Former Agram Legal Consultants partner Sudipta Routh, who’d joined the firm in May 2015 from Luthra & Luthra, will join Samvad Partners in Mumbai as its third partner in the city.

Samvad co-founding partner Harish Narasappa told us: “We were looking to get some senior partner on board in Bombay.

“We have known him for a long time, from law school days, that always helps.

“The key is he will bring more depth and more strength in our practice, he has the right background.”

Routh, a 1996-batch NLSIU graduate like Narasappa, began his career at ICI India in 1996 in Delhi, moved to Trilegal in Mumbai between 2001 and 2005, where he became a partner, then joined Clifford Chance in London as a senior associate in 2007, before returning to India with Luthra in 2010.

Update: Routh said in a Samvad press statement: “Samvad is more a homecoming - to a team of pedigreed world class professionals and friends forged in college, those that I have now known for nearly half my life – it’s a rare privilege and a great pleasure.”

Samvad will be 12 partners, with Routh being the third in Mumbai, alongside one in Delhi, one in Hyderabad and one in Chennai and the rest in Bangalore.

The fee-earner headcount was now around 60, said Narasappa, with 20 lawyers based in Mumbai.

Agram founder Vaishali Sharma said that she wished Routh well, and explained that he was a partner at Agram until 31 March, at which point they agreed to restructure so Routh continued as a consultant until he found a good opportunity for him to move to.

Routh added that he and Sharma remained very good friends.