Biography: Trade & Customs

V Lakshmikumaran holds a bachelors degree in Law and a Masters in Mathematics from University of Madras. Lakshmi began his career as an assistant professor in Mathematics at Madras University. He worked with the government of India as a senior civil servant in various capacities, including a stint in the tax research unit of Ministry of Finance. He founded the law firm, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (L&S) in 1985.

Lakshmi has vast experience in handling matters relating to international trade, customs law and intellectual property rights. He is an expert on WTO issues pertaining to customs valuation and classification, market access, sanitary measures, export controls, rules of origin, regional trade agreements and government procurement. L&S has represented clients in more than 270 anti-dumping and subsidies and safeguards investigations initiated by India, EU, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, Peru and Pakistan.

Over the last 25 years, he has argued some of the landmark cases on customs valuation and classification before the Supreme Court of India. He has represented clients in various quasi-judicial forums in India, Brussels, Ottawa, Bangkok and Jakarta. On advisory side, Lakshmi has conducted tax reviews, advised clients on tax planning and restructuring, export controls and IPR management and licensing. He also advised the Scotch Whisky Manufacturers Association on the WTO compatibility of indirect tax regime in India.

A prolific speaker, he regularly delivers talks on taxation and intellectual property rights in various universities, national and international conferences. To mention a few universities, the National Law School Bangalore, National Law University Jodhpur, University of Washington School of Law, Cornell Law School and the University of Florida and Franklin Pierce Law Center. Lakshmi has addressed the WCO GATT valuation workshop in Brussels and as a delegate of ICC, had attended World Customs Organization - Harmonised System Committee meetings on Classification at Brussels. Lakshmi has numerous publications to his credit notably, his article on "Trade remedy laws in India" published by the American Bar Association and two articles published in the Journal of World Trade on "Problems with Antidumping law in India".

Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (L&S) has six offices across various cities in India. There are currently 18 partners and 175 professionals. The firm provides litigation, consulting and advisory services in the areas of tax, intellectual property rights, corporate and commercial laws and international trade. With its well established tax and litigation practice, L&S provides full scale transaction advisory services including taxation aspects for JV and M&A deals. The firm also handles issues relating to commercial and civil litigation, alternative disputes resolutions and regulatory litigation.