HSA Advocates has poached Prateek Ghosh, Kolkata head of Delhi-based law firm Paras Kuhad & Associates along with his entire team. This is second such poaching by the Hemant Sahai-promoted law firm within a few months from the same firm.
In August, HSA had poached entire litigation team of the Mumbai office of Paras Kuhad. HSA is making aggressive inroads in Kolkata as the firm has also hired former co-founder of boutique law firm Argus Partners, Ramya Hariharan.
This hiring will bring the number of lawyers at the firm to close to 100. Ramya had set up Argus Partners along with Krishnava Dutt and left the firm in 2014 to set up her own practice. An alumnus of University of Calcutta, Ramya started her career with litigation law firm Sinha & Co before moving to undivided Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co.
When contacted, Ghosh confirmed the switch along with a team of five lawyers. Phone calls made and text messages sent to Amitabh Sharma, managing partner of HSA Advocates and Ramya remain unanswered.
Ramya is a corporate lawyer who had set up Citadel Law Chambers in Kolkata after leaving Udwadia Udeshi and Argus Partners in 2014.
“HSA is expanding aggressively and is looking out to merge boutique corporate as well as dispute or law firms to merge in Mumbai and in Delhi,†said a person privy to the development. “The firm is expanding in Kolkata because it is eyeing the city as well as the northeast market,†the person said.
Prateek and Ramya joining HSA was first reported by Bar & Bench and Legally India.
Many mid-sized law firms are looking to either acquire small law firms or practice areas along with the head of such practices as a presumptive effort to be ready before the sector is liberalised to allow entry of foreign law firms.
“After Amitabh Sharma joined from Khaitan & Co in 2016, HSA seems to be quietly but aggressively expanding throughout locations and practice areas,†said Dinesh Sharma, founder of Personnel Junction, an advisory specialising in legal recruitments. “And after founding partner of PKA becoming ASG in 2012, PKA seems to be directionless and as a result has been losing some quality lawyers and star partners,†Sharma said.
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