Law firms

Luthra & Luthra has promoted six managing associates to partner level, reported Bar & Bench.

Rajani Singhania & Partners has promoted three principal associates to associate partner in Delhi: Abhimeet Sinha, Abhishek Kumar and Yaman Deep Kumar, according to a press release from the firm.

Sinha specialies in project finance and infrastructure, Abhishek Kumar and Yaman Deep Kumar who began their careers in 2007 with Singhania & Partners focus on litigation and arbitration.

Senior associate Sumit Gupta specialising in land acquisition and dispute resolution was promoted to principal associate.

AZB & Partners has promoted five of its lawyers to partner level after 12 months of partners leaving and joining in the Mumbai region of the firm.

Delhi-based corporate and disputes firm Kanth & Associates added a chief executive officer (CEO), Nishant, in August and opened a second Delhi office to accommodate its growing corporate practice team.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) acted for First Carlyle Ventures Mauritius, whose affiliate is advised by The Carlyle Group, and the promoters and management shareholders of telecoms software company Elitecore Technologies Limited, in their sale of 100 per cent of Elitecore for Rs 180 crores to optical fibre maker Sterlite Technologies, which was advised by Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas partner Santosh Janakiram and partner designate Himanshu Dodeja.

JSA partner Vikram Raghani and senior associates Anand Lakra and Avinash Jethwani led the team for Carlyle.

JSA had also advised First Carlyle Ventures Mauritius during its initial investment in Elitecore. The deal will expand Sterlite’s broadband offering, reported PTI.

The New York judiciary is to decide whether to approve a proposal to allow foreign lawyers to advise in litigation and transactional matters on a short-term basis in the city, which is currently allowed by nine other US states, though those lawyers would only get a temporary licence and wouldn’t be allowed to set up offices there or practice local law.

"In light of the increasing globalization of business and law practice. New York’s role as a center of world commerce would be enhanced by permitting lawyers from other jurisdictions to appear in this slate to work on transactional or short-term litigation-related matters (so-called “fly-in. fly-out” events),” the New York State Office of Court Administration said in a letter this month,

reported Wall Street Journal.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) Delhi partner Nikhil Narayanan has left the firm.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) advised the Dodsal group on the sale of its Pizza Hut franchise rights to another Pizza Hut franchise owner in India Sapphire Foods India which was advised by Luthra & Luthra.

SAM managing partner Pallavi Shroff assisted by senior counsel Soli Cooper, partner Shilpa Mankar Ahluwalia, principal associate Divi Dutta and associate Sumi Saikia acted for the Dodsal group which owned the rights to operate South West India’s 81 Pizza Hut outlets in eight states.

Luthra Mumbai partner Bikash Jhawar and associates Nipun Vaid and Rohan Shah acted for Sapphire which, after this deal, became one of the largest owners of the Pizza Hut franchise in India.

Sapphire acquired Dodsal Hospitality from Dodsal Lifestyle Mauritius and its other affiliates, according to SAM’s press release.

Former Ernst & Young director, international trade Tashi Kaul has joined Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) today as a partner in its Delhi international trade and competition practice.

Former General Motors director, finance MS Vasan has joined Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) as an executive partner in its direct tax practice in Gurgaon.

Ernst & Young (EY) director of fraud investigation and dispute services Ajay Upadhyay has joined AZB & Partners in Mumbai.

Khaitan & Co Mumbai associate partner Abhay Sharma will join Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas in Mumbai.

Four Bangalore-based associates from Dua Associates and K Law have started up the law firm Spectrum Legal in Bangalore.

Former Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla senior associate Faizal Latheef joined Kochhar & Co as a partner in its Dubai corporate practice.