How did DSK Legal's Anand Desai strike the mega lawyer crossover from L&L Partners and more

Anand Desai, Managing Partner, DSK Legal.

When was the last time you heard of more than 60 corporate lawyers switching from one corporate law firm to a rival in one single, big-bang move?

Well, that's exactly what happened when DSK Legal announced the entry of 63 lawyers across multiple verticals from L&L Partners.

Moneycontrol's Ashwin Mohan caught up for a quick, exclusive chat with the man of the moment - Anand Desai, Managing Partner, DSK Legal.

Desai spoke about what led to the mega-crossover, the synergies, the plans for DSK Legal 2.0 and more...

Q. Congratulations on sealing arguably the biggest crossover deal in corporate law firms at one go by taking on board the team led by Bobby Chandhoke and Sudhir Sharma which includes 63 lawyers of which 19 are partners. This is a bold, aggressive step by DSK Legal. For starters, help us understand what were the key factors that got both sides together and how did the discussions begin? Any anecdotes you would like to share?

A: Thank you! DSK Legal has been in expansion mode for the past three and a half years. This is the sixth team to join us from other firms during this period, and is the largest team by far. we have grown from 110 lawyers to over 250 lawyers (including partners) in this period!

It was certainly unexpected. We were approached saying Bobby and Sudhir were leaving L&L with some team members based in Delhi - the number was uncertain, and would we be interested in taking them into DSK Legal. This was very interesting as Bobby and Sudhir are well-established and reputed lawyers, but it was a big decision as this was potentially a large team, and this was happening very shortly after the team from Dua Associates joined us in Bangalore.

Our deputy managing partner, Sajit, CEO, Padmini, and I thought it was well worth exploring, and hence the conversation started. We thought the chemistry worked well in the very first intearction, and it all moved very quickly thereafter – all of us felt that like-minded people were coming together, which augured very well. For the first time in our 21 years of existence, our Delhi office has more lawyers than our Mumbai office!

I must add that I have known Rajiv Luthra well for many years, and I was clear I would speak with him before taking a final decision, which I did.

Q. DSK Legal has focused heavily on litigation in recent years and Bobby's core team is also from the same segment. What made you look at non-litigation areas like M&A, trade, IP, tax and competition law and go beyond litigation? Was it to diversify the revenue mix and can we expect more recruitments going ahead in these verticals?

A: Yes, our litigation and arbitration capabilities, which were already strong, have now grown significantly. honestly, Bobby and Sudhir mentioned they worked with the others who wanted to join with them. We did not examine the teams by practice at all. When I learnt later of the practice areas in which the partners wanting to join us worked, we saw an excellent fit for each.

Q. DSK Legal is a Mumbai-headquartered firm. What are your plans going ahead for the Delhi office which is now strengthened with the entry of the new team? Are you also planning any new offices beyond the Hyderabad branch which is an outcome of the integration process?

A. We will see how things pan out. As I said this was unexpected, and quite sudden. We now have a pan-India footprint with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, and one lawyer based in Chennai. We are taking larger / additional office space in Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, and for both our offices in Mumbai. There are no immediate plans to start an office in any other city for now.

Q. Post this deal , DSK Legal has now grown to more than 250 lawyers with 63 partners (including associate partners).  Which are the new emerging areas and verticals of growth you see for modern corporate law firms?

A: I believe the opportunities in technology, including fintech and edtech, and associated areas like the metaverse, blockchain etc; healthcare; energy, including renewable energy; projects and project finance; restructuring and insolvency; criminal law; and private client work will all grow rapidly.

Of course disputes work, corporate/M&A/PE, real estate, IPR, media and entertainment, competition, international trade and other areas will continue to grow as well.

Q. It's been more than 2 decades since you set up DSK Legal. What would your advice be to young lawyers who want to turn entrepreneurial and set up their own outfits just like you did back in 2001?

A. I see many young lawyers setting up their own practices, which is wonderful. India is now very attractive for entrepreneurs generally. We see more and more unicorns in India in different fields, particularly those using technology for distribution of various goods and services. I believe if one has the inclination to build an organisation, with all that goes with it, there is tremendous opportunity in India, particularly in specialised practice areas, and in geographies where industry and business are growing.