The April 2016 merger between Alliance Corporate Lawyers and Dhaval Vussonji & Associates has fallen apart, with the former operating as Alliance Law from 31 October.

Alliance specialises in securities law, structured finance, infrastructure projects and regulatory advisory work.

The Alliance Corporate Lawyers founder RS Loona had been executive director (law) at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) from 2003 until 2007, and chief general manager (legal) at IDBI before that, having started working there in 1983.

An email by Alliance to clients stated:

You are aware that Alliance Corporate Lawyers integrated its law practice with Dhaval Vussonji & Associates and started operating as a combined entity under the name of Dhaval Vussonji Alliance w.e.f. April 1,2016. It has been decided now that both the entities may operate independently w.e.f. October 31, 2017. Accordingly, Alliance Corporate Lawyers will be operating as a separate and independent entity under the name and style of ‘Alliance Law’

Alliance will be operating from the 8th floor of Nariman Point’s Raheja Centre on Free Press Journal Marg.

Dhaval Vussonji was started by ex-Kanga & Co partner Dhaval Vussonji in 2014, and had started a second office in Mumbai in April 2017 with the hire of advocate Minal Sampat.

Co-managing partner is Prachi Dave.

Neither firm has responded to emails for comment since last week.