Kochhar & Co’s technology and media law partner Rodney Ryder has left the firm to start his own IP boutique practice called Scriboard in Delhi, hoping to also target Bihar and South India.
Ryder resigned from Kochhar & Co in mid-March and has started out Sriboard with five other lawyers, including two law school freshers, to focus exclusively on technology, cyber and intellectual property (IP) laws.
He said that in future he hoped to target emerging second-tier cities such as Kochi in Kerala, Patna in Bihar and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh for IP-related assignments.
“How long it will take and the manner has to be worked out. But for now we have agreed to sort-of have a best friend alliance with several of the smaller law firms in various parts,” he explained.
Ryder noted that the main reason for setting out on his own was because of the nature of the IP and technology practice areas. “It would occupy but a corner of one of the larger corporate firms and in order to focus exclusively on this area it was important to take this step.”
“And IP is a particular and peculiar branch of law,” he added, explaining that it usually operated under different billings and management systems. “It does make sense to have it as a separate entity.”
Ryder said that by July of this year he was planning to convert Sriboard into a consultancy as a private limited company that would enable chartered accountants, patent agents and other non-lawyers to share in profits and in IP work.
The name Scriboard originated from the words ‘scribble’ and ‘board’ because he wanted to create a neutral brand name that was not tied to any single person.
He added: “The whole idea was that it was a coined word, having of course the highest degree of protection in IP law.”
A Kochhar & Co spokesperson confirmed Ryder’s departure but declined to comment. Photo by
Comments
Rodney, good luck this time.
@ The skeptics.. C'mmon people give the man a Little slack!! He seriously must be up to something this time! He cannot always keep changing firms... This 'Scribble Board' of his might just be the right thing for him.
By the way, Kudos to him to leave Kocchar and to start his own 'firm'. How many of us here have the guts to change this kinda dream into reality? I'll give him that.
Agree with #7 & 8 : His initial failures hasn't stopped him from starting all over again..and with a man with his caliber and legal acumen, scriboard might just be the stepping stone for him and the IP industry in India.
Also his plan to target cities like patna and kochi is somewhat strange..because they frankly don't have that much scope for IP or for that matter IP lawyers. Lets see how this turns up..
All in all.. my best wishes with Mr Ryder... Let him create history for all the right reason(s) this time.. :-)
I know him from law school, he was always good at making up names. Scriboard is a good one, not his best though! He is a nice person to know, I have had many conversations with him on history and literature. He was actually meant to be a history professor, so we all thought.
Very humble as a person, I would be far less humble if I had his talents. I would trade places with him any day as would perhaps so many of us.
Was he planning to launch his own firm while working at Kocchar? Or was it a sudden, overnight decision? Was his departure perhaps not amicable?
I know that in the modern capitalist world people leave companies all the time, but I still think that if a firm gives partnership status to someone, he/she should stick around for some time
@17- will the partnership be given through PPO?
216- what is so profound, he already knows that he will fail..how can one stumble after failing and then suceed..the sequence is wrong..
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i hope u got ur answer.
Atlanta is in Georgia..
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[Hello, We are closing more comments to this thread unless they are on the amusing side of humourous or enlightening. Therefore, please no more "You have more free time than me"/etc, as much fun as that was while it lasted. -Ed]
My objective is to gain experience in an area of specialization as practiced by your leading top notch brilliant world class firm in the specialized practice area ,in which you are the spearhead in the world, of M&A, Project Finance, Capital(s) markets, Private Equity, Litigation, PR and IPR, Real Estate, FEMA, FERA, Common Law, uncommon law, difficult law, brokering or lobbying or just law. I am game. I dnt have any internship experience and waiting for you to respond positively. I want to work from 11 to 6 Mon to Fri in casuals. Want lunch and late evening snack at firms cost served to me at my work desk in the empty partner's cabin. I want a six figure stipend too as this will be first and last internship. I prefer if someone picks me up and drops me in office car.
Thank you best regards. One of students of LUite.
1) They can take some clients along with them after years for working in a law firm. Mostly this should be with regard to old law firms because only they allow senior associates and associates to deal one on one with a client on a regular basis as they that are the senior partners are tied up and cannot be hands on.
2) They can not get along with the person/partner they are working under.
3) They have contacts - clients right from the very beginning.
My experience makes me lean towards point number 2 above.
lol at the guy who said that no vacancies for interns, but you can always become a partner in the International Court of Justice division.
lol at the "magic rhombus" as well.
wit FTW!
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