Co-founding partner Manish Desai said that Vidhii would open in Kolkata by May, having already decided on office space, which would be finalised within 15 days:

He said that the new office would replicate the transactional and disputes practice area split of Vidhii in other locations.

ILS Pune graduate Mohan had started her career at Paras Kuhad’s Mumbai office in 2004 and shifted to the firm’s Kolkata office in 2009 for personal reasons. She most recently specialised in corporate work.

She said: “We’ll set up a small place for a couple of people – for about two or three advocates - and let’s see from there.

“It would be a mixed practice area [of corporate and litigation] because obviously we would have the support from the Bombay office as well.”

When asked about the prospects of Kolkata, she replied: “Kolkata doesn’t have the kind of industry as Bombay but I think that’s where the challenge lies also. We will start with smaller transactions and can obviously build it up from there.”

Paras Kuhad Associates managing partner Paras Kuhad confirmed Mohan’s departure.

In December of last year the firm opened a media law practice in Mumbai’s Bandra district and in December 2009 it merged with a Bangalore firm several months after spinning off out of Paras Kuhad Associates.