Anand and Anand marks its centenary year in 2023 with the establishment of the firm’s new vertical, the digital group, which will be led by former MeitY director Dr Ajai Garg.
“After working for 21 years on the other side and seeing India’s digital transformation and challenges thereof, I feel excited to work with the intellectually driven law group of Anand and Anand,” said Garg, a former director of the Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MeitY).
Garg is also an electrical engineer with a doctoral degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
The digital group will focus on AI, data protection, gaming, drones, blockchain/non-fungible tokens and related issues from technological changes across industries.
Vaishali Mittal, litigation partner and strategist at Anand and Anand, said the firm wants to keep its clients ahead of the curve, as “digital is no longer the future, it is here and now”.
“It has emerged as a critical success imperative for business continuity and future growth. Change is accelerating so quickly, it is making innovation an urgent strategic and systemic necessity,” she said
Managing partner Pravin Anand, senior partner Safir Anand, the head of trademarks, contractual and commercial IP and other partners shall comprise the core leadership of the digital group.
Anand and Anand aspires to be a leader in the ‘digital’ space and this step lays the foundation, it said. An increased interest in hybrid sectors such as edtech, healthtech, fintech and agritech amplifies the need for customised solutions making the new vertical perfect for the job.
Safir Anand, adds, “We are now expanding our non-IP work including M&A, due diligence, agreements, collaterals, valuations, private equity and capital markets to a special practice for the needs of startups.”
Pravin Anand also said, “The concept of intellectual property has greatly changed and acquired several new dimensions … therefore, it is imperative to develop a strong digital practice with a comprehensive skill set of each of the components.”
