J Sagar Associates (JSA) has opened its seventh office in Ahmedabad on 1 January after hiring Bijal Chhatrapati from Singhi & Co as an equity partner to head up the office.

Senior partner Berjis Desai said in a press release: “For a few years, we had actively considered establishing our offices at Chennai and Ahmedabad these being cities where significant national law firms have not been present. Chennai office commenced operations in April 2014 and we are truly excited to open in Ahmedabad, in a State which has become a beacon for the economic development of the country.”

Chhatrapati focuses on dispute resolution, M&A and corporate commercial work and is a qualified Bombay solicitor, and commented in the release: “I am proud to be a part of a national law firm which is ahead of the fundamental changes that occur in a market. I have always admired JSA’s commitment to building a sharing, merit-based, empowering, and nurturing institution focussed on client servicing.”

JSA has six other offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, with over 340 lawyers and 80 Partners, according to the release.

The only other of the country’s six largest firms - the Big Six - with an office in Ahmedabad is Amarchand Mangaldas.