Private equity and M&A lawyer Garima Basu, an NLSIU Bangalore graduate who was an AZB & Partners Delhi senior associate until November 2010 after which she began practising independently in London, will head up the new London office as a partner.

She said: “I was running my own independent practice which was doing very well. I am now looking forward to leading ALMT in London.”

Former general counsel and director of OM Metals Infraprojects Seema Kothari will be based in New Delhi as a partner and office head.

Meanwhile ALMT co-founding partner Tapia will spend 50 per cent of his time in London, while Jain will relocate to Delhi for anything from one to several days per week they said.

“We have evolved and we are now a well-known Indian brand in the English market,” commented Tapia, adding that the London office would focus on serving UK companies looking to invest in India and Indian clients with UK business interests although it would not advise on English law.

Tapia said that he was very excited to return to ALMT’s birthplace. The firm was founded in 1999 after breaking off from Singhania & Co. Its new office is in London’s City near Cannon Street.

ALMT’s South Delhi office in the Saket area now consists of six associates, of whom one would move from ALMT’s Bangalore office and one from Mumbai.

“We have a lot of existing clients who are insisting that we have presence in Delhi,” Jain told Legally India, noting that the initial strategy in Delhi would consist of consolidating existing work for clients, focusing on both litigation and transactional practice. “It will really make a difference when on the ground in Delhi.”

In addition to Kothari’s in-house legal experience the firm would benefit from her networks in Delhi, said Jain. Litigation lawyer Jain has also spent considerable time in Delhi over the last year, advising clients such as Suresh Kalmadi on the Commonwealth Games scam defence.

ALMT separated from former English best friend firm Clyde & Co in April with five partners from Mumbai, London and Delhi having started up the firm Clasis Law that remains Clyde & Co’s Indian alliance firm. Clasis took over the existing ALMT London office as well as the majority of the Delhi office headed up by partner Vineet Aneja.

Clasis has since deepened its ties to Clydes taking on the second former Clydes lawyer as partner.