Law firms

Dua Associates has circulated a statement to members of the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) after 41 Dua lawyers and nine partners are now confirmed to have joined breakaway firm Tatva Legal. Tatva has also responded with its first public statement.

Desai & Diwanji acted on 24 M&A deals in the 2009 calendar year, placing it at the top of data provider mergermarket's M&A league table by volume. Amarchand Mangaldas topped the table by value, having advised on M&A deals worth $6.4bn in 2009, while Khaitan & Co and AZB & Partners also gave a strong showing.

In December 2009 Luthra & Luthra slipped past Khaitan & Co into second place in the initial public offering (IPO) league tables after acting on three IPOs with Khaitan bagging two instructions. Crawford Bayley took three deals and drew level with AZB & Partners as the fourth busiest Indian IPO firm, while Amarchand Mangaldas built up its lead with five mandates.

United Arab Emirate (UAE) firm Musthafa & Almana is starting up to four offices in Kerala and South India.

FoxMandal Little Delhi has hired KR Chawla & Co's corporate head and the general counsel (GC) of Patni Computer Systems as partners. Several senior partners have also entered into a sale-and-leaseback of the firm's Noida head-office to steady its cashflow.

Bangalore private equity (PE) boutique Lexygen and the Mumbai and Gurgaon offices of Vaish Associates have acted in the Rs 22.5 crore ($4.5m) investment by Zephyr Peacock India Fund in a telecom service company called Metro Wireless Engineering India (Metro Telworks). 

Law firm lawyers turned out in force for the Maharashtra and Goa Bar Council elections yesterday, having left ALMT Legal partner Hitesh Jain feeling confident of winning a seat by a comfortable margin.

Khaitan & Partners managing partner Niloy Pyne is launching a legal process outsourcing (LPO) company of up to 35 lawyers in Kolkata in joint venture with a large US health insurance and BPO provider.

Jones Day has promoted India capital markets of counsel Manoj Bhargava to partner in its Singapore office.

Dua Associates is opening an office in Singapore this month with the former Asia Pacific general counsel of Procter & Gamble. The firm has also hired two lateral equity partners for its Delhi office.

At least 20 to 30 lawyers from Dua Associates are starting up a new national law firm with offices in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

SN Gupta & Co has hired Planning Commission consultant Rashi Anand Suri as a partner to start up the firm's infrastructure and projects practice.

Kolkata Amarchand spin-off Argus Partners and AZB & Partners have scooped roles on the $124m private equity placement and open offer by Bain Capital in coal tar manufacturer Himadri Chemicals & Industries.

Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe has promoted three solicitors to partner, including the first female partner in its current partnership.

Luthra & Luthra has promoted recent London returnee Manan Lahoty to partner in its Mumbai capital markets practice.

Former Amarchand Mangaldas partner Krishnava Dutt's Kolkata spin-off firm is now operational as Argus Partners and has already grown to a size to rival his former firm's outpost while looking to become a national firm.