In-House Matters Book Launched in Bengaluru, Bringing Together Leading General Counsels and Legal Experts

Bengaluru, August 13, 2026: The Bengaluru launch of In-House Matters: A Complete Handbook for the Modern General Counsel brought together senior legal professionals, General Counsels, business leaders and members of the legal community for an evening focused on the changing role of in-house legal teams.

The launch was held on the evening of August 12, 2026, at the Bangalore International Centre. The event featured Justice Suraj Govindaraj as the Guest of Honour, who delivered a special address. The event also brought together several prominent voices from India’s legal and academic community, including Dr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Ajay Rotti, Laila Ollapally, Harish Narasappa SA and Sachin Malhan.

The book has been authored by Pramod Rao, Ritvik Lukose and Balanand Menon. It has been positioned as a practical handbook for the modern General Counsel at a time when the role of corporate legal teams is moving beyond traditional legal risk management.

According to the book’s official website, the role of the General Counsel has increasingly expanded towards understanding the business, anticipating regulatory and reputational changes, building strong teams and contributing to important business decisions. In-House Matters examines this evolution and provides a framework covering the different stages and responsibilities of an in-house legal leader.

A Conversation Beyond the Traditional Legal Role

A key part of the Bengaluru launch was a conversation between the authors and Prasanna Mysore, who shared his experience from his career in corporate law and General Counsel roles.

The discussion explored several themes from the book, along with issues that went beyond its planned topics. Questions from the audience also opened discussions around legal privilege and the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession and in-house legal functions.

The discussion reflected one of the central ideas behind In-House Matters — that modern General Counsels are increasingly expected to understand the commercial side of an organisation and contribute to business outcomes, rather than functioning only as legal advisers.

The official book website describes the General Counsel as a corporate leader positioned at the intersection of business ambition, regulatory expectations and organisational values.

General Counsels and Contributors Join the Bengaluru Launch

The Bengaluru launch also recognised several General Counsels and legal leaders whose experiences contributed to the book.

Among those present were Thomas Thoppil, Jyothi V K, Navneet Hrishikesan, Mamta Sundara, Arun Madhu and Roshan Thomas. Basil Almeida and Vaishali Gopal from Counselect also attended, with their professional experiences forming part of the voices represented in the book.

Their participation reflected the book’s wider approach of bringing together practical experiences from India’s in-house legal community.

The official website states that the book is grounded in conversations with leading Indian General Counsels and includes practical frameworks, real decisions and experience-led lessons for the in-house community.

Covering the Full General Counsel Journey

In-House Matters examines the role of a General Counsel across multiple stages of the corporate legal function. The book covers areas including the first 100 days, team design, advisory, contracting, disputes, compliance, crisis management, budgeting, technology and building influence within an organisation.

The book also looks at the importance of business understanding for legal professionals. Its approach encourages in-house lawyers to understand the organisation’s core business, customers, revenue drivers and commercial priorities so that legal advice can be connected more effectively with business decisions.

Technology and data are another important part of the discussion. As companies increasingly adopt artificial intelligence and digital tools, legal teams are being asked to understand emerging risks while also considering how technology can improve legal operations and decision-making.

Authors Bring Extensive In-House and Legal Industry Experience

The three authors bring different but complementary perspectives to the book.

Pramod Rao is a former Executive Director at SEBI and former Group General Counsel at ICICI and Citi South Asia. He has been a prominent voice in India’s General Counsel community.

Ritvik Lukose is Co-founder of Counselect and CEO of Vahura, where he advises legal leaders on talent, operations and strategy.

Balanand Menon is Director at Counselect and Partner at Vahura, advising organisations on transforming legal functions across areas including talent, technology and workflows.

The book has also received endorsements from prominent business and institutional leaders. Amitabh Kant, Nandan Nilekani and K.V. Kamath are among those whose endorsements appear on the official In-House Matters website.

Bengaluru Launch Marks Another Milestone for the Book

The Bengaluru event followed the earlier launch activity around In-House Matters and added another opportunity for the authors to engage directly with India’s in-house legal community.

The evening was also described by co-author Ritvik Lukose as a personal milestone, with family, friends and collaborators joining the event. He also acknowledged the efforts of Harihara S S and colleagues from Vahura and Counselect in organising the Bengaluru launch.

With legal departments increasingly involved in technology, compliance, business strategy, risk and organisational decision-making, In-House Matters seeks to capture how the General Counsel’s role is evolving within modern enterprises.

The Bengaluru launch brought that theme to life by creating a platform where experienced legal leaders, practitioners and the authors could discuss not only the contents of the book but also some of the larger questions facing the legal profession today.