Mint profiles Khaitan & Co Kolkata partner Pradeep Kumar (Pintu) Khaitan and his son Haigreve – one of the rainmakers in the firm’s Mumbai office:
From his 13th floor office in Mumbai’s One Indiabulls Centre, the practice that 42-year-old Khaitan leads for Khaitan and Co. is very different from, but also similar to, the one that his father Pradeep Kumar Khaitan is celebrated for. Pradeep Khaitan, based in Kolkata, is also a senior partner in the 101-year-old firm.
Many of India’s hoary business groups trace their origin back to Kolkata, and the city’s blue-blooded Marwaris are extremely particular about whom they deal with. If Mumbai’s business groups placed their trust through the 1990s and 2000s (and continue to do so, in some cases) in the famed 3Ks (Hemandra Kothari, Nimesh Kampani and Uday Kotak), then Kolkata’s business houses placed theirs in another K, “Pintu”, or Pradeep Kumar Khaitan.
Plus article delves into a few more of the Khaitan’s dealmaking connections and abilities. [Mint]
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Amazed at your narrow elitist approach-wts wrong with paying non NLU grads the same as NLU grads. Yes if a particular non-NLU grad does not perform as well as what is expected of a lawyer at that level then don't hire such person or pay them less but you cannot advocate a general approach where non-NLU grads (some of who in my view are far superior than NLU grads)are paid less than NLU grads.
Let's all not get so politically correct for the sake of it. Differential pay for graduates is the norm, not the exception. IIM and IIT graduates get more than their peers purely due to their pedigree. I don't see why an NLU lawyer should be on the same page as a lawyer from Symbiosis, while starting. Afterwards, if the symby guy proves his worth, he can be upgraded.
I agree. Symby guys should be made to work for free for some time and later they can be paid some pocket money. By the way can they be hired as bonded laborers?
Ever wonder...
why does a guy from Harvard Business School get paid more $$$ than a dude from Chamunda school of business, Belgaum ?
why do we pay more for consultation with a doctor from John Hopkins than one from Mysore University?
why we want to attend a lecture by a guy from Yale but not from Utkal university?
But...
its a big deal to pay someone from NLS / NUJS / NALSAR more than someone from Symbiosis (or NLIU for that matter :P)?
@Kishen
These are all extreme examples but I agree the point is the same. Employers do (and must) give weightage to educational qualifications. Unless the candidate is a psycho, theres not way to tell ppl apart when fresh out of college. Thats when the "brand name" of their college comes into play and justifiably so. Its a way of rewarding students for being capable enough to get into elite institutions.
Sorry if that sounds elitist but thats reality.
Forget law, lets take "comfortably numb" @ 4.1 as an example. The person is an "NLU pass out" and, as is evident, hardly has any form of command over the English language. As a client would you trust him with your legal issues? I hope not.
Read the post. The issue is about whether there should be differences in starting pay for NLUs and non-NLUs. Not all NLUs are in the same and if requires can be differentiated also. The issue is not about proving oneself after being hired. Post comments after some thought instead of getting sentimental.
@London,
I completely agree. Khaitan gets more international refrrals now than Amarchand and JSA combined. Its a known secret that Links, CC etc go to AMSS only because their clients ask them to otherwise they would go to KCo.
If your claim is half true, the referrals are made so as to be the better firm in contrast. You dont want a firm which is probably as good to hog the limelight.
again, no offence to KCO.
The kids are good enough to be given a job (im sure there are worse lawyers in Amarchand).
(i have no problems with English Firms. Just your analogy and logic)
Trilegal coverage where their founder rams home the point about being a non family and professional outfit time and again and openly talks of distinguishing itself and creating a platform different from family run firms. Two days later, li publish this coverage which essentially substantiates those comments. Come on, seriously?
Visit the link below
www.livemint.com/r/LiveMint/Period1/2012/10/04/Photos/g-deal_-for-web.jpg
So Haigreve Khaitan advised Hutch in structuring the Vodafone -Hutch deal and not Triilegal.
