AZB & Partners Mumbai partner Essaji Vahanvati will go part-time at the firm from tomorrow (15 January).

It is understood that he will work around 10 hours per week while joining a close relative’s company in the investment space, though no formal announcement within the firm has been made, according to a number of authoritative sources.

Vahanvati confirmed to Legally India by text message today: “As I have mentioned to clients as well, I am taking a six month sabbatical to attend to some family matters.

“I will continue to work in a limited role with AZB as a partner. I hope to join back once matters are settled.”

AZB Mumbai managing partner Zia Mody said: “Essaji is and remains our partner and is taking a little bit of time off to sort out his personal family commitment and we hope that he comes back full-time soon.”

Vahanvati was promoted to AZB’s partnership in April 2009 and has been one of AZB Mumbai’s highest-profile and busiest young partners.

He has acted for a cream of AZB’s private equity and venture capital clients, including Warburg Pincus,  KKR, Temasek and Blackstone, as well as for a large number of AZB’s’ major corporate clients such as Patni Computers.

The 2003-GLC Mumbai graduate told the Economic Times a year ago that he had been involved in around 50 deals since starting his career, and had led on around nine transactions in 2013.

Essaji’s father, Goolam Vahanvati, the former attorney general of India, passed away in September 2014 after a heart attack.

Essaji and other heirs amicably settled a Bombay high court dispute over Goolam’s sizable estate in late October 2014.

Late last year AZB Mumbai lost CEO and senior partner Abhijit Joshi, who started his own firm, and partner Nandish Vyas, who has later joined Joshi.

In December the firm hired ex-Clifford Chance senior associate Rishi Gautam as a partner.