Moves – November 9, 2016

HSA Advocates has added Atulya Sharma as its ninth banking and finance partner. He will be based in Delhi but will also be working on projects both nationally and internationally. Sharma brings with him a distinguished career of 23 years, working with diverse organisations worldwide within the banking, finance, projects and corporate legal practice. He has worked as general counsel for more than 11 years and has dealt with various complex and strategic litigations, financial regulatory and technical internal investigations. His last appointment was at Apollo Tyres as global chief legal counsel, prior to which he was with Deutsche Bank for over eight years as director and head of legal for the Indian subcontinent and Mauritius. Sharma also held the senior director and general counsel position at the International Development Finance Club, which is part of the World Bank, before which he was a senior partner at Dua Associates. He graduated from Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, holds a master’s degree from City University, London, and completed his legal practice course from The College of Law in London.

Kochhar & Co has added Nikhat Sardar Khan as a partner in the Dubai office. Khan has more than 15 years of professional experience in the UAE. She also practised as a litigation lawyer in the Bombay High Court for over four years before moving to the Gulf. Khan has rich experience in transactional and arbitration work, and also regularly advises on corporate structuring, governance and commercial issues. She also has extensive experience advising foreign and domestic clients on IP laws, brand protection and agency disputes, anti-money laundering regulations, KYC rules and sanctions. Prior to joining the firm, Khan was head of the corporate and commercial practice at Hilal Associates Advocates & Legal Consultants. Her previous stints include working with UAE national law firms Al Sharif Advocates & Legal Consultants, Lutfi & Co and Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants. She has been instrumental in setting up more than 300 companies and restructuring businesses in the UAE, which includes holding companies of the local government authority and quasi-autonomous organisations. She successfully represented one of the local government’s major private equity companies before the Dubai International Arbitration Centre in a claim for financial losses and costs in a complex construction dispute and, recently, an Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate for a multi-million dollar claim in an agency contractual dispute.

White & Case is launching its Australia practice with the opening of new offices in Melbourne and Sydney, and the addition of Adeline Pang, Ged Cochrane and Michelle Keen as partners. Joining from Herbert Smith Freehills, the new partners are expected to arrive in December. They will be based in the new Melbourne office, which is due to open on December 1, 2016, and will be followed by the opening of the new Sydney office in early 2017. They bring significant experience advising on major energy and infrastructure projects. Pang focuses on energy and infrastructure project development; Cochrane advises on the acquisition and project financing of major energy and infrastructure projects; and Keen is focused on environmental planning and permitting.