Allen & Overy former senior partner David Morley has gained an seat on the strategic advisory board for Indian firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Morley, who retired from the A&O partnership last year after eight years as senior partner and five years as managing partner, has been appointed with immediate effect.

Morley, who was the chairman of private equity firm Elaghmore GP since May 2017, was also appointed to run A&O’s new leadership project last month.

In his new role at Cyril Amarchand, Morley is expected to “advise on vision, overall direction and strategy matters” for the firm.

This appointment comes as India’s legal market once again braces for a long-awaited liberalisation effort.

Earlier this year, the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) contacted its members saying that the opening of the country’s legal services market to foreign firms is inevitable and imminent.

Although no official announcement has been made, sources familiar with the market said at the time that the decade-long attempt to liberalise India’s legal services market could finally become a reality within the coming year.

In his new role, Morley will join Housing Development Finance Corporation chairman Deepak Parekh; the former chair of the Indian Competition Commission Ashok Chawla; Kotak Mahndinra Bank executive vice chairman and managing director Uday Kotak; Asia Pacific chairman of the Boston Consulting Group Janmejaya Sinha and the ex- partner of Amarchand & Mangaldas and Suresh A. Shroff & Co Professor Umakanth Varottil.