Puneeth K. Kariyanna: Strengthening Legal Practice Through Courageous Advocacy

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Courageous advocacy lies at the heart of a robust and credible legal system. It demands that legal practitioners go beyond technical proficiency to uphold justice, constitutional values, and the rule of law, even in the face of institutional pressure, public hostility, or personal risk. Most people believe confidence arrives first, followed by action. Life teaches a quieter truth. Action often arrives first, and confidence follows, slowly and honestly. Many people spend years waiting for the right feeling before they move. Very few realize that movement itself creates the feeling they seek.

For Puneeth K. Kariyanna, this understanding began early. The courtroom taught it to him before any textbook ever could.
The first time his name echoed across the hall, his body reacted faster than his mind. His hands trembled. His breath grew shallow. Every instinct urged silence. Yet he spoke.

That single act—standing up and giving voice to conviction in the face of fear—became the starting point of a lifelong approach to law, leadership, and decision-making. It taught him that courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to act despite it. And that, at its core, is what the practice of law demands: the courage to speak when silence feels safer.

Today, as Managing Partner at Puneeth Kariyanna and Kariyanna Associates, he carries the calm of someone who already faced his fear and discovered its limits.

Where the Courtroom Shapes the Deal

In India’s corporate ecosystem, business decisions rarely live in isolation. They are formed by regulatory risk, litigation exposure, and the realities of enforcement. Puneeth’s advisory style did not emerge from abstraction. It was cultivated early by structured legal education, sharpened through courtroom exposure, and refined through sustained engagement with India’s institutional and regulatory framework.

He graduated in Bachelor of Business Administration and LLB (Hons.) [BBALLB(Hons)], from Alliance School of Law, Alliance University.
Alongside formal legal training, he acquired certifications in Negotiations, Contracts, Feminist Jurisprudence, Environmental Law, Criminal Law, and Forensic Science through Coursera for credit purposes, sponsored by the university. These disciplines later surfaced organically in his corporate, constitutional, and regulatory practice.

Drawing on his roots in India’s corporate world and extensive experience that blends legal and business strategies, his approach to guiding clients through complex deals is fundamentally shaped by a proactive, risk-mitigation mindset and a focus on achieving favorable, commercially sound outcomes.

Years spent in court trained him to anticipate conflict before it surfaces. In complex transactions, this translates into litigation-oriented due diligence, where hidden legal liabilities such as pending lawsuits, regulatory violations, or weak intellectual property protections are identified and addressed upfront, rather than becoming post-deal crises.

Negotiation reflects the same discipline. Understanding the legal framework from a litigator’s perspective provides leverage. He guides clients on representations and warranties, indemnity clauses, and dispute resolution mechanisms with the aim of protecting interests and securing favorable terms.

For Puneeth, the end objective of any deal is commercial success. Litigation teaches the importance of outcomes. He structures deals with clear, enforceable agreements aligned with long-term business goals, while minimizing the risk of future disputes that could drain capital and resources in India’s overburdened court system.

He bridges legal and business teams by integrating legal considerations into strategic planning, ensuring that transactions are not only legally sound but strategically advantageous. Courtroom experience also informs crisis preparedness. From regulatory scrutiny to data breaches, he helps clients develop response strategies that minimize financial damage and protect credibility.

While fully prepared for litigation, he recognizes its cost. In India, prolonged disputes can erode value and relationships. As a result, he advises incorporating arbitration and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms wherever possible, preserving commercial relationships without compromising legal protection.

Learning Law in the Trenches

Even during his university years, he demonstrated a clear inclination toward litigation and regulatory compliance. To build practical competence alongside academic training, he undertook internships across multiple chambers and law firms, gaining early exposure to courtroom practice and regulatory frameworks.

His transition from academia to professional practice was both immediate and immersive. In May 2022, he joined P G Legal Chambers as an Associate Advocate, working under the mentorship of Adv. H. V. Praveen Gowda, General Secretary of the Advocates’ Association, Bangalore. Since then, his growth within the legal profession has been steady and purposeful, enabling him to establish a distinct professional identity in the field.

The Day Confidence Arrived

For Puneeth, triumph was never defined by institutional milestones. It began internally. His personal triumph is not defined by winning or losing cases or even by building a law firm. It lies in overcoming his own fears and discovering his confidence as a first-generation advocate.
Coming from a non-legal background and identifying as an introvert, the idea of standing in a courtroom once felt implausible. When he joined law school, his goal was to become an in-house counsel. Advocacy was never the plan. Family pressure led to his enrolment, but even after that, he deliberately stayed away from court.

Two weeks later, that distance disappeared.

