AZB & Partners senior associate Sunil Jain has joined J Sagar Associates (JSA) Delhi office as a partner to head and start up its direct tax practice.

Jain (pictured) had been at AZB for three years, having worked at Seth Dua & Associates before that.

He said that corporate lawyers were handling JSA’s direct tax work to date and explained: “I think we have a lot do in terms of leveraging the existing clients in providing them with direct tax services.”

Jain said that he would be looking to grow the firm’s direct tax practice “step-by-step” with associate hires but would not be looking to hire a team “wholesale”.

JSA already operates an indirect tax team under partner Ashok Dhingra, who was heading up Khaitan & Co’s indirect tax practice until March 2009.

Jain said that JSA would not be looking to compete with the accountancy firms but that he was looking forward to co-operating with them: “We will be complementing all the great work that’s being provided by the taxation practices with the legal and interpretational aspects of [taxation].”

He noted: “I think in the Indian market there is space for everyone and there is a lot of scope for soliciting and providing [such services] in a complimentary manner.”

AZB Delhi managing partner Ajay Bahl said: “We were happy with his knowledge and understand if he wanted to explore other opportunities.”