[Just In] Four Partners from Algo Legal move to Argus Partners

Post the Sequoia fiasco, four partners from Algo Legal are joining Argus Partners along with their respective teams, totalling around 35-40 lawyers..Abhinav Bhalaik, who specialises in corporate/M&A, private equity and securities law, will be joining Argus' Mumbai office as an Equity Partner.Ankit Guha, who has expertise in corporate/M&A, private equity and venture capital, will join the firm's Bengaluru office as an Equity Partner;Corporate Partners Armaan Patkar and Neha Madan will join the Mumbai and Delhi offices respectively as Partners..Commenting on this development, Argus Managing Partner Krishnava Dutt said,“We have been engaging with the team over the last several months. Their practice creates a great synergy with the firms values and existing practice across the three cities. We warmly welcome the entire team to the Argus family. We are very excited in relation to the opportunities which lie ahead of us with this partnership.” .Bhalaik is a 2009 graduate of National Law University, Jodhpur. Prior to joining Algo Legal in 2020, he was a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas. He has previously also worked at Platinum Partners.Prior to his stint at Algo, Guha took a break from law and founded Fyraway, a unique game-based learning environment where children learnt how to code. Before that, he was with WestBridge Capital from 2017 to 2019 as a Vice-President, leading on all deals and exits. Prior to WestBridge, he spent around 8 years across some top law firms in the country including Shardul Amarchand and JSA. .Patkar is a graduate of Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Before joining Algo, he was working at AZB & Partners. He has also worked at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Hariani & Co.Madan is a 2008 graduate of Delhi University. She joined Algo Legal in 2019 after previously working at Kesar Dass B & Associates, SRGR Law offices and Kapil Sapra & Associates..“We have known Argus and the team there for a while and are very happy to join the partnership at the Firm, which has over the years established itself as a trusted advisor to numerous marquee clients. We look forward to working with the team and clients to build the firm’s existing practice areas and propel the Firm to newer heights,” Bhalaik and Guha said..Recently, venture capital fund Sequoia Capital had sent out a letter notifying a select group of its portfolio companies that it has stopped working with Algo Legal, which was founded by former Sequoia General Counsel Sandeep Kapoor.This mass exodus from Algo Legal seems to be the first fall out of the Sequoia-Algo legal fiasco, although it is understood that the departing lawyers were in talks with Argus Partners for the past few months..[Exclusive] Threats of ED raids, arm-twisting and more: Why Sequoia Capital cut ties with Sandeep Kapoor's Algo Legal.Following reports on the decision of venture capital fund Sequoia Capital to cut ties with Algo Legal, the firm and its founder Sandeep Kapoor have filed a defamation suit before a Bengaluru court against the company as well as several media outlets..If you would like your Deals, Columns, Press Releases to be published on Bar & Bench, please fill in the form available here.