CK Nandakumar, an alumnus of NLSIU, is an advocate at the Karnataka High Court. He is also the founder of CK Nandakumar & Associates..In this edition of The Bangalore Law Firms, Bar & Bench’s Aditya AK speaks to Nandakumar about practicing in Bombay and Bangalore, trends in the city’s legal market, and more..Aditya AK: After graduating from NLSIU, you joined ARA Law in Bombay. .CK Nandakumar: At that point, [ARA Law] was an upcoming firm with a lot of promise and potential. Bombay was a great destination to work in and I firmly hold the view that it is a very good place for a youngster to start her career. The entire set up in Bombay in general is fairly professional, and enables the honing of one’s skills in the right direction. At ARA Law, I did a lot of work on mergers and amalgamations, investments, and a considerable amount of technology law..Aditya AK: And then you came back to Bangalore..CK Nandakumar: After ARA, I took a short break and tried to do a little bit of work on my own in Bangalore. After 2-3 months, I joined Holla and Holla. I am very fortunate to have worked with seniors of the calibre of Mr. Udaya Holla and Mr. Damodaran, with whom I did a lot of work, especially in the trial courts. I also did some matters in the Company Law Board and the civil court with Mr. Holla..What was amazing was that they had very contrasting styles of work, and it was a fantastic opportunity to learn. I had a chance to pursue my Masters in the UK after my stint in Bombay, but I would like to think that I did a Masters in litigation with Mr. Holla and Mr. Damodaran!.I must say that they were both magnanimous in sharing their rich experience and knowledge. They still happily help anyone who seeks them out. The confidence they instil in you to go and argue a matter in spite of senior lawyers appearing on the other side really built my confidence and self-belief..This is an important point I make when fresh graduate lawyers ask me which chambers to join. Mr. Holla’s chambers have always had a lot of work. There were some who took that opportunity and gained from it and some others perhaps not as much. Very often, I used to work from 9:30 or so in the morning to around 8 or 9 at night with Mr. Damodaran, and thereafter start some research work that Mr. Holla had assigned me..So it is up to each individual to make use of that opportunity. Those who did are doing extremely well, with a couple of Mr. Holla’s former colleagues having been designated as Senior Advocates recently..Aditya AK: At what point did you decide to start you own practice?.CK Nandakumar: The reason I started my own practice was a somewhat peculiar one. My wedding had got fixed, and without any offence to Mr. Holla and Mr. Damodaran, the work hours there were so long that I did not see myself being able to sustain married life and work! They were much like the long working hours in Bombay firms..Also, I felt that it was the right time to take the leap into the unknown. I joined as a Partner in Ashira Law and was there for two and a half years. That was also a great experience..I must say that the beginning was not very heartening, but I lived to tell the tale. When I joined Ashira, for the first 22 days, I didn’t get a single client or make a single rupee, and I was ready to give up. There was a person who had contacted me when I was still serving my notice period in Holla and Holla. That person then came to me and gave me an advance, and that’s how I made the first rupee in my own practice. But it was not before having gone through near desperation and almost writing up a resume to join a company or a firm. I’m glad that I did not..Aditya AK: What is the structure of your present setup?.CK Nandakumar: We are not constituted as a firm. From February 2009, I have been operating as an individual practitioner. I have colleagues who work with me and we do a lot of corporate, commercial, and civil litigation, and some advisory work as well..Aditya AK: What trends have you noticed in the Bangalore legal market over the years?.CK Nandakumar: As a general point, the market plays out the way the economy does; this is not specific to Bangalore. In a year where the economy is doing well, you are likely to see more mergers and amalgamations. In a year where it isn’t, you will see more winding up petitions. Similarly, depending on how the property market is doing, you will get either specific performance suits or money recovery suits. I’d like to think that this implies that lawyers will never be out of work!.The Bangalore legal “market” is one where I have seen a lot of young lawyers and law firms do exceedingly well. The clientele in Bangalore is not averse to engaging younger lawyers. I also find that a lot of judges are fairly encouraging of younger lawyers, on the condition that you come well-prepared. Here, there are many matters where the stakes are fairly high, which young lawyers handle themselves. This is a trend that has been accentuated in the last 5-10 years..I also find that a lot of judges are fairly encouraging of younger lawyers on the condition that you come well-prepared..Bangalore is now being seen as one of the emerging centres for many of the newer areas of practice, along with Delhi and Bombay. Many aspiring lawyers, especially from the other southern states, like to come here..One of the disadvantages is that some of the tribunals aren’t situated in Bangalore, which is a correction that is in process. For example, the setting up of the National Company Law Tribunal. This would give an even bigger opportunity for Bangalore lawyers to have a wider variety of matters to appear in..Aditya AK: So you would say that this is a good time to set up a practice here?.CK Nandakumar: The best time to set up your practice is when you feel you are right for it. There is no good or bad time. I don’t think you need to wait and see what the economy is going to do, or which government is in