NALSAR-grad Anirudh Krishnan on being featured in Chambers & Partners India

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.