Tell us about yourself – Why did you choose law? If not law, what other career options would you have considered?
Hi, I am Jagriti Sanghi. I am a law graduate of National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. I am a practising Advocate with 3 years of experience in court/tribunals litigation, dispute resolution and corporate advisory.
My practice areas include civil, criminal, consumer, family disputes, arbitration, mediation, insolvency and contractual matters. I regularly appear for cases in the courts of Telangana and as well as across India.
I have a passion in law, be it any subject. If someone asks me about my area of interest in law, I cannot possibly choose one.
This is because I just love the diversity of subjects from which one gathers immense knowledge. I believe that studying law is an art and it includes various aspects including but not limited to interpreting complex situations, breaking down laws, analyzing judgments, researching precedents, case management and writing simplified Articles/Blogs.
If not law, I would have chosen the path of becoming an Army Officer.
What are the best strategies that work for you while dealing with mediation cases? Tell our audience in detail please
So, mediation is quite different from the conventional adjudicatory process of courts. In mediation, there is complete party autonomy. The parties decide for themselves the outcome of the settlement/mediation process. Unlike court, mediation is not about winning and losing.
It is about reaching an amicable and sustainable solution. A court case takes years and years to be decided finally as parties can go for appeals, revision and so on. As a consequence, the parties expend lot of money, time, energy on it.
Since I know the peculiarities of litigation and court procedures, I always encourage my clients to go for mediation especially in family disputes.
The mediator’s duty is to assist the parties in charting out options and showing them the bigger picture after listening to the perspectives of both sides. The parties have to choose the best option for themselves in order to avoid the wasteful battle.
In a case, I urged the couple to go for mediation rather than jumping into long drawn contested case. The mediation worked as the couple settled their issues such as lump sum maintenance amount, custody of child, division of property amongst other things and filed for a mutual divorce with their consent terms.
There are no best strategies as such for mediation to work out. It is primarily about understanding human psychology and brainstorming viable options for the dispute to be settled peacefully between the parties.
How do you see the unconventional roles in law increasing?
My 10th Standard teacher suggested me not to choose law because she thought I would waste my talent in doing notary or basic clerical work in courts with no income. However, she didn’t know that a lawyer can don many roles.
A law graduate can become a Consultant, Paralegal, Human Resource manager, Jounalist, Faculty, Mediator, Contract Specialist, Insolvency Professional, Content Creators, Labour Relations Manager, Arbitrator and I am sure many more.
There are a variety of alternative career options for lawyers beyond the courts unlike past times.
Being an NLU student, what are the extra-curricular activities one must take advantage of? And do you believe that the law firms discriminate on the basis of NLU and Non-NLU?
At University, I used to often participate in moots, research papers, debates, paper presentation and negotiation/mediation competitions as that kept me engaged. These extra-curricular activities enabled me to think critically and opened my mind to new possibilities of research and legal thinking.
These activities should be opted by any law student irrespective of their University tag.
I have interned with many co-interns who were non-NLU students but were equally or in fact more capable and diligent. At least, the law firms I have interned with have not discriminated on the basis of NLU and Non-NLU tag. Their main focus was on the determination and hard work of the candidates.
How do you define “Thinking Legally”? Please elaborate for our audience.
Thinking legally is nothing but strategizing for my clients to come up with best and effective solutions within the confines of our legal system. It is also about learning to interpret and apply the law to a specific factual matrix of the case.
A lawyer has to approach a case from all angles, cull out material facts, avoid emotional entanglement, question everything, accept grey areas, comprehend the objective of laws, precedents and judicial opinions and anticipate the defense.
This trait comes with practice and experience and obviously cannot be mastered in a day. Thinking legally and differently is an ongoing process for any lawyer.
What was that one learning experience in your entire career trajectory that you’d credit to have shaped your career?
I helped a superannuated employee get a favorable order from the High Court of Telangana for his hard earned retirement benefits. It is when I realized that being an Advocate is truly a service to the public. I am devoted to coming up with best solutions for the interest of my clients.
Do you think that participating in National MUN, National Parliamentary Debate or National Moot Court Competition helps in real litigation or legal field?
Yes, definitely. Moot court competitions helped me in enhancing my oratory skills. It also instilled in me the confidence of drafting, researching and arguing legal points. The best part about moot court is that one has to prepare from both sides. That allows a law student to think critically on each and every point.
Because in real life, you can be approached by a client with a very weak side and you are supposed to do represent your client with the best possible arguments.
These competitions also help us to make friends with students from other Universities. These extracurricular activities enhance drafting, legal knowledge, research, command over the formal language, interpersonal skills, confidence and are always a great learning experience in a law student’s life before actually becoming a professional.
