One of the youngest lawyers in the latest India report by Chambers & Partners is Anirudh Krishnan. Founder of AK Law Chambers, Krishnan was featured in the “Up and Coming” section under “Dispute Resolution – Arbitration”.
In this e-mail interview with Bar & Bench’s Anuj Agrawal, he shares his thoughts on the changing face of commercial dispute resolution, future plans, and more.
Bar & Bench: Initial reaction on hearing the news.
Anirudh Krishnan: A feeling of satisfaction of having achieved something. Considering the credibility which Chambers and Partners has worldwide, being recommended by them means a lot to me.
Having worked at Clifford Chance, I am aware of the regard lawyers worldwide have for the Chambers and Partners ratings. Such a rating is particularly relevant in a legal regime where soliciting of clients is prohibited.
Bar & Bench: On the importance of an effective strategy within legal advice.
Anirudh Krishnan: It is a necessary pre-requisite for success in Indian litigation I would say. Sometimes, it is about knowing which kind of interim relief to press for so as to obtain the best relief for the client; at times it is about overcoming the delay tactics of the other side.
The former requires an understanding of how business works- one needs to press for that interim relief which would cause maximum inconvenience to the other side so as to bring them to the negotiating table. The latter requires a sound understanding of the Court system and how one can effectively short circuit potentially time consuming litigation.
For instance, we recently succeeded in having an anti-arbitration injunction suit seeking to restrain foreign arbitration proceedings dismissed in four months- we did this by appealing to the higher forum frequently and having timelines set for the lower forum.
Strategy in Indian litigation is about knowing which doors to knock on and when.
Unless you knock on a door, it will not open- strategy in Indian litigation is about knowing which doors to knock on and when.
Bar & Bench: On setting up an office in Bangalore, and future plans.
Anirudh Krishnan: AK Law Chambers has been launched with a pan India vision. We have handled litigations in Delhi, Mumbai, Jabalpur, Patna, Bangalore, Chennai and Madurai among other cities. We opened a branch in Bangalore recently with Nischal Dev, who was a part of the AZB, Bangalore litigation team joining us. We certainly hope to expand to Mumbai and Delhi at some point.
Bar & Bench: On the changing face of commercial dispute resolution.
Anirudh Krishnan: The primary change I notice is the emergence of boutique commercial dispute resolution firms which recognize the needs of business. What is evolving in our country is the development of a “commercio-legal” brain. A businessman is not interested in fighting protracted court litigation- what is important is to find quick business solutions by understanding the commercial ethos of a client and this is a skill which has become a pre-requisite for succeeding in commercial dispute resolution in the country.
The commercial dispute resolution market in India is heading towards specialization and it is important to recognize that. A commercial dispute resolution practice needs to have the right mix of specialists and generalists.
