With a view to expanding its domestic footprint, Khaitan & Co has announced the opening of an office in Chennai.

The office will formally open in the latter part of this year.

Arva Merchant, who recently joined the firm as a Partner in the Dispute Resolution practice, and Corporate and M&A Partner Vivek Sriram will serve as the Chennai office's resident partners.

Vivek’s expertise lies in advising international and domestic clients on structuring transactions, investment strategies, domestic and cross-border M&A, strategic alliances, joint ventures, private equity, venture capital investments, strategic buyouts and exits and general corporate matters.

Arva focuses on litigation, mediation and arbitration involving commercial and real estate laws. She also works on civil and constitutional law matters.

Commenting on the new office, Senior Partner Haigreve Khaitan said:

"We believe that Southern India holds great promise for the Firm, and it was only a logical choice for us to set up our presence in Chennai after Bengaluru to cater to our growing set of clients in this region...

...Vivek’s decision to anchor the Chennai office made it very easy to take the plunge. We are already in talks to expand our local talent pool including with some of our younger colleagues relocating to Chennai and focussing on setting up our customary state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and also forging new relationships."