Author: Anisha Aditya

Aniket Ghosh on bagging a job at Lakshmi Kumaran & Sreedharan and law school experience at NUJS, Kolkata
Aniket Ghosh is a recent graduate (2015 batch) from NUJS, Kolkata, In his five years he explored a plethora of opportunities. He pursued a course on “Interpretation of Fiscal Statutes” by Mr. Badrinarayan, Partner at Lakshmi Kumaran & Sreedharan (L&S), he also worked as a Teaching Assistant to Prof. Saurabh Bhattacharjee and interned at various law firms including Ernst & Young, Mumbai.

He has bagged a job at L&S after getting to work with Mr. Lakshmikumaran directly.

In this interview we talk about:
- His journey through WBNUJS and his gainful takeaways from these five years.
- Pursuing “Interpretation of Fiscal Statutes” by Mr. Badrinaravan, Partner at Lakshmi Kumaran & Sreedharan (L&S).
- Being a Teaching Assistant to Prof. Saurabh Bhattacharjee.
- Interning at Ernst & Young, Mumbai.
Tell us about your life before you joined law school. What inclined your decision to study law?

I grew up in a very positive atmosphere as my parents have always been very encouraging and supportive of all my endeavours and have never pressured me regarding anything. My father was a Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force and I have grown up all over the country from Jodhpur, Rajasthan in the West to Jorhat, Assam, in the East, and from Bangalore in the South to Delhi and Chandigarh in the North, not to mention the many road trips and excursions that we took to beautiful, untouched, out of the way places in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur, and in the isolated desert sands of Rajasthan.

This, I have always felt, gave me a wealth of exposure and knowledge that many of my peers could scarcely imagine.

I was inspired to study law thanks to my maternal uncle, Mr Sujit Ghosh, who incidentally is a 1995-batch NLS graduate. Seeing him work and the critical problems faced by clients piqued my interest towards law.

Studying in WBNUJS must have given you an opening to plethora of opportunities. How has been you experience through the law school timeline so far?

Indeed, NUJS through its curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities provides innumerable opportunities to its students to develop a wide range of skills like general academic development, critical thinking and honing of drafting and speaking abilities. Most importantly, the many competitive and intellectual forums that it provided us, by way of Moot Courts, Parliamentary Debates etc, taught us to ‘think on our feet’, which I am sure, will stand us in good stead in the future. It has been a very enjoyable experience and I believed that I have learned immensely during my time at NUJS, both about legal matters and about life in general

How would you advice law students in freshman and sophomore years to proceed?

I would advise them to take all the opportunities provided by the law schools very seriously, curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular etc. Not many people get the wide range of opportunities that we get at national law schools and this fact must be borne in mind from the first year to the fifth.

Do you think in recent times legal academia has been distancing itself from the practical aspect of law?

In my opinion, the degree to which any academic work is distanced from practical aspects is dependent entirely on the context in which it is written. Most of the materials, by academicians, which we studied at NUJS, were written in a specific context which more often than not, discussed commercial, societal and practical ramifications of different legal issues rather than just dry legal rules alone.

As regards, day-to-day knowledge of laws, rules, drafting etc. there is only so much that can be taught and learnt at law schools, since hands-on knowledge is best learnt and assimilated once one actually enters the profession.

You have also pursued “Interpretation of Fiscal Statutes” by Mr. Badrinarayan Partner Lakshmi Kumaran & Sreedharan (L&S). Tell us about your course.

The Interpretation of Fiscal Statutes course was an intriguing course indeed. We learnt about a variety of issues in a very small period of time. Mr. Badrinarayan was an extremely supportive and engaging teacher. He would often discuss current legal issues from various pending cases etc. and would test our critical thinking abilities by requiring us to provide our own opinions on the same. This added a whole new dimension to the teaching and, frankly, made it thoroughly enjoyable.

You have also been a Teaching Assistant for Professor Saurabh Bhattacharjee in the Legal Method-I Course (2013 & 2014). Can you tell our readers about your experience?

Being Teaching Assistant required me to assist Professor Bhattacharjee in providing guidance to the First Year students, give them feedback on their work, grade their papers etc. I tried my level best to extract and highlight the core issues from the various problems given to them as case studies, whilst also explaining to them how to do the same, on their own.

It was a learning experience for me as much as for the first year students themselves, who would make some novel points which may have not occurred to me initially. Further, it gave me a wonderful insight into the pressures, and responsibilities that a teacher faces which I feel I will keep in mind, should I ever change my line of work and seek to become a teacher, in the future.

What would be your inclusions to make an exemplary CV?

I feel an exemplary CV would be one that highlights the all-round character of the individual concerned. It should seek to bring out a balance of all his complementary skill-sets be it in areas of academics, co-circular or extra-curricular activities, etc.

Playing the role of the protagonist in the University Annual Theatre Production (2012) titled “God” by Woody Allen must have been a moment of pride. Tell us about your experience.

Taking part in the University Theatre Production was a very memorable experience. I participated in the auditions and the subsequent play with the intent to enjoy myself. Admittedly, there were some scenes of the play, which required a bit of hard work from all of us, acting-wise, but with the encouragement of my friends and co-participants it became a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

How did you garner interest in Tax? Tax being a dry subject, what would be your tips to law students?

