Linklaters sends two Partners to strengthen Best friends practice

Mumbai-based Talwar Thakore is welcoming home two Partners from best friend Linklaters. Kunal Thakore, son of name Partner Shobhan Thakore, and Narayan Iyer [pictured left to right], Partners in Linklaters’ India practice group, will soon be joining Talwar Thakore & Associates. Talwar Thakore has been associated with Linklaters since its inception in January 2007.

Talwar Thakore currently has about 22 lawyers, but the recent hires, coupled with plans to move to a bigger office at the beginning of the new year, indicate ambitious expansion plans. Thakore and Iyer’s move from Linklaters follows in the wake of a similar transition by Srinivas Parthasarathy from Allen & Overy to allied firm Trilegal.

Mumbai-based Talwar Thakore is welcoming home two Partners from best friend Linklaters. Kunal Thakore, son of name Partner Shobhan Thakore, and Narayan Iyer [pictured left to right], Partners in Linklaters’ India practice group, will soon be joining Talwar Thakore & Associates.

Talwar Thakore has been associated with Linklaters since its inception in January 2007. Several members of the legal fraternity, in fact, believe that the firm was set up as an associate office of Linklaters to operate in India, but the firm has strongly denied these rumours. Sandeep Katwala, Linklaters’ India Practice head, has a long-standing relationship with Suresh Talwar, formerly a Partner at Crawford Bayley, having worked with him on the Bangalore International Airport project.

Shobhan Talwar was a Senior Partner at Mumbai firm Bhaishanker Kanga & Girdharlal, where incidentally, his son Kunal Thakore also worked as an Assistant Solicitor prior to joining Linklaters. He left after almost thirty years to take over as the Capital Markets Partner at AZB, before moving on to start Talwar Thakore & Associates with Suresh Talwar.

Kunal Thakore obtained his Law degree from the Government Law College, Mumbai in 1997 and began working with Linklaters Singapore in 2000. He is currently a Partner in the Hong Kong offices of Linklaters. Narayan Iyer graduated with an LLB from the London School of Economics in 1995 and began working as a Trainee Solicitor in Linklaters London. He is currently a Partner in the India Practice Group at Linklaters Allen & Gledhill, Singapore.

Talwar Thakore currently has about 22 lawyers, but the recent hires, coupled with plans to move to a bigger office at the beginning of the new year, indicate ambitious expansion plans. Thakore and Iyer’s move from Linklaters follows in the wake of a similar transition by Srinivas Parthasarathy from Allen & Overy to allied firm Trilegal. Until the Bar Council of India opens the legal sector, it is perhaps inevitable that foreign firms will continue to find innovative ways to strengthen their ties within India and benefit from the ever-expanding Indian legal market.