by India Business Law Journal, 2024-2025
  • Columbus Business First, Women of Influence, Trailblazer Award, 2023
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Recognized in Columbus CEO Top Lawyers, 2024
  • Included in The Business Journals’ Influencers: Law list, 2018
  • Listed as an Up + Coming Attorney for Corporate/M+A by Chambers USA, 2016-2018
  • Received the Columbus International Festival Central Ohio Community Service Award, 2013
  • Rated a Foreign Expert in Corporate/M+A by Chambers USA, 2015
  • 2015 Ohio Asian Award Winner for professional services
  • Selected in “Chambers Global Awards for Excellence” as an "Expert Based Abroad" for Indian companies by Chambers Global, 2014
  • Honored as the only “Expert” attorney in the Midwest for Indian business matters by Chambers Global, a rating service dedicated to evaluating the legal profession through the eyes of clients.
  • Selected to the Ohio Rising Star list by Super Lawyers
  • Columbus Business First, Forty Under 40 Award, 2012
  • Selected as a recipient for “Twelve Women You Should Know™” by Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD), 2013

  • Columbus Council on World Affairs, board member

  • Hindi

Publications + Presentations

Presentation

Property Rights in India

OSU Global Risk & Mitigation Speaker Series
Presentation

Contract Creation + Core Considerations

NACUA Webinar: All Around the World: International Contracts in Higher Education
Presentation

Legal Insights for Navigating Franchise Sales + Global Franchising Key Trends

OBBA November Global M&A Luncheon
Presentation

Pulling Up the Drawbridge: Regulation of In-bound and Out-bound Investments in the United States

2025 NAPABA Convention
Presentation

Doing Business in the U.S.: Guidance + Growth Strategies for International Companies Navigating the U.S.

Presentation

M&A Trends: Navigating Opportunities in a Shifting Market

SCG Legal 2025 Annual Meeting
Article

Tariffs on India – A Reality

Article

U.S. Tightens Rules on Foreign Farmland Ownership Amid China Tensions

Presentation

Mastering Courageous/Critical Conversations and Strategic Upward Management

WELD Columbus - August 2025 Leadership Series

Experience

$2 Million in Outstanding Invoices Recouped through Purchase of Pharmaceutical Inventory and Distribution License

A pharmacuetical factory conveyor belt

Advising a Multinational Blockchain Mining Company in Structuring Intercompany Convertible Loan Facilities

Artistic high-tech image representing blockchain

Advising Ohio Manufacturer in Investment from Florida Private Equity Firm

Image of a machining tool spinning fast in a factory

Sale of Kent Water Sports to Seawall Capital

Image of a wakeboard being towed in ocean water with a large splash following

Cross-Border Data Breach Response

Laptop with a world map on top symbolizing global data

Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Acquires Florida Plant

Acquisition of U.S. Generics Company by Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

Acquisition of U.S.-Based IT Services Provider by Indian Software Firm

Circuit Board Background - Computer, Data, Technology, Artificial Intelligence

Providing Strategic Counsel for a Global Online Payment Company

Global Education

Vinita knows what it takes to get educational organizations where they want to go. As head of the firm’s Global Education practice, she has led dozens of education projects for institutions in more than 20 of the world's leading markets.

The key to her effectiveness in this area lies in Vinita's thorough understanding of the unique challenges faced by educational institutions. She is savvy in guiding public universities through the complex regulatory and funding process involved in global expansion and is deeply experienced in leading private universities beyond their initial vision and onward to goal realization.

Vinita has earned acclaim for her advice in strategic planning for public and private colleges, universities, schools and educational research organizations around the world, and has supported some of the best-known national industry associations, including presenting roles with the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the University Partners Program for the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

While addressing the complex legal and tax issues at play, Vinita works with educational leaders and university counsel to devise and execute new market strategies, implement project development initiatives, and establish education support services and student recruitment initiatives. And because of Vinita’s practical experience in cross-border transactions, institutions of higher education from across the country seek her assistance with their local and global initiatives, including:

    • New market entry strategies
    • Educational franchising
    • Twinning arrangements
    • Educational support services
    • Distance learning arrangements
    • Joint ventures and strategic alliances with foreign universities
    • Regulatory compliance and education funding issues
    • Addressing cultural implications
    • Employment law and faculty/expatriate issues
    • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance 
    • Real estate counseling
    • Tax counseling
    • Risk management

      A selection of notable clients includes:

        • College of Wooster
        • Franklin University
        • Kent State University
        • RTI International
        • Wright State University
        • Valparaiso University

          When and where it is needed, Vinita can serve as the global project manager for these initiatives, coordinating local counsel and ensuring a consistent flow of communication, billing, service delivery and budgetary expectations. Vinita is supported by the firm’s global network of law firms, SCG Legal, which provides her clients with access to 150 prestigious law firms worldwide with more than 11,000 practitioners.

          Asia-Pacific Market

          Vinita is uncommonly effective when it comes to advising businesses involved in the Asia-Pacific market.

