Economic Laws Practice (ELP) equity partner Darshan Upadhyay and partners Shyam Pandya, Amit Manubarwala and Bhavin Gada, have started up a specialist corporate firm called Stratage Law Partners.

Darshan Upadhyay specialises in private equity, fund formation and corporate work, including governance and shareholder disputes. He had been equity partner at ELP since 2014. He had joined the firm in 2010.

He is managing partner of the 9-fee-earner firm, including the four partners and two fee-earners who had not worked with them at ELP.

Stratage was a coined word combining “strategy” and “vantage”.

Upadhyay said that they wanted Stratage to be an “acutely focused firm” with only a few practice few practice areas and without “aspirations to be 100 member firm”.

The practice areas it would service to start with were private equity (fund setup and investments), M&A, insolvency and litigation (only shareholder and governance related issues).

The other partners all also have at least 15 years of experience each.

Shyam Pandya, a 2004 GLC Mumbai graduate, specialises in corporate, commercial and private equity work. He had joined ELP in 2017 from Desai & Diwanji.

M&A and corporate partner Amit Manubarwala had joined the firm in 2014 from Wadia Ghandy. He had begun his career at Crawford Bayley and is a qualified Bombay solicitor.

Bhavin Gada, a 2005 Mumbai University grad, was promoted to partner at ELP in 2017, and also specialises in corporate work.

Regarding the current economic climate, Upadhyay said: “I think the current circumstances has definitely made all of us think: first, the way we interact with clients, team and regulators; second, the value the clients perceive and would want to pay whilst using any law firm; and third, evaluate existing and new practice areas and opportunities.

ELP managing partner Suhail Nathani commented: “We wish Darshan and our former colleagues well as they embark on their entrepreneurial path.”

He added: “In our journey of two decades exits and additions are part and parcel of growth. We continue to serve our clients with 25+ dedicated corporate lawyers (including six partners and associate partners) across our offices - who work closely with nearly 180 other professionals providing tax, litigation, competition, SEBI, trade & customs and banking & finance advice to meet our clients’ diverse needs.”