I garnered an interest in tax mainly because of my internship with Mr. Parasaran. I got a chance to work on numerous tax matters and issues with him. Researching, analysing, and discussing them with sir increased my liking for the subject.

Every subject has some dry area or the other. Tax is no different. Unfortunately, the areas that we are taught in law schools at best give an overview of tax. The more practical issues and nuanced matters are hardly taught. Further, very few people intern in dedicated tax teams of firms. Moreover, even if they do, they intern for four weeks at most, of which unlike other areas of law it takes three weeks to grasp the basics of the subject. Due to these reasons many people tend to have a mental block regarding tax laws and already start on a negative footing with the subject.

I myself used to feel this way before interning with Mr. Parasaran. Ultimately it comes down to your ability to avoid these mistakes and give the subject a chance.

How was your work experience of working at Ernst and Young. Mumbai?

My time at EY Bombay was a new experience because for the first time, I was working in a multi-disciplinary work environment with both lawyers and chartered accountants. It gave me a perfect insight into the nascent stages of any tax dispute, something that is not usually seen in a law firm or a under a counsel. I learnt how claims were negotiated with the Department at the initial stages and saw how they escalate into full blown litigations.

How was it to intern under Mr. Mohan Parasaran?

I worked under Mr. Parasaran whilst he was still Additional Solicitor General of India in the Supreme Court in 2012. This internship, I must admit, was the most exciting one that I have done, as I interned at a time when the ASG’s office had innumerable high profile matters in the Supreme Court. To name a few, Mayawati’s DA case, the Enrica Lexcie Matter, the Presidential Reference on Auctioning of Public Resources etc. I got an opportunity to draft, research and discuss on these matters with sir on the various legal issues involved, having significant ramifications like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act case. This was also the internship that got me interested in tax laws as Mr. Parasaran handled many tax matters in the Supreme Court as well. One of the more famous ones was the Vodafone dispute.

How did you bag your job at L&S? Please walk us through your appointment procedure. What is your work profile like at L&S?

I interned with L&S for about one and half months during the summer break of 2014. I worked on a variety of matters with a variety of teams on the litigation side. There were a couple of matters where I got the chance to work with Mr. Lakshmikumaran directly. Ultimately at the end of the internship, I was informed by the HR, that they would like to hire me. I did not have to give any interview.

As regards my job profile, I am just starting and we are going through our training period. Therefore I am not in a position to comment on that, at this moment. All, I can say is that I will be doing litigation work before various forums.

What do you think should be the reasonable standards of a student approaching top-notch law firms?

I do not believe that there are any specific standards that can be adhered to by a law student to approach a top-notch law firm. This is because most law firms have their own methods of assessing students and interns. Further, the availability of vacancies, ability to fit into the firm’s work culture etc. also plays a significant role which we as students do not initially, quite understand or realise. Admittedly, having a decent academic score, publications, moots, organisational & extra-curricular achievements behind you do help to increase the options available, and the chances of the student getting suitably placed.

Further, there are some fundamental qualities such as confidence, a positive and enthusiastic outlook, willingness to work hard diligently etc, that are appreciated across the board, by law firms and counsels alike.

Nevertheless, ultimately it all depends on the circumstances and how he/she comes across on the day, or period of assessment.

How do you think a successful speaker should nurture himself/herself? Do you idealise any specific person who his/her power of speech?

Like developing any other skill-set, speaking skills also develop the most with practice. Further, apart from practicing, adequate and thorough preparation of one’s case also helps one come across as a good speaker. No, I do not idolise anyone but there are some great public speakers & parliamentarians, both historical figures and present day ones, whose abilities have impressed me.

What is your message to current law students?

We all should endeavour to enjoy our times in law school to the fullest and never miss an opportunity to learn and grow as individuals and professionals.
June 3, 2015
D Divyanshu, Counsel, Star India, on job interview and experience in media laws
Divyanshu is a graduate of NUJS (2015 batch). Divyanshu interned in various law firms and also successfully completed an internship period in Vodafone India Limited, Legal Department, New Delhi. Divyanshu is largely interested in Media and Broadcasting laws and have landed a job at Star India on graduation.

Divyanshu is also a great performer of Theatre and Music, and have performed in many events, in this interview we talk about:
- The journey through five years of NUJS
- Being a performer of theatrics and music
- Experience of interning with Vodafone and various law firms
- Getting through to Star India as an in-house counsel
What caused your inclination towards law? Was it an event of chance or an affect of deliberate effort?

Growing up in Jamshedpur, the career choices that were shoved down our throats, to mildly put it, were very limited. Everyone expected a student to clear any of the numerous engineering entrance tests, get a B Tech degree and THEN decide what he/she wanted to do with his/her lives. In fact thinking of pursuing medical was considered rebellious. Hence I was never really fully exposed to the so called “alternative” career choices. But thankfully, I had a senior who had given CLAT and informed me about the concept of national law schools in general. With a rough understanding of the curriculum and the lucrative job prospects that were reflected in the placement records of the national law schools, my interest piqued. For the sake of my mother’s peace of mind I maintained that I will give all the standard engineering entrance exams and keep CLAT as a backup even though I knew my aptitude was more in line with CLAT. This was eventually reflected in my results where all my engineering entrance tests results made people question my intelligence while in CLAT I managed to get one of the best colleges in the country. Convincing my family became a lot easier. They are still under the presumption that it was an event of chance which just proves they had low expectations.

