Law firms

Rajani Associates advised brokerage house Motilal Oswal Private Equity (MOPE) which invested Rs 35 crore ($6.4m) in concrete blocks maker Magicrete Building Solutions, which was advised by Luthra & Luthra.

Rajani Associates founding partner Prem Rajani with partner Poorvi Sanjanwala, senior associate Karishma Jumani and associate Nishtha Mehta acted for MOPE which invested the amount through its funds India Business Excellence Fund IIA and India Business Excellence Fund II, according to a Rajani press release.

Luthra & Luthra Mumbai partner Bikash Jhawar with managing associate Amit Shetye and senior associate Rohan Shah acted for Magicrete, which was incorporated in 2008.

Magicrete is India’s largest maker of autoclaved aerated blocks, which are replacing red bricks in construction across India, according to the Economic Times and Deal Curry.

Recent deal & case highlights: The Bombay high court ordered the producer of Bollywood film Knockout to pay Rs 1.5 crore ($275,760) for copyright infringement of 20th Century Fox’s Hollywood movie Phonebooth, represented by Neolegal Associates. Plus Khaitan, Wadia Ghandy, Dhir & Dhir and more...

Exclusive: Former Seth Dua & Associates partner Rahul Goel has joined Dhir & Dhir Associates as a retained partner with Seth Dua senior associate Anu Monga. Goel will set up new practices at Dhir handling competition, anti-dumping and international trade, and advisory technology, media and telecommunications (TMT).

J Sagar Associates (JSA) and DLA Piper advised multinational certification services firm Bureau Veritas (BV), which will buy Indian and middle-eastern industrial-testing firm Sievert.

Sievert was advised by AZB & Partners Bangalore partner Srinath Dasari, senior associate Nanditha Gopal, and associate Veena Ganesh.

JSA Mumbai partner Sandeep Mehta with associates Aarti Iyer and Adil Ladha, and DLA Piper Middle East regional managing partner Abdul Aziz Al-Yaqout, legal director Diwakar Agarwal and associate Zara Merali acted for BV which will likely complete the acquisition in May 2013, according to its press release.

Sievert reported revenue of $33m in 2012, according to BV, and is engaged in the testing, inspection and certification using non-destructive technique businesses in India and the Middle East.

ALMT Legal senior associate Preeti Balwani has joined Khaitan Sud & Partners (KSP) as a salaried partner to head up its Mumbai office and drive its corporate practice under a best friendship with a business consultancy started up by an ex-PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) director.

Khaitan & Co and Herbert Smith Freehills advised the ministry of finance in the Rs 11,470 crore ($2.1bn) disinvestment of 9.5 per cent in India’s largest thermal power producer NTPC through an offer for sale.

Titus & Co, which is representing the Republic of Italy and two Italian marines charged before the Supreme Court of India for allegedly shooting two Indian fisherman, said it had not been told of the Italian government’s Monday decision not to comply with its undertaking to return the marines to India to stand trial.

Senior counsel Harish Salve, who was representing Italy and the marines in the matter as to jurisdiction, withdrew from the case earlier today citing the Italian government’s “breach of faith”.

Titus has now released a press statement through its PR agency noting:

Titus & Co, came to know of the decision of the Government of Italy not to return the two Marines to India only through media reports late night on Monday, March 11, 2013. We were not informed, consulted or forewarned at any point of time concerning this decision of the Government of Italy.

We have advised that this matter be resolved by the Government of Italy at the very earliest in accordance with the undertakings given to the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and in compliance with the February 22nd, 2013 Order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.”

The spokesperson confirmed that Titus continued acting for the Italian government and the marines, but he declined to confirm whether the firm would appoint another advocate to replace Salve.

Pamasis Law, the former Luthra & Luthra and Fox Mandal associates’ litigation firm started up in August of last year, has grown to three partners and two associates in a first formal office space.

Wadia Ghandy senior partner Djena Sunavala, who started her career at the firm more than 23 years ago, will exit from the firm in the end of March, according to legal website Bar & Bench.

She practiced corporate and commercial laws with a special focus on M&A, joint ventures and real estate transactions, but did not say what she would do after her resignation.

Wadia Ghandy partner Ashish Ahuja told Legally India: "We definitely wish her all the best in her endeavours. We will all miss her."

We know what Desai & Diwanji, HSA Advocates, I&S Associates, AZB & Partners, Fox Mandal and KS Partners and others did this month.

Allen & Overy (A&O) acted for Bharti Airtel, which issued bonds for the first time ever in a heavily oversubscribed offer for $1bn. Axon Partners and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy advised the underwriters.

Tatva Legal advised micro-financier Grameen Financial Services (GFSPL), which received Rs 37.5 crore ($6.8m) of funding from US-based Creation Investments that was advised by J Sagar Associates (JSA).

Tatva Legal Bangalore senior associate Bhargava KS and manager Raghunath Ananthapur with assistance from partner Manav Nagaraj acted for Bangalore-headquartered GFSPL.

J Sagar Associates Delhi partner Lalit Kumar with associates Zain Pandit, John MA and Bharati Joshi acted for the social venture fund Creation Investments Capital Management.

Existing investors Microventures and Incofin also invested in this third round, according to the company's press release, raising a total of Rs 53.2 crore ($9.6m).

Exclusive: Sudhir Bassi, Morgan Stanley managing director and head of corporate finance based in Mumbai, is set to join Khaitan & Co as a partner-level member of its capital markets practice.

Breaking: Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and DSK Legal advised old-client Strides Arcolab in the $1.6bn+ sale of its injectables subsidiary Agila Specialties to Nasdaq-listed generic drugs-maker Mylan Inc.

Seven-year old Bangalore law firm Narasappa, Doraswamy & Raja’s (NDR) partnership will grow to four after intellectual property (IP) and information technology lawyer Rohan George joins its almost one year-old Chennai office on 1 April, to regrow the firm’s IP practice.

Axon Partners advised the Delhi-based Jaypee group’s Jaiprakash Power Ventures (JPVL) in its Rs 950 crore ($175m) qualified institutional placement (QIP) of 12 per cent shares.