Khaitan Corporate Partners Promode Murugavelu, Karthika Menon move to Trilegal in Chennai

Khaitan & Co Corporate Partners Promode Murugavelu and Karthika Menon have joined Trilegal in Chennai. It is understood that they are the first lateral hires for the latter firm's Chennai office since its opening in February 2026.

Murugavelu is a 2006 alumnus of West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata.

He has 20 years of experience handling a wide range of corporate matters, with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, joint ventures, private equity and venture capital. He provides counsel to clients across various industries including healthcare, manufacturing, edtech, hospitality, pharmaceuticals and information technology.

Prior to joining Trilegal, Murugavelu was a Partner at Khaitan & Co for the past three-and-a-half years. His past engagements include stints at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, the erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas, Tatva Legal (now TLH Advocates) and Dua Associates.

Menon is a 2011 graduate of ILS Law College, Pune.

She has 15 years of extensive experience advising financial investors, promoters and corporates across the investment lifecycle, across various sectors, with a special focus on healthcare and edtech.

Prior to joining Trilegal, Menon was a Partner at Khaitan & Co. In the past, she has worked with Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Commenting on the appointments, Nishant Parikh and Sridhar Gorthi, Partners and Members of the Management Committee, said: 

“We are delighted to welcome Promode and Karthika to the firm. Chennai is an important market for the firm and for many of our clients. Their addition reflects our continued investment in the region and our strategy of developing strong on-ground capabilities that are fully integrated with our broader practice. Their experience and relationships will further enhance the support we are able to provide to clients in Chennai, across South India and nationally.”

On their joining, Murugavelu said,

“We are pleased to join Trilegal at an important stage of its growth in Chennai. The firm’s integrated platform, breadth of expertise and commitment to the market provide a strong foundation to further deepen our relationships with clients and support them on increasingly complex and strategic matters.”

Menon added, 

“I am delighted to join Trilegal and look forward to working with colleagues across practices and offices. The opportunity to combine our experience in the Chennai market with Trilegal’s wider capabilities will enable us to offer clients seamless support across the full lifecycle of their investments and businesses.”

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