Law Schools provide a plethora of opportunities – from moot courts to legal journalism to corporate operations to litigation. How do you think a student should select the right by himself?

The good thing about law schools is that the five years give you enough time and traction to set your goals straight and decide definitively what you want to do in life. You really don’t need to have a set career path chosen in the first year of college itself. There is nothing wrong if you do but don’t be scared if you don’t. At the end of the day, that is what law schools are for, to throw enough experience at your face over the course of five years that you are able to make the right choice or at least land around the vicinity of what you want. Internships will always provide you with the seminal moments in which you would understand the kind of work you are comfortable with. So a student has to smartly utilize his/her vacation periods and try to have as many different internship experiences as possible.

Tell us about your timeline at NUJS. How do you think it put your growth in progression?

The biggest advantage of studying in such a law school, in addition to the celebrated faculty members, or the myriad of opportunities that the college provides, is the presence of intellectual and hard working peers. I was actually terrified by the fact that I was surrounded by a bunch of over-achievers but it turned out to be a good thing for me as it taught me the value of hard work. And it was not one of those crippling and cut throat competitive environments, people were there to help you out in a moment’s notice. The environment prompted me to moot, to write, to debate, to voice my opinion or to simply have an opinion on a matter. While such things might not sound much to our readers, for a guy like me whose biggest concern for the day was to ensure that I downloaded the latest episode of whichever series I was hooked on that week, it was a much needed change that prepared me for professional life.

Another important aspect of NUJS was the active involvement of its students in extra-curricular activities. I was the convener of the Cultural Committee as well as the Fest-Coordinator for one of the best cultural fests in the law school circuit, Outlawed. The immense experience of working in a team or leading a group for a common cause that I got while holding these two positions can definitely be termed as one of the most enriching in my college life.

The ratio of students moving towards corporate houses as opposed to litigation is high as ever. What do you think are the reasons for it?

While at the outset it does look like the classic case of people opting for the more materialistic stuff in life, you can’t really blame the students for choosing a financial stable alternative. Law schools are an expensive affair. Unlike our fellow IIT-ians and their elite institutes, we are not provided with that level of concessions and financial aids by the government, leaving most of the national law schools with little choice but to charge almost two lacs per annum as fees. Many of my classmates, including me, have taken educational loans, which with its exorbitant interest rates, requires us to sway towards the well paying corporate jobs. I personally am intrigued by the work ethics and environment in corporate houses and I count my lucky stars (pun intended) that I got a big media house like STAR India, but many of my friends who wanted to litigate were bound simply by their apprehensions of financial instability and had to opt for the so called cushiony offers.

But thankfully, there has also been recent increase in the number of national law school alumni setting up their private practices and recruiting young, hard working individuals with decent pay, which has at least solved the problem of the so called need of “connections” of getting good work in litigation.

You have interned at Vodafone India Limited, Legal Department, New Delhi. Tell us about your work there.

My internship in Vodafone was timed perfectly. I was appointed in the regulatory office in New Delhi where most of my days were spent in the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal where one of the biggest telecom disputes between the government and telecom operators was undergoing. It was the Adjusted Gross Revenue matter in which the telecom operators wanted the exclusion of certain revenue heads from the total license fee which is given to the government for the usage of the spectrum.

The who’s who of the legal world was a part of this matter, most of the bigger names being on the side of the telecom operators. I was the only intern in that office and was privileged enough to accompany my mentor in all of the conferences with the senior advocates.

Another memorable part of the internship was when the company sent me to Jammu High Court for a labour law related matter. There I understood the importance of alternative dispute resolution in a sensitive matter involving employees of a company and how negotiation can go a long way in achieving the desired results without the hassle of litigation.

The internship was very fruitful, given the fact that it exposed me to the working of an in house legal team which had premised itself to a hands on approach to all its work contrary to the popular opinion people have of in house work. The internship also helped me in learning a lot about the broadcasting laws and legal policy which was immensely helpful for my STAR India interview as well.

Through your years of law school, you have worked with various law firms. Which subjects do you think have most relevance for working with such firms?

I really believe that ensuring that you are in sync with the work given to you during internships in law firm depends more on the ability of the student to use legal resources at his/her disposal than any previous knowledge on any subject. It is all about working smart rather than working hard. While subjects like Corporate Law and Securities Law do seem to come in handy for many of the corporate law firm internships, the vastness of these subjects render it difficult to be prepared for all kinds of problems that might be hurled at you. Hence according to me the most relevant thing for working in such law firms would be subjects like Legal Methods where the student understands the art of legal research and methodology.

Companies of every industry have certain mutual professional ethics. What would you say are the mutual ethics of law firms?

Based entirely on the internships that I have done in various law firms, I am of the opinion that recent trend in many law firms in general is to adopt the methods and practices of corporate governance prevalent in many industries. The ethics pretty much reflects the ones present in companies, and such instances are even present in small firms. I think that customer satisfaction which is now reflected on various online firm rating portals has prompted the firms to consider ethics as a strong image building tool.

Do you think acquiring great grades is a necessity to be placed in the top-tier law firms?

Yes, it is and frankly speaking there is nothing wrong with that. Good grades are the surest way a top-tier firm can ascertain whether the candidate is dedicated and suitable for the environment present in these firms. If a student has managed to maintain good grades over the five years of college, his/her hard work is recognised by these firms. Having said that, the top-tier firms solely do not depend on grades for their selection but it definitely constitutes a major aspect in their decision. On the flipside, if one has average grades, chances are he/she will not find work in top-tier firms according to his/her liking.

