Talwar Thakore & Associates has promoted NLS-Linklaters homegrown Rahul Gulati to its partnership

Thursday, 3 April 2014 By Legally India Law firms

Gulati joined the firm in 2009 from Linklaters and specialises in capital markets and finance.

TT&A partner Sonali Mahapatra said in a statement: “This promotion highlights our continued focus on the finance and regulatory practices and our intention to continue to enhance the breadth and depth of expertise we offer our clients.”

Gulati was a managing associate when he left Linklaters London in 2009, having begun his career there in 2001 when he graduated from NLSIU Bangalore.

TT&A now has four partners and 22 fee earners in Mumbai and Delhi, and has a collaboration with Vinod Dhall, who specialises in competition law.

Linklaters has a best-friend relationship with TT&A.

Comments

concerned 3 Apr 2014, 08:52

+16 -0

5 years since leaving Linklaters and still the only qualification seems to be - was at Linklaters in 2009 - rather than the work done in the last 5 years.

But obviously 3 Apr 2014, 11:58

+9 -8

Hey - that's precisely what you would expect from TTA. Kian would have got a press release from them as one of their senior partners has given a statement. The issue is with TTA - their whole identity is derived from Links. One would have thought after all these years they will have some sort of an independent identity!

Uh... 4 Apr 2014, 22:52

+5 -0

Maybe that is the whole point? The Linklaters / TTA relationship is the most successful of the alliances between Indian and foreign firms. Why have a strong independent identity just for the sake of having one?

It's a different approach to other firms, and it will be interesting to see how it fares over the next few years.

I agree with the comment in 1. It seems harsh to label someone based on where they were 5 years ago...

Guest 4 Apr 2014, 04:10

+5 -0

Congrats G

HR 4 Apr 2014, 06:38

+2 -7

Rahul is an intelligent guy with great creds. However the fact that a class of 2001 NLS grad gets partnership now shows that foreign experience is not always a good armour for the Indian market. Most when they do/have to return from overseas to India find themselves atleast in law firms 'heavily discounted' designation-wise. Sobering as it is typically the brighter ones who leave to snag the foreign jobs as these jobs are are like all foreign jobs in all professions generally sought after for the usual reasons. If Rahul had not been to Linklaters he would have made partner in any good Indian firm, using normal Indian firm growth standards, atleast six years ago.

HR not 4 Apr 2014, 23:25

+8 -0

Poor guy. I feel his pain. 8 years at one of the world's best law firms, in London, that hellhole of a city. Now he is a partner (a real partner, not a glorified senior associate with a partner tag) with Linklaters' best friend firm in India. I am sure he is bitterly regretting not having just gone to work at any good Indian firm right out of law school where he would have been bestowed the title "partner" 6 years after graduating. The title would have obviously fooled clients into believing that he was a real partner and led to him being remunerated as a real partner. Hmmmm.

I don't know how he can bear to carry on.

moss 5 Apr 2014, 09:03

+3 -6

You really think a mid-size shop that's Links' best friend is better than large top Indian law firms? On what ground? Do you know they are also run by one or two each (and bad-tempered entitled) people? Or are you such a white man's slave that any hint of a white firm connection does it for you?

HR not 5 Apr 2014, 15:54

+4 -0

I want whatever is doing it for you!

Huh? 8 Apr 2014, 17:58

+4 -0

[quote name="moss"]You really think a mid-size shop that's Links' best friend is better than large top Indian law firms? On what ground? Do you know they are also run by one or two each (and bad-tempered entitled) people? Or are you such a white man's slave that any hint of a white firm connection does it for you?[/quote]

Ignoring the racist slant to the comments, who are the "one or two each (and bad tempered entitled) people"? According to this story, they only have three partners, apart from Rahul Gulati.

Observer 7 Apr 2014, 04:28

+1 -7

Forget an independent identity, they are just trading off the Linklaters brand name. Anyway it seems to be the parking space for Indian lawyers who failed to make it at Linklaters. Hence the obsession with constantly reminding everyone they were at linklaters.

Really good observer 8 Apr 2014, 17:55

+4 -1

Oh dear. A little bit over sensitive perhaps? Is it the size of their parking space?

Foreign returned 8 Apr 2014, 19:26

+1 -4

Ironic that Sonali who is Rahul's classmate and now equity partner at TTA welcomes him into the salary partners. Both were at lLinks. What worked for Sonali was her amarchand experience.

Wrong facts 15 Apr 2014, 11:57

+3 -0

Correction: According to the LI article, Rahul's also an equity partner now, not salaried.

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