Advocate Profile — Palamanerian IP Services

Solaiappan
Odayappan

Advocate — Madras High Court  ·  Independent Practitioner

A multidisciplinary legal professional with expertise spanning commercial litigation, dispute resolution, and corporate law. Enrolled at the Madras High Court and based in Chennai — practising independently, having previously served as an Associate at Khaitan & Co.

Bar Enrolment Advocate — Madras High Court
Current Position Independent Practitioner — Chennai
Education ILS Law College, Pune
Advanced Studies LL.M. — CIDS, Geneva (International Dispute Settlement)
Connections 500+ on LinkedIn
I believe a multidisciplinary approach can yield great results. As a lawyer I aspire to understand the world from a cross-disciplinary lens and seek personal and public happiness. — Solaiappan Odayappan
Overview

Professional Profile

Solaiappan Odayappan is an Advocate enrolled at the Madras High Court, practising independently in Chennai. His practice spans commercial litigation, corporate law, and dispute resolution, with a philosophical orientation towards understanding legal questions through a multidisciplinary lens.

His legal career is distinguished by an early grounding in advocacy and competition law through a strong moot court career at ILS Law College, Pune — one of India's premier law schools — followed by a significant international dimension: he pursued an advanced LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement at the Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS), a joint programme of the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute, positioning him at the forefront of international commercial arbitration practice.

He brings to every matter what he describes as a three-part standard: the passion of a judge deciding a delicate question of law, the intensity of a corporate lawyer on a deadline, and — underpinning both — a commitment to asking the right questions rather than merely supplying the expected answers.

Career

Professional Experience

Current Position
Khaitan & Co
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Associate

Khaitan & Co is one of India's oldest and most prominent law firms, with offices across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai. As an Associate in the Chennai office, Solaiappan advises on commercial and corporate matters, litigation, and dispute resolution. The Chennai practice handles a significant volume of Southern India-based corporate litigation and High Court work alongside national and cross-border transactions.

Advanced Studies
CIDS — Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland
LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS)

The LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) at the Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement is administered jointly by the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies — two of Europe's leading institutions for international law. The programme is widely regarded as the most rigorous and specialised master's qualification in the field of international arbitration, investor-state dispute settlement, and WTO/trade dispute resolution. Attending this programme reflects a deliberate commitment to developing expertise at the highest level of international ADR practice.

Bar Enrolment
Madras High Court
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Advocate — Madras High Court

Enrolled as an Advocate before the Madras High Court, one of the oldest and most significant High Courts in India, established in 1862. The Madras High Court exercises original civil jurisdiction, a broad writ jurisdiction under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution, appellate jurisdiction over district court and tribunal orders across Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, and houses the Commercial Division for high-value commercial disputes.

Education

Academic Background

Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS)
LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) · Geneva, Switzerland

The MIDS is a joint programme of the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute — the leading specialist LL.M. in international arbitration, investor-state dispute settlement, and international commercial litigation. Attended from September of the programme year.

ILS Law College, Pune
BSL LLB (Five-Year Integrated) · Indian Law Society, Savitribai Phule Pune University

ILS Law College is one of India's most respected law schools, known for its rigorous academic programme, strong advocacy culture, and an alumni network that spans the Bench, Bar, and corporate legal sector. A demanding five-year integrated law degree with consistent exposure to mooting, client counselling, and legal research competitions.

Advocacy Training

Moot Court & Competition Record

Solaiappan developed a strong advocacy foundation through active participation in national moot court competitions during his time at ILS Law College. This early experience in courtroom argument, case theory construction, and written memorial drafting underpins his subsequent litigation and dispute resolution practice.

  • NLU Antitrust Law Moot Court Competition — National Law University, Jodhpur. Represented ILS Law College in a competition focused on competition and anti-trust law. The team reached the Semi-Final rounds, demonstrating strong command of competition law principles and oral advocacy skills.
  • Raj Anand Intellectual Property Moot — Jacaranda Hall, India Habitat Centre, Delhi. A national IP moot court competition. The ILS team participated in rounds arguing a case relating to intellectual property rights law — directly relevant to Solaiappan's subsequent IP and commercial practice.
  • Exposure to client counselling, mediation, and legal aid clinic work through ILS's dedicated Advocacy Skills Department — forming the practical foundation of a client-centred practice philosophy.
Philosophy & Approach

How Solaiappan Thinks

"A counsel who possesses the passion of a Judge deciding a delicate question of law, the intensity of a corporate lawyer on a deadline." This self-description captures the dual demands Solaiappan places on his own practice: the intellectual rigour required to reason through genuinely difficult legal questions, and the commercial urgency that keeps a client's interests at the centre of every decision.

His approach to legal research reflects a similar discipline. He embraces tools that improve the quality and depth of research — noting, for example, that AI-powered legal research tools offer a meaningfully different capability from traditional databases, particularly in identifying pattern across case law. The goal is always the same: to be better prepared than the opposing side.

His financial philosophy — "owning risk is the only way you get wealthy; making money is a habit, not a goal" — speaks to a broader orientation towards long-term strategic thinking over short-term optimisation. Applied to legal practice, this means building matters carefully, investing in preparation, and counselling clients on the full range of outcomes rather than only the favourable ones.

The decision to pursue the MIDS LL.M. at Geneva — the most demanding specialist qualification in international dispute settlement — reflects the same commitment to operating at the highest standard his chosen field demands.

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