power. Ultimately, you need to take the plunge..Aditya AK: Do you not feel that there is a saturation of lawyers in the market?.CK Nandakumar: There are a lot of lawyers available, but there will always be demand for those who provide quality services. I remember Mr. Arvind Datar telling me that if you are reasonably competent and diligent, you cannot fail in practice..With the growing economy, population and business, there is bound to be a greater need for competent legal services. If you are hardworking and are clear about your ethics, you will not find shortage of work..Aditya AK: What impact have the national law firms made on the Bangalore market?.CK Nandakumar: I don’t think that is a matter of concern at all. In fact, I would welcome these firms to come to Bangalore. Some of these firms find that setting up a litigation team is not often easy, so they might reach out to younger lawyers and smaller firms to work with them. The lawyers and law firms in Bangalore are at an advantage on account of this. Chennai is an excellent example of this scenario..Aditya AK: How has your experience been practicing in Bangalore? How would you compare practice in Bombay?.CK Nandakumar: It’s a little difficult to compare the two. In Bombay, the traditional system of Solicitor and Counsel is still fairly entrenched. In Bangalore, that distinction is fairly blurred, other than when Senior Counsels are briefed. Most lawyers do the work of both the Solicitor and the Counsel..I suppose that the advantage Bombay practice has is that as a counsel, you are a specialist, and your specialisation is advocacy. Whereas in Bangalore, you are more of a generalist. Both have their advantages and disadvantages..Aditya AK: What advice would you have for law graduates who want to pursue litigation in Bangalore?.CK Nandakumar: Go for it. It is definitely a great career. You will have a role to play in any area of lawyering that you are keen on. It’s open to you to do a bit of everything; the profession offers you an enormous amount of flexibility and constant learning. What you are required to have is an unending capacity for hard work..If you can back that up with utmost sincerity, you are almost certain to succeed. At the Bar, we very often share a light moment after the matter. There are also a lot of social events held. You develop a bond with your brother and sister lawyers, and that is something one cherishes over time..I often get asked if it is necessary to know Kannada. A lot of the proceedings in the lower courts, if not formally, are conducted in the local language, so it is an advantage to know it. But I know many competent people who are able to get by without a nuanced knowledge of Kannada. I think the Karnataka Bar is fairly welcoming of those who do not speak the language; I do not know of an instance where a lawyer was discriminated against because he didn’t know Kannada..Bangalore, being a welcoming place for young lawyers, is a great place to work
CK Nandakumar, an alumnus of NLSIU, is an advocate at the Karnataka High Court. He is also the founder of CK Nandakumar & Associates..In this edition of The Bangalore Law Firms, Bar & Bench’s Aditya AK speaks to Nandakumar about practicing in Bombay and Bangalore, trends in the city’s legal market, and more..Aditya AK: After graduating from NLSIU, you joined ARA Law in Bombay. .CK Nandakumar: At that point, [ARA Law] was an upcoming firm with a lot of promise and potential. Bombay was a great destination to work in and I firmly hold the view that it is a very good place for a youngster to start her career. The entire set up in Bombay in general is fairly professional, and enables the honing of one’s skills in the right direction. At ARA Law, I did a lot of work on mergers and amalgamations, investments, and a considerable amount of technology law..Aditya AK: And then you came back to Bangalore..CK Nandakumar: After ARA, I took a short break and tried to do a little bit of work on my own in Bangalore. After 2-3 months, I joined Holla and Holla. I am very fortunate to have worked with seniors of the calibre of Mr. Udaya Holla and Mr. Damodaran, with whom I did a lot of work, especially in the trial courts. I also did some matters in the Company Law Board and the civil court with Mr. Holla..What was amazing was that they had very contrasting styles of work, and it was a fantastic opportunity to learn. I had a chance to pursue my Masters in the UK after my stint in Bombay, but I would like to think that I did a Masters in litigation with Mr. Holla and Mr. Damodaran!.I must say that they were both magnanimous in sharing their rich experience and knowledge. They still happily help anyone who seeks them out. The confidence they instil in you to go and argue a matter in spite of senior lawyers appearing on the other side really built my confidence and self-belief..This is an important point I make when fresh graduate lawyers ask me which chambers to join. Mr. Holla’s chambers have always had a lot of work. There were some who took that opportunity and gained from it and some others perhaps not as much. Very often, I used to work from 9:30 or so in the morning to around 8 or 9 at night with Mr. Damodaran, and thereafter start some research work that Mr. Holla had assigned me..So it is up to each individual to make use of that opportunity. Those who did are doing extremely well, with a couple of Mr. Holla’s former colleagues having been designated as Senior Advocates recently..Aditya AK: At what point did you decide to start you own practice?.CK Nandakumar: The reason I started my own practice was a somewhat peculiar one. My wedding had got fixed, and without any offence to Mr. Holla and Mr. Damodaran, the work hours there were so long that I did not see myself being able to sustain married life and work! They were much like the long working hours in Bombay firms..Also, I felt that it was the right time to take the leap into the unknown. I