Khaitan hires Luthra Delhi IP partner Nirupam Lodha, as Saraf submits 60 lawyers, 7 partners have quit

Thursday, 18 March 2021 By Legally India Law firms

The latest partner of L&L Partners, Nirupam Lodha, has quit and will be joining Khaitan & Co.

Khaitan executive director Amar Sinhji commented confirmed his joining in Delhi’s intellectual property practice.

Sinhji said: “Trademarks, copyrights and patent applications have seen tremendous growth in India since 2016.

“He comes on board when we are seeing a steady rise of our (India’s) ranking on the global intellectual property index.

“IPR (Prosecution & Transactions) is also a fast growing practice at KCO and Nirupam is a part of that growth story for us!”

Lodha had been at Luthra & Luthra, as it then was, since 2007, having joined directly from NLU Jodhpur.

Bar & Bench had reported yesterday in the ongoing court dispute between co-founding partners Rajiv Luthra and Mohit Saraf in the Delhi high court, that Saraf’s counsel Vikas Singh had denied Luthra’s claim that the firm’s revenue was “soaring”.

Singh had submitted: “This statement is definitely a wrong statement. The accruals are not to be confused with the billings. 60 lawyers and 7 partners have left the firm.”

We have reached out to Saraf and Luthra for comment.

Recent partners in the corporate partnership to have quit include:

corporate partner Damini Bhalla, who will join Zomato as general counsel,
capital markets partner Jitesh Shahani, who joined S&R.
two partners Apurva Jayant and Samarth Gupta left in October 2020.

We understand that two partners in the litigation practice are expected to leave.

However, some partners have also joined since the dispute: two partners in litigation, J Sagar Associates (JSA) TMT partner Asim Abbas, and Advani & Co partner Shonali Choudhry in Mumbai.

Nirupam LodhaWork history From: Jun 2007: Partner, Luthra & Luthra Law Offices (New Delhi Area)Education 1994 - 2000: Mayo College, Ajmer, , 2002 - 2007: National Law University, B.Sc. LL.B., Law National Law University, Jodhpur, B.Sc. LL.B.,

Comments

Nirupam Bhaiya 18 Mar 2021, 12:33

+37 -0

Nirupam is one of the nicest people you can work with. Always composed and patient. Good luck on the new beginning Nirupam bhaiya!

Guest 18 Mar 2021, 12:43

+20 -2

That's true. One of the very few such exceptions in a law firms, especially L&L.

BOMXYZ 27 Mar 2021, 05:12

+3 -0

This is very under-rated comment. Have been a client and I can vouch - he should get a medal for being in the team that he was for so long and still work, be calm and be sociable.

Bhai 19 Mar 2021, 10:38

+23 -0

Boss he deserves it after what he has gone though for all these years. Isko to gallantry award milna chahiye.

Very sad joke 18 Mar 2021, 12:38

+14 -0

Me - Where do you guys work?
Them - Khaitan and Khaitan & Khaitan. Khaitan Cube!

Guest 18 Mar 2021, 12:39

+2 -0

Congrats!

Papa Pancho! 18 Mar 2021, 13:24

+18 -0

Congratulations Nirupam! One of the nicest people in the profession.

Boodia 19 Mar 2021, 10:37

+1 -1

Yeah everyone in the LL IP team is really nice.

Daana Paani 20 Mar 2021, 06:18

+0 -1

Yeah right. And Doland Trump won the US election.

Guest 18 Mar 2021, 13:29

Who is leaving from litigation?

Khabari 18 Mar 2021, 17:02

+1 -0

4 i think [...] [...] [...] [...]

Guest 19 Mar 2021, 04:33

Names...... ...... ...... .......

Colleague 18 Mar 2021, 13:51

+26 -0

As another partner-colleague in the firm...I can vouch for the comments here about how nice he is...also very sound, responsible and trustworthy as far as his work is concerned...

Hum bhi jayenge...soon....

