Thakker & Thakker has made up its first female partner, growing its partnership to a total of five.

Corporate commercial lawyer Anisha Patnaik has been promoted to associate partner level, which is equivalent to a salaried partner.

Patnaik said: “It’s a great reward for me for the hard work I’ve put in and it’s an incentive for other lawyers to start working hard.”

Patnaik has been with Thakker & Thakker almost since the start of her career five years ago and is based in the Mumbai head-office.

She will continue focusing on corporate and commercial laws, including joint venture, banking and finance work.

She is only Thakker & Thakker’s second new partner in as many years, following corporate partner Gautam Bhat’s hire from Desai & Diwanji in 2006.

Founding partners Bijesh Thakker and J V Thakker are currently the firm’s only equity partners, with Anand Mehta, Bhat and Patnaik making up the salaried associate partnership. The firm employs around 50 fee-earners in total.

Thakker & Thakker clients consist almost exclusively of foreign companies, with a strong focus on Europe and technology companies from the US’ Silicon Valley.