AZB boosts Mumbai M&A with Rishi Gautam joining as partner from Clifford Chance, Amazon

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Monday, 8 December 2014 By Legally India Law firms

Rishi Gautam: Returns after 8 years
Rishi Gautam: Returns after 8 years

Former Clifford Chance senior associate Rishi Gautam will join AZB & Partners in Mumbai as a corporate partner in January.

Gautam confirmed his joining and said that he looked forward to being part of the firm in the New Year.

Mumbai managing partner Zia Mody commented: “We are delighted that Rishi is coming back home and joining us. We look forward to having him on board.”

The 2001 NLSIU Bangalore graduate had left Amarchand Mangaldas in 2006 to move to the Sydney office of Freehills, which has since merged with Herbert Smith to become Herbert Smith Freehills.

In 2008 he moved to London to join Clifford Chance, where he worked until 2012 and then joined a subsidiary of global e-commerce giant Amazon.

At Clifford Chance Gautam had worked in the team of the firm’s India M&A head Mark Poulton, who is now also London corporate head, and India group partner Sumesh Sawhney, who has since joined Jones Day.

Rishi GautamAZB & Partnerspartner hiresClifford ChanceMumbai

Comments

Alias 8 Dec 2014, 07:04
+11 -0
Congrats Chacha !
Mess Com Zindabad 8 Dec 2014, 09:09
+14 -1
Congrats chacha and welcome to bombay town
SA 8 Dec 2014, 09:59
+20 -11
Wadia Ghandy partner moves to AZB as SA. Clifford Chance SA moves in as Partner!
@SA 8 Dec 2014, 10:07
+9 -1
I think the criteria is, and should be, years of experience and not prior designation. Rishi is a 2001 grad, Anand is a 2007 or 2008 grad.
Hmm 9 Dec 2014, 15:16
+6 -0
Love how you assumed that this reference was to Anand.
2 cents 30 Dec 2014, 05:51
+0 -0
Criteria should be quality of the lawyer, not years of experience. It is quality (of experience) over quantity (length of practice).
Hilarious! 10 Dec 2014, 13:30
+1 -0
Anand should move BCI under the Protection of Civil Rights Act,1955.
London Lawyer 8 Dec 2014, 10:34
+10 -11
Rishi is such a star lawyer. Amarchand missed out on him due to their on-going internal issues. He is a fantastic M&A lawyer, a pleasure to work with and a fantastic human being. Also unlike some other "foreign returned" lawyers who claimed international experience based on one or two years of working in an international firm, Rishi is a "propah" magic circle lawyer.

It also begs the question - where is Divya joining? Rishi and Divya are one of the star Indian lawyer couples where both are such strong independent lawyers.
Shine bright like a diamond 8 Dec 2014, 15:52
+15 -6
He must be the brightest star in the milky way, but within Zia's four walls he won't be allowed to shine beyond a point.
anonymous 9 Dec 2014, 06:35
+9 -5
star Indian lawyer couple !!!! - like seriously !
@ anonymous 9 Dec 2014, 09:28
+2 -2
Don't make London Lawyer's statement questionable. Play on facts.
Fresh law product 8 Dec 2014, 11:55
+1 -1
Looks like a family arrangement and a reunion. Congratz anyways. :)
LI Reader 8 Dec 2014, 17:10
+4 -0
Just one question. What is so terribly wrong with working with foreign firms that sooner or later even the star lawyers like Rishi come back to India? Is it a case of Indian lawyers being treated unfairly? I am sure the money and the work-life balance the foreign firms offer is superior compared to Indian firms.
Another LI Reader 8 Dec 2014, 19:02
+25 -3
For almost all of the returnees whom I know personally (admittedly a small subset of the wider body of persons returning from abroad), the reasons are almost universally non-work related: parents growing older and no one to look after them, a feeling that kids are better off growing up/being educated in India, having access to a wider social and familial network, an inability to shake off the feeling that one is an 'outsider' and, last but not least (and possibly due to a combination of all these factors), a gnawing sense of homesickness that grows inexorably more powerful with the passage of time. Of course, some return for work related reasons as well!
Nice! 8 Dec 2014, 17:24
+4 -4
Show them how it's done Zia ;)
guest 8 Dec 2014, 19:52
+19 -2
You mean time slips?
Insider 9 Dec 2014, 05:27
+4 -0
What about vijay sureka joining as a SA? He was also a partner at WG... Anand was not the only partner of WG who joined as SA in AZB
Anon 9 Dec 2014, 17:16
+2 -0
How much money do non-equity partners at these top 6 law firms make?
Hmm 9 Dec 2014, 19:28
+1 -4
With a bonus - anywhere between 70L to 1 CR I would guess.
copo laiar 17 Dec 2014, 12:03
+0 -0
AZB Mumbai salaried partner (corporate) would start at 90 L-1Cr.+ a cut on billing for work generated by them / worked on by them.
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