Little and Co: A Tradition of Excellence and Legal Expertise

For more than 160 years, Little and Co. is providing its legal expertise and services across India and worldwide.  The Firm was established in 1856 under the able guidance of Mr. John Pares Bickersteth and was the first partnership firm to be registered under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932. The Firm is based in Mumbai and is one of the oldest firms of Advocates and Solicitors in India. Little and Co is known for its integrity, efficiency and high intensity of partner involvement. It combines the legacy of the best practices along with the contemporary legal prospects, to bring the clientele the most efficient and practical advice in the most competent and organized manner.

A Peek into the History

The Firm has had the honor of representing the East India Company, the Secretary of State for India, the Government of Bombay Presidency and its successors, and finally, the State of Maharashtra till 1974. The Firm has acted as Solicitors to the Great Indian Peninsula Railway and continued to act for it till its merger with the Central Railway. The incorporation of the Tata Iron and Steel Company was done with the assistance of the Firm and its then partner Mr. T.C.B. Acworth signed the company’s original Memorandum of Association.

Services Offered

Little and Co is one of the leading firms of Advocates and Solicitors in India. It embraces its legacy and has a strong client-focused value system and a practical as well as solution-oriented approach to problem solving. The Firm endeavours to provide quality legal advice in the areas of Infrastructure, Real Estate, Banking and Finance, Capital Markets and Financial Securities, Taxation, Intellectual Property Rights, Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures, Litigation, Arbitration and Mediation, etc.

Dedicated Leaders with Extensive Experience:

Mr. Jayendra Kapadia is the Joint Managing Partner of Little and Co. He earned his degree of LL.B. from the University of Mumbai in 1974.  He leads the team of Litigation and Arbitration and has extensive experience in the areas of Banking and Finance, Corporate Law, Real Estate, Admiralty Law etc. Mr. Kapadia has been admitted as Solicitor on the Rolls of the Bombay Incorporated Law Society in 1976.  He has been recognized by the Indian Business Law Journal as one of the 35 Legal Icons in 2019 A-List and one of India’s Top 100 Lawyers in 2016 A-List. Mr. Kapadia has been awarded the Corporate Intl. Global Awards for Maritime Lawyer of the Year in India in 2014. He was invited as a distinguished guest for the Singapore Convention Signing Ceremony and Conference held in Singapore in August 2019.

Mr. Ajay Khatlawala is the Joint Managing Partner of Little and Co. He has done LL.B.  from the University of Mumbai in 1977. He has been admitted as Solicitor on the Rolls of the Bombay Incorporated Law Society in 1981. Mr. Khatlawala practices in Litigation and Arbitration, Real Estate, Project Finance and Transactions, Banking and Commercial Laws, Electrical Law, Constitutional Law, Corporate Law and Aviation Law including Aircraft Leasing. He has been awarded with 2014’s Corporate Intl. Global Awards Property Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year in India.

Challenges and Opportunities for Indian Corporate Law Firms

The rise of technology has brought a lot of changes in various industries and it is directly affecting the Indian law firms as well.  Clients on the other hand have become more demanding because of the easy availability of information. In this digital era, prudent use of technology can also be seen as an opportunity for the law firms.

Future Ahead

The Firm proposes to expand in future on several parameters, including but not limited to the volume of matters being attended to by the Firm, the quality of work being delivered to the clients and the Firm’s engagement with foreign law firms and foreign clients.

Piece of Advice to the Budding Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs

The leaders of the firm advise, “It is good to have a dream and a vision, but it is equally important to know the challenges ahead of you. Our only advice, as a law firm, would be to know the applicable laws in advance and the manner in which is required to be complied.”