Please share your experience of performing at different college fests. Have you ever thought of pursuing it professionally?

Theatre and music always fascinated me and thankfully I was provided with a lot of opportunities during my college years to pursue it. I was never really great so pursuing it professionally was a thought that never crossed my mind (except during certain exhilarating periods in my life). But yes, any chance to perform on a stage was an exhilarating experience and I believe it all culminated in helping me understand the importance of team work and social skills in any kind of work I do. I am certain that these experiences will help in the professional world as well. Additionally, the connections between the legal profession and theatricality are often quoted to be strong.

How did you bag your current job at Star India? Please walk us through your appointment procedure and interviews.

Our Campus Recruitment Committee was contacted by Star India intimating their interest in hiring new recruits from our college. The Committee arranged for interviews of the shortlisted candidates.

Having interned in Vodafone India, I was well versed with broadcasting laws and the regulatory system in place as it was similar to the ones governing the telecom industry. This proved to be helpful during the interview. Additionally I was sure about my decision of starting my career as an in house counsel and was effectively able to convince them of the same.

Star India shortlisted candidates on the basis of their CVs. Subsequently the shortlisted candidates had their interview taken by an HR personnel and a member of the legal team of the company. They started off with the general questions regarding myself and my family. The subsequent questions were mostly related to my previous internships. The discussion centered mostly on my Vodafone internship. One important question on which I was grilled the most was the reason for my choosing a corporate house over a firm for starting my career. I was also teased by them on the fact that I loved theatre and hence my ulterior motive for wanting this job was looking for opportunities to meet actors which I profusely denied albeit unconvincingly. All in all it was a fun and relaxed interview.

What all does your work profile at Star India include?

The first nine months in Star India would be a training period in which I would be working in every sub group of the legal team. Hence my work profile for now is amorphous and I have to engage in all kinds of projects from litigation to regulatory work to contract drafting. It is after the completion of this training period that I will be given a definite work profile.

If you could rewind the clock, are there things which you would have undone? How do you advice our readers to make the most in their law school tenure?

No, I would not change a thing. I strongly believe that the mistakes that I might have committed over the last five years were equally, if not more, important in the overall development of my personality. While the clichéd-ness of the previous line even made me roll my eyes, it is true. Hence I would like to advice the readers, to take risks during your law school tenure, try everything from mooting, to debating, to writing; you never know what might click for you. And of course, partying is an important aspect of law school life because all work and no play… you know how it ends.

How do you see the bigger picture five years from now? Are you looking forward to LL.M from abroad?

While I have a set answer for this question from when I was preparing for all my interviews, frankly I don’t have a concrete thought for where I picture myself in five years. I am currently excited about starting my career in STAR India and hopefully over the course of my time there I will be able to fructify a successful picture for myself. Yes, I have given thought to LL.M abroad, but not before three years of working. But I do keep finding myself on different universities websites, looking at their scholarships.

What would be your parting message to our readers who are mostly law students, law aspirants and lawyers?

For all the readers, congratulations, you have taken the step in the right direction. Where many fail to even understand the concept of career choices, you have chosen one which provides immense opportunities. And almost all of these opportunities will not dilute the importance of the things that you will learn over the course of five years. Hence be happy with the certainty that you have added in your life. Just remember to have fun while you are at it.
June 3, 2015
Akshay Sewlikar, Trainee, Linklaters, on being a star mooter and law school life at NUJS
Akshay Sewlikar is a fifth-year law student of WBNUJS, who has been recruited by Linklaters for a TC. In his five years of law school, Akshay pursued a course on Acquisition and Merger under NUJS Summer School Programme. He also participated in various moot court competition amongst which are Fiat Justitia Moot Court Competition, Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court Competition Pre-Moot, 12th Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition. He also successfully completed a tenure of internship at Linklaters LLP, London.

In this interview, we talk about –
- His journey as a sojourner in WBNUJS
- Pursuing the Acquisition and Mergers course and its credentials.
- The strategies he acquired after mooting in various moot court competitions.
- His period of internship at Linklaters LLP, London.
- The procedure for application in Linklaters LLP, London.
What inclined you in the pursuit of law? Was it an event of chance or was it an effect of deliberate measures?

I had opted for science after the 10^th standard but realised soon enough that it was not my cup of tea. I started looking for options. I realised that law perfectly suited my interests, and it had always been at the back of my mind as an option. I switched mathematics for psychology, although I carried on with science.

After we had moved to Mumbai in my 12^th standard, I joined a CLAT coaching centre and prepared for the exam. So, all in all, choosing law was a very deliberate, thought out process for me.

Tell us about your pre-college life as well as educational background. Do you come from a legal lineage?

My pre-college life was pretty normal, although it involved a lot of moving. I did most of my schooling from various small towns and districts in Maharashtra, except my 12^th that was from Mumbai. I did my 11th and 12th from junior colleges, as is the norm in Maharashtra. I am a third generation lawyer. My father is a serving judge and my grandfather also retired as a judge before him.

Tell us about your experience of WBNUJS. Is there any specific event you would like to share?

NUJS has been a wonderful experience. I have had the opportunity to learn from some of the best professors who are experts in their subjects. The opportunities that the college provides are also endless. I have had the chance to represent the institution in a number of national and international competitions, interact with internationally renowned experts in various fields and learn from them.

