L&L Partners

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.

Luthra & Luthra advised India’s largest pre-schools’ operator Tree House Education and Accessories in preferentially allotting its equity shares for Rs 81.25 crore ($15m) to Aditya Birla Private Equity – Sunrise Fund (ABPESF) and Omidyar Network (ON) Mauritius and warrants to promoters, which were advised in-house.

Amarchand Mangaldas topped the 2012 mergers and acquisitions (M&A) India rankings released by data provider mergermarket, in terms of advising on the biggest value M&As in 2012. In terms of the total number of M&A deals advised on, Amarchand was runners up to third-time leader Desai & Diwanji.

Exclusive: Amarchand Mangaldas has held fort as project finance leader for the second consecutive year since replacing Luthra & Luthra in 2011 at the top of the top 10, according to data provided by Dealogic. 10 front-runners this year produced less than half of the total projects revenue docketed in 2011.

Amarchand Mangaldas acts on a hoard of financings, while Luthra & Luthra sticks to the markets. Also in this deal round-up: JSA, Crawford, Tatva, AZB, Kochhar, Desai & Diwanji, Trilegal, Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Jones Day, Allen & Overy, Milbank, and other foreign firms..

Khaitan & Co, Amarchand Mangaldas, J Sagar Associates (JSA), Naik Naik & Co, ALMT Legal, PRA Law Offices and Vaish Associates on some of the week’s top deals.

Amarchand, Luthra, Khaitan, JSA, AZB, ARA, Rajani, HSA, KSP and Majmudar lead in the latest round-up of intercontinental multi-million dollar deals...

The latest deals in one place: Khaitan for Kingfisher, Heidelberg, Hutchison Whampoa | AMSS for Mitsui, Schneider, Alstom, Siemens, RTL, IDFC | Siemens: AMSS-Jones Day & more.

Economic Times looks at law firm equities and reports: Khaitan & Co, the firm of 58 partners, 300 lawyers and 101 years, retains 15 to 25 per cent of equity with the family, while at Amarchand Mangaldas (20 equity partners, 50 salaried partners, 555 lawyers, 95 years old) around 75 per cent equity is with the Shroff family, with mother Bharti Shroff holding lifetime equity, and the veto vote resting with the family.

Jyoti Sagar at JSA and Rajiv Luthra at Luthra & Luthra are the only Sagar and Luthra, respectively, at their firms. Sagar with Mumbai senior partner Berjis Desai holds under 13 per cent of equity in the 20-strong equity partnership of the 21-year-old firm. And while family is barred from joining JSA, strict observance of the rule resulting in retainers quitting if wanting to marry each other, at Luthra the bar to family is only in terms of automatic entry.

Speculation for AZB apparently goes that founding partner Zia Mody, amongst the 17 equity partners at the firm, holds 90 per cent of the firm’s equity, but she denies the rumours [ET]

Luthra & Luthra has promoted six associates to its partnership, of whom three are in its Delhi litigation practice.

Exclusive: Link Legal pipped last year’s leader Amarchand Mangaldas at the top of the 2012-half-year Dealogic project finance rankings, reporting seven deals worth Rs 27,106 crore ($4.9bn).

Luthra & Luthra managing associate Ravisekhar Nair has replenished the ranks of Economic Laws Practice (ELP) competition team as an associate partner, after partner Samir Gandhi left ELP last month.

Exclusive: Twelve-year-old intellectual property (IP) boutique Saikrishna & Associates aims to convert from a sole proprietorship to an equity-sharing by April 2013 and will aim to become a full service firm, said its founding partner Saikrishna Rajagopal, as ex-Luthra & Luthra partner Ameet Datta joined yesterday.

Juris Corp, I&S Associates, Indus Law, MDP & Partners, along with Amarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, Khaitan & Co, Luthra & Luthra, Trilegal and others kept busy on 15 selected deals.

M&As and capital markets transactions take a marginal lead over litigation, competition and private equity and venture capital deals, in our three-week roundup.

Exclusive: Luthra & Luthra intellectual property (IP) and media partner Ameet Datta has left the firm for entrepreneurial opportunities, including the option of joining boutique IP firm Saikrishna & Associates.

Exclusive: NLSIU Bangalore’s graduating class of 65 this year secured 46 jobs across 18 Indian and foreign organisations. The recruitment coordination committee (RCC) placed 35 students in 12 organisations. One-fifth of the class is headed to Luthra & Luthra Law Offices.

LI-Mint exclusive: Law firms saw a slump in earnings from their capital markets business in the year that ended March. Many that had invested heavily in the practice during the boom years adopted various strategies to cope with the decline.

Mergers and joint ventures lead last month’s largest deals, while private equity, capital markets, litigation and competition policy also nestle in.

Nalsar Hyderabad’s recruitment coordination committee (RCC) for 2012 placed all 43 of its campus placement participants from the batch of 72 students graduating from the law school this year. The 100 per cent target achieved in campus placement spanned 14 Indian organisations and two foreign law firms.

Out of the 29 non-participating students while some have accepted LLM offers and judicial clerkships, most will join court practice.