...and then MSvRKL chalte rahega...dono katora le ke khade rehna BC ;)

CEE ESS ESS 19 Mar 2021, 10:36

Bhai humara kya hoga. My gym membership is very expensive. Second hand Bentley instalment is too much.

Best IP Lawyer 18 Mar 2021, 14:15

+7 -7

Nirupam is a class act. He has the best IP Practice in Delhi.

Good one 18 Mar 2021, 15:32

+19 -1

Pravin Anand sends regards

NLU Alumni 18 Mar 2021, 14:47

+13 -2

Nirupam is an awesome chap and terrific lawyer. Was a fabulous senior in college too. Great going. All the best.

CS 18 Mar 2021, 15:03

+4 -0

Unthinkable...best of luck, Niru!!

Pancho 18 Mar 2021, 15:41

+7 -0

Congratulations Niru! He is one of the nicest people we have come across in the legal profession.

Guest 18 Mar 2021, 16:44

+9 -0

MS and RKL will not stop until there are no more partners left in the firm. Good good! Go on fighting

Nice nice 18 Mar 2021, 16:59

Is "nice person"/"good person" a hiring criteria at KCO? There were some such comments for KCO's last reported partner hire as well.
How do these "nice people" run their practices in not-so-nice law firm culture?

Splenda 19 Mar 2021, 05:58

+3 -3

A partner, or any good leader for that matter, can do a [i]lot[/i] to buffer the team from larger work culture issues at organisation. Earnings pressure is one of the biggest drivers of toxic work culture and a boss who doesn't nickel and dime you at every corner will always be nicer to work for.

Insider 18 Mar 2021, 17:19

There are couple of partners hiring lined up. Stuck due to freeze imposed by the Court.

Distressed Sale 18 Mar 2021, 20:27

+12 -0

KCO ia the ARC of laa firms.

Sacred Gaitonde 19 Mar 2021, 03:01

In that case the ARC lucked out with Nirupam. What a awesome person to work with! :)

Guest 19 Mar 2021, 03:27

+4 -26

Anther NLUJ partner. Proud moment for NLUJ

Disco Fighter 19 Mar 2021, 06:09

+22 -1

I'm from NLUJ. That is a horrible comment.

NLU 20 Mar 2021, 21:54

+3 -1

Actually, back in the days, college was only called "NLU". This NLUJ business came about later on - around 2011-12ish.

Disco Fighter 21 Mar 2021, 05:29

+6 -1

Really? I am from back in the day and I used to call it "NLU Jodhpur" (or simply Jodhpur depending on who I was talking to). I don't remember referring to the university as "NLU". I suppose I thought it was too generic. Maybe it's just me. But it really doesn't matter, does it? After all, there are many NLUs but there is only one NLUJ!

NLU 24 Mar 2021, 06:19

+7 -1

Not only is my memory that everyone referred to the University as "NLU". I don't remember speaking with anyone and referring to the University as "Jodhpur".

I thought "NLU" had a nicer ring to it - it definitely sounded better than HNLU or RMNLU - those were too much of a mouthful. I remember in the first year, during ragging sessions, the seniors would ask for the name of the college in Hindi: Rashtriya Vidhi Vishwavidyalaya. No Jodhpur after that.

And if we're being really honest, it was always Mandore Laa colleze in Jodhpur.

And of course, it doesn't matter. But what does really matter on an anonymous troll board anyway? lol

Surdana 26 Mar 2021, 17:43

Mandore Law College represent!

Anagram 31 Mar 2021, 19:21

Troll

+0 -0

Try re-arranging NLUD and forming new words.

NLUD Student 25 Mar 2021, 07:47

+1 -4

NLU Delhi remains Dwarka Law College and 'Jhandewali College' (courtesy the huge flag pole) to almost everyone around it.

NLUD Alumnus 25 Mar 2021, 13:51

+4 -2

False. Not sure if you're actually a current student there or are simply trolling but in my five years there, no one has called it that. At the most, some folks call it NLU Dwarka.

