Trilegal has hired its first full-time partner in Hyderabad with DS Associates’ co-founder Pavan Kumar joining to take advantage of the recovering economy after the firm scaled down in the city during the global downturn.

Link Legal has put pan-Indian growth further on top of its agenda, having opened up a new Mumbai office by relocating a young Delhi partner and hiring former GVK in-house counsel V Akshay Babu as its second partner in its Hyderabad office.

Kochhar & Co has hired two partners in Chennai and Hyderabad in a major South India push, which includes new Chennai and Bangalore office space and further expansion plans.

Mumbai private equity (PE) boutique ARA Law is mulling opening a Hyderabad office and expanding in Bangalore, having most recently advised on a Rs 60 crore Hyderabad hospital investment by private equity house Milestone Religare Investment Advisors.

SN Gupta & Co and one-year-old start-up India Legal have advised on Duet India Hotels’ Rs 120 crore ($26m) fund investment in a Hyderabad hotel project with L&T Phoenix Infoparks.

AZB & Partners has merged with Anup Shah’s Bangalore law firm, doubling AZB’s size in the city, giving it two new bases in Chennai and Hyderabad and winning a new office managing partner.

An LLB student has mounted a successful legal challenge after an unexpected doubling of tuition fees at NUJS Kolkata, which has provoked widespread complaints from the student body.

Our fourth newsletter has details on JSA’s South India strategy as well as stories on lots of other legal entrepreneurs. Enter your email name and email address below to receive the next issue straight to your inbox:

Much of India is suffering under the delayed monsoon so badly that many economists are talking of revising growth forecasts downwards…