IndusLaw Partner Pramod Rao resigns to join Citibank as General Counsel; Replaces Sandip Beri

Pramod Rao, who had joined Indus Law as an Equity Partner from ICICI Bank, has resigned to join Citibank as General Counsel. Rao replaces Citi General Counsel, Sandip Beri who has recently resigned to return to private practice..Pramod confirmed to Bar & Bench that he has resigned from the firm and will be joining Citibank as a General Counsel in July and will be heading a team of about 18 lawyers..Pramod had joined ICICI Bank in 1996 and worked there for almost fourteen years before moving to private practice. He set up IndusLaw’s Mumbai office in 2012 to focus on the firm’s banking and finance practice..As per a press note released by IndusLaw, Pramod said that, “The establishment of the Mumbai office and the inclusion of Priyanka as a Partner based in Mumbai is testament to the vision of IndusLaw. However, I have also realized that personally the role of partner at a law firm in private practice is not what I am happy with. I am more comfortable in being an in-house counsel, and that is where my path lies.”.Recently, Priyanka Roy, co-founding Partner at Alliance Legal had joined the Mumbai office of IndusLaw as Equity Partner and had also merged her practice with IndusLaw..Kartik Ganapathy, Partner at IndusLaw told Bar & Bench that with Pramod’s departure, both Priyanka and him will share the responsibility of the Mumbai office. Kartik also said that he would be dividing his time between the Bangalore and Mumbai offices..On Pramod’s decision to move back to in-house, Kartik said “It was wonderful when Pramod reached out and said he wanted to be a part of IndusLaw. We did realize that Pramod remained an in-house person at heart, but would try to make the transition. It has been great working with him, and we hope that this will continue”.