Whalesbook
Key Lateral Hires Boost JSA's Corporate Practice
JSA Advocates & Solicitors has significantly strengthened its corporate practice by announcing the upcoming arrival of three equity partners and an 18-associate team from CMS IndusLaw. The new hires, including Siddharth Manchanda, Rashi Saraf, and Minhaz Lokhandwala, bring extensive experience in private equity, venture capital, capital markets, and M&A. This move is set to boost JSA’s capacity for handling complex corporate deals.
Expanding Legal Footprint
With this expansion, JSA Advocates & Solicitors will now house over 700 legal professionals, including approximately 190 partners, distributed across its ten offices in seven Indian cities. The addition of Manchanda and Lokhandwala to the Mumbai office, and Saraf to the Bengaluru office, alongside retainer partner Vinit Patwari, marks a substantial jump in the firm's overall legal headcount and specialized expertise. This growth trajectory mirrors a broader trend of consolidation and intense talent competition within India's corporate law sector.
A Pattern of Strategic Growth
This is not JSA's first major lateral hire this year. In 2024, the firm bolstered its competition law practice by bringing on board Nisha Kaur Uberoi and a team of 25 attorneys from Trilegal. Additionally, Padmaja Kaul and her three-lawyer team joined JSA from CMS IndusLaw, further highlighting the firm's aggressive strategy to acquire top-tier talent and expand its service offerings in critical practice areas.