Anay Banhatti, ELP tax partner, moves to Bombay bar for independent practice

Anay Banhatti, Economic Laws Practice (ELP) tax partner, has left and will be starting an independent counsel practice, reinforcing the trend of tax lawyers joining the bar in the lucrative and in-demand practice area. Banhatti’s move will make ELP one of the largest partner-feeder firm to the bar besides J Sagar Associates (JSA), which has seen four partners move from office to chambers in the past five years.

Banhatti has been having discussions with a number of senior counsel for advice, and will be joining the Bombay bar.

Banhatti said, “I’ve been with ELP out of college, almost 12 years. I’ve learnt a lot there, and still continue to have good personal and professional relationships with all the partners.” Becoming a counsel had always been a personal aspiration of his, he said.

Banhatti admitted that moving to the bar would involve a lot of adjustment. “Going from a practice where I was doing both [direct and indirect] tax litigation and advisory, moving to litigation, I will have to [...] get to know the court craft much more than before,” he said.