          As Kegler Brown’s Asia-Pacific team leader, Vinita is dedicated to serving the incoming surge of inbound and outbound foreign investment by Asian-Pacific businesses seeking to expand their operations both locally and abroad. Vinita understands the legal landscape throughout the Asia-Pacific region, which is paramount to effectively advising global businesses with current or planned operations in China, India, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam, among other key Asian markets.

          Vinita is steadfastly committed to helping her Asian-Pacific clients to prosper. She is well-known for overcoming both cultural and logistical obstacles by devising practical solutions to often complicated questions involving multiple and culturally diverse deal participants. As a result of Vinita’s extensive professional networking within the Asia-Pacific communities, both in the U.S. and abroad, Vinita’s clients gain access to her many working relationships throughout this diverse and global community.

          Her practice spans the spectrum of Asia-Pacific business and legal matters, such as:

          • Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures
          • Equity and debt investments
          • Business and technology sourcing transactions
          • Manufacturing, licensing and distribution
          • Indirect tax laws and double-tax avoidance agreements
          • Real estate purchase, sale and management
          • International labor and employment challenges
          • Intellectual property protection
          • Global trade compliance
          • Regulatory approvals and corporate investigations

          A Focus on India

          Vinita, who is uniquely licensed to practice law in Ohio and India, speaks fluent Hindi and offers years of practical, hands-on legal, business and personal experience in India. Vinita’s clients consistently benefit from her ability to more easily overcome obstacles that arise from language, time differences, distance and other barriers to commerce.

          Global Project Management

          Vinita provides strategic business and legal counsel when and where it is needed. Working with domestic and international privately held and publicly traded companies, project leaders, executives and managers, Vinita functions for her clients as critical member of the deal team. She manages the most sensitive aspects of global transactions, including the legal aspects and the project management issues involving continuous communication, global service delivery, billing consistency and the other key aspects that can otherwise derail global transactions.

          Her reach is broad, flexible and dimensional—and she is an integral part of an extensive global network. Vinita’s far-reaching professional network both in the U.S. and abroad is reinforced by the firm’s active participation in SCG Legal, a global alliance of independent law firms located throughout major commercial centers around the world. This relationship gives Vinita immediate access to a worldwide network of more than 140 preeminent, independent law firms with more than 11,500 attorneys in more than 450 locations around the globe. As a result, Vinita is able to close transactions and manage complex projects that are as ambitious and extensive as her clients require.

          Vinita advises U.S. and foreign companies on policies and procedures that support cross-border commerce. A sampling of her international transactional experience includes:

          • Joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions
          • Outsourcing agreements
          • Greenfield and brownfield projects
          • Logistics, distribution, import and export
          • Project finance, investment and divestment
          • Technology transfers and licensing
          • Intellectual property protection
          • Management and operational strategies
          • Federal trade compliance
          • Tax considerations

          Community Involvement

          Vinita Mehra is an attorney who cares — about her clients and her community. Her professional and personal philosophy includes giving back in ways that make a meaningful difference to the local and global communities to which she dedicates her practice. Vinita is a firm believer in Gandhi’s idea of “being the change you want to see in the world.”

          Vinita’s drive, integrity and creativity are consistently demonstrated by her tireless efforts on behalf of the civic and charitable organizations where she devotes her time. Nellie So, president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Central Ohio, comments that Vinita is both “thoughtful and deliberate” when planning for the needs their organization. Roger Clements, president of the Asian Indian American Business Group, notes that “in an era where exceptional service and accountability has virtually disappeared, the work that Vinita has done should be an example for others.” In addition, Barb Pratzner, president of Columbus Sister Cities International, states that “because of Vinita’s involvement, we have a flourishing and growing relationship with Ahmedabad, India.”

          Vinita has served in key leadership roles for various charities and charitable organizations, including as:

          • General counsel and board member for the Asian Indian American Business Group (AIABG), the largest business group in central Ohio representing predominantly entrepreneurs of Indian descent.
          • Board member for the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Central Ohio (APABA-CO), a non-profit voluntary association for Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors and students, as well as other members of the legal community in central Ohio.
          • Board and executive committee member for Columbus Sister Cities International (CSCI), an organization focused on the creation of economic, educational, cultural and environmental opportunities through relationship building between the Columbus region and its sister cities and their regions.
          • Current board member of the Columbus Council on World Affairs (CCWA), an organization dedicated to creating global awareness in the Columbus region.
          • Volunteer for the anti-domestic violence group for ASHA Ray of Hope, an organization focused on supporting and counseling victims of domestic violence in Ohio, particularly in the South Asian communities.
          • Volunteer and 2011 recipient of the Rising Star award (link to youtube video) for the Federation of Indian Associations, a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to bringing together all of the central Ohio Asian-Indian associations and to coordinate the cultural, educational, social, economic and community affairs of people of Asian-Indian origin.

          Through these roles, Vinita builds bridges for the creation of relationships and brings practical solutions to challenging obstacles facing nonprofits in her community.