Trilegal has hired its first full-time partner in Hyderabad with DS Associates' co-founder Pavan Kumar joining to take advantage of the recovering economy after the firm scaled down in the city during the global downturn.

Kumar will head up Trilegal's Hyderabad office as a non-equity partner, joining with his corporate practice of two associates into the existing Trilegal office of one senior associate.

Kumar was managing and co-founding partner of Hyderabad firm DS Associates from 2005 after spending two years at Amarchand Mangaldas' Mumbai and Hyderabad offices, having graduated from Nalsar Hyderabad in 2003.

"Hyderabad is one of the most emerging markets as you can see," said Kumar, adding: "I think in five years the Hyderabad office [of Trilegal] can be as big as the Bangalore office – you really can't put a tab on where the market will go."

Trilegal co-founding partner Anand Prasad said: "Now we will be able to build a larger practice around the partner and we'll be able to hire more people."

Anand, who is based in Delhi and was the "visiting partner" in charge of the Hyderabad office, said that the office had shrunk from seven lawyers to only one senior associate over the past years, mostly by relocating associates to the firm's other offices.

"At a time when there was huge activity and the global economy was booming, Hyderabad was doing well," noted Anand. "But when the meltdown happened the PE [private equity] type of investors that had kept Hyderabad active went out of the market."

"The reason some firms have been downsizing," Kumar added, "is because of the political instability which caused a bit of issues to begin with but I think now things are pretty much settled down."

Kumar specialises in corporate and commercial work with a focus on real estate and media work.

DS Associates co-founder and litigation partner Chandana Madala would continue her practice under the DS Associates banner, said Kumar.

Photo by Habeeb...second innings...