Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas has continued erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas’ association with the international referral network Lex Mundi of 160 member law firms, according to a press release by the firm and the network.

Shardul Amarchand executive chairman Shardul Shroff commented in the release: “Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas is delighted to be appointed as the exclusive member firm of Lex Mundi for India. We truly cherish the relationships we have built as part of our legacy firm Amarchand Mangaldas with Lex Mundi law firms.”

Amarchand Mangaldas was split in two after brothers Shardul and Cyril Shroff separated following an inheritance dispute in the Bombay high court.

He added: “As Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas looks forward to engage with clients to bring innovative thinking and business solutions to legal issues, our Lex Mundi membership will provide our clients access to the best legal minds in cities around the globe. We look forward to contributing to Lex Mundi and build strong work relationships with the Lex Mundi and its member firms in the years ahead.”

Lex Mundi has member firms in more than 50 50 US states and one district, according to its website, but no member firm in the UK.

In Germany its member is Noerr, in France Gide Loyrette Nouel, in Italy Chiomenti Studio Legal, and in Japan Nishimura & Asahi.

According to the release, the network’s board of directors “recently held a meeting to appoint its new member firm for India and voted unanimously to admit SAM & Co. as the exclusive member firm for India”.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas managing partner Cyril Shroff commented by email when contacted that the decision for SAM to continue the relationship was reached before the separation on 11 May 2015.

Cyril Shroff said:

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has a very strong network of contacts and friendships with the best independent firms in every market. These relationships have been directly nurtured over time.

From our own experience and other top independent firms the informal networks are significantly more powerful than formal networks. We see no impact on our practice by not being part of a formal network.

A number of our friends are part of that network and work very closely with us on very significant transactions pursuant to direct bilateral relationships.

We wish the Lex Mundi network all success.

Lex Mundi president Carl Anduri, President of Lex Mundi, said in the statement: “The firm has a renewed energy built on years of experience and its lawyers are recognized leaders in their fields of practice.  With Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., we expand the knowledge and experience available through Lex Mundi’s World Ready network.”

The Shardul Amarchand press release noted:

Lex Mundi is the world’s leading association of independent law firms. The association has more than 160 member firms around the world, representing approximately 21, 000 lawyers.

Membership in Lex Mundi provides member firms with a trusted network of law firms that share similar values and a similar focus on quality through which they can access global legal resources that enable them to serve their clients better and to continuously improve all aspects of their firms.

Member law firms are located throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Through Lex Mundi’s non-profit affiliate, the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, Lex Mundi member firms provide pro bono legal assistance to social entrepreneurs around the globe.