Team of 7 from Khaitan & Co joins Lakshmi Kumaran in full-service push

Exclusive

Thursday, 7 July 2011 By Legally India Law firms

LKS on the way to topping the tier: Narayanan

Exclusive: Khaitan & Co Delhi-based associate partner Rahul Ray and senior associate Shahana Farah have left to join Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan (LKS) as partners along with their team of five lawyers with effect from 1 July 2011.

LKS partner Badri Narayanan (pictured l.) said: “We have a very fixed and longstanding goal to become a full service law firm and this is a part of our endeavour to become a top tier law firm and corporate practice.”

“We welcome this move, the team which is coming is in line with our aspirations and values and we look forward to expanding out practice to become a top tier firm.”

Ray joined the LKS litigation team from Khaitan with former senior associates Vikram Bajaj and Anil Dutt, and associate Kumar Mihir. Farah will look after corporate transactional work at LKS having moved with senior associates Vikrant Rohilla and Gaurav Shanker.

Farah told Legally India: “We look forward to working in the existing corporate practice which they have over here [LKS] and we will be expanding that and taking it to new heights with our experience.”

Ray and Farah are both law graduates of Delhi University with Ray having spent nine years and Farah seven years at Khaitan & Co. Ray was promoted as associate partner in Khaitan & Co’s litigation department in March this year.

Khaitan & Co Mumbai-based partner Rabindra Jhunjhunwala said the firm wished Ray and Farah and their team the best.

LKS has also inducted Divya Jain from Chopra & Associates as a senior associate besides the five Khaitan & Co lawyers from who have joined in the capacity of senior consultants and consultants.

LKS is one of India’s leading tax law firms with 200 professionals across six offices and around 28 partners, according to Narayanan. In September of last year LKS had hired two lawyers from Remfry & Sagar as partners in its intellectual property practice.

Comments

Observer 7 Jul 2011, 10:31

+4 -0

Great news for the guys at Khaitan! [...]

Faithfully Yours for all times 7 Jul 2011, 10:42

+7 -0

This was long due at Khaitan & Co. Delhi Office, which is still being run and managed as a family affair. No wonder they call themselves as "KCO Family". Its a place where [...] are rewarded while [...] is discarded. They may appear to be putting up a brave face but they must also ponder on the mail of Mr. Kulkarni, Partner KCO Mumbai when he wanted to know what made so many people leave KCO Delhi in one go?
The team that has left is Mr. Rahul Ray, Ms. Shahana Farah, Mr. Vikrant Rohilla, Mr. Anil Dutt, Mr. Vikram Bajaj, Mr. Kumar Mihir, Ms. Divya Jain, Mr. Gaurav Shanker Mathur as well as a Para Legal Mr. Madan Chaudhary.
Many more are waiting to leave the KCO Family if the reins remain in the hands of people like [...].

NonLawyer 7 Jul 2011, 12:54

+3 -0

It is Gaurav Shankar Mathur OR Atul Shankar Mathur?

AT 7 Jul 2011, 10:56

+6 -0

Congratulations to the Khaitan Team and Divya on their new venture. Best of luck to the new team..

ABC 7 Jul 2011, 12:42

+4 -1

This happens when there is marked difference in what an institution preaches and what it practices. Subjectivity on the part of the partners discourages the worthy and any self respecting professional would leave. It has happened and will happen in case no lessons are learnt from this. ....

NonLawyer 7 Jul 2011, 12:55

+5 -0

Let's hope it is not a case fromm frying pan to fire! All the best to the team!

Anonymous 7 Jul 2011, 14:46

Having interacted with the people joining LKS as an industry representative, I can say that the guys leaving Khaitan and Co. are some of the best litigators and transactional lawyers in Delhi. Rahul, Anil, Shahana, Vikrant, Vikram, Mihir and Gaurav are extremely competent individuals having proficiency in their spheres and I am sure that with their expertise, these guys will help LKS in achieving its goal to become a full service law firm. All the best to all of them..

XXX 7 Jul 2011, 16:12

+2 -0

Congrats Vikrant and Gaurav! Well deserved indeed. Do well to take L&S corp practice to new heights. Best of luck.

