Law firms

Baker & McKenzie International’s Singaporean member firm Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow has hired Prashanth Venkatesh as a local principal on 1 July.

HSB Partners Chennai partner Varun Sriram has joined J Sagar Associates (JSA) in Chennai, reported Bar & Bench.

Sriram had been at HSB since graduating from Symbiosis Law School in 2006, followed by two two-year stints at Economic Laws Practice (ELP) and ALMT Legal before returning to HSB in 2012, becoming partner there in February 2014.

We have reached out to JSA, HSB and Sriram for comment.

Update: HSB partner TK Bhaskar commented: "We wish him all the best in his future endeavours."

Update 2: JSA managing partner Berjis Desai commented confirmed his joining as a retained partner.

JSA opened in Chennai in 2014 by merging with Vichar Partners.

Dua Associates senior Delhi litigation partner Shiraz Patodia, who had reportedly agreed to join Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM) earlier this month, may stay at Dua Associates after all, according to four authoritative sources.

Senior associates Nanditha Gopal and Percis Anklesaria will be promoted to partner.

Commerce ministry Rajeev Kher held a press conference yesterday, saying that the government had begun talks about opening up the transactional legal services sector and India-based international arbitration, having drawn in law firm lobby group Society of Indian Law Firms (Silf) and the regulator Bar Council of India (BCI).

Luthra & Luthra is acting for fast-growing RBL Bank of 183 branches, formerly called Ratnakar Bank, which aims to raise Rs 1,100 crore ($173m) via initial public offering (IPO), with AZB & Partners and Dorsey & Whitney acting for the bankers, led by Kotak Mahindra Capital Company.

AZB Mumbai partner Varoon Chandra with senior associate Lionel D’Almeida acted for the lead managers. Dorsey Hong Kong partners John Chrisman and Kenneth Kwok advised on international laws.

Luthra & Luthra Mumbai partner Manan Lahoty acted for the issuers.

Khaitan & Co Mumbai associate partner Madhur Kohli was domestic counsel for two selling shareholders, Beacon and Gpe, that together sold 13 million shares according to the Business Standard.

Khaitan & Co has confirmed the joining of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas principal associate Manisha Shroff in its Mumbai banking and finance practice as an associate partner.

Former Bennett Coleman chief manager legal and AZB alum Sunny Sablok has started M&A boutique firm Matrix Law in Mumbai.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) acted for Suprajit Engineering Limited, which bought 51 per cent of equity shares of Phoenix Lamps Limited from the Actis Group, which was advised by Platinum Partners and E&Y, followed by an open offer.

JSA Bangalore partners Murali Ananthasivan and Mary Julie John, and Delhi-based partner Amitabh Kumar acted for Suprajit, with senior associate Gautam Shahi and associate Rajashree Balasubramanian. Grant Thornton was the financial adviser to Suprajit.

Platinum Mumbai partner Gautam Bhat acted for Actis.

Both buyer and target are listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. SEL is a supplier of cables and components to overseas and domestic customers in the automotive and non-automotive sectors. Phoenix is the largest manufacturer of automotive lamps in India and has three subsidiaries in Europe, according to a JSA release.

SEL acquired 51% equity shares in a first tranche and will complete acquisition of the remaining non-public shareholding of Phoenix in a subsequent tranche post-completion of an open offer, reported Moneycontrol.

Karvy Investor Services acted as adviser to the open offer, without the law firms advising.

Mumbai and Delhi-based firm SNG & Partners, which opened an office in Singapore one year ago and specialises in advising financial services sector clients, has opened a second overseas office in Qatar.

Two GLC Mumbai-graduate lawyers who started their careers at Little & Co have become partners there, reported Bar & Bench.

With Ruchi Khatlawala and Roshnek Dalla, the partnership of the Bombay solicitors firm is now 12 partners strong with Dara P Mehta, Farrokh J Sidhwa, Jayendra P Kapadia, Ajay M Khatlawala, Zubin Morris, Guruprasad Pal, Rajani B Divkar and Rajas Kasbekar, according to the website, with Shreyas Patel and Damodar Desai promoted last year.

Vedanta Resources subsidiaries Vedanta India and Cairn merged, assisted by Khaitan & Co as sole domestic legal adviser, according to its press release, and Ashurst's India practice.

The following Khaitan team advised:

Haigreve Khaitan, Partner; Sharad Abhyankar, Partner; Mehul Shah, Associate Partner; Tarunya Krishnan, Principal Associate and Harsh Kabra, Associate.

The following members assisted the core transaction team:

Corporate Due-Diligence - Soumyadri Chattopadhyaya, Associate; Aayush Mohata, Associate; Parvati Parkkot, Associate and Umang Singh, Associate

Capital Markets – Sudhir Bassi, Executive Director

ESOPs – Daksha Baxi, Executive Director

Energy, Infrastructure and Resources – Dibyanshu, Associate Partner

Ashurst London partners Tom Mercer and Richard Gubbins led the transaction on non-Indian laws, while US securities law partner Stuart Rubin advised from Hong Kong.

Bangalore-headquartered firm Universal Legal, which also has offices in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh, has opened up in Ahmedabad under partner in charge Aayush Modi.

S&R Associates has elected two corporate associates, Jabarati Chandra and Rachael Israel, to its partnership.