Leading lawfully

The Crest Edition of The Times of India of January 9, 2010 carries a cover story on India’s Top 10 Lawyers, with pictures of Fali Nariman, his son Rohinton and Soli Sorabjee on the front page along with seven other leading lawyers. They are paid lakhs for a five-minute appearance or for a full day in court, the paper writes. "Why would anyone pay a lawyer that kind of money? Because a top-notch lawyer can save a corporate client hundreds, if not thousands of crores; he can save a person from a life in prison; and he can save a government from being unlawfully dismissed. More importantly, he can help change society and shape public opinion by the power of his logic and the magic of his court craft. When he speaks, judges listen,” the Crest analyses.

Under the heading "The Argumentative Indians” the broadsheet presents individual write-ups on the Top 10. "He is the wise man of the bar. Fali Nariman’s stature allows him to be blunt in court. He lets his displeasure be known when a judge fails to understand a point — ‘No, no, that’s not what I mean,’” Nariman is quoted. "Nariman, 81, has aged beautifully. His voice has turned metallic over the years, but it still booms in the biggest courtroom of all — the Chief Justice of India’s, with its 40-feet high ceiling.” Known to take a principled stand, in 1975 he resigned as additional solicitor-general, protesting against the imposition of the Emergency by Indira Gandhi. The paper notes Nariman’s advice to younger lawyers: "Be humble before the court and do not suppress a fact even if it’s against you.”

"Supreme Soli-loquist” is the paper’s description of former attorney-general Soli Sorabjee. Appearing in several landmark cases, "Sorabjee brings with him extraordinary constitutional knowledge and international experience. And he puts to good use his collection of mad bawa (Parsi) jokes to lighten a particularly grim proceeding.” A fierce advocate of free speech and human rights, Sorabjee believes, like Nariman, that homework is what counts most, court craft is really the icing on the cake.

"If you happen to spot a round-faced, bald, slightly pot-bellied senior advocate tearing down the corridors of the Supreme Court on a busy Monday… then it is Rohinton F. Nariman. (He) literally hops from court to court and argues in his baritone voice, probably an asset he inherited from his father Fali. He does not like to be in the shadow of anyone, not even his father, and perhaps that’s why he has carved out a niche for himself in corporate litigation,” Crest describes "Company Bahadur” Rohin­ton. His talent "was noticed by the Supreme Court, which usually confers the designation of senior advocate, through a cumbersome process, on a lawyer who is 45 years old or more and one who has practiced for more than 20 years at the Bar. But it made an exception in the case of (Rohinton) and designated him as senior advocate when he was just 36 years old.

"Rohinton has set up a Supreme Court Lawyers Welfare Trust, which was a long-felt need in the legal world,” the story notes. Besides the Trust, which takes up quite a bit of his energy and time, Rohinton enjoys his country homes where he finds the environment conducive to listening to western classical music and reading books. "Music and books, he says, are his ‘life and blood,’” the paper adds.