Sharma, who was formerly a partner at AZB & Partners before joining Khaitan & Co and then setting up her own firm Agram Legal Consultants one year ago, told Legally India that she had known Routh for eight years.

“I’m very happy that a friend is coming over,” she commented about his joining.

She said that Agram was a pureplay M&A and general corporate firm, which had just taken new office space in Mumbai for 14 people. “We are still a small firm – we are growing slowly but we are not in a rush at all.”

She added that Agram would hire aggressively but be quality conscious in its expansion.

Routh told Bar & Bench that he had seen all facets of the profession, including having worked at international magic circle firm Clifford Chance and as an in-house counsel, but the only thing left for him was to start his own practice as the final stage of his career. “So it’s a culmination of 19 years of very scenic route taken through all over the world.”

He said that Luthra had been a very satisfying experience with a brilliant team that had never suffered any attrition.

Sharma said that Routh would join by himself and not with his team from Luthra.

We have reached out to Rajiv Luthra for comment.