Law firms

Nirma will buy Lafarge India’s assets for $1.4bn from LafargeHolcim according to reports, with several law firms getting a slice of the action including Ashwath Rau’s old and new firm.

Former Agram Legal Consultants partner Sudipta Routh, who’d joined the firm in May 2015 from Luthra & Luthra, will join Samvad Partners in Mumbai as its third partner.

Nishith Desai Associates Mumbai acted for Tiger Global and DST Global, which invested $30m (Rs 200 crore) in a series C round in home rental company NestAway, which was advised by K Law.

This morning’s hotly anticipated meeting between government ministries and several non-governmental organisations, including the Society of Indian Law Firms (Silf) and the Bar Council of India (BCI), passed without any principled resistance by stakeholders to the allowing foreign lawyers to practice in India.

The liberalisation process might never have been as advanced, but it remains a process fraught with sensitivity.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas has scooped Cognizant Technology Solutions India & APAC region general counsel (GC) Anand Bhushan to set and head up its new Chennai office after he fully leaves a little later this month, according to three authoritative sources.

HSA Advocates has hired Naik Naik & Co corporate partner Bharat Sharma who started today in its Mumbai office.

K Law acted for Capital Float, the online lending platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in its $25m (Rs 170 crores) fundraising round led by Creation Investments, which was advised by J Sagar Associates (JSA) Delhi partner Lalit Kumar along with senior associate Bharti Joshi.

Talwar Thakore Associates (TTA) has advised Reliance Industries (RIL) on a joint venture agreement to set up a payments bank with State Bank of India (SBI) on 30 June, in which RIL will hold a 70 per cent stake.

Link Legal has hired DGS Associates partner Bhumesh Verma and associate partner Vikas Gaur as partners in corporate, M&A and private equity in Delhi.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has drafted rules to allow foreign lawyers to practice in India, with the law and justice ministry having invited other ministries and three other organisations to discuss the proposals on Tuesday (5 July).

The notice period of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) partner Ganesh Rao, who has been handing over matters at the firm since resigning together with partner Ashwath Rau, Anu Tiwari and Dhruv Singhal for AZB & Partners around 23 April, is now also over.

NLU Jodhpur 2007 alumnus Sumit Agrawal left his role as assistant legal advisor to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to start up Suvan Law Advisors with his wife Vaneesa Agrawal.

MDP & Partners won for IndusInd Bank in the Bombay high court yesterday, which directed the stock exchanges and others to allow the bank to correct its filing mistake in its subscription of Mahanagar Gas Limited’s initial public offer (IPO).

Khaitan & Khaitan advised Cremica Food Industries on Rabo Equity Advisors' Rs 100 crore ($15m) investment in Cremica. Rabo was advised by Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.