Akshay Bhan, who is the first NLSIU Bangalore alumnus and advocate designated as a senior counsel, as first reported by Legally India this morning, recounts how being a former Supreme Court judge’s son helps, the importance of seniors and how he thinks other NLS alumni are likely to be elevated soon too.
Bhan told Legally India that he started his practice in Punjab and Haryana high court after graduation and has now been practicing for around 15 years, doing general counsel practice across all fields, including tax, criminal, civil and writ work.
“Of course NLS has been the biggest factor on me to be reaching where I am,” he said. “One owes everything to your alma mater, which I do.”
“You have to love the profession and have to stick in – there will be ups and downs, play it and you win it and you lose it, but you just have to stick to something,” he said.
His father, Ashok Bhan, was a Supreme Court judge until 2008 and began his practice in the same court, he explained. “My father was designated senior in Punjab & Haryana high court before he got elevated here [to judgeship]. Then he was taken to Bangalore, where he was acting chief [justice] and got elevated to the Supreme Court, from where he retired.”
Ashok Bhan then headed up the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and retired last year in October.
When asked whether having a father who was a former apex court judge helped politically in the senior designation process, Akshay Bhan said that it didn’t. “Politically we are way apart – my father actually retired from active judicial service 5.5 years back, so I can’t even [benefit from that],” he joked, and added: “Yes, in the initial stage of my career the old clients [of my father] that used to come in and all, it did help because my father had a huge office when he was elevated.”
But he added: “The biggest step [in my career] was in 2004 when my senior [Ajay Mittal] was elevated [to judgeship in the P&H high court where he still sits], I got his whole office, which turned out to be a very big [help].
“Your visibility quotient goes up and you get a tremendous amount of exposure.”
Bhan noted that working with someone as a senior can have a huge impact.
When asked whether it was easier to get elevated in the P&H high court, Bhan said that he wouldn’t necessarily agree. “Even Delhi HC has a few NLS alumni who I think should be on the verge of being designated - primary amongst them, being Mr Dayan Krishnan [who graduated in 1993 from NLSIU’s first batch.”
“And if you go down to Bangalore, my batchmate Aditya Sondhi, he’s doing amazingly well there, and there are many, many more,” he said, and also mentioned Siddharth Aggarwal in Delhi.
Bhan is the first national law school graduate to be designated senior at any court in India. Research by Legally India last year revealed that 26 per cent of recent partners at India’s six largest firms hailed from NLS, ahead of Delhi University, which constituted the second-largest contingent at 17 per cent.
Readers: Please leave your nominations in the comments below for who should soon be senior counsel from NLSIU, or from other national or younger law schools.
threads most popular
thread most upvoted
comment newest
first oldest
first
"Relatives of around 18 advocates in the Punjab and Haryana high court who are kith and kin of judges of Punjab and Haryana high court and are at present posted as law officers in the AG offices of the state of Punjab and Haryana."
articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-08/india/41873359_1_haryana-ag-punjab-and-haryana-law-officers
PP's suggestion of Gopal Sankarnarayan has been downvoted to such an extent that it appears as "Controversial" and says "Comment hidden because downvoted..."
Can you imagine how these people must be feeling? If I wanted a popularity contest, I'd organize it. No need to do the honours.
I agree. Should also add Roshan Santhalia. All three are of equal calibre.
Rajshekhar Rao (Supreme Court);
Gaurav Agarwal (Supreme Court);
Uttam Maheshwari (Madhya Pradesh High Court)
Rahul Agarwal (Allahabad High Court)
Akshay's pulled it off at an incredibly young age - I don't think he's even 40 yet, with 15 years at the Bar.
Dayan and Sajjan are around the right age and probably the leading candidates now.
Sure, some people will clearly troll on this thread but I don't think it's been too bad. If a suggestion is completely inappropriate (eg someone who's practised for only 2 years or something, please leave a comment or report it and we will remove it).
And if you find it so revolting, please don't read the comments - they are hidden behind a big health warning for the more sensitive among us...
Best wishes
Kian
But what do I know.
However, I think this one is an interesting thread and it brings a bit of transparency and debate about who's up and coming in the courts.
I think anyone smart and senior enough to be in that league won't start welling up over a couple of anonymous downvotes. And I believe one person mentioned here, who'd written a controversial article on another website, faced far worse in the comments there than they ever have here.
I think everyone knows, or at least should know, that law school, even after graduation, and court politics are undoubtedly a huge factor in 'downvotes' and opposition, as both can be incredibly back-stabbing and cliquey worlds.
If a tiny bit of that nastiness is reflected in some up- or downvotes, so be it, I'm pretty sure no one will get unduly hurt by it.
I'm also pretty sure there are far bigger fish to fry at the bar than a few comments under a blog.
