History

The firm was established in 1930 by S.R. Kapila, who had been a practising lawyer in Punjab, British India. By the mid 1940s he was one of the very few lawyers willing to represent Kenyans charged with political offences, and, after his son Achhroo Ram joined him, the firm became the natural choice for KAU members and other Africans charged with sedition.

At the age of 26, A.R., as he popularly became known, represented Jomo Kenyatta and his co-accused known as the Kapenguria Six, a group of Kenyan political figures accused of Mau Mau links, in 1952. Subsequently, he represented other African leaders, including Julius Nyerere and Milton Obote of Tanzania, and Albert Rene of Seychelles.

Following independence A.R. spoke out against the increasing corruption of Kenyan politics and, in particular, its judiciary. His stand made him powerful enemies in government, and resulted in his imprisonment for a short period for illegal possession of foreign currency after police found 26 pounds sterling in his home after a trip to Britain.

A.R. was joined by his sons, Sheetal and Ishan, both of whom were called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn, and in the 1980s re-established a wide-ranging litigation practice. In 2003, President Kibaki appointed A.R. as Kenya’s first Senior Counsel.

The firm has practised from its current premises in City Hall Way, opposite the Supreme Court, for fifty years now.