joined as a Partner in Ashira Law and was there for two and a half years. That was also a great experience..I must say that the beginning was not very heartening, but I lived to tell the tale. When I joined Ashira, for the first 22 days, I didn’t get a single client or make a single rupee, and I was ready to give up. There was a person who had contacted me when I was still serving my notice period in Holla and Holla. That person then came to me and gave me an advance, and that’s how I made the first rupee in my own practice. But it was not before having gone through near desperation and almost writing up a resume to join a company or a firm. I’m glad that I did not..Aditya AK: What is the structure of your present setup?.CK Nandakumar: We are not constituted as a firm. From February 2009, I have been operating as an individual practitioner. I have colleagues who work with me and we do a lot of corporate, commercial, and civil litigation, and some advisory work as well..Aditya AK: What trends have you noticed in the Bangalore legal market over the years?.CK Nandakumar: As a general point, the market plays out the way the economy does; this is not specific to Bangalore. In a year where the economy is doing well, you are likely to see more mergers and amalgamations. In a year where it isn’t, you will see more winding up petitions. Similarly, depending on how the property market is doing, you will get either specific performance suits or money recovery suits. I’d like to think that this implies that lawyers will never be out of work!.The Bangalore legal “market” is one where I have seen a lot of young lawyers and law firms do exceedingly well. The clientele in Bangalore is not averse to engaging younger lawyers. I also find that a lot of judges are fairly encouraging of younger lawyers, on the condition that you come well-prepared. Here, there are many matters where the stakes are fairly high, which young lawyers handle themselves. This is a trend that has been accentuated in the last 5-10 years..I also find that a lot of judges are fairly encouraging of younger lawyers on the condition that you come well-prepared..Bangalore is now being seen as one of the emerging centres for many of the newer areas of practice, along with Delhi and Bombay. Many aspiring lawyers, especially from the other southern states, like to come here..One of the disadvantages is that some of the tribunals aren’t situated in Bangalore, which is a correction that is in process. For example, the setting up of the National Company Law Tribunal. This would give an even bigger opportunity for Bangalore lawyers to have a wider variety of matters to appear in..Aditya AK: So you would say that this is a good time to set up a practice here?.CK Nandakumar: The best time to set up your practice is when you feel you are right for it. There is no good or bad time. I don’t think you need to wait and see what the economy is going to do, or which government is in power. Ultimately, you need to take the plunge..Aditya AK: Do you not feel that there is a saturation of lawyers in the market?.CK Nandakumar: There are a lot of lawyers available, but there will always be demand for those who provide quality services. I remember Mr. Arvind Datar telling me that if you are reasonably competent and diligent, you cannot fail in practice..With the growing economy, population and business, there is bound to be a greater need for competent legal services. If you are hardworking and are clear about your ethics, you will not find shortage of work..Aditya AK: What impact have the national law firms made on the Bangalore market?.CK Nandakumar: I don’t think that is a matter of concern at all. In fact, I would welcome these firms to come to Bangalore. Some of these firms find that setting up a litigation team is not often easy, so they might reach out to younger lawyers and smaller firms to work with them. The lawyers and law firms in Bangalore are at an advantage on account of this. Chennai is an excellent example of this scenario..Aditya AK: How has your experience been practicing in Bangalore? How would you compare practice in Bombay?.CK Nandakumar: It’s a little difficult to compare the two. In Bombay, the traditional system of Solicitor and Counsel is still fairly entrenched. In Bangalore, that distinction is fairly blurred, other than when Senior Counsels are briefed. Most lawyers do the work of both the Solicitor and the Counsel..I suppose that the advantage Bombay practice has is that as a counsel, you are a specialist, and your specialisation is advocacy. Whereas in Bangalore, you are more of a generalist. Both have their advantages and disadvantages..Aditya AK: What advice would you have for law graduates who want to pursue litigation in Bangalore?.CK Nandakumar: Go for it. It is definitely a great career. You will have a role to play in any area of lawyering that you are keen on. It’s open to you to do a bit of everything; the profession offers you an enormous amount of flexibility and constant learning. What you are required to have is an unending capacity for hard work..If you can back that up with utmost sincerity, you are almost certain to succeed. At the Bar, we very often share a light moment after the matter. There are also a lot of social events held. You develop a bond with your brother and sister lawyers, and that is something one cherishes over time..I often get asked if it is necessary to know Kannada. A lot of the proceedings in the lower courts, if not formally, are conducted in the local language, so it is an advantage to know it. But I know many competent people who are able to get by without a nuanced knowledge of Kannada. I think the Karnataka Bar is fairly welcoming of those who do not speak the language; I do not know of an instance where a lawyer was discriminated against because he didn’t know Kannada..Bangalore, being a welcoming place for young lawyers, is a great place to work
