partner hires

Former BMR Legal co-founding partner Sujit Ghosh has set up tax litigation firm Advaita Legal with ex-KPMG partner Sunil Moti Lala. Ghosh is based in Delhi, Lala is based in Mumbai and the firm has 30 lawyers across its offices in the two cities, reported legal website Bar & Bench.

According to Lala’s Linked-in profile, Advaita was started in September 2013.

Ghosh, who heads the start up’s indirect tax litigation practice, co-founded BMR Legal in 2004. He graduated from NLSIU Bangalore in 1995 and joined Arthur Andersen until 2002 and Ernst & Young until 2004. Lala heads corporate tax litigation at Advaita Legal and was at KPMG since 2010 and at PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2007.

The founding partners declined to comment when contacted by Bar & Bench, but apparently “it is understood that the firm works closely with KPMG”. BMR Legal is the legal services arm of BMR Consulting, while Big Four consultancy Ernst & Young has an alliance with law firm PDS Legal.

MV Kini partner Shrikant Kamath, who joined in 2012 to start its tax practice, left last week but is replaced by principal associate Prateush Sharma.

Clasis Law has added an energy and infrastructure practice with former Dhir & Dhir Associates energy and infrastructure partner Jay Cheema, who joined the firm as partner in Delhi effective today.

Trilegal competition head Rahul Singh has left to Oxford University for a PhD but will continue to work part time as of counsel.

Khaitan & Co Mumbai partner Murali Neelakantan has joined Indian pharmaceutical giant Cipla as its global general counsel (GC).

Amarchand Mangaldas Mumbai office scoops Luthra lawyer who’s been associated with the firm for 13 years.

Clasis Law has recruited Grant Thornton indirect tax director Manoj Mishra as head of indirect tax in Delhi – the first hire in the practice area. Before 2007 he was working at Khaitan & Co, reported Bar & Bench.

Legasis Partners partner Sachin Mandlik has joined Khaitan & Co as a partner in dispute resolution in Mumbai.

Khaitan & Co former indirect tax executive director Manish Mishra joined Link Legal - India Law Services as a partner on Monday.

Juris Corp partner and Chennai head Hufriz Wadia has resigned, having joined in January to open the office in the city.

Former J Sagar Associates (JSA) Mumbai partner Shiraj Salelkar joined IC Legal’s equity partnership yesterday as the sixth partner at the firm.

Luthra & Luthra capital markets head and partner Madhurima Mukherjee has announced her resignation from the firm today.

AZB & Partners Bangalore partner Shreya Jayasimha has resigned to start up law firm Aarna Law, reported Bar & Bench without official comment from him or the firm.

Jayasimha graduated from NLSIU Bangalore in 2000, worked in the chambers of then advocate and now Delhi high court justice S Murlidhar for a year, and in the offices of Jayaram and Jayaram for another year, setting up Jayasimha Law Chambers in 2003. He joined AZB as partner in 2008.

In 2010 AZB broke up with its Bangalore merger partner of one-and-a-half-years, Anup Shah.

Three Luthra & Luthra Delhi partners have left or are leaving, just ahead of the firm’s delayed partnership promos.

Dua Associates Hyderabad practice head Varalakshmi Tadepalli has restarted her own firm, as 4 new partners join Dua.

Amarchand Mangaldas has hired Tatva Legal Hyderabad partner Rahul Sarella in the city, replacing Anshuman Jaiswal who is moving to Mumbai.

Economic Laws Practice (ELP) hired Vyas as Mumbai litigation associate partner.

Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) is opening an office in Kolkata under former Amarchand Mangaldas partner Niloy Pyne.