Asian Legal Business (ALB) magazine last month released a listing of Asia’s biggest law firms, including a round-up of the 25 largest Indian firms by total headcounts.
The numbers closely mirror the figures we’d reported on 11 November in our round-up and analysis of growth rates at India’s seven largest law firms Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, Luthra & Luthra, J Sagar Associates (JSA) and Trilegal (the Big Seven).
While some of the Big Seven figures are slightly off, that could be a function of the date that the ALB survey was conducted (Rajani Singhania & Partners, for instance, was included in the ALB table but hasn’t existed since 2015).
In both cases - ALB’s as well as ours - the figures were mostly self-reported by law firms (with the exception of Luthra & Luthra in our case), with ALB stating that it used other sources or the previous year’s figures where a firm did not respond to the survey.
According to ALB’s figures, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS)’s headcount is very closely behind Trilegal’s 221 at 210.
Desai & Diwanji has reported 190 lawyers, according to ALB, while Kochhar & Co stands at 172.
Fox Mandal which had reported 400 lawyers in 2011, is now at 156 lawyers (across all its national offices and partnership presumably) according to ALB.
DSK Legal and MV Kini & Co are both 150 lawyers strong.
Other firms in the top 25 are Mumbai solicitors firms Wadia Ghandy (134) and Mulla & Mulla (122), Economic Laws Practice (ELP) (119), IP giant Anand & Anand (116).
Eight firms came in with headcounts below 100, led by HSA Advocates (93), Rajani Singhania & Partners (at 92 lawyers, though it had actually demerged back into its original constituent parts, Rajani Associates and Singhania & Partners, in 2015), Vaish Associates (90), K Law (85), Dhir & Dhir (75), Nishith Desai Associates (72), Khaitan Sud & Partners (65) and Phoenix Legal (60).
Vis-a-vis Asia
Against the rest of Asia and particularly China, India’s law firms are minnows in terms of size: Cyril Amarchand came only 17th in ALB’s top 50 Asian law firms list behind 13 Chinese law firms, Chinese-Australian firm King & Wood Mallesons, South Korean firm Kim & Chang (816 lawyers) and just behind Singapore’s Rajah & Tann, which also has 601 lawyers but far more partners at 219.
The pan-Asia list was topped by Yingke Law Firm with 1,581 partners and 4,547 total lawyers, followed by Dentons Dacheng with 4,129 lawyers (the next two largest, DaHeng Law Offices and AllBright Law Offices are only around the 1,500-total-lawyer mark).
ALB’s full November issues is available here on the web or as a PDF, with law firm rankings starting on page 31.
Help us keep up to date
We are in the process of updating our directory of Indian law firms.
If any of the figures mentioned in this story or in our directory are out of date or you would like us to include your firm’s updated headcount, please send us an email or contact us here.
ALB 2016 25 biggest Indian law firms
2016
| Rank From 2015 | Firm | Partners | Associates | Total No.of Lawyers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | = | Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas | 88 | 509 | 601 |
| 2 | = | Khaitan & Co | 104 | 381 | 485 |
| 3 | = | Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co | 84 | 346 | 430 |
| 4 | = | AZB & Partners | 65 | 310 | 375 |
| 5 | +1 | Luthra & Luthra | 61 | 275 | 336 |
| 6 | -1 | J.Sagar Associates | 84 | 106 | 302 |
| 7 | +3 | Trilegal | 36 | 185 | 221 |
| 8 | -1 | Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan | 39 | 171 | 210 |
| 9 | = | Desai & Diwanji | 28 | 162 | 190 |
| 10 | -2 | Kochhar & Co | 42 | 130 | 172 |
| 11 | = | Fox Mandal & Co | 36 | 120 | 156 |
| 12 | = | DSK Legal | 12 | 100 | 150 |
| 13 | = | M.V. Kini & Company | 11 | 139 | 150 |
| 14 | = | Wadia Ghandy & Co | 36 | 98 | 134 |
| 15 | = | Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe | 14 | 86 | 122 |
| 16 | = | Economic Laws Practice | 28 | 91 | 119 |
| 17 | = | Anand and Anand | 21 | 95 | 116 |
| 18 | +3 | HSA Advocates | 28 | 65 | 93 |
| 19 | -1 | Rajani, Singhania & Partners | 22 | 70 | 92 |
| 20 | -1 | Vaish Associates | 12 | 78 | 90 |
| 21 | = | Krishnamurthy & Co. (K Law) | 13 | 62 | 85 |
| 22 | = | Dhir & Dhir Associates | 12 | 63 | 75 |
| 23 | = | Nishith Desai Associates | 8 | 64 | 72 |
| 24 | = | Khaitan Sud & Partners | 13 | 50 | 65 |
| 25 | = | Phoenix Legal | 8 | 52 | 60 |
Source: Asia Legal Business. NB: The total lawyer figure may also include non-lawyer fee-earners, articled-clerks, paralegals, consultants, etc.
Comments
How did you not find anything wrong with that statement
Umm May be they count the total number of lawyers per year. They have 100 in April. 90 leave and 90 new join each year (everyone knows their attrition rate and low payment and discrimination) so well, 100+90 = 190!!! Wow!! They count total lawyers who worked in a year rather than the actual number of lawyers they have at a particular time i.e. 90-100 odd. Well, smart or stupid, clients will decide. D&D is dead already.
Achha...
D&D headcount - is lot less than the numbers mentioned here.
Rajani, Singhania and Partners - didnt they split again. hasnt it been more than a year by now ?
Kian, wouldnt take much to get an exact headcount of the firms. Any associate can confirm looking at its telephone index. Why dont you do a fact check?
e
Ignorance Kian? You shoulde do a piece on IP firms!!