Lastly, is there any suggestion or advice that you’d like to give to our readers?
Do not ponder so much about your future, Have life goals and strive for it but always remember to enjoy it in the moment. Life is short and has many surprises for us.
Just make full use of the opportunities at your disposal in the present. This thought will help you to approach things differently. Good luck!
You have a background in science and were also an All India topper in Physics. How did you decide to choose law as a career? Was it a conscious decision?
I hail from the town of IITians, where a kid of 5th standard trying to decode a complex trigonometry equation is very common, but somebody by choice opting for “law” is still not so popular (it wasn’t at least 16 years back! Things have changed now). Modern physics has always thrilled me, and the atmosphere of the town was the perfect mix for this combo. Having said that, unfortunately I could not imagine my entire life trying to code-decode things or trying to unfold the laws of nature. Rather, I would do something closer or direct to the human side of this (literally).
Corporate law became an came as an option when the first time my dad bought me the prospectus of NLS Bangalore and told me about the concept of this “Harvward of the East”. It just clicked with me instantly, and I achieved the career I was destined to. got the career I was destined to.
You started your career as a Business Lawyer and have solid experience in the same. Can you explain to our readers what working in this area of practice entails? What are some of the choices you would suggest that young professionals should be making to excel at Business law?
To my mind, corporate law has always been one of the most popular choices for any law graduate. Whether it’sits M&A, PE-VC, business taxation or caps market, the offerings in this sector areis endless. Starting from a closely handled VC fund raise for a start up to a multi-billion dollar cross border acquisition, the scale and exposure is limitless here. The charm of closing a big-ticket deal is unmatchable, at the same time it demands a huge level of commitment and time from the practitioners.
Law school and internships provide quite a few opportunities to understand this flavour and to be prepared to an extent before you make a debut in this field. Choosing your honors and optional courses wisely (even if it is not a high scorer subject) and paying utmost attention to the final internships could be helpful for the aspirants.
You have worked with some of the country’s leading corporate lawyers, from AZB, Amarchand, JSA, and the like. Tell us about your journey – the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Every organization has its own charm and pros. I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the leading names in of the industry and receive the kind of mentorship I got from them. The best part of working with these leading names is the kind of exposure and confidence it inculcates in you right from the very beginning. helps in developing since your budding stage.
As far as work experience is considered, it depends upon the person you are working with. It really does not matter whether you are working with a top tier or mid-tier firm. For me, Vaish Associates, AZB and JSA all were all equally good and amazing in terms of level of exposure, mentorship and independence, at the given level of experience.
You have now shifted from a pure M&A, PE/VC transactional background to working as an in-house counsel handling various real estate office assets. How exciting and risky was this transition?
It was a tough switch. Coming from a hardcore transactional background, I had my share of concerns and questions before making this switch. Whereas I was confident about switching to an in-house role and experiencing e the field from the other side, I was not certain about the industry I would like to confine. E-Commerce, Pharmaceutical and Real Estate were my being the top options for sure because of their huge dependency on legal function.
It was, however, my stint with JSA when I got the opportunity to work with some of the leading RE giants and realized the kind of work and options they have. Working on the Prestige portfolio acquisition by Blackstone, was the turning point of my career and it made the choice very easy.
After specifying more than a year on this side of the table, I can certainly say that the exposure, diversity and challenges of working in a Real Estate sector and Fund business, is unimaginable. I was actually scared of to getting trapped in a monotonous in-house work culture, but the fact is actually quite opposite of this. Every day is a new challenge here and at times I miss the flat days of work curve in a law firm!
Could you take us through a typical day in your life? Is it possible to carve out time for your other interests or hobbies given your hectic schedule as an in-house counsel?
For me work-life balance is really very important and something I strongly stand for. As a corporate lawyer, we know our jobs and the stakes involved. When required none of us would shy away from giving all nighters or working on 20 deals at a time. But that should not be your routine. You need to have a balanced life and a healthy routine. I agree that there is no substitute for hard work, There is no substitute for hard work, I agree, but there is no substitute for you as well in your family. Giving time to your family, socializing when possible and taking out (whatever left) time for your personal hobbies is very important.
For me, yes, I still work for 12-15 hours minimum per day. But, whenever possible I try to spend time with family, spare some time to paint and get back to my canvas. , and I am dying to wait for the normal world to return so that I could travel again! I don’t want to compromise on any of these things.
You have written more than 40 articles and paper presentations in various reputed journals. How has writing contributed to your career? How important do you feel excelling at research and writing is for Law students? Any advice to them on publications?
