India’s largest firm Khaitan & Co has expanded its footprint in the western region with the opening of two offices in Pune and Ahmedabad.
This extends Khaitan’s network, complementing its existing presence in key locations such as Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Chennai and Singapore.
The move also marks the return of partner Atman Desai, who will lead the new team in Ahmedabad and also head the energy, infrastructure and resources practice.
Desai brings nearly 15 years of expertise in project development, commercial contracting, government bids, and policy and regulation advisory in the infrastructure sector.
“This office will act as a catalyst for building and deepening our relationships with clients in the promising market of Gujarat where opportunities are growing,” said Desai.
“Our Ahmedabad office will be a full-service offering, fully integrated with the national practices of the firm, and will primarily focus on disciplines such as general corporate, real estate, finance and projects, gifts and disputes.”
Desai’s extensive experience includes advising clients on transactions with a specialised focus on ports, data centres, power, mining, oil and gas (downstream), and highways.
He has worked with the Adani Group, SBI Capital Markets, State Bank of India, and Micron Technologies, etc. Desai’s return to Khaitan after a decade-long tenure at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas underscores the firm’s commitment to strengthening its team.
The Pune office will be led by partners Radhika Iyer (corporate), Shailendra Bhandare (IP) and Devendra Deshmukh (real estate).
The team’s focus will be on providing comprehensive services, including corporate and commercial advice, M&A, private equity and venture capital investments, intellectual property, real estate, corporate restructuring, banking and finance, capital markets, tax, and dispute resolution.
“Our intent is to ensure that both existing and new clients in Pune can benefit from our full-service offering, that will now be made available to our clients locally,” said Iyer.
“Support across a broad spectrum of services including real estate, corporate and commercial, M&A, intellectual property, corporate restructuring, employment, banking and finance, tax and dispute resolution will be provided.”
Khaitan’s team now comprises more than 1,020 legal professionals across multiple offices.
