Vellore Lakshmanaswamy Ethiraj (18 July 1890 – 18 August 1960) was an Indian lawyer and philanthropist who founded Ethiraj College for Women, a college in Chennai, India.

[1] He was the first Indian to be appointed as Crown Prosecutor by the British Raj.

V. L. Ethiraj received his undergraduate degree from Presidency College, Chennai and received his law degree from Trinity College Dublin.

[citation needed] One of Ethiraj's successes was the Lakshmikanthan murder case, which he successfully fought in defense of Tamil actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N. S.

[citation needed] His advocacy was described by C. P. Ramaswami Iyer as "a marvel of the 20th century".