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

Say few words about your firm. How difficult it is to run a law firm?

KMNP Law was born out of the chambers of Mr. K K Venugopal and Mr. Krishnan Venugopal. Most of the founding members of the firm were from these two chambers: Adv. Abir Phukan and me (from the Chambers of Senior Advocate Krishnan Venugopal) and Adv V. Shyamohan (from the Chamber of K K Venugopal). The other notable member was Dr. Mathew Kuzhalnadan, a JNU doctorate holder.

We started with one office in New Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave. We now have two offices in Safdarjung Enclave, one in Kochi and Gauhati.  Mr. Nitin Ahluwalia, a Honk Kong schooled and British educated barrister has also joined us as a Partner.  We have a very strong associate presence in Singapore though Barrister Niru Pillai’s Niru.

We now have a clientele which includes an international airline, several mining companies, one of India’s largest steel companies, two very large international hotel chains, one of the world’s wealthiest temples, a Bretton Woods Organization and one of India’s largest spiritual organizations with followers across the world.

KMNP Law has  worked on the Coal De-Allocation Scam case, Call drop case, GM Crops, Tiger Conservation and many others in the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.

Being a legal partner of a firm is a challenging job. My aim is to bring stronger intellectual growth to the organization.

Is ASEAN becoming a strong union?

All multilateral organisations are under serious threat. A year ago, I was invited to take part in the ASEAN conference held in Bangkok. I don’t think all possibilities of that multilateral organisation have been thoroughly explored yet. Nowadays, bilateral agreements get more acceptance than the multilateral ones. Our trade with Singapore –an ASEAN country- boomed not because of any multilateral agreement, but because of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement reached between India and that country.

How far India should go with the policies of liberalization?

Liberalization has brought in several changes in our economy and society. It has boosted the economy. That is one side of the story. The other side is that it has increased the disparity between the rich and poor. Many people have been forced out of their land and traditional jobs due to the policies of liberalization.

What do you want to say to law career aspirants?

In my view, law is an excellent profession. Occasionally, it also gives an excellent spiritual satisfaction.  There is a divergence between the general perception of law and reality. The contribution of a  good law teacher, to the making of a good lawyer is  remarkable. Dedication and hard work is paramount.

Say few words about your family

My wife Sunita Kaur Chima, who I met when I was doing my LL.M in London is a corporate lawyer. We have two children: a seven year old daughter Kyra Kuriakose Vyshyan, and a four year old son Ezra Kuriakose Vyshyan. My father, V K Varghese, is the founder of a well -known catering company Vee Kay Vee’s in Kerala. My late mother Susheela was a retired revenue officer.  I have two younger brothers both of whom are in the United States – one in Harvard University and the other in Stern Business School at NYU.