About Justice K. Kannan
K. Kannan
Bringing experience, perspective and dialogue to the resolution of conflict and the development of law.
Career Timeline
1977
Entering Practice
Enrolled as an advocate, beginning practice in the district court under his father's guidance.
1992
Chennai and Partnership
Moved to Chennai and entered into a professional partnership with R. Yashod Vardhan, practising in civil, constitutional, service, and corporate matters. Editor of the Madras Law Journal, India's first law journal. Designated Senior Counsel in 2008.
2008
Senior Counsel and the Bench
Designated Senior Counsel and called to the Bench, beginning his judicial career at the Madras High Court. Appointed a permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he served there until 2016.
2016
Railway Claims Tribunal
Appointed as the Chairman of the Railway Claims Tribunal in New Delhi, a position he held until 2019.
2019
Return to Independent Practice
Returned to independent practice, bringing judicial and advocacy experience together.
Mediation and Scholarship
Running alongside every stage of this career: mediation training in India from 2005, a JAMS Fellowship, further study at UCLA, Harvard, and Stanford, and legal scholarship published in almost every year since 2003. He also writes and speaks on questions of public significance, and contributes to policy on legal aid and dispute resolution as a member of the National Legal Services Authority.
Judge. Advocate. Mediator. Scholar. Reformer.
Judge
He has sat in judgment on the disputes of others, learning first-hand how a court weighs an argument and reaches a decision.
Advocate
He has argued cases in civil, constitutional, service, and corporate matters, on both sides of the Bench.
Mediator
Trained under JAMS and at UCLA, Harvard, and Stanford, his approach draws on years spent judging and arguing disputes, not mediation training alone.
Scholar
He has authored and edited legal texts across succession, medical law, insurance, and compensation, publishing almost every year since 2003.
Law Reformer
Through NALSA and his public writing, his experience across the Bench, the Bar, and mediation shapes how he engages with the law and how it might change.
Judicial Legacy
His years on the Bench left him with more than judicial experience. They shaped a preference for settlement, careful case management, attention to constitutional values, and a fairness that gives every party a proper hearing.
Explore His Judicial LegacyPublications
His written work spans six authored books and ten revised legal classics, most recently the second edition of Medicine and Law: Exploring Areas of Intersection, published by Thomson Reuters.
Browse His Publications