NUJS offers students a level of freedom that is unparalleled and this is what distinguishes it from other law schools. This freedom extends from the courses – a number of optional subjects and credit courses are available, to what students do in their free time. This freedom allows students to develop their interests fully and definitely helped me.

Although I cannot pinpoint any particular experience, the course on Law and Impoverishment offered by Prof. Saurabh Bhattacharjee was something that changed my approach towards the law. The way the poor and impoverished are treated in society as well as by the law is something that every law student should be taught. It is courses like this that have moulded my approach and I have NUJS to thank for it.

How was your experience of learning Mergers and Acquisitions by Prof. Umakanth Varottil under NUJS Summer School Certificate Programme (June 2013)?

Prof. Umakanth needs no introduction. Although he teaches at the National University of Singapore (“NUS”), he often takes time to come to India and teach students here. He was regularly associated with the NUJS-NUS Summer School and offered a three credit course on Mergers and Acquisitions there over a period of two weeks.

The course not only dealt with mergers and acquisitions, but covered corporate law as well. He explained highly complicated concepts and issues to students with no grounding in corporate law in an incredibly simply manner. I learned almost all the corporate law I know through this course. The course taught me almost the whole of the little corporate law that I have been able to understand throughout the five years at law school.

What do you think are the traits of a successful speaker?

(Akshay has participated in various moot court competitions including Fiat Justitia Moot Court Competition, Frankfurt Investment Arbitration Moot Court Competition Pre-Moot, 12th Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition and many others.)

The most important thing about mooting is hard work and preparation. You do not need to be a stellar orator to be a good speaker. However, you should know all the aspects of the problem at hand – the law, the facts as well as any probable arguments that might be used by the other side. All this does take up time, but the experience of delivering an argument well is very exhilarating.

On top of all of this, the oft repeated idiom, practice makes man perfect also applies to moots. Practicing with friends, teammates, seniors and even professionals helps a lot. During speaking, one has to be very polite when dealing with judges. Cultural sensibilities have to be accounted for in international moots, where each judge on your panel could be from a different country. Being prepared for and answering any questions that are thrown your way is one very important aspect that cannot be ignored. However, the most important thing is to have fun while speaking.

What are the essentials for a moot team should to do while preparing for a moot court competition?

(Akshay is also the Coach of the moot team representing WBNUJS in ELSA WTO Law Moot Court Competition 2015 and Willem C. Vis Arbitration Moot 2015.)

There are two aspects that need to be looked at during moots viz. memo writing and the speaking rounds. Teams need to prepare well for both. The memo usually counts towards the marks during most moots, with notable exceptions such as the Vis moots. A memo should be well researched, should cover all the issues and be well formatted. Taking help from seniors and others who have done the moot before you is usually quite helpful.

Once the memo has been submitted, the entire team (researcher included) has to focus on the speaking. At the cost of sounding repetitive, practice is very important. Teams must also keep in mind that like any other competition, luck plays an important role in moots. Not losing heart after a bad round or a bad competition is also an important aspect that should not be ignored by teams.

You have also authored publications of exemplary content. Can you tell our readers the protocols you follow to write such articles?

I do not have a specific process or protocol that I follow while writing articles. I find an issue that I am interested in and just write about it. However there are a few things that I am particular about. I make sure that the article is up to date on the day I send it for publication. Any new case, article etc. should be discussed, otherwise the article remains incomplete. I personally do not enjoy reading articles that use unnecessarily complicated language. So I avoid prolixity and keep it short.

Other than that, there is nothing in particular that I follow, except any guidelines that have been issued by the journal or publishers.

In a brief, what are your views on Labour Standards in Investment Arbitration?

There is a reference to labour standards in most Bilateral Investment Treaties (“BITs”). However, this reference is mostly aspirational and does not create any binding obligations on States. However, I think that labour standards can be introduced in investment arbitration through human rights. Although this inter-disciplinary linkage has its own set of difficulties, the introduction. You can find my views on this issue here:

http://kluwerarbitrationblog.com/blog/2014/03/18/introduction-of-labour-standards-in-investment-arbitration/.

You have also interned with Linklaters, London. Tell us about your experience of working there.

Working with Linklaters was a wonderful experience. Known as vacation schemes, a large number of training contracts for most English firms are offered through these programs. During the scheme I was working with two different teams. At both these “seats” I was exposed to international deals and disputes from various parts of the world. The work was challenging and interesting and permitted me to gain an insight into the way that Linklaters functioned as a law firm.

The vacation scheme differs from most internships we do in India with respect to the kind of events that are organized for the students. Known as socials, they allow to you interact with a range of people who work at the firm, from senior partners to trainees. These socials also encouraged interaction between the vacation schemers themselves and involved activities such as drinks on the London Eye, dinners at Michelin star restaurants and learning to cook pizzas and sushi. These socials also allowed the vacation schemers to interact with each other in a more informal setting.

Overall, the Linklaters internship was a really enjoyable experience because of the atmosphere in the firm which was very cordial and genial. You could approach anyone for any doubts you had or just an informal chat without harbouring any second thoughts. Plus, the three weeks in London are an added bonus!

Can you tell our readers how you prepared for this internship?

