The firm has also taken on new office space in Mumbai and plans to build a litigation team.

New partner Vijay Manjrekar will be tasked with building up the M&A practice for SN Gupta in Mumbai. He qualified in as a lawyer in 2001 and spent around one year at Khaitan & Co and two years at Luthra & Luthra previously.

Former Hemant Sahai associate of almost two years Saurabh Nathany has also joined SN Gupta’s Mumbai M&A team as a senior associate. He had previously worked at Desai & Diwanji and Gagrats, since 2005.

The Mumbai office has to-date primarily specialised in banking and finance work, although it does have a specialist M&A practice in Delhi.

Majrekar said: “Now that the markets are picking up it’s a good time for us to explore existing relationships and develop future clients going forward.”

“We are a very small team at the moment but let’s hope that clients show faith in us. They have had faith in [SN Gupta in the] banking and finance sector, now is time to get that faith in a new sector which is already successful in Delhi,” he added.

SN Gupta has also taken on a second office in Mumbai’s Yussuf Building on MG Road very close to its existing 5,000 square foot office in the Kala Goda district, aiming to expand to a full-service offering.

Managing partner Rajesh Gupta (pictured) said: “We are going to start our litigation practice.

“We have taken a small office – 1,500 sqare feet - on the fourth floor of that building and we are just picking up the people in that practice area.”

Khaitan & Co partner Rabindra Jhunjhunwala said that Majrekar had only been at Khaitan & Co for a short while but that he wished him well at the new firm.

Hemant Sahai was unavailable for comment.