Devandran Karunakaran (Image via Ince)
The international law firm of Ince & Co. has parted ways with a parter after he found himself in legal hot water following a drunken night out with clients. Devandran Karunakaran, 40, was managing partner in the Singapore office of the firm with a practice in maritime law when he was charged with molesting three women at a bar.
According to reports, in May of last year after drinks with clients, Karunakaran went to a bar to continue drinking. There he groped three women, including the bar’s marketing director and DJ. When the manager of the bar asked him to leave, Karunakaran reportedly became irate and hurled profanities and shouted that he was a lawyer and could get the manager fired. Police were called and Karunakaran was arrested.
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Last week, Karunakaran pleaded guilty to three charges of molestation. He was charged under the Protection from Harassment Act and was fined a total of S$15,000. For each of the molestation charges, he faced up to two years’ jail time, fines, caning, or any combination of the three.
As reported by Law.com, following the verdict, the firm fired Karunakaran:
A spokesperson for Ince said in a statement: “Following the Singapore Court’s decision, Devandran Karunakaran’s position at Ince has been terminated with immediate effect and he no longer works at the firm.
“We take the behavior and ethical conduct of all of the Group’s Partners and staff extremely seriously.”
It sure seems like you wouldn’t want anyone who uses this kind of poor judgment as a representative of the firm.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).