Law firms IC Legal and Universal Legal have decided to set up independent operations after working jointly for more than seven years under the brand IC Universal Legal.
Universal Legal will rebrand as Chugh Universal Legal, as per an announcement. IC Legal will continue under its established brand, led by Hemant Shah and other partners, with a focus on core areas including litigation and dispute resolution, real estate, media and entertainment, and estate planning.
In September 2017, IC Legal and Bengaluru-based Universal Legal had merged to form IC Universal Legal, a full-service law firm with 15 partners and over 100 lawyers across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh, along with affiliate ties in the US.
Meanwhile, IC Legal has also launched IC RegFin Legal, a specialized and independently operated entity focused on financial services and regulatory law. The new arm aims to boost operational efficiency and deepen sectoral expertise.
IC Legal’s financial services practice has consistently led the Indian market across key areas such as alternative investment funds, mutual funds, foreign portfolio investors, SEBI-regulated intermediaries, financial litigation, GIFT City regulations, and exchange control laws. It is also expanding into venture capital, private equity, M&As, structured credit, corporate real estate, and banking and finance.
Tejesh Chitlangi, former joint managing partner of IC Universal Legal, will lead IC RegFin Legal’s over 125-member team as managing partner.
Universal Legal, founded in 2004, has offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Ahmedabad with a 100-member team. It has been associated with the US-based Chugh LLP since its inception. The full-service law firm operates in the dispute resolution, real estate and corporate spaces. The firm said it will continue to function under its senior leadership, Partha Mandal and Akash Mukherjee in Bengaluru, Kavitha Vijay and Sameena Chatrapathy in Chennai, Shaurya Tomar Mitra in Delhi, and Aayush Modi in Ahmedabad.
IC Legal, founded in 2004 in Mumbai, began with a focus on real estate, media, and litigation, later evolving into a leading player in financial services and regulatory law.