Sensing his nervousness, his senior challenged him to step beyond his comfort zone. To sharpen his advocacy, he was asked to advance a ruled bail matter and move for cancellation—an act that was technically irregular, as bail cancellation requires a separate petition. The task demanded persuading both a well-known senior advocate and a highly respected judge nearing retirement, testing not only his knowledge of law but also his confidence, judgment, and courtroom courage.

He was extremely nervous. His hands were shivering as he began his submissions. To steady himself, he clasped his hands together and spoke with as much confidence as he could gather.

The Hon’ble Court agreed to advance the matter.

Though legally irregular, it marked his first successful submission and the moment he realized that even an introverted, first-generation advocate with no connections could stand with confidence in a profession dominated by generational lawyers. That appearance laid the foundation for his practice.

Authority, Earned Early

In August, 2023, Puneeth joined The Legal Attorneys and Barristers as an Associate Advocate under the guidance of senior advocates H. M. Farooq.

Within two months, in October 2023, he was promoted to Deputy Registrar. He was entrusted with leading four advocates and overseeing drafting for all cases being filed from Bengaluru before courts across India, including the Supreme Court of India.

From there, the second phase of his professional journey began. He steadily expanded the scope of his practice, appearing before a wide range of forums across different districts and states, including appellate courts. This phase marked not just geographical growth, but professional maturity—sharpening his advocacy, deepening his understanding of diverse legal forums, and reinforcing his commitment to effective representation at every level of the justice system. In September 2024, he was given responsibility for both the Bengaluru and Chennai offices. With the assistance of his colleagues in Chennai, he was managing drafting and litigation across jurisdictions, splitting his time evenly between the two cities.

Take on legal journalism in India

Legal journalism in India is at a critical juncture. On one hand, there is growing public interest in constitutional issues, judicial decisions, and regulatory developments, which has strengthened the relevance of specialised legal reporting. On the other, legal journalism faces challenges such as resource constraints, uneven regional coverage, legal pressures, and the risk of oversimplification or sensationalism.

Overall, its impact depends on accuracy, independence, and depth. When done responsibly, legal journalism plays a vital role in strengthening transparency, public trust, and democratic accountability—but it must continually balance speed with substance and freedom with responsibility.

Take on International Arbitration in India

International arbitration in India has made significant progress, but it is still a work in transition. Legislative reforms to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, a pro-enforcement judiciary, and the establishment of institutions like the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration reflect India’s intent to become an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction. Courts have increasingly respected party autonomy and limited interference, especially at the enforcement stage.

However, challenges remain. Delays in court proceedings related to arbitration, inconsistent interpretations across jurisdictions, and concerns over costs and infrastructure continue to affect confidence. To fully realise its potential as a global arbitration hub, India must strengthen institutional arbitration, ensure judicial consistency, and cultivate specialised arbitration expertise. With sustained reform and practice-oriented leadership, India can position itself as a credible and competitive seat for international arbitration.

Unwavering Principle

At the core of Puneeth’s leadership philosophy is a sentence that has never changed.

“Try, Try, Try till you succeed.”

As a child, he consistently secured first rank and received the Best Student Award every year. That changed in the fifth standard, when he lost both rank and recognition. The setback continued for another year.

During that period, he turned to novels and poetry and encountered William Hickson’s poem Try Again. Its message shaped his view of persistence.

His resolve is also formed by the people who stood by him, family, friends, teachers, and senior advocates. Their belief pushed him beyond comfort and predictability.

He believes, life rarely unfolds as planned. Persistence, adaptation, and the willingness to continue define success. Through every stage of his journey, the words “Try, Try, Try till you succeed” have remained his compass.

Emotional Influence on leadership

I believe emotions must be acknowledged, but as a legal professional, it is crucial to draw a clear line between empathy and legal reasoning. My first lesson in this came in 2022 during my first mediation in a family dispute. While representing the wife, we were repeatedly moved by her emotional distress. However, during mediation, evidence revealed a very different reality.

That experience taught me that clients may present convincing narratives shaped by emotion or misrepresentation. An advocate’s duty is to look beyond sentiment, ascertain the truth, and handle cases with objectivity, balance, and ethical judgment.

Standing in the Legal Community

Puneeth is a member of the Bar Council of India, Advocates’ Association Bangalore, and the Federation of Indian Corporate Lawyers.

His international and arbitration-focused memberships include WIPO ADR Young under the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Young Indian Mediation and Arbitration Centre under the Indian Mediation and Arbitration Centre, Young International Arbitration Group of the London Court of International Arbitration, Young Institute for Transnational Arbitration (USA), and Young Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Russian Arbitration Center at Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration Member, Mumbai Centre For International Arbitration, Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), ICCA International Council for Commercial Arbitration,
These affiliations mirror the arc of his practice: grounded locally, engaged nationally, and oriented globally.

Awards & Accolades

He was recognised by Trade Flock Magazine as one of the Top 10 Chief Legal Officers in India.

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