Abhinav Bhalaik, Ankit Guha, Armaan Patkar, and Neha Madan join Argus Partners

Abhinav Bhalaik, Ankit Guha, Armaan Patkar, and Neha Madan join Argus Partners

Until recently, they worked with Algo Legal

Senior lawyers Abhinav Bhalaik, Ankit Guha, Armaan Patkar, and Neha Madan have joined Argus Partners along with their respective teams of about 40 lawyers.

The move follows the venture capital fund, Sequoia Capital sending a letter notifying a select group of the portfolio companies of its ceasing to work with Algo Legal, founded by former Sequoia General Counsel Sandeep Kapoor.

Thereafter, Kapoor filed a defamation suit before a Bengaluru court against Sequoia, Twitter, and several media outlets and journalists.

This mass exodus is seen as the first fall out of the Algo-Sequoia dispute, amidst reports that the lawyers were in talks with Argus for the past few months.

Commenting on the development, Krishnava Dutt, the Managing Partner at Argus Legal, said, "We have been engaging with the team over the last several months. Their practice creates great synergy with the firm's values and existing practices across the three cities. We warmly welcome the entire team to the Argus family. We are very excited in relation to the opportunities which lie ahead of us with this partnership."

Bhalaik specializing in corporate/M&A, private equity, and securities law, joins the Argus' Mumbai office as an Equity Partner. He is a 2009 graduate of the National Law University, Jodhpur. He has worked at Platinum Partners and was a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas. He joined Algo in 2020.

Guha, an expert in corporate/M&A, private equity, and venture capital, will join as an Equity Partner in the firm's Bengaluru office. Earlier, he worked at WestBridge Capital from 2017 to 2019 as a Vice-President, leading all deals and exits. He also served some prominent law firms, including Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, and J Sagar Associates for eight years. Prior to his stint at Algo, he took a break from law and founded Fyraway, a game-based learning environment where children learned how to code.

Patkar is a graduate of the Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Earlier, he worked at AZB & Partners, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, and Hariani & Co.

Madan is a 2008 graduate of the University of Delhi. Having worked with Kesar Dass B & Associates, SRGR Law Offices, and Kapil Sapra & Associates, she joined Algo in 2019.

Bhalaik and Guha said, "We have known Argus and the team for a while and are very happy to join the partnership at the firm. Over the years, it has established itself as a trusted advisor to numerous marquee clients. We look forward to working with the team and clients to build the firm's existing practice areas and propel it to newer heights."