Kuriakose Varghese: A humble lawyer who leads an exceptional law firm

Legal profession is not only a rewarding profession, but also a dignified one. This edition, discusses one of the more successful and talented advocates in the country, Mr Kuriakose Varghese. An alumnus of University of London and Delhi University, Mr. Varghese is the Managing Partner of the leading law Firm KMNP Law. There are many things that one should learn from this dedicated lawyer. Let’s hear what he has to say about his career, his college days, his Firm and many more.

What motivated you to enter the challenging profession of law?

In reality, it was not me who selected my profession, but it was the profession that selected me. Initially, I thought of joining a broadcasting channel –at that time, the broadcasting sector was in its beginning stage. Fortunately, I cleared the DU LLB entrance test and joined the college, which was then powered by a set of highly efficient teachers -BB Pande (for Criminal Law), Kamala Shankaran (for Administrative law), and Moolchand Sharma (for International Comparative Law) and the legendary Professor MP Singh. It was an intellectually invigorating period. During my college days, I got an opportunity to work with Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan’s PILSARC. After my studies, I joined the Chambers of the Central Government Standing Counsel in the Delhi High Court.

The role played by St. Stephen’s College in developing your personality

I was the student of Air Force Bal Bharti School, Delhi. It was my interest to earn a graduation in any of the liberal arts subjects that prompted me to look for that opportunity in the national capital itself –at that time, not many liberal arts colleges were available in Kerala. St. Stephen’s College was the best option available. It was not that difficult for me to get an admission in the collage, as I was a school topper. I was selected by an interview board comprising of Dr. Anil Wilson, Prof. Tanika Sarkar and Prof. Wanchoo. There were adequate opportunities for all-round development in the college –from photography to social service, apart from academics. In my third year in the college, I was elected as the Student’s Union president –a position held by Dr. Shashi Tharoor in his days at Stephen’s. It was an incredible journey. The campus gifted me many close friends and excellent teachers –Prof. Baker and Prof. Upinder Singh (the daughter of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) were my teachers.

Say few words about your life in London as a LLM student

I did my LLM from the University of London. The curriculum in the college was built more on an analytical approach and the collegiate LLM had almost 150 subjects to choose from. The students were expected to read from a very elaborate bibliography for each subject. It was fortunate that while I was in London I got the opportunity to learn under the guidance of renowned Professor Muchlinski. I preferred to specialise in the subject of Foreign Direct Investment in Emerging Economies. In the topic, I received the guidance of Prof. George Walker and Prof. Maria Losa. Multinational Enterprises and the Law was the other major topic in which I received knowledge from the college. It was in my LLM days that I met my life partner for the first time.

Continue