Nasikwala Law Office sees addition of new equity partner Ex-Juris Corp Partner Freddy Daruwala to head Taxation and IPR practice

Less than a year after it’s inception, Mumbai-based firm Nasikwala Law Office (NLO) has hired former Juris Corp Partner Freddy R. Daruwala to join as equity partner. Daruwala (pictured) will head the firm’s taxation and IPR practice..Less than a year after it’s inception, Mumbai-based firm Nasikwala Law Office (NLO) has hired former Juris Corp Partner Freddy R. Daruwala to join as equity partner. Daruwala (pictured) will head the firm’s taxation and IPR practice..NLO was started in May-June 2011 by Huzefa Nasikwala, ex Juris Corp Partner who had left Juris Corp in April 2011. Nasikwala initially started a sole proprietorship but was soon joined by his brother Ismail Nasikwala. Speaking about the decision to part ways with Juris Corp, Nasikwala says that this was a natural progression and also stated that entrepreneurial skills need to be encouraged in the legal profession today..Speaking to Bar & Bench, Nasikwala says that although the firm is currently focused on real estate, arbitration, banking and finance, he wants the firm to eventually develop into a full-service law firm. NLO currently has one other partner, Ismail Nasikwala and three associates but Nasikwala is keen to increase the team size..Freddy R. Daruwala has over two decades of experience and has both CA and LLB degrees. He also has an LLM degree from Mumbai University. After getting a CA degree, Daruwala worked with three different companies including logistics major DHL and advertising agency Madison Media. After obtaining his LLB degree, Daruwala initially worked at IPR firm of Jehangir Gulabbhai Bilimoria and Daruwalla before moving onto Juris Corp where he was eventually made Partner in charge of Direct Taxes and IPR practice areas..Speaking to Bar & Bench, Daruwala admits that Nasikwala and him share diverse practice areas but sees this as a major advantage going forward. Daruwala aims to focus on building the taxation and IPR practice of the firm. Few people have the expertise from the point of view as a CA as well as a lawyer, says Daruwala, and he hopes that this will help the firm cater to the growing niche segment of transfer pricing and IPR related issues..When asked about his feelings on starting out on his own, Daruwala says that although it can be a rocky ride, it is very exciting at the same time. While encouraging others to try it out, Daruwala’s only words of caution are “Don’t wait too long!”.