Fox & Mandal (F&M), India’s iconic law firm with a legacy of 125 years, has announced the expansion of its footprint to the NCT of Delhi. The Firm has collaborated with BlackRobe Chambers in New Delhi, an existing full-service lawyers’ chamber headed by Kunal Vajani, as a part of this expansion. BlackRobe Chambers will integrate with F&M to aid its smooth transition and expand its footprint across North India.
The Delhi office is being set up in the Firm’s building at Defence Colony as a ‘full service multi-disciplinary law practice’ that would take pride in onboarding, nurturing and promoting the best legal talent to serve client requirements. The New Delhi office of the Firm will be operationally headed by Kunal Vajani in the capacity of the Firm’s ‘Of Counsel’. Kunal will also continue to head his Counsel practice at BlackRobe Chambers alongside.
“We are extremely excited to start this venture! We hope to blend the ethics and gravitas of a practice that has been formidable for more than a century and a quarter now, with the cutting edge technology and a legal expertise that is evolving with the changing commercial landscape. This unique amalgamation would mark the beginning of more such ventures in the days ahead,” said Debanjan Mandal, Partner, F&M.
“I am indeed proud and happy to see the team at BRC Delhi integrate with F&M. Together, Debanjan and I are hopeful of establishing a practice that will not only enhance the overall client servicing capabilities for F&M, but also open a new broad spectrum of direct access to the Counsel at BRC Delhi to a variety of legal work across various sectors,” said Kunal Vajani, Of Counsel – F&M & Head of Chambers – BRC. Kunal further added, “Debanjan has a progressive outlook to grow the Firm and the fact that the Firm has completely transitioned itself from a family owned and operated entity to a fully professional organisation, is a testament to this fact. Today, only 4 out of the 18 Partners belong to the founding family and our collaboration rests on our commitment to attract the best talent to serve the client’s to the best of its ability as a fully professionally managed law Firm.”
Speaking on the uniqueness and distinctiveness, Debanjan further added, “Our Firm stands out with its incorporation in 1896 and its continuity for 125 years now. Last month, the Firm’s equity partners have successfully completed an internal restructuring exercise upon which, the whole of the intellectual property and brand equity of the Firm has come into the hands of the present partners.
Strengthening the Partnership
Strengthening its partnership, on the same day, F&M announced induction of more than 10 partners both in Kolkata and New Delhi. For its Kolkata operations, the Firm admitted to the partnership, Anil Dhar, Sandip Dasgupta, Rohit Singhania, Ajay Agarwal, Bhargav Mitra, Aparna Banerjee Dasgupta, Debabrata Das and Shruti Swaika. In its New Delhi practice, Kunal Vajani’s colleagues, Kunal Mimani and Roshan Santhalia, along with Vikrant Pachnanda, an individual practising Advocate of the Supreme Court, were inducted to the firm as Partners.
With its increased strength, F&M now has 18 Partners across 3 offices in 2 cities which include a number of alumni from the top ranked law colleges also. The Firm also boasts of a strong network of associates from the top law colleges of India and tie ups with law firms and individual advocates in cities across India in which it does not yet have a direct presence for servicing client needs. The Firm also announced that its website www.foxandmandal.co.in would be relaunched in a new avatar very soon.
About the Firm
F&M counts amongst the largest law firms in the whole of Eastern India. It started from Calcutta (the then capital of India) in 1896 in partnership of Mr. John Kerr Fox, an English lawyer with Mr. G C Mandal, of India. The son of Mr. Fox, Harold left India after his father’s passing away, relinquishing his rights to Mr. Mandal and since then, the Firm has remained in the family of its Co-founders. Today, Mr. Debanjan Mandal, Partner is the 4th generation lawyer in his family.
