Even as lateral hires and mega deals dominate the headlines, Indian law firms are focusing on qualitative growth over mere quantitative expansion, emphasising client-centric approaches and strategic investments in technology, knowledge management, and talent development.

Collaboration is the most powerful driver of client institutionalisation. According to Thomson Reuters’ research, clients who identify collaborative teams within an outside law firm spend an average of 56 percent of their budget at that firm — more than twice the average share of spend received by the firms that clients use the most.

Abhinav Kumar, who led Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas’ capital markets practice for the Western region, has jumped to Talwar Thakore & Associates, the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the top-tier Indian law firm.

AZB & Partners has continued its antitrust growth with the addition of partner Dinoo Muthappa from Talwar Thakore & Associates in New Delhi.

Indian law firm S&R Associates has guided Data Infrastructure Trust, an infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) sponsored by Brookfield Asset Management, on its 100 percent acquisition of American Tower Corp’s India operations for $2.5 billion. ATC was represented by Talwar Thakore & Associates.

​​​​​​​Talwar Thakore & Associates (TT&A) has advised HSBC Asset Management Company on its $425 million acquisition of the mutual fund arm of India’s L&T Finance, which was represented by Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

India’s AZB & Partners has hired antitrust expert Ram Kumar Poornachandran as a partner in Delhi from Talwar Thakore & Associates (TTA).

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Talwar Thakore & Associates have represented Bharti AXA General Insurance and Bharti General Ventures on the demerger of Bharti AXA’s general insurance business with ICICI Lombard General Insurance, which was counselled by AZB & Partners.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Shearman & Sterling have advised Indian renewable energy company Greenko Energy Holdings on its $950 million green bond offering, Asia’s largest so far this year, whose shareholders were GIC Holdings and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) have advised India’s Essar Group in a $12.9 billion deal to sell a 98 percent stake in its Essar Oil unit to a group led by Russian oil giant Rosneft, which tapped Linklaters and Talwar Thakore & Associates for counsel.