Guest 7 Jul 2011, 17:30

The best people have moved out. These were the people who mattered and sought after by clients. I am not aware how the vacume created by Mr Ray and Ms Farah will be filled at Khaitan.

lawyer 8 Jul 2011, 03:19

+1 -0

Good news. Congrats and best of luck guys.

anon 8 Jul 2011, 04:40

Who is in-charge of KCO Delhi?

Wow!! 8 Jul 2011, 04:57

Wow!! Thats some news!!

friend 8 Jul 2011, 05:10

With this, 30 of the 45 people Khaitan Delhi had 2 years back have left. they must think what's wrong with them !

Grass is always greener! 8 Jul 2011, 05:51

Considering that LKS is also a family run firm, im not sure how this will help those who moved. For example, Badri, some on VLK is partner - probably the youngest in LKS history- something no one else is likely to match.

Ex-KCo 8 Jul 2011, 06:46

Great going guys...Haigreve should look at Delhi again as Delhi office runs on whims and fancies of certain transactional partners

another Ex 8 Jul 2011, 07:01

Yes, indeed. HK should have seen the writing on the wall in March 2009 itself ... once people associated for years started leaving ... never bothered to even ask them why they are leaving.

Rumour-monger 8 Jul 2011, 07:26

And how true are the rumours that the new team has been inducted at a premium fee, triggering widespread discontent among the 'traditional' tax professionals at LKS? Class-struggle in the offing?

anonymouse 8 Jul 2011, 07:28

LKS partner Badri is the son of the Managing partner, Mr. Lakshmikumaran. The guys from Khaitan must have well negotiated their titles and salaries at LKS. Historically, LKS has not been a good pay master.

On the move 8 Jul 2011, 09:14

It was inevitable and I foresee this bug striking other full service law firms where the litigation guys are often the last on priority list. Its all M&A and PE that rule most large law firms today. In course of time, you will hear of many more such departures. Believe, the legal industry must get prepared to see more litigation boutiques.

Indeed the KCO team that has left for LKS had its own merits, but the big question is can LKS align itself to fulfill the aspirations of the incoming team, especially in litigation.

XYZ 8 Jul 2011, 13:45

If you have gutts then establish your own firm and start doing your own practice. If you are not so capable and in employment then you have no right to say anything wrong about its management.Shut up your mouth. This firm has 100 years of history and during these 100 years you will find the increasing trend in its performance and growth year by year. Many people came and gone but its performance never affected.

unknown 8 Jul 2011, 16:33

Whatever happened to democracy and right of free expression..!!! being in employment does not mean one has to blindly accept the whimsical dictats of the management.

Anon 9 Jul 2011, 04:54

Looks like XYZ is a loyalist of KCO...I agree with the post of 17.1.

A 9 Jul 2011, 05:09

if you have the guts then welcome foreign players and compete ...I think 100 years are enough to establish ? or do you need a century more to make yourself strong to compete with them ?

Old Advocate 9 Jul 2011, 05:21

Ha ha ha... 17 is surely one of the existing Delhi partners??!

Wake up and smell the coffee - being 100 years or whatever old means zilch if a place is still nothing short of a [...]

Pride cometh before the fall...

scriber 10 Jul 2011, 18:09

Its wonderful to see movement in Litigation at last. News these days is all about the corporate and M&A's which is why litigation is on the back burner in most firm, even though some of the most steady and long standing associates in firms are in lit.

I have no idea of how KCO functions, but gathering from the posts above, people are tempted to leave a 100 year old firm for a poor pay master!! Its time firms took note of the lit teams in their firms.

Anonymous 11 Jul 2011, 07:47

Having gone throught the comments, I believe that some of these are from people who have joined LKS and some could be from existing KCO people.

While I wish luck to the team joining LKS, I believe that such moves are part and parcel of professional life. Even Khaitan has hired teams from other firms, and teams from Khaitan have moved out. Instead of scandalizing the entire move, let us understand that its aimed at achieving growth for LKS as well as people who have made the move.

This might be good for Khaiatan as well as some churning out was needed and it gives an opportunity for the Firm to reflect and introspect.

Indiana 21 Jul 2011, 04:39

Badri has become a partner??

I 15 Sept 2011, 13:19

LKS is going to be THE firm in the future.

Commenting is closed for this article.