Wadia Ghandy partner, homegrown solicitor advocate Kingshuk Banerjee to join Khaitan to beef up disputes in Mumbai

Wednesday, 19 December 2018 By Legally India Law firms

Wadia’s Kingshuk Banerjee to provide Mumbai disputes clout for KCo
Wadia’s Kingshuk Banerjee to provide Mumbai disputes clout for KCo

Wadia Ghandy Mumbai partner and litigator Kingshuk Banerjee is set to join Khaitan & Co as partner, as part of a larger plan at the firm to scale up its disputes practice.

Banerjee is a 2009 GLC Mumbai graduate with a 2011 Bombay solicitors’ qualification.

He had been at Wadia Ghandy since 2007, and has a team of four associates working with him full-time.

Khaitan executive director Amar Sinhji confirmed his joining “shortly”, and said: “His induction is part of a larger plan to scale up the practice in Mumbai. He brings with him a wealth of experience that fits in perfectly with our expansion plans.”

Banerjee has declined to comment.

Sinhji added: “The firm has always followed a model of steady organic growth. This has ensured that the growth does not in any way dilute our core values centred around fairness, integrity & diligence, as also the camaraderie and mutual respect amongst us, that we value & nurture.”

We have reached out to Wadia Ghandy for comment.

Wadia Ghandypartner hirespremium contentKingshuk BanerjeeKhaitan & Co

Comments

GLC Batchmate 19 Dec 2018, 12:10
+12 -2
Excellent stuff, Kingshuk! Many congratulations!
EX WG 19 Dec 2018, 13:01
+8 -2
congrats buddy! superb guy....
KCO 19 Dec 2018, 20:07
+12 -2
Very sad that KCO requires external partners, instead of looking at genuinely promoting home grown talent. May be according to the firm, existing set of people are incompetent that they need super junior partners to come in.

While ofcourse Kingshuk has a reputation of being a good guy, but time will tell how all this works out in the larger scheme of things at the firm.

All the best Kingshuk!
XXX 20 Dec 2018, 05:00
+6 -9
Seems like a novice's comment. KCO has been consistently promoting home-grown individuals in its Disputes Practice - all in public domain. Its second rung is shaping strongly as well.

Kudos to talented lawyers like Kingshuk and Tomu!
Chaiwala 20 Dec 2018, 07:51
+3 -8
...yeah....absolutely novice! this guy is bringing 20cr worth readymade billing then why not !
Mirror 20 Dec 2018, 10:38
+8 -5
If someone has practice worth 20cr an annum, does he really have to join a law firm as a partner. Infact 20cr would be a target for a team comprising of 15 lawyers in a large firm. If he really has that practice and I am sure he is a very competent lawyer to achieve that no. joining Khaitan as a partner isn’t really a wise choice. Therefore either the figures are in correct or he was smoking some really dumb stuff.
PanWala 20 Dec 2018, 12:51
+7 -0
Does anyone in the Indian law firm sector have a book of less than 10 crores nowadays!
KCO 20 Dec 2018, 10:49
+0 -0
Ha ha..

Operative word in my comment was "genuinely promoting"
Hmm 22 Dec 2018, 21:45
+4 -0
Well if reports are to be believed KCO Bombay lit is going all out for expansion..the next rung has been solidified with internal promotions and some excellent lateral hires. Am sure KCO will also promote partners internally, for a firm of it's size the more the merrier.
Sebi 21 Dec 2018, 19:04
+1 -2
Tomu ! Are you serious?
Big Picture Guy 20 Dec 2018, 05:48
+4 -0
[quote]May be according to the firm, existing set of people are incompetent that they need super junior partners to come in.[/quote]

