Law firm Fox Mandal merges with Little & Co

Kolkata-based law firm Fox Mandal has merged with the Mumbai-based law firm Little & Co.

Fox Mandal has been ranked by Asian Legal Business (ALB), an online legal journal, as the country's largest law firm with 200 lawyers and 26 partners, while Little & Co is India's oldest law firm, dating back to 1856, and was solicitor to the East India Company.

The merged entity, to be known as Fox Mandal and Little & Co (FML), would have 250 lawyers and 150 support staff, pushing it to the top 20 league in Asia, said Som Mandal, senior partner, Fox Mandal, while announcing the merger.

ALB has ranked Fox Mandal 31st among Asian law firms in terms of size.

Mandal said given the current restriction on 20 partners in a partnership, the firm has created multiple partnerships in different locations.

"This gives leverage to the existing partners to induct more partners as and when needed. Therefore, partners of Little & Co have been admitted as partners of Fox Mandal in New Delhi, while all partners of Fox Mandal have been absorbed in Little & Co in Mumbai," he said.

Mandal added that the names of the two firms will remain unchanged but will use the common name Fox Mandal Little & Co, except Kolkata.

FML will offer services in admiralty and maritime law, anti-trust law, arbitration and dispute resolution, aviation, banking financial services, telecom, real esate, energy franchising, media and entertainment and outsourcing, among others.

Fox Mandal also has a joint venture with a law firm Fox Mandal Hossain in Bangaldesh.