Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been making inroads into nearly all walks of life. Much of what’s visible in the mainstream has been restricted to headline-dominating stunts such as Google’s DeepMind systems beating humans at ultra-complex board games like Go or Chess or the IBM Watson system besting champions of the TV game show Jeopardy (way back in 2011). There have been rapid improvements in self-driving car technology by several companies. And on the consumer software side, facial and photo recognition, real-time text, voice and image translation and other useful tools from the major tech giants often seem like magic, or at least eerily, almost-humanly intelligent.

In a rare move from academia to the law firm world, Link Legal India Law Services has engaged former Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre faculty Solil Paul as chair - academics at the firm.

A keen-eyed reader has brought to our notice that Fox & Mandal, Kolkata, has published an advertisement in the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper, stating that the venerable firm, “has no other branch in any part of the country”, especially not Fox Mandal:

UK firm Travers Smith has introduced “That’s not cool” as a phrase and hashtag that anyone at the law firm is intended to be able to use in response to anything that a colleague has said or done that makes them uncomfortable, reported The Lawyer (requires free registration to read).

DSK Legal has hired former Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas director Padmini Rathore as its chief executive officer (CEO), in tandem to introducing a lot of internal changes targeting internal growth and a Bangalore office.

Senior Indian law firm partners’ billing rates have increased by around 17% over two years to an average of $335 an hour (Rs 21,580 at current exchange rates) from $292 in 2015 (Rs 18,500 at exchange rates at that time), according to consultancy RSG India’s latest research and its figures from 2015.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has appointed another high-profile name to its internal “strategic advisory board”, with the part-time hire of former magic circle firm Allen & Overy’s senior partner David Morley.

Link Legal India Law Services has hired the former senior partner and chairman of UK-headquartered firm Pinsent Masons, Martin Harman, as its “chair - international business”, according to a press release from the firm.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) is closing its transaction support group (TSG), which was set up 2013 in Mumbai to explore providing volume-focused transactional support at lower rates on work such as due diligence and other commoditised advice, with its TSG head Ami Parikh joining AZB & Partners to start a TSG there.

When we interviewed former J Sagar Associates (JSA) senior partner Berjis Desai last month about his new post-retirement life as a private lawyer, he said that one of the advantages with not being inside a law firm anymore, was that “one is freed from the world of conflict of interest - one is free to say what he wants, and speak what one wants.”

Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) has snapped up former Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas director for “strategy & special projects” Anish Tripathi as director of “GST and supply chain advisory services.

Anish Tripathi, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas director “strategy & special projects” in Mumbai, has resigned with today being his last day at the firm.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has hired AZB & Partners’ Mumbai HR head Kiran Patheja for its HR function, as head of talent acquisition, reported Bar & Bench.

HSA Advocates has added the principal associate (PA) designation as the seventh rung to its career ladder ending in equity partnership. Former Reliance ADA Group in house lawyer Kunal Rajpal has joined the firm as its first principal associate.

HSA Advocates has added the principal associate (PA) designation as the seventh rung to its career ladder ending in equity partnership. Former Reliance ADA Group in house lawyer Kunal Rajpal has joined the firm as its first principal associate.

J Sagar Associates (JSA) partner Amit Kapur was elected senior partner-to-be by JSA’s equity partners at a meeting in Chennai today.

The seven largest law firms in India have grown their headcounts by an average of around 20% in the last one-and-a-half years. Of those, the fastest-growing such as Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Khaitan & Co, had expanded fee-earner headcounts by 45% and 35% respectively, while others such as AZB & partners’ partnership ballooned by 75%.

>Currently CMS partners hand out work to associates directly. The new system will require partners to use a dedicated resource manager employed by consultancy firm Mason & Cook to distribute all pieces of work.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas Bangalore capital markets partner Arjun Lall has become head of the Southern India region, including Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Trilegal has restructured slightly in the wake of co-founding partner Anand Prasad’s announcement that he would retire within a year