It is a sinking directionless ship where too many people are pulling in different directions! The super power there is Mr Haigreve. He is often mislead by other partners and HR and as a result many bad decisions are being taken, results of which will be apparent in future.
There is no culture of listening to all views before taking a decision! Frank views are suppressed ruthlessly and vindictively. This was not the culture before until too many people from outside joined in and starting pursuing their own agendas and blocked the senior management's ears and eyes with their flashy past and aggressive, venomous tongues! It has become a difficult place to work in especially for freshers and mid-level lawyers who are the real engine of growth till date!
Read this carefully again. Comparing Khaitan to top 3 ibanks?
Wow. Fanstastic PR. Would have been a more credible piece if topical and also balanced. Reduced faith in Mint more than in K.
I think this is a fairly factual statement. The quote specifically relates to Kolkata's business houses putting their faith in Pradeep Kumar Khaitan. This is a true statement. A classic example is the Birla family who has been advised and supported by Pradeep Kumar Khaitan for many many years. If you can relate examples of other Kolkata based lawyers who are so trusted and relied upon by big business houses in Kolkata, do let us know and we can then debate about the credibility of Mint.
Welcome to the real world little boy. Plenty of disgusting things out there. Makes the sliming in law school look like a walk in the park.
Yes, flouting BCI norms is a valid point. It's everywhere. Among the biggies, AMSS is perhaps the most brazen. Khaitan is pretty bold too. seeing this take place in broad daylight is annoying and rightly so.
IMHO, the issue of salaries is more important because it is more personal. What is the incentive for a student to try for NLS or even NUJS if he sees a KLA or ILS lawyer starting off on the same level as he is. While there will be exceptions, nobody can deny that an average NLS lawyer is more able than an able ILS lawyer. If so, why the big deal?
What a National Law school grad or for that matter a prospective student looking towards choosing a law school should look towards is the fact that the National law school gives you a le up perhaps in terms of opportunities. If a non national law school grad is able to secure a job elsewhere then kudos to that person. The said person should not be discriminated in relation to his/her alma mater. Instead the fact the same retainership is given then it stands as a matter of pride for that person having overcome such troubles of not being in a national law school. This is only assuming your argument is correct which it is not.
Either ways, your generalisation of a National law school graduated being better is far far wrong. The law school here in todays date and time cannot be segregated in the manner perhaps how the US/UK law school are separated.
Seriously, get a life Senor Agnape
@ Seriously
This is amusing. You express opinions on how fresh law grads should be treated whereas your comments display you are far from being in a position to do so. Your lack of articulation, deliberate misspelling at places and self-righteousness can only mean that you're a law student, likely fourth or final year. The vehement stand on fairness and non-discrimination suggests you like to believe that you know a little of constitutional law, thereby indicating you are in an NLU. At the same time, the fact that you're so riled by this means that you never made it to NLS. Somewhere within, you fear that an NLS grad will have an advantage over you, but naturally you overcompensate for that in forums such as these.
There is no 'main issue at hand' here. Someone posted a comment (a bit crudely) that he was from an NLU but pay-wise was equal to a non-NLU grad. Having worked for many years in the big bad world outside (and it really is bad, your college shenanigans and blinkered thinking won't get you very far here) and having led teams of lawyers of all backgrounds and having interviewed and hired some as well, I believe grounds exist for entry-level discrimination based on pedigree. This is quite the norm in across all sectors and unfortunately for you quoting a few lines of Article 14 won't make it go away. This process of discrimination though apparently unfair serves a purpose and admittedly is harsh to those from the non-NLUs who really are exceptional.
Use your Google-fu skills. Read more about law schools in the UK and the US, and employment practices there. Go read about HR practices and relevance of educational backgrounds while hiring. Spend a few years earning a living. If you can do that and if a time comes when you have hired people, I'll say you are competent to voice an opinion. Until then, go finish your projects, chase a girl (or guy) and concentrate on getting the best out of your college years.
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