partner hires

Kochhar & Co has started a niche corporate fraud, ethics and integrity practice by hiring expatriate solicitor Abhinav Mohindru as partner and consultant from a UK regional firm.

Induslaw has hired Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) partner, Bangalore head and fund investment co-head Kartik Ganapathy as an equity partner, while NDA partner Vaibhav Parikh returned from the firm's Silicon Valley office.

Juris Corp has promoted finance partner designate Veena Sivaramakrishnan to full partnership and has lured sole practitioner Anil Mehar Singh Jarial to join the firm as a dispute resolution and real estate partner in Mumbai.

Dua Associates Mumbai partner Mahernosh Humranwala and his team are on notice to join Tatva Legal next month and will head up the half-year-old firm's Mumbai growth efforts, which was formed by 50 former Dua lawyers.

Seth Dua & Associates litigation partner Neeraj Chaudhry has joined Kochhar & Co as a partner in the litigation department, which now consists of 15 lawyers inclusive of four partners in Delhi.

Media industry focussed firm Naik Naik & Co has hired two new partners from Wadia Ghandy & Co: partner Ashok Paranjpe joins as an equity and name partner while senior associate Leena Desai-Padhye came on board as a salaried partner.

Khaitan & Co Mumbai has hired J Sagar Associates (JSA) retained partner and infrastructure projects specialist Amitabh Sharma into its partnership, which is the third lateral partner hire the firm completed yesterday (1 April).

Khaitan & Co has bolted on Delhi technology media and telecommunications (TMT) practice start-up Legal Spectrums and its founder Asim Abbas as a partner and  has hired two lawyers from telecoms major BT's offshore legal centre in Gurgaon.

Vaish Associates has started a Mumbai indirect tax practice in its new Parel office with the hire of Paras Kuhad Associates partner Shilpa Sharma.

Kochhar & Co has hired two partners in Chennai and Hyderabad in a major South India push, which includes new Chennai and Bangalore office space and further expansion plans.

Natural wastage is one of those great euphemisms that UK and US firms have been fond of during the downturn. Lawyers leave for various reasons, do not get replaced and the firm saves costs (and face) by avoiding lay-offs.

Luthra & Luthra has hired FoxMandal Little corporate partner Vineet Aneja in Delhi.

Amarchand Mangaldas has hired the former general counsel of private equity firm Sun Apollo as a partner for its Mumbai private equity and M&A practice.

AZB & Partners Delhi has hired an indirect tax partner and his team from accountants KPMG, hoping to grow the tax advisory business at the law firm which will compete in the traditional domain of accountancy firms.

Trilegal has hired a capital markets partner from its best friend Allen & Overy (A&O), to join the firm's Mumbai office and strengthen the referral relationship.

Bharucha & Partners has taken over a Mumbai niche corporate practice, gaining the first new equity partner since setting up.

Desai & Diwanji has poached a team of four lawyers from Crawford Bayley, taking on one senior associate as a partner.

Delhi-headquartered law firm King Stubb & Kasiva is set to open a new office in Mumbai within months and has added a new equity partner to its head office ranks.

The firm is currently finalising the negotiations with up to two partners from Mumbai firms to spearhead its new office.

Managing partner Jidesh Kumar (pictured) said: "The Mumbai office would be banking, finance and infrastructure focused. We are looking at having an infrastructure partner from one of the top five law firms there."

Khaitan & Co has continued its aggressive lateral hiring strategy, taking partner Prabjot Singh Bhullar from AZB & Partners.

Bhullar (pictured) was based in AZB's Mumbai office but will relocate to Delhi, where he will significantly bolster Khaitan's infrastructure and projects capacity.

Khaitan partner Rabindra Jhunjhunwala said that the firm was keen to expand in infrastructure and tax, in order to improve cross selling opportunities to the firm's domestic clients.

Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co has poached two Mumbai partners from competitors as it hopes to widen its partnership.

The firm has hired Luthra & Luthra corporate partner Ashish Jejurkar and Mulla & Mulla & Blunt & Caroe infrastructure partner Tushar Mavani.

Amarchand managing partner Cyril Shroff (pictured) told UK legal magazine The Lawyer: "These two people have the right temperament and drive to be part of our vision.