I actually did not prepare for the internship in London as such – it was more for the interview. Getting a place on a vacation scheme is a long drawn out process which lasts around two months approximately. You have to fill a form (a lengthy one at that) which is then scrutinized by the firm. You also have to appear for an IQ test known as the Watson-Glaser test. If you qualify after this test you may be shortlisted for the interview by the firm. Linklaters holds this interview for students from all law schools together in Mumbai. The interview itself consists of four parts – a Watson Glaser test, an e-tray exercise, the HR interview and the technical interview.

It is for these interviews that you need to prepare. I did a few practice sessions of the Watson Glaser tests and try a few sample e-tray exercises.

The technical interview is based on a problem that you have to solve during the e-tray exercise. The facts deal with a proposed merger and acquisition, with issues that face the company with respect to this merger. General commercial awareness, knowledge about the firm is also tested during this interview. For this, reading the newspapers such as the Live Mint, Economic Times regularly helped me a lot. I also read up about the firm and its history.

Do you think the professional ethics of London differ from what we experience within the nation?

The cultural difference does make a little difference when it comes to work ethics. All the people I spoke to were courteous and were always ready to talk to you about anything. Everyone is very punctual and events seemed to be planned to the second. I did not notice anyone being hauled up for mistakes in front of others – a welcome departure from Indian firms where everyone has stories about associates being yelled at in front of everyone.

Any tips and caveats on how to frame a CV?

The only tip that I would like to offer is to not plan your CV. A lot of people do a moot, try writing an article or join a committee in college just to increase CV value – with specific goals for each year. Instead of just running after a perfect CV, try and explore avenues in areas of your choice. The CV will develop automatically.

Experiencing all the activities in law school – be it writing articles, debating or mooting helps in realizing what one is passionate about. Interning with a variety of organizations also helps in figuring out where your interests lie. There are also a variety of courses offered by a number of universities both in India and abroad, which would help in cultivating these interests. Most of these courses provide scholarships to students and are wonderful opportunities to network and build contacts.

Last but not the least, what is your message for our readers?

Enjoy the five years in law school and make the most of them! To quote Dr. Seuss:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.”
May 31, 2015
Samkit Sethia, Associate, Trilegal, on managing seven papers and twelve internships
Samkit Sethia is a graduate of 2015 Batch of NUJS, Kolkata. He has had an exemplary timeline with the publications of seven papers, completing from twelve internships and has held a series of designations at WBNUJS. He has been chosen to work as an Associate at Trilegal, New Delhi.

In this interview we talk about:
- Lessons learn from the chronicles of his law school journey.
- His idea on how to write papers.
- How he managed his timeline to successfully complete twelve internships.
- Experience acquired from moot court competitions.
Tell us about your life before beginning law school. What inspired you for the pursuit of law?

I went to a boarding school and thus, I remember always enjoying being challenged and sustaining my diverse interests. Learning outside the classroom interested me more and being an avid reader, writer and debater—I felt it was important to think in terms of arguments and develop an individual standpoint. This avenue of growth is what propelled me to pursue law.

Do you come from a family of legal background or are you the first generation lawyer?

I will be the first lawyer in my family. I come from a family where everyone is ultimately expected to join and contribute to the family business; this determinacy also fed into my interest for choosing a career that allows me to be creative with it.

Tell us about the chronicles of your law school journey so far. Is there is specific incident which you would like to share?

Being extremely busy works for me and that is how I managed my time in college.

I kept myself extremely busy throughout most of law school. I was part of many societies and committees at NUJS and that kept me occupied for the most part. In addition, time permitting I interned during the semesters (online research work) and wrote a few papers.

I didn’t compromise on having my share of fun in college; just like everyone else, I always found time for that.

You held a series of designations at WBNUJS. How has been your experience of working with the community?

The most important thing is that it was always a community interacting with the larger community, it could never be just about the individual—which is something I learnt over the years through our experiences in various college societies and committees. Everyone brings so much to the table that it always a wonderful learning experience. You learn to appreciate different perspectives and different types of intelligence as well.

Specifically speaking academic societies allowed me to develop and further my interests in niche areas of law and allowed me to work on something which I enjoyed outside of the stipulated college curriculum.

Being Coordinator of the Recruitment Committee gave me a different kind of exposure; pursuing recruiters, handling administrative tasks and an overall HR lesson. It was a great learning experience and while it took up an awful lot of time, I’d definitely do it all over again.

You have authored seven papers of great content. Which amongst them is your personal stalwart and why?

I’d say working on the paper on the Problems, Pitfalls and Perspectives on Public Interest Litigation in India because I was just not collating information on the paper but constantly bearing in mind the comparative angle vis-a-vis China. This paper was written while I was interning with the Danish Institute of Human Rights and the Legal Aid Society of West Bengal as part of a Study Tour comprising Chinese lawyers who were visiting to analyse how PILs function in India. This forced me to broaden my approach, yet remain nuanced in my reading of the Indian situation.

What do you think are the core qualitative measures of writing an exemplary publication?

Broadly, quality comes from grounded research, your own input and a cogent argument. The most significant for me is relevance for often it turns out that it is easy to get published in specialised areas or spin off a paper on a pivot that you think is “fresh” or “new”, but the real challenge is being able to do that while remaining socially relevant, accessible and cogent. Especially so at the university level when your engagement with the world outside and the discipline is unfettered—which is not the case when you are professionally placed and have demands of work wearing you down.

