ELP Partner Samir Gandhi moves to AZB Delhi to focus on Competition Law Practice

Economic Laws Practice (ELP)’s Competition Law Partner Samir Gandhi has left the firm to join the Delhi office of AZB & Partners. Samir will focus on the Competition Law Practice of the firm. He is joining the firm with effect from June 25, 2012..Economic Laws Practice (ELP)’s Competition Law Partner Samir Gandhi has left the firm to join the Delhi office of AZB & Partners. Samir will focus on the Competition Law Practice of the firm. He is joining the firm with effect from June 25, 2012..Speaking to Bar & Bench AZB Delhi Managing Partner Ajay Bahl said, “We are delighted that Samir is joining us. The significant experience he brings and specialized focus he will provide will greatly supplement and add value to our existing team and provide additional impetus to this important practice area at AZB.”.Samir is a graduate of the National Law School India University, Bangalore. He started his career at Amarchand Mangaldas, where he worked for three years before going to the London School of Economics for his LLM. Samir also worked with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva for almost a year before returning to India. Samir joined ELP in 2005, where his initial areas of practice included International Trade Law and Anti-Dumping and thereafter, he specialized in Competition Law practice..On his decision to move from ELP to AZB, Samir said, “The main reason for the shift is to do more of merger control work and get a lot more exposure in that field. Ultimately merger control practice is given usually to firms with a large M&A practice”..Samir told Bar & Bench that at ELP, he was doing Competition Law work involving compliance, and investigation work but less of merger control. He said, “ELP has a good corporate practice and they do lot of M&A work and have built a impressive behavioural-side practice but they have not been involved in big ticket transactions, where usually merger filings are done. ELP is majorly involved in taxation, international trade and litigation work”..On being asked whether he will be heading the Competition Law practice at AZB, Samir said, “The idea is to have one Partner who spends all his time doing just Competition Law work in both Delhi and Mumbai and to that extent I will be focusing only on competition law work. The idea is to be full time Partner on Competition Law”..Samir further said, “AZB is the preeminent firm for M&A and it made a very good fit. It is a perfect synergy as such because AZB does a lot of merger control work”..Samir added that he is quite excited about this opportunity..Talking about his seven years of experience at ELP Samir said, “It has been an outstanding experience. ELP is a young, friendly and very professional firm. He added, “ELP is a very visionary firm which chose to invest a lot in this practice area when the law was still not enforced and we had just started doing compliance work”.