corporate
Desai & Diwanji has poached a team of four lawyers from Crawford Bayley, taking on one senior associate as a partner.
Thakker & Thakker has made up its first female partner, growing its partnership to a total of five.
J Sagar and Associates (JSA) and Luthra & Luthra have completed the Rs 1,750 crore ($368m) takeover of mining company Dempo Group by London-listed Vedanta Resources subsidiary Sesa Goa.
Amarchand, Ashurst and Luthra & Luthra have restarted their work on the exhumed Oil India initial public offering (IPO), which the government hopes will fill its coffers by up to Rs 2,400 crore ($500m).
India’s new government could be the springboard for the country’s legal system to scale new heights.
The recent Indian elections saw a decisive win for the Congress Party, the stock markets rally, the various economic growth forecasts adjusted and the rating agencies ditching their gloomy outlook for the country (see ‘Elections’ box).
The optimism within the business community here is so heartfelt and the belief in the new government so strong, it is reminiscent of the first month or so after Barack Obama’s election victory in the US.
Nevertheless, the data for the start of the year makes for depressing reading. India, much like the rest of the world, has suffered in every major sector (see ‘Figures’ box). The country, as ever, faces incredible challenges.
But amid those challenges, even though they come with a long wish list of demands from their old but newly emboldened government, Indian lawyers are also seeing great opportunities. In India, it is business time.
Trilegal spin-off Phoenix Legal has added two associates in Delhi, vowing to significantly expand its practice there and in Mumbai with lateral hires.
The firm is hoping to hire a lateral partner for its Mumbai office and to double it in size to 10 lawyers by the end of the year.