How do you think every law student should proceed while moving ahead in the timeline of law school?

I think the “professional” nature the degree has acquired given the higher education scenario in India is detrimental to a spontaneous engagement with the subject. I have seen my college mates blindly following the herd when it comes to setting out a fixed plan of internships to do and the kind of brownie points to collect for your CV. While being practical about gaining experience is important, it is also important to indulge yourself by doing whatever interests you so that you can make an informed decision about what you’re suited best to do once you graduate.

You have successfully completed twelve internships in your five years of law school. How did you manage your time alongside all the moot court competitions, paper publications and semester examinations?

I enjoy being busy so this is the kind of schedule that worked best for me. Some of my close friends chose to focus on just a few gruelling internships, or academics and so on. It is all about taking the first couple of years to figure out a rhythm that works best for you. For example, I interned every break but also chose virtual internships during the semesters when my coursework and other activities weren’t too many.

Moot court competitions have held a supreme position in your college life. What are the experiences you would like to share with our readers?

I found it to be a valuable experience because I realized that while reading, researching and prepping for the moots, I learnt an enormous deal about specific areas of law that gets elided in class. Further, while speaking in public in a competitive scenario, it demands you to be thorough, coherent and articulate—seminal skills of a good lawyer!

If left at your discretion, which would you chose foremost – paper publications or moot court competitions?

Paper publications because the curriculum and assessment pattern rarely allows one such creativity and individuation of ideas. Both have their advantages in their own right, but paper publications helped me have a better understanding of the topics I researched as opposed to moots.

What do you think are the epithets of a successful speaker of a moot team?

Brevity and cogency are important skills to me because they stand for a thorough research base and an effortless command over the subject matter. This in turn helps make the argument more convincing.

In a flashback, what are they benchmark achievements did law school have to offer you?

Law school allowed me to nurture friendships, write papers, moot, enjoy most of my weekends, land a job, learn law, intern, travel and otherwise have a fantastic college life. I couldn’t have asked for more!

Last but not the least, what is your message to our readers?

Keep reading Superlawyer!
May 31, 2015
Suveer Bajaj, Co-founder, FoxyMoron, on Digital Marketing, law, and plans for the future
Suveer Bajaj pursued LL.B. from the University of Mumbai, batch of 2012. Prior to that, he had pursued his BMS in Marketing. He is the founding partner of FoxyMoron, a Digital Marketing Company, which is mainly functioning from New Delhi and Mumbai. The company has eminent clients like The L’Oreal Group, Bacardi India, Castrol, Fosters, The Cadbury Group, Asian Paints, The World Wide Media Group, AXN India, VIP Industries, Rajasthan Royals, Quikr and has nine offices between New Delhi and Mumbai.

In this interview we speak to him about:
- The switch from law to marketing
- Essentials for being a successful marketeer.
- The mechanism behind the rapid growth of FoxyMoron.
What motivated you to pursue law?

Law was always the first option for me from an academic perspective right from the time I was old enough to decide what I wanted to study. It definitely wasn’t a virtue of chance. It was a well-educated decision; one I had actually been looking forward to for quite a while before I actually even started studying law.

How would you describe the chronicles of your college life?

I always kept myself active and busy through my college days. I started working literally one week after I got out of school. I actively participated in a number of college activities including the Rotaract club, represented my college in almost every inter-collegiate festival and went on to creating a Model UN session for my college which at the time, was the largest college level MUN in Mumbai. I interned actively through my summers and eventually started FoxyMoron in the summer of 2008 after I completed my second year of degree college. This required me to pull odd hours and double up on both my academic and social life, but I was more than happy to make the sacrifice while in college.

Tell us about your experience as a Space Intern of the renowned newspaper Indian Express.

I interned with the Indian Express Group in the summer of 2007, which was my first summer in degree college. I worked under the direct mentorship under the (then) General Manager of Space Marketing, also known as ad sales. I learned the ropes of how ad sales were done and actively worked with all teams to understand how the dynamic of print advertising works with various departments. It was my first formal interaction with sales targets, corporate discounts and the IRS. We whiled away our lunch breaks at the art room watching how tediously the art directors created the lovely print ads we see in newspapers today.

What are the essential ingredients to become a successful marketer?

There is an age old saying: Sales and Marketing go hand in hand. Neither comes first and neither comes second. In order to understand the ethos of marketing, I think it is important for a good marketer to step out of the grid and start understanding a client’s business objectives as opposed to restricting his horizon to merely a client’s advertising or communication objectives. A good marketer must know how to ad value to his client to extent that he becomes an integral part of the client’s business and thereby becomes indispensable to the business life cycle. Good marketing is always object oriented and resolution led.

How do you think knowing law benefits an entrepreneur?

Sound legal knowledge can help any person in any walk of life. Especially whilst doing business. For instance, in the case of FoxyMoron, my legal knowledge assisted me in drafting my initial partnership agreement and leave and license agreement. At a very young age, we were in a position to understand business risk and could therefore account for its protection. An understanding of company law ensured that as an organization, we were compliant with the various different aspects of “business.” By virtue of the industry that we function in, an introduction to Intellectual Property Law helped in ensuring that our creatives were royalty-managed. All in all, from a business structuring and risk assessment perspective, understanding the law has really assist in the speedy growth of our organization. It has ensured that our growth has been rapid and we haven’t been slowed down by heavy law firms. It has ensured that we create an environment in which we are well aware of our rights and responsibilities and can function independently as empowered entrepreneurs.