Finally, let me reiterate, that we also really do mean the big red health-warning you need to click before reading the comments: if you don't like the comments or are a sensitive soul, please don't read or participate in them.
I'd like to think that most of the articles we publish are interesting enough.
Best wishes,
Kian
Rubbish your comments section has become. Alas - thats what gets you more hits so you encourage the rubbish. I normally would never use strong language, but LI just doesnt seem to get the message about the harm its comments section does.
If it is tasteless, take it with a pinch of salt.
ON me? Kian, you sure he said this?
AND “ONE owes everything to YOUR alma mater, which I do”?
Please get the quotes right.
Quoting Polly?:
Not true about the AAG I saw. i.e. Mr. Sajan Poovayya at the Karnataka High Court. Definitely appeared and took the lead in most matters before the Karnataka High Court. Not a single matter where he "hid behind a senior counsel's gown". As to being a BJP lobbyist, I have no comment.
A 7 month AAG stint and NLS credentials simply don't make a person deserving of 'silk'.
In Litigation, the company you keep also matters! Its all about marketing oneself. Once you know the right kind of people you will get work even if some others are more competent than you. Luck also plays a part!
Agreed, its a "given"...since his dad is a senior counsel.
B. The names - everyone named herein has obviously reached sopme strata to be mentioned herein.
C. Dayan Krishnan - Despite being a really good counsel, his see-sawing of stands, in the 2G cases has certainly hampered all the good work that he has done, with some orders even noting the continuous contradictory stands being taken by him before different tribunals and courts.
D. Deserving or not - nepotism or not - NLS or not - the fact that people are getting designated at such young age definitely highlights that if you have the 'necessary' qualifications, there is a hope ( a slim one albeit) but there is that you will get that gown.
Yeah, right. So daddy was a judge for the first 10 years of junior's career which are the most critical.
This 'joke' is a weak attempt to defuse what is otherwise a glaring instance of nepotism. FOUR-FIVE batches of NLS, each with 60-70 lawyers many of whom are equity partners, general counsels, etc. but apparently NONE are qualified enough to be senior counsel until young Mr Bhan with his impeccable pedigree and many chambers comes along.
It is a disrespect to every honest hardworking lawyer out there each time somebody's kiddy is given a toy as a reward. Disgusting, and Kian I hope you will publish this since it reflects the views of many of your readers who are not from so privileged backgrounds, many of whom tried for years to litigate but gave up because having no connections proved to be too hard.
And if you look at most of the senior counsel (or law firm equity partners), how many do you think had parents in the profession? More than 50%?
I think it's a given in the profession, particularly at the bar, that connections, whether from law school, family or elsewhere, go a long, long way.
Also, children of lawyers or judges don't ask to be children of lawyers or judges. If their family or background benefits their careers, as it inevitably does, should their entire life's work or any achievements be discounted because of that?
Finally, is it inconceivable that someone is related to a judge but could also be a fantastic lawyer in their own right?
Therefore there is no quick fix, and picking on one person such as Mr Bhan does not really seem fair.
Agree the bigger issue is worth raising though.
That is EXACTLY the argument that RaGa gave ArGo's Nation in the course of a recent spectacular TV interview ;-)
Kian,
Young Mr Bhan has no choice but to be candid. The facts are all out there (when he started practice, when daddy was elevated, how long daddy was in the apex court, etc.) so he is doing nobody a favour by being 'candid'. Rather it is a weak-wristed attempted to defend a question which could create embarassment.
In mostly all other career options, such as law firm tracks or GC tracks, a few do get to the top because of family connections (take Pramod Rao of ICICI who is related to Mr KV Kamath thru his wife or Justin Bharucha of Bharucha Partners / Ravindra Jhunjhunwala of Khaitan). But for the most part, the vast majority of the success stories do not have a daddy/mommy/uncle connection. The earliest partners from NLSIU like Umakanth / Vineetha MG had no such connections in AMSS / AZB.
In Akshay Bhan's case he is being designated senior at an age of maybe 38/39 when many high courts have unofficial policies preventing people below 40/45 from being designated senior. My point is that is he such a spectacular lawyer so as to (1) deserve senior counsel at 38 and (2) be appointed before ANYONE else from his alma mater 4-5 years his senior is designated so? Do anyone honestly believe the story would have been different if Akshay went to Punjab University and not NLSIU ?
You have missed an excellent chance to highlight the flaws in our system and made a hero out of a recipient of what is without a doubt a nepotistic appointment. Your priorities amaze me.
A.M. Singhvi or was it Dr.D.Y. Chandrachud?
Opening (but not repairing) many machines simultaneously is not a "ingenuity", its a complexity.
No client has a right to buy player, accordingly no player has a right to "sold" their client.
threads most popular
thread most upvoted
comment newest
first oldest
first