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%.

Shardul Shroff, the former co-managing partner of Amarchand Mangaldas Suresh A. Shroff & Co, is upbeat about his new firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, which was launched on Sunday (10 May) and opened doors in a new city, Mumbai, on Monday (11 May).

Getting the ratio of partners to non-partner fee-earners right has its rewards, but it is, at best, an inexact science.