Expanding partnerships in Bengaluru's sizzling market: JSA welcomes 2 additional affiliates
In the heart of India's thriving tech ecosystem, Bengaluru, also known as India's Silicon Valley, several prominent law firms are bolstering their presence to cater to the city's burgeoning tech and startup industry.
Key law firms increasing their footprint or having a presence in Bengaluru include:
- AZB & Partners: A premier pan-India firm with an office in Bengaluru among its six locations. AZB focuses on M&A, joint ventures, and corporate transactions, leveraging Bengaluru’s tech-driven market.
- Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS): A full-service Indian law firm with 14 offices across the country, including Bengaluru. LKS serves diverse sectors such as IT/ITeS, e-commerce, telecom, and pharma — all strong in Bengaluru’s economy.
- IndusLaw: An Indian firm that has recently become part of the global independent law network CMS, which coordinates cross-border work including tech deals tied to clients investing or reshoring to India, with Bengaluru as a hub.
- Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and S&A Law Offices: Although headquartered elsewhere, these firms have partnered with Harvey AI, a generative AI company opening its first Indian office in Bengaluru, indicating their extended legal services presence in the city’s tech ecosystem.
International law firms are also capitalising on Bengaluru's pivotal role in India's tech and commercial sectors. For instance:
- Hogan Lovells has bolstered its India team with hires experienced in M&A and related sectors, providing services that include matters involving tech companies.
- BCLP engages with clients like Carrefour and Grosvenor with India-related deals, including retail and real estate sectors influenced by Bengaluru’s growth.
Notable hires in Bengaluru include:
- Santosh Vijay, previously a counsel at K Law, has joined J. Sagar Associates as a corporate partner, bringing expertise in private equity and venture capital deals, particularly in the start-up space.
- Brijita Prakash, previously with DSK Legal, has joined JSA as a real estate partner, specializing in matters related to title, urban development, regulatory compliance within the real estate sector, and Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) related licensing, compliance, and disputes. She is accompanied by a team of seven fee-earners.
- Harshavardhan Abburi, a disputes pro, has also recently been hired by JSA.
In the same week, a disputes quartet from K Law also moved to J. Sagar Associates. With these hires, JSA now has 21 partners in Bengaluru, one of the largest offerings for a pan-national firm in the city.
Recent notable deals advised by Vijay include the $15 million sale of a Singapore manufacturing facility by Bengaluru-based pharma company Strides Pharma Sciences.
Meanwhile, Brijita Prakash has represented top developers and builders in Karnataka, including Prestige Estates, Brigade Enterprises, and Godrej Properties.
The trend of law firms expanding in Bengaluru represents strategic moves to leverage the city’s talent pool and booming business environment, especially in legal tech, corporate law, M&A, dispute resolution, and intellectual property law practices.
- To capitalize on Bengaluru's thriving tech and commercial sectors, law firms like AZB & Partners, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS), IndusLaw, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, and S&A Law Offices are broadening their presence in the city, focusing on tech-driven markets, IT/ITeS, e-commerce, telecom, pharma, M&A, joint ventures, and corporate transactions.
- International law firms, such as Hogan Lovells and BCLP, are also strengthening their India teams in Bengaluru, providing services in M&A, tech companies, retail, and real estate sectors, thereby seeking to benefit from Bengaluru's significant growth and influence.
- Law firms in Bengaluru are experiencing growth in various areas, such as private equity and venture capital deals, real estate partner hires, and disputes resolution, which underlines the strategic significance of the city for legal tech, corporate law, M&A, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance practices.
