Talwar Thakore & Associates_ (TT&A) partner Shruti Zota has moved to the firm’s client GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on temporary secondment for a year as its India general counsel (GC), to fill the gap on an internal move by current GC Nischal Hindia to London.

It is understood from market sources that Zota is due to return to TT&A after a year and that the arrangement has the blessing of both the global pharmaceutical giant, and the Indian law firm.

TT&A is also the best friend of international law firm Linklaters, which has long counted GSK as one of its flagship (though not exclusive) global clients.

While it is not unusual for law firm fee-earners to join corporate clients on temporary secondments, often as relationship-building exercises, partners getting seconded into a legal head role is.

Hindia, meanwhile, is understood to be going on an internal secondment within GSK to London, though we have not been able to confirm what his precise designation there will be, at the time of publication.

Hindia had joined as GSK's GC in 2018 from Diageo.

Back then GSK had a legal team in Mumbai of around six, with Hindia’s reporting line being directly to London.

Zota had been promoted to the TT&A partnership in 2018, having spent the majority of her career there since 2008 (see below).

We have reached out to Hindia and Zota for comment.

TT&A declined to comment when contacted.