Guest 25 Mar 2021, 14:34

+4 -4

You were living a sheltered life then. Nobody in the neighborhood calls it an 'NLU'.

NLUD Alumnus 25 Mar 2021, 15:51

+3 -2

No, I didn’t. Even then, at the very least, we had to step outside college for our Clinic courses. Even the rickshaw wallas around college know it as NLU.

I’d have no qualms in accepting it if it were true but it’s not. Maybe you call it that but that doesn’t mean everyone in the “neighbourhood” (whatever you define that as) does. You might want to get your facts straight before you go around looking for likes on this site.

Guest 25 Mar 2021, 16:49

+2 -1

Even the neighborhood rickshaw-pullers aren't immune to the bedazzlement that the majesty of NLUD obviously exudes. Khandani adat toh uski students ke chehren se latak/tapak raha hai!

Liberty 26 Mar 2021, 04:06

+2 -4

"Even the rickshaw wallas"... Marie Antoinette complex much?

NLUD Alumnus 26 Mar 2021, 04:28

Hmmm, no.

Naala 26 Mar 2021, 05:53

STOP MAKING IT ABOUT LAW SCHOOLS. It does not matter. The article is about a person NOT a law school. Get over this law school thing and focus on getting good grades. Trust me, partners look for grades and an understanding of the law and NOT the law school. Get a life!

LIIT 19 Mar 2021, 07:14

Which partner/individual does the second 'L' in the name L&L represent?

Guest 19 Mar 2021, 07:39

+2 -2

Lodha :P
So now its only L and not L&L

LIIT 20 Mar 2021, 04:52

Huh?

Sullied 22 Mar 2021, 09:09

Contested

+8 -4

This firm had a lot of promise. It used to be a great place to work..once upon a time before egos became higher than the Ashoka Estate building itself. Now greed and ego have taken over. Hope sense prevails in all those who work here and they leave the ship before it goes completely under. Now there are reports of people not getting paid. If that be true then it is absolutely shameful to say the very least. Hope the senior management can sleep at night knowing that they have ruined the lives of so many who relied on them and supported them to their own detriment.

SHAMEFUL. SHAMEFUL. SHAMEFUL.

Ok 22 Mar 2021, 09:36

+3 -4

The report of "not getting paid" is not correct. In fact the first tranche of bonus was also timely paid.

Truth hurts. 22 Mar 2021, 11:31

Oh really? Ask on the first floor. That "bonus" you talk about...well we know how that was dealt with on that floor.

Ok 22 Mar 2021, 14:26

Meant about corporate.

RipperByLaw 26 Mar 2021, 09:29

Does L&L Lit even get paid? Most of the comments on LI indicate towards a situation of horror on the first floor. Why do people stick around then?

Crappy Singh 29 Mar 2021, 13:06

+1 -2

Clearly, for some people loyalty means nothing. Deserting the firm that made you at the time of crisis

Crisis 29 Mar 2021, 18:11

Is unending no ? On from oct 2020 ! Actually this ain’t a crisis bro. It’s combustion. The warring founders see no further than their own benefits and take home.

Blow 31 Mar 2021, 03:56

Let us all get serious for a moment here.

Don’t we all know why Nirupam finally left?

All these years, everyone agreed and openly announced that Nirupam should get a medal or Bahaduri Puraskar for having spent all these years at the place he was in...

But where was that medal? Why did he never get a citation for this achievement at the annual ceremonies or at Diwali?

Him leaving is justified.

Guest 8 Apr 2021, 13:19

Any Idea, where SM!!! is joining???

SM asin Sachit Mathur 8 Apr 2021, 14:30

SM asin Sachit Mathur?

Guest 8 Apr 2021, 16:44

Omg. Sachit also left. Thats a big loss to Luthra

Guest 8 Apr 2021, 17:12

Heard SMs going solo ....

Commenting is closed for this article.