I wonder how many existing lawyers they have with over 9 years PQE who Kingshuk Banerjee is superceding. They are [i]mostly[/i] a young team, as with most Indian firms, is it not?
KCO 20 Dec 2018, 06:34
+1 -1
Please ask the firm HR. They sure have some great data from their annual reviews to give.
Anonn 20 Dec 2018, 06:43
+8 -8
Wadia Ghandy is losing lit partners now? Whats going on? How did Kahitan (with all due respect) become better for lit partners than WG? Or is it just a question of cash splash?
Vent 20 Dec 2018, 10:08
+3 -1
Money talks & how. How much litigation did Khaitan have in Mumbai. Till date, its still the old 4 firms which have major litigation & very few firms can come close.
Mumbai Sol 1 Aug 2019, 16:17
+0 -0
Old 4 of Mumbai lit? Wadia Ghandy, Mulla, CAM and AZB ?
As far as total billing in Lit is concerned. Even SAM and Trilegal in Mumbai do better than homegrown Mumbai oldies like Kanga, Solomon & Co, Little & Co., Crawford Bayley., PDS Legal. The latter.may have.more number of matters filed but not billing value. Other Mumbai oldies like Rustamji Ginwala, Federal & Rashmikant, Udwadia Udeshi, Negandhi Shah Himayatullah are virtually fading away and unknown outside certain old money circles.
DJM _HAM 20 Dec 2018, 10:48
+23 -4
As always has been the case.. I am the reason for WG losing talented lawyers.. I like to retain control on all the partners (defacto running DJM & Co. as WG) which usually allows good people to move to better platforms.. I am single handedly ensuring all Tier 1 firms get a boost in their litigation practice.
Hoho 20 Dec 2018, 14:24
+1 -33
Case of sour grapes isn't it? U can't even reach at his level in your entire life even if you work your arse off 24*7. You can only do s**t like this anonymously. And definitely you have no idea how well the firm is doing. A fruit falling from the tree doesnt shake the tree! And since when Khaitan is Tier 1 in India? It must be tier 1 in Switzerland for sure!
Ex-WG 21 Dec 2018, 05:24
+17 -5
Not a single solicitor-Associate in the real estate team of WG anymore. No one can deny they have a few stellar seniors like denzil et cetera but why did WG lower their standards to hire lawyers at Associate level ? Reason why all the senior/junior partners are solicitors is because it was and is still is an old school law firm which works very well in the domestic real estate setup. There had been tremendous face loss of even the real estate team which was the only saving grace of the firm and similar old school firms like dhaval vussonji are doing way better and are still bottom heavy with many solicitor-associate unlike associate at WG who have inflated ego, horrible payouts, zero market respectability and live in a world of their own
Ex-Senior Associate 21 Dec 2018, 05:56
+22 -3
Completely agree. Out of a pool of more than 40 articled clerks trained by WG themselves since 2013, barely 2 have agreed to join back. That speaks volumes about the respect WG commands from junior lawyers as a place of choice to work for. The good crop of WG is still respected in the market but most of them have left for greener pastures and are doing exceedingly well in terms of financial compensation and growth opportunities with almost little to zero change in the way they practice. Real Estate team is obscenely Top-heavy. While i disagree with DJM being blamed for almost everything but he should definitely work on improving quality at the bottom. Having stellar partners and juniors who are arrogant, undisciplined and unwilling to learn will surely affect the team performance. Change is imminent and i hope their current crop is cleaned and the weed is weeded out.
Mumbai Sol 1 Aug 2019, 16:21
+1 -0
Solicitor system.is dying a very slow death. Its popularity is limited among the traditional Mercantile and commercial classes of Mumbai and Western India, whose numbers are dwindling. Many scions of Sol families prefer to.use their social capital to enter Counsel practice. Sol practice is just not that attractive anymore and is equated with Attorney practice. A logical long term outcome of the 1961 Advocates Act.
Hmm 27 Dec 2018, 18:11
+0 -0
Name says it all. Be merry my friend. It's the season.
DJM _HAM 20 Dec 2018, 16:49
+3 -2
Yes yes I am doing very well.. it was one of the reason I couldn't even give payouts .. but sure sour grapes .. but to add to that it's sour grapes within the firm ... it's a firm left with 3 junior litigation partners.. [...] 3 litigation partners departing this year.. god only knows how many remain.. [...]
Hoho 21 Dec 2018, 03:05
+2 -0
Payouts for what? Illegitimate expectations?
EX WG 21 Dec 2018, 11:37
+2 -0
definitely sure that Bindi is still around. She was/ is one of the reknowned names to deal with.
DJM _HAM 24 Dec 2018, 10:53
+0 -2
She would be ... if she was given a say in how litigation ought to be handled!
Secret Santa 21 Dec 2018, 05:27
+10 -3
Guys, let’s close this discussion on a positive note and wish all concerned the best of luck. Both WG and KCO are fantastic law firms and do not deserve the harsh remarks and brickbats they receive on public platform. Some of us maybe unhappy with the firms or individuals within (perhaps for good reasons) but this is not the appropriate forum to vent (especially anonymously). Doesn’t seem fair.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone.
EX WG 21 Dec 2018, 08:10
+2 -2
Amen to that. For for its worth, it did give us a lot of exposure and taught us to be better professionals. Some of the people there I have known are wonderful human beings. Every organizations has pros and cons.... Don't use that to get back at the organisation as a whole.
SEE SEE 21 Dec 2018, 07:06
+5 -2
There is a Kinshuk and now a Kingshuk
Great guy 21 Dec 2018, 16:05
+3 -10
Besides Dhawal, denzil and nitesh, the real estate team dosent have any huge merits. It's these three who are to be reckoned with. Let's give Dhawal his due. He is a phenomenal lawyer. May not be the best joint managing partner but no one can doubt his legal skills. Less spoken about others in the team the better. Junior and mid level is as good as non existent, but don't get fooled, that's also a part of the strategy of the JMP.
Farid Vajani Patni 25 Dec 2018, 07:10
+10 -4
Great news. [b]Kingshuk [/b]is a superb guy. Walks the talk with an absolutely no-nonsense hands-approach on everything. One thing everyone MUST learn from him - "Work-life Balance a/w time management". Does not indulge in inconsequential small talk and usual firm behaviour, finishes his work and heads out on time; is never stressed and always composed.

This news is a pleasant surprise and consistent evidence of an exodus which began a few years back. From being a firm sought after by the best graduates to a firm with continuously degrading reputation, the reasons are many. Having worked as an Articled Clerk and Associate at Wadia Ghandy in its Golden Period, I will try to summarise a few.

I remember there were about 300 applicants for the articleship programme in my year alone and 10-15 of ones were the chosen ones. Little did we know that a few years later, WG is going to be a force [i](not[/i]) to be reckoned with.
R22 4 Mar 2019, 09:36
+0 -0
Who all left with him from WG to K&Co.?
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