Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) Delhi-based partners Abir Roy and T Sundar Ramanathan have left the firm to start-up an independent firm in collaboration with former LKS senior partner S Seetharaman, who left the firm in October.

Roy was part of the firm’s competition practice and also focused on the Insolvency Code, while Ramanathan focussed on general and commercial litigation.

They will be starting their own firm by mid-January as well as collaborating with Seetharaman's independent practice, who focuses on international trade and competition, said Roy.

Roy had joined LKS in January 2015 from his partnership at Khare Legal Chambers, and Ramanathan had joined the firm in 2009. Both had their last working days at LKS yesterday, confirmed Roy.

Both are NLU Jodhpur 2007 alumni and made partner in LKS' annual promotion round this year.

Roy commented: “[Starting up] has been in mine and Sundar's mind, we wanted to do something of our own that was a long drawn ambition. Now we finally decided: if not now, when?”

“[The Insolvency Code] from a company perspective is a huge boon, a lot of creditors are happy, also from the lawyer's perspective there are so many cases going around in a year's time, there is huge scope,” he added.

LKS founding partner V Lakshmikumaran commented: “We wish them best of luck. They have done a good job. They're both good boys and we should allow people to grow. We should encourage them.”

He said that LKS Delhi-based international trade practice partner Dhruv Gupta, who was made up to partner in the same round as Roy and Ramanathan, would take charge of the competition practice post the exit of Roy and Ramanathan, alongside Lakshmikumaran himself.

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