JD, The University of Texas School of Law, 2011
BA, Government and History, The University of Texas at Austin, 2007

While in law school, Utsav was admitted to the Order of Barristers, an honor reserved for the top student-advocates in each graduating class. Utsav was the champion of the 2010 Haynes & Boone Intermediate Trial Competition and the 2011 Voir Dire Competition. He was also selected as the "Top Advocate" at the Peter James Johnson National Civil Rights Trial Competition. Utsav was a staff editor for The Review of Litigation.

• Texas State Bar

Energy and shipping disputes

• Represented port lessee in a contract dispute against lessor; advised lessee on constructing port facilities in compliance with Rivers and Harbors Act and related regulations administered by United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
• Advised European manufacturer of power systems on applicability of US federal maritime law to LNG-fueled floating power plants; worked with officials from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and United States Coast Guard (USCG) to ensure compliance with federal law
• Assisted bunker supplier recover compensation for unpaid bunker invoices by arresting ocean-going vessels in multiple jurisdictions
• Represented the owner of a deep-water drilling vessel in a contract dispute against an oil company involving operational readiness and seaworthiness of the vessel
• Represented a major energy company in the acquisition of easements across central Texas for the construction of a crude oil common carrier pipeline
• Analyzed over a hundred easements to ascertain whether governmental authority could replace crude oil pipeline with water relocation pipeline in an easement route acquired from an energy company
• Represented one of the largest pipeline owners in the United States in its dispute against its general contractor for cost overruns, poor workmanship, and delay
• Advised European bank on enforcement remedies under the U.S. Ship Mortgage Act in a case arising from US government detention of a vessel
• Advised foreign lenders on Jones Act cabotage law, vessel documentation, coastwise trade regulations, and vessel owner citizenship issues; worked with the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) on client inquiries related to foreign investments in the Jones Act shipping market
• Represented owners of crude oil tankers and offshore drilling rigs in multiple Jones Act personal injury cases

Data privacy

• Advised financial institution on contractual and state law notification obligations following ATM data skimming incident; prepared notification letters to affected individuals and regulators
• Advised data backup service provider on contractual and state law notification obligations in the immediate aftermath of breach resulting from theft of laptop; prepared notification letters to affected individuals and regulators
• Represented a financial institution and a software company in the immediate aftermath of a data breach; advised on breach notification and remediation obligations under applicable laws

Pro bono

• Successfully tried over a dozen cases to a jury verdict as a prosecutor for the City of Houston as part of Norton Rose Fulbright's Attorney Loan Program
• Successfully tried a week-long divorce trial through the Houston Volunteer Lawyer program

• Texas Rising Star, civil litigation, Thomson Reuters, 2017 - 2020
• The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers, 2021
• Houston Top Lawyer, aviation, admiralty, maritime and transportation, Houstonia Magazine, 2018
• Tops Attorneys - Texas' Outstanding Young Lawyers, American Registry, April 2018

• Quoted, "U.S. Makes Wider Wind Moves," Breakbulk Magazine, May 7, 2020
• Quoted, "Modern Moves Trigger Cabotage Concerns," Breakbulk Magazine, January 17, 2020
• Quoted, "Q&A: IMO 2020 policing unlikely before March," Argus Media, Oct. 2, 2019
• Author, "Managing IMO 2020 Compliance: The Importance of Engagement Between Bunker Suppliers and Consumers," Norton Rose Fulbright Legal Update, October, 2019
• Co-author, "Rotterdam rules - Ratification status in the US and effectiveness of choosing to apply them voluntarily, Norton Rose Fulbright Legal Update, July 2016
• Co-author, "SCOTUS mulls 'no-injury' privacy class actions," Intellectual Property Magazine, June 2015
• Co-author, "Sharing Cyber Threat Information: A Legal Perspective," Information Systems Security Association ISSA Journal, January 2015
• Co-author, "DOJ Puts Cybersecurity Info-Sharing Policy Into Practice," Law360, October 20, 2014
• Co-Author, "Antitrust And Cybersecurity — Still A Long Way To Go," Law360, September 30, 2014
• Co-Author, "Congress on Cybersecurity: Recent Bill Limits Liability," Norton Rose Fulbright Legal Update, August 2014
• Co-Author, "Corporate Directors' Role in Combating Cyber-Threats," Norton Rose Fulbright Legal Update, July 2014

• Presenter, "What Keeps You Up At Night: US Cabotage Law Issues in Shipping and Trading Operations," NRF Shipping Training Series, May 2019
• Co-Panelists, "Fit for Purpose: Ironing Out the Wrinkles in Project Logistics Contracting," 2019 Breakbulk & Project Cargo Conference, May 1, 2019
• Presenter, "Offshore Wind: Navigating the Jones Act and US Cabotage Law," NRF Shipping Training Series, March 2018
• Speaker, "The Impact of US Cabotage Law and OCSLA on Offshore Wind Projects," Operating Specialist Wind Vessels 2018 Conference, November 22-23, 2018
• Co-Panelist, "Scanning the Horizon: Future Challenges in Shipping Arising from Unmanned Vessels and the Proliferation of Blockchain Technology," ABA Regional CLE, October 25, 2018
• Speaker, "Recent Trends in Shipping Litigation:  From Headline-Grabbing Insolvencies to the Growing Threat of Cyber Attack," 16th Vessel & Fuel Management Conference, June 22, 2017
• Speaker, "Issues in International Shipping," Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association, March 9, 2016
• Speaker, "Blue Water Blues, Part II: Assessing and Mitigating Cargo Risk," Break Bulk North America, September 29, 2016

• Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association, Chairman of the Board 
• Samunder Club
• Houston Young Lawyers Association, Energy Counsel Committee
• American Bar Association, Admiralty Litigation Committee
• Houston Bar Association, Oil Gas & Mineral Law Section
• Business Executives for National Security, Energy Council
• Maritime Law Association of the United States

• Hindi