Exclusive: Khaitan & Co Mumbai counsel Mukund Puranik and senior associate Atman Desai will be joining Amarchand Mangaldas as principal associate in corporate and senior associate in the projects team respectively.

Puranik was the first to have been promoted into the new counsel alternative to partnership during Khaitan’s partner promotion round in 2011, reported legal website Bar & Bench at the time.

Puranik, who became a lawyer in around 1997 and also holds an LLM, and Desai, who has been with Khaitan for four years after completing his LLB at MSU Baroda, company secretarial qualification, and Australian LLM in 2007, were not reachable for comment.

Amarchand Mumbai partner Vandana Shroff confirmed that they would join, and added that the office had recruited at least 12 lateral hires since January.

Khaitan & Co Mumbai partner Rabindra Jhunjhunwala commented: “We wish them well in their new endeavour.”