Chawla had left Amarchand in December, as first reported by Legally India at the time.

Kochhar’s Mumbai office of 13 lawyers, which had suffered several senior defections in the last year, was headed by partner Rupali Sharma before Chawla’s joining and also includes one other partner, according to a Kochhar spokesperson.

Kochhar and Chawla did not return Legally India’s calls and messages for comment since last week.

Legal website Bar & Bench reported Chawla’s move today and quoted him as saying: “The role and position that Rohit Kochhar described was pretty challenging and I thought I was up to it and I took it on. Also, given the relationship we have shared in the past, there was no reason to say no to his offer.”

After graduating in 1990 from Kurukshetra University, Chawla had been at Kochhar & Co before joining Luthra & Luthra in 1995, leaving in 2000 to start his own firm Chawla & Co with several associates. He had merged his practice with Amarchand in 2008.

Kochhar managing partner Rohit Kochhar told Bar & Bench: “If you really want to change the destiny of an organisation then I think a law firm like ours would provide a better platform to someone as senior as Harminder (as I call him) to come on board and play that destiny-shaping role than, may be, in his previous firm.”

Chawla was an executive committee member and equity partner of Amarchand’s Delhi office.