Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) advised the world’s largest palm oil maker, Singapore-based Wilmar International, in buying a controlling stake in Renuka Sugars for $200m (Rs 1,242 crore). Renuka Sugars was advised by Crawford Bayley while AZB & Partners advised the promoters the Murkumbi family...

Big project M&A in the project space with Desai & Diwanji and Amarchand, while a project finance take-out scheme keeps Dhir busy.

Vaish Associates and Crawford Bayley advised Delhi-based liquor firm Globus Spirits in raising Rs 70 crore ($13m) from Templeton Strategic Emerging Markets Fund IV LDC (TSEM) which was advised by BMR Legal’s new hire from Desai & Diwanji.

Amarchand Mangaldas acts on a hoard of financings, while Luthra & Luthra sticks to the markets. Also in this deal round-up: JSA, Crawford, Tatva, AZB, Kochhar, Desai & Diwanji, Trilegal, Linklaters, Clifford Chance, Jones Day, Allen & Overy, Milbank, and other foreign firms..

Amarchand, AZB, Khaitan, Crawford Bayley and S&R Associates wrap up the last five deals of 2012..

Exclusive: Crawford Bayley associate partner Krishna Venkat will join AZB & Partners in Mumbai from 1 June as a senior associate in the M&A and corporate practice.

LI-Mint exclusive: Law firms saw a slump in earnings from their capital markets business in the year that ended March. Many that had invested heavily in the practice during the boom years adopted various strategies to cope with the decline.

Mergers and joint ventures lead last month’s largest deals, while private equity, capital markets, litigation and competition policy also nestle in.

Exclusive: Crawford Bayley associate Renuka Shetty has been promoted to associate partner level, growing the ranks of salaried partners to seven.

Exclusive: S&R Associates is advising Vodafone Group on its disposal of 5.5 per cent of the shares in Vodafone Essar for $640m to Piramal Healthcare, which is relying on Amarchand Mangaldas as lead adviser with Linklaters and Slaughter and May, as well as Crawford Bayley and Stephenson Harwood.

The equity at some traditional Mumbai solicitors firms (and others) has always been notoriously inert.

Mumbai solicitors firm Crawford Bayley has created a new associate partner non-equity rung with six senior associates having been elevated to the new position, following the last partnership promotion round at the firm 10 years ago.

ALMT Legal, Khaitan & Co and Crawford Bayley have grabbed the maximum number of rights issue mandates in the financial year (FY) 2010-2011.

Exclusive: Against a background of slowing markets in qualified institutional placements (QIPs), Amarchand Mangaldas has retained a strong lead in Legally India’s QIP league table for the 2010-2011 fiscal despite its deal volume dropping by half, while Luthra & Luthra and Crawford Bayley scaled ahead of Khaitan & Co and AZB & Partners.

Crawford Bayley & Co has advised construction company CNH Global NV on the full buy-out of Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T’s) stake in joint venture partnership L&T-CASE Equipment for around Rs 200 crore ($45m).

Crawford Bayley & Co has advised Clariant Chemicals on Rs 240 crore ($53m) real estate transaction involving the sale of its Mumbai-suburban factory premises to Kalpataru Builders-owned Ananta Landmarks, which hired Mumbai law firm Federal & Rashmikant as legal counsels.

Exclusive: AZB & Partners has topped Legally India’s 2010-2011 quarterly initial public offering (IPO) league table taking it to second place in the financial year IPO rankings to date behind Amarchand Mangaldas and overtaking Luthra & Luthra, which did not file any IPOs in the last quarter.

Crawford Bayley and Amarchand Mangaldas have been duking it out in the Bombay High Court on behalf of expelled Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals and the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) respectively, with a ruling on an arbitrator’s interim relief expected this week.

Crawford Bayley and Dorsey & Whitney have won the mandate to advise public sector undertaking SAIL on its follow-on public offer (FPO) to raise Rs 8,000 crore.

Amarchand Mangaldas acted on more than half of the total number of Qualified Institutional Placements (QIPs) in Legally India’s QIP League Table of the 2009-2010 fiscal year. AZB & Partners and Khaitan & Co were the second-busiest followed by J Sagar Associates (JSA) and Crawford Bayley and S&R Associates amongst domestic firms.

International firm Jones Day bagged the maximum QIPs out of foreign law firms acting for the book running lead managers while Linklaters, Dorsey & Whitney and Clifford Chance also won mandates on a significant numbers of fundraisings.