Wadia Ghandy has re-hired the firm’s former principal associate Nicole Shroff, who had moved to Singapore, and elevated her to partner from June 2011 to head up the new Singapore office in One Raffles Quay full-time. She had first joined the firm in 2005, having graduated from NLSIU Bangalore in 1996.
Wadia Ghandy Bangalore partner Ankit Majmudar and Mumbai partner Shabnum Kajiji have also been granted a licence by Singapore’s attorney general to practice Indian law in Singapore, and will regularly travel to the new office.
In October 2011 Wadia Ghandy had also completed its office opening in Delhi, relocating Mumbai partner Amit Sethi and senior associate Dipti Swain and associate Prateek Rustogi to the new Defence Colony offices of around 1,600 square feet.
Sethi said: “The core areas will be litigation, real estate, corporate work and banking and finance and to begin with, and regulatory as well.”
In Mumbai the firm had also taken on an addition al 11,500 square feet of office space in an adjacent building, almost doubling its floor space to 25,000 square feet, said Mumbai partner Ashish Ahuja
Wadia Ghandy now consisted 150 to 155 lawyers, of whom 24 were partners, according to Ahuja, with additional offices in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune.
The firm’s senior partner, Hamid Moochhala, commented that although Wadia Ghandy was now 128 years old, it had adapted itself “very very well” from the traditional to the new environment and new challenges. “But we have tried to retain traditional values which makes the profession a profession.”
“That is how we like to be. We always played it very low key we just go about doing our work, giving services to our clients and clients appreciate that and bring more clients,” he added.
- Click here for more on Wadia Ghandy’s new Singapore office in today’s edition of Mint, under Legally India’s exclusive content partnership with the business daily.
Photo by Christopher_Chan
Comments
I'd be interested in learning how WG has adapted so well to the new environment and how it tackled the challenges faced in the process?
https://hligroup.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/whats-happened-with-the-hong-kong-legal-market/
Congratulations to the firm! And best wishes to the partners running the Singapore office!
2. It is the ONLY old Bombay solicitor firm that's expanding (not that others aren't doing well)
3. They don't poach partners from other firms. In fact, all the partners in the branch offices have been trained in the Bombay office first, so there's a uniform working style across the board.
4. They don't need to report deals on LI nor does it need excellent Legal 500 or RSG ratings to get clients. It has more of a word-of-mouth reputation.
5. With a 40 year old as Managing Partner of WG, you don't need to be a senior citizen to get an equity stake at the firm. Neither is it family run, nor solely dependent on 1 star partner.
That's the first step to creating.
That's the first step to creating.[/quote]
The first step to 'creating' is to becoming 'realistic' about one's 'current situation' and then 'dreaming big' !
2. It is the ONLY old Bombay solicitor firm that's expanding (not that others aren't doing well)
3. They don't poach partners from other firms. In fact, all the partners in the branch offices have been trained in the Bombay office first, so there's a uniform working style across the board.
4. They don't need to report deals on LI nor does it need excellent Legal 500 or RSG ratings to get clients. It has more of a word-of-mouth reputation.
5. With a 40 year old as Managing Partner of WG, you don't need to be a senior citizen to get an equity stake at the firm. Neither is it family run, nor solely dependent on 1 star partner.[/quote]
With the benefit of hindsight now, can you read the above again?
Would you know what practice areas Nicole and Ankit are involved in? Shabnum seems to be into financing and securitisation from an earlier LI article. Trying to get an idea of what the firm is trying to do in Singapore
Thanks,
LI fan
Ankit Majmudar specializes in Private Equity and M&A and Nicole Shroff advises on General Coroporate Law; though I'm not entirely sure of her specialization, I think its Banking & Finance.
Best!