Law firms

Legal process outsourcing (LPO) company CPA Global, which specialises in patents work, has been acquired by private equity major Cinven, according to a press release by the fund.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) advised Gurgaon-based cloud telephony solutions provider Knowlarity Communications on a Rs 34 crore ($6.6m) investment it received from California-based Venture Capital firm Sequoia Capital, which was advised by Luthra & Luthra.

Exclusive: AZB & Partners Delhi office advised NBFC Religare Finvest in which private equity firm NYLIM Jacob Ballas purchased a Rs 200 crore ($39.8m) stake, which was advised by S&R Associates.

Exclusive: Desai & Diwanji advised private equity house Olympus Capital Asia Investments in its purchase of over Rs 500 crore ($100m) in DM Healthcare, which was advised by Universal Legal’s Chennai office, with the exiting investors India Value Fund represented by DSK Legal.

Mint exclusive: India’s corporate law firms advised on fewer and smaller mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the 2011 calendar year than in 2010, which affected revenues but still kept firms such as AZB & Partners, Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co, J Sagar Associates (JSA) and Desai & Diwanji busy with a lion’s share of work.

Four-month-old start-up Alliance Legal has advised Fourcee Infrastructure Equipments, with Economic Laws Practice (ELP), Wadia Ghandy and Amarchand Mangaldas respectively assisting the exiting, entering and continuing private equity investors Mayfield Fund, General Atlantic and India Equity Partners.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) continued its relationship with private equity major Blackstone in the Rs 800 crore ($156m) purchase of DLF Ackruti Infopark in Pune, which drafted in Amarchand Mangaldas.

Exclusive: AZB & Partners Mumbai and Khaitan & Co’s Delhi office have scooped the mandate to advise on Reliance Industries bid to invest in two Network18 subsidiaries for more than Rs 1,500 crore ($290m).

The latest and greatest deals and cases not yet covered, rounded up for you in one convenient bite-size package.

MV Kini & Co took advantage of the government go-ahead to four major PSUs to issue tax-free bonds, advising National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on its Rs 10,000 crore ($1.93bn) issue of 28 December 2011.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) advised Simbhaoli Sugars on its Rs 330 crore ($63.8m) joint venture with Singapore-based sustainable resources company Sindicatum, which was advised by Axon Partners LLP for the first time.

Indian law firms are setting up distressed assets, bad loans and restructuring departments to deal with an expected increase in such work in an expected economic downturn, reported Mint today.

Amarchand Mangaldas advised DLF Home Developers on Rs 430 crore ($81.5m) sale of its subsidiary Haamid Real Estates to realty firm M3M India, which was advised by Desai & Diwanji.

Exclusive: Amarchand Mangaldas Delhi equity partner and litigation head Ciccu Mukhopadhaya has resigned to start independent court practice after having been designated as senior counsel.

Amarchand Mangaldas has replaced its departing Hyderabad head by internally promoting principal associate Anshuman Jaiswal, and bulked up the Kolkata office by re-hiring Siddhartha Dutta from Luhtra & Luthra.

Legally India’s last Mint column in 2011 gives its verdict on some of the past year’s biggest stories related to corporate law firms, with an unashamed slant bias towards UK-Indo relations. Click here to read more.