Top Mumbai litigation and real estate solicitors partnership Federal & Rashmikant has officially dissolved on 1 January 2019, as we had first reported in June 2018.

Name partner and litigator C Rashmikant has set up a new firm, Rashmikant and Partners, without his former F&R co-partner M Federal, who is a top real estate lawyer.

Rashmikant’s new office is based in the Kalpataru Heritage building on South Mumbai’s MG Road.

We have reached out to both for comment yesterday and will update this story if we hear from them.

Update 21 January 2019: MS Federal has responded with a comment, stating that he has started new firm Federal & Company with partner Murtaza Federal. Full statement below:

Since the aforesaid article does not provide complete details, kindly note that effective 1st January 2019, Mr. M. S. Federal and Mr. Murtuza Federal alongwith their team have continued their practice in their new firm Federal & Company operating from 101, Seksaria Chambers, 139 Nagindas Master Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001. Federal & Company continues to offer their same services in the fields of real estate and litigation/dispute resolution, namely, real estate transactional and advisory work along with handling matters relating to dispute resolution, litigation and arbitration in various courts/fora.

The remainder of your article is speculative and we do not wish to comment on speculation.

In June, when we had first reported their impending break-up, Rashmikant and Federal, after having initially declined to “comment on speculation”, had made the following joint statement: “We are in the process of re-organizing the firm. This is being done for the best interest of the future of the firm and all those working/associated with us including our clients.”

We understand that the two co-founders had decided to separate over succession issues at the firm, which had been founded in 1980 and had around 15 lawyers.

Other partners at the firm were Murtuza Federal and Rohan Dakshini (who had been promoted to partnership in 2009).

Federal & Rashmikant was counted amongst the top disputes outfits in Mumbai, having been instructed by Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas managing partner Cyril Shroff, for instance, to represent him in the split from his erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas co-managing partner and brother Shardul Shroff.