partner hires

AZB & Partners senior partner and chief executive officer (CEO) Abhijit Joshi will leave by 15 November.

Penningtons Manches partner and India co-head Saionton Basu has joined US firm Duane Morris’ London corporate practice, according to a press release from the firm.

The NLSIU Bangalore graduate had joined Penningtons, as it was then called, in 2011 from Platinum Partners in Delhi, where he had returned after two years with White & Case in London.

Basu was not reachable for comment.

Penningtons’ India co-head Teja Picton-Howell did not comment at the time of going to press.

Wadia Ghandy partner Vijay Sureka joined AZB & Partners as a senior associate in Mumbai on 1 October.

Impact Law Ventures partner Suhas Baliga left the firm in June to start up Innove Law.

Ernst & Young (EY India) executive director Amit Bhagat joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a partner in the indirect tax practice with his team of 12 professionals.

Khaitan & Co hired independent counsel Hormaz Daruwalla as an equity partner in its indirect tax team, reported Bar & Bench.

Daruwalla has over 27 years of experience practicing in the Bombay high court and tax tribunals, after graduating from GLC Mumbai. He began his career with Crawford Bayley and moved on to the chambers of Atul Setalvad before going independent.

Advaya Legal has expanded its Mumbai footprint with Universal Legal Mumbai founding partner Sharanya G, only several months after starting a small Delhi office.

IC Legal has hired Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) senior associate Sambhav Ranka as an equity partner in its Andheri office.

Mustafa Motiwala, who joined Juris Corp in 2011 with his firm AM Law, has resigned as a partner at the firm, reported Bar & Bench.

He was in charge of commercial, dispute resolution, intellectual property and real estate.

In a little over a year, Juris Corp has seen the departure of Chennai head Hufriz Wadiaj, Hoshedar Wadia and Anil Jarial, Fraser M, after a string of departures in 2012.

DLA Piper India group partner and NLSIU Bangalore grad Biswajit Chatterjee has joined US firm Squire Patton Boggs.

Dhir & Dhir partner Purti Marwah will set up her own law firm, reported Bar & Bench.

She had been a partner at Dhir since 2005, having been with the firm since 2001 after a year at Singhania & Co. The firm’s managing partner Alok Dhir told Bar & Bench that he wished her well, while Marwah commented: “I have been instrumental in the growth of the firm but now I decided to move on and set up my own independent practice.”

J Sagar Associates (JSA) Mumbai salaried partner Vikrant Patwardhan has joined the world’s largest independent steel trader Stemcor as its general counsel India.

MNK Law Offices M&A and private equity partner Nivedita Tiwari, who joined one year ago from Luthra & Luthra, has joined Platinum Partners in Delhi, according to an authoritative source.

Amarchand Mangaldas principal associate Ajay Joseph has joined Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan as a corporate partner in Mumbai.

After graduating from Symbiosis Pune and a postgraduate at the University of Durham, Joseph worked at FoxMandal Little for around two years, Khaitan & Co for four years, and Amarchand Mumbai from 2012.

He could not be reached for comment since yesterday.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) tax chair Ashok Dhingra, partner Smita Singh, and partner-equivalent chartered accountant (CA) Sonia Gupta, have set up boutique tax advisory firm Ashok Dhingra Associates (ADA).

Clasis Law co-founding partner Sakate Khaitan and three Clasis senior associates have started Khaitan Legal Associates, a law firm with offices in Mumbai and London.