Former Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) India practice head Nimi Patel has joined Squire Patton Boggs as director in its India practice in London.

She will join the leadership of SPB’s India practice, which includes ex-US ambassador to India Frank Wisner, head of international trade Frank Samolis, and Singapore partner Biswajit Chatterjee in Singapore.

Patel had launched the India practice of HSF in 1994 and has assisted numerous Indian corporates, public sector undertakings and financial institutions in a variety of transactions, has senior board level experience with a wide range of leading Indian corporates where she advised on strategic, regulatory and other business issues and she is also a non-executive director at JP Morgan Indian Investment Trust PLC, stated Squire’s press release.

Update 15:05: HSF India head Chris Parsons said: “I wish her really well and look forward to seeing her again in India.”

European managing partner Jane Haxby commented in the release: “With her experience, Nimi is a recognised specialist with a depth of India market knowledge and network of relationships that few can match. We are very pleased to welcome Nimi to the firm. She will play a significant role in the continued development of our India Practice and her deal expertise will be highly prized by our clients.”

“Nimi’s appointment underlines the scale of our ambition for the continued growth of our India Practice,” added Ambassador Frank Wisner, former US Ambassador to India and international affairs advisor at the firm. “We have developed a high-quality inbound and outbound practice to assist Indian clients globally on legal, public policy and regulatory matters, which, we believe, sets us apart from other international firms. The fact that someone of Nimi’s calibre has chosen to join us is perhaps the best endorsement of our achievements to date.”

We have reached out to HSF for comment.