How did you choose your co-founder?

The birth of FoxyMoron was a joint decision that we all made collectively. We were all friends well before we started working together.The best advice I can offer people who are looking forward to collaboration with friends is to learn how to keep your personal and professional lives apart. Remember, that by day, you are colleagues, but by night, you are still friends and will still socialize together. Work must never compromise a friendship and neither must a friendship compromise work.

What are the prime hurdles that a non-lawyer entrepreneur has to come across?

One of the prime hurdles that a non-lawyer entrepreneur may have to overcome is insolence due to naivety. It is common with most people that do not know the law to be intimidated by it. It is even more common for people who do not know the law to be taken advantage of, whether commercially or in spirit. Business houses have large legal departments and are often represented by big firms across the company. This by itself can be intimidating. Legal understanding helps put entrepreneurs at par with larger organizations in terms of negotiation. It enables entrepreneurs to understand the extents of their rights and therefore enables them (us) to empower themselves.

Tell us about your journey with FoxyMoron so far.

Our journey has been fabulous. We started with just the four of us, with four laptops, with no seed capital, in my bed room. It’s been six long and fun years and we have grown to a family of over 200 with nine offices between Bombay and Delhi. We represent some of the country’s biggest consumer brands and are powered by a young, talented, enthusiastic bunch of twenty-something year olds that are determined to change the digital landscape in India. Our work has gotten us recognition across the world and has received several awards and accolades. Business has grown organically; both in size and scale. It has been a joyous journey, salt and peppered with a lot of ups and downs, a lot of hurdles, sacrifices and compromised.

What kind of internships would be beneficial for law students who want to pursue entrepreneurship?

For any students who want to pursue entrepreneurship, the best kind of internships are in start-ups. In a start-up, one is made to do literally everything. The exposure that one gains from working in a startup is unmatched. The experience of watching and contributing to the growth, structure and sustainability of a business is what shapes many vocational choices in life. The fact that you will interact personally with top management, the fact that you will do work that isn’t only limited to data entry, the fact that you might have the opportunity to walk into a meeting with a CEO of your client’s company. The journey of a start-up is un-paralleled.

How did you get to work with such big brands in just five years of presence?

(FoxyMoron has served imminent clients like The L’Oreal Group, Bacardi India, Castrol, Fosters, The Cadbury Group, Asian Paints, The World Wide Media Group, AXN India, VIP Industries, Rajasthan Royals, Quikr.)

In India, most businesses are relationship based. Two things that we have really managed to do right over the last five years is:
(1) To retain business that we work with year on year. Most of the clients that we work with are happy to have us back renew contracts annually.
(2) Penetrate large business houses. You may start working with one brand from an organization, but it is important to be able to expand horizontally and vertically inside organization. Working with multiple brands from the same group often assists in sound understanding of the industry and hence helps offer an acute domain specialty.

And of course, at the end of the day, your work speaks for itself! Good work manages to get around, get noticed and pick up a few awards along the way.

Do you think Delhi is a better place to start-up in comparison to other metropolitans?

At present, my work base is still very much Bombay. We have set up shop in Delhi last year and are, in fact, inaugurating our second office in Delhi today, but we are very much head quartered out of Bombay and I very much still operate of Bombay. The capital, however, presents currently, a wonderful diaspora of opportunity. A lot of brands have now shifted head quarters to Gurgoan and hence from a client opportunity stand point, Delhi (Gurgoan) is gold mine from a business perspective.

What are your thoughts about raising capital for FoxyMoron from investors?

FoxyMoron has always been a business that has grown organically year on year. Our limited business understanding has ensured that our business has been in the green since year one itself. Services businesses are usually not capital heavy and hence do not require sizable capital to scale. It has never been our intention to raise capital from investors or therefore, offer equity in exchange for the same. One of the best decisions we made while scaling the business was to retain the independence of running the business as flexibly as we wanted. Allow it to naturally take the shape that it has and come through its journey to reach a point of stability.

When you hire people under you, what kind of skills and profile do you look for?

When we hire people, we look for people that have a flair for communication and have a zest to learn. In our line of work, we understand that it is hard to come by people that have relevant work experience and are happy to take on freshers and train them. We have a robust training, learning & development program and have recently appointed a Chief Learning Office (CLO) to help up skill our teams and keep them up to speed. Students can help develop skills by consistently reading good literature, following international advertising and interacting with Digital Media themselves.

Does the knowledge of law help to have any edge in marketing?

With digital and content marketing, the understanding of Intellectual Property Law is a necessity. The internet is a cess-pool for infringement of IP. The bridge in terms of Law and Digital Marketing definitely lies in understanding IP law and it’s bearings.

Is there scope of legal internships in FoxyMoron?

Yes, we do take on legal interns through the year. Applicants can write to us at careers@foxymoron.org

What is your message for law students who want to pursue entrepreneurship?

Don’t over think things! As lawyers, we are taught to over think everything five times – often, that is the biggest mistake an entrepreneur can make or can get slowed down by. Entrepreneurship is a virtue of gut and instinct. While it is important to be a little thoughtful and conservative in our approach, they only way the ball rolls is when we stop thinking and start doing. Entrepreneurship is about checking things off the to-do list. Not adding more things on.
August 6, 2014