Vivek Daswaney, who had joined IndusLaw as a Mumbai partner in February 2017 from (pre-Link Legal merger) DH Law Associates, has gone independent to return to boutique roots.

Daswaney has set up his old Mumbai-based firm V Law Partners again, which he had run between 2009 and 2016, with an 800 square foot office space in Nariman Point earlier this month.

“I was missing boutique practice,” he explained about his decision to leave IndusLaw. He added that Indus was a “great firm that was growing well”, and wished them well.

Indus co-founding partner Suneeth Katarki commented: “We wish him all the very best. He’s an excellent solicitor, and I’m sure he’ll do very well as an independent practitioner.”

He is joined by his team of three associates from Indus and one articled clerk, and is in talks to hire more fee-earners and a litigation partner in the coming months, he said.

Daswaney said that his current practice consisted of 50% M&A work, and around 30% real estate matters and 20% employment work.

He added that while he wanted to keep things small, eventually he could see the firm growing to become “mid-size”, with up to 30 lawyers.

The 1998 graduate said he would also continue teaching securities law at GLC Mumbai - previously he had taught “orientation to company law” there - and continue his 19 years of teaching once or twice a week at his alma mater, Mumbai University’s GJ Advani Law College in Bandra. He also occasionally teaches business restructuring at Welingkar business and finance college, he said.

The Mumbai and English-qualified solicitor had first set up V Law in 2009, after having been partner at ALMT Legal.