Indian law firm DSK Legal has hired 63 former lawyers of L&L Partners, including 21 partners. They include Delhi-based senior partners Bobby Chandhoke (L) and Sudhir Sharma.

The news comes just about a year after L&L Partners lost 85 lawyers, including 21 partners, as part of an exodus led by erstwhile equity partner Mohit Saraf, who then set up his own outfit, Saraf and Partners, in three Indian cities.

As for the group headed to DSK, the exits happened after L&L reportedly dissolved its litigation arm, and gave the lawyers the option of leaving or joining the firm’s existing corporate arm under a unified structure. L&L also recently acquired the disputes practice of Verus, led by partner Krishnayan Sen.

The partners joining DSK specialise in a range of practice areas, including dispute resolution, competition and antitrust, employment, international trade, corporate/M&A, intellectual property, and fintech.   

Apart from Sharma and Chandhoke, the partners are Abdullah Hussain, Akhil Anand, Altaf Fathima, Anant Garg, Ashish Chandra, Deepali Chandhoke, Durga Bose Gandham, Kanika Chaudhary Nayar, Kunal Mehra, Mohit Bakshi, Pradyuman Dubey, Prashant Mishra, Prashant Pakhiddey, Saleem Hasan Ansari, Saurabh Tiwari, Shiv Sapra, Subhash Bhutoria, Suyash Srivastava, and Tarun Dua.

The new arrivals take DSK’s headcount to more than 250, including 63 partners and associate partners. As Fathima and Gandham are based in Hyderabad, their joining DSK gives the firm a presence in that southern city. DSK also has offices in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

Both Bobby Chandhoke and Sharma had been with  L&L since 1998. Chandhoke advises on commercial disputes including domestic and international arbitrations, interim reliefs and emergency relief, while Sharma specializes in joint ventures, oil and gas, infrastructure, contractual disputes, mining, consumer disputes, competition and more.