Writing articles is a great way to learn and showcase your skills, provided it is on the relevant topics. Law is all about interpretation and drafting, and a good article certainly reflects these two skills of the author. To me, it is a passion- Writing on topics of grey interpretations, gaps in law and new exciting announcements by the authorities. Unfortunately, I do not have much time now. But whenever possible, it’s worth sparing some time for this.
You are always looking for new opportunities and don’t mind taking the plunge. What skills do you think you have that helped you to pull this off? How are you able to learn new skills this fast?
Stability is crucial, at the same time taking risks at times is equally important. As I said, I consider myself fortunate enough to learn from the great legal minds of the industry and with that kind of solid base, I never felt it difficult or even uneasy to pick up a new practice area, sector or a kind of organization. Moreover, it’s about continuous learning and reading, which as corporate lawyers I do not think we can skip at any moment or atin any stage of our career.
Finally, a word of advice for law students and graduates who want to have a successful career in corporate law.
My two cents on this..
(i) Internships are really very important. Take them seriously.
(ii) In the senior versus organization doubt, always choose the senior. No place is good or bad, it’s just the people you work with whowhich shapes the work culture of a place and ultimately your quality of life;
(iii) There is no substitute to hard work and long hours for a corporate lawyer. Try and invest these long hours rather than just spending those.
(iv) Initial 4-5 years’ experience is critical. Gain it. With a solid base, there is no limit in the corporate law world.
(v) Once you gain that position, do not shy away from taking risks or settle for anything unworthy!
How would you describe your job and yourself to a ten year old?
I would explain to him that I advise people to be aware of their decisions and actions. People must be aware of the consequences of these decisions and actions. It is an important job because I advise people how to treat each other on the basis of laws and regulations. Without my job, people might take the wrong decisions and/or do things that negatively affect their lives or others’ lives.
Why does corporate law attract so much attention? What makes it so unique?
In my opinion, corporate law has gained more attention in recent years because of the nature of human relations. People tend to gather because they need each other. This is the same for businesses, as people organise themselves to enter markets together. People need corporate law to ORGANISE themselves and interact with each other regarding their business.
Corporate law is challenging because it is complicated and needs clever attorneys to deal with its complexity. This tempts attorneys to enter this field to prove their capabilities.
In addition to what has been mentioned, corporate law pays well. This might be a reasonable explanation for why corporate law is becoming more popular with legal professionals.
What makes corporate law unique is the fact that it has a wide range and scope. It begins with the entity from the moment of its creation and even before that in some cases. It covers so many areas, such as investor interests, company management, managing the interests of people associated with the company and compliance with legal formalities.
As for professionals working in international law cases, they often say that the cases they’ve come across are quite complex; what’s your take on this?
That’s true. As a legal professional who deals with cross border law cases, in most cases I have to deal with multiple laws, which may indicate differences in the legal interpretation and/or application of such laws. Not to mention the interpretation of the words in the laws themselves.
The differences in legal terms, culture, procedures in international law cases and the multi-jurisdictions that may apply to just one international case make it challenging for me and for other international legal professionals.
Managing the expectations of an international client means another level of difficulty. You must always be accessible to your client, but, due to differences in time zones, you may not be able to answer the client immediately.
What I usually do if this happens and I cannot answer the client immediately, is that I send him a message or a confirmation that I have received his messages or emails and indicate that I will reply to him as soon as possible.
Other aspects that may contribute to the complexity of international law cases are the need for travel outside your country, translations, shipping and receiving international couriers, discoveries, and the procedures of tribunals/courts.
In international organisations and international public law, things tend to be easier, because my work with these clients does not normally require litigation. Usually, I have to prepare international agreements between international organisations and other actors in the area of public international law or offer public international law actors my legal opinion.
Having said that, I want to add that I love to work internationally, despite all the complexities and difficulties associated with international cases, because it really gives you an opportunity to show your skills and capabilities and challenge yourself.
What can be the challenges working in the field of law?
Handling the workload, finding a balance between work and your private life, making good connections, showcasing yourself and your work, and keeping up with the latest advancements and technology may also be challenging, but a key to success at the same time.
What is the difference between legal content and legal writing? How can professionals work on both sides to improve their game?
Well, this is a very important question. Indeed, legal content is different from legal writing in many ways. One of them is that the audience is different for each, as follows:
The audience in legal content: When you write legal content, you have to bear in mind that your audience are often people who know little about the law. You have to explain things clearly, to make sure that they understand what you want to say. You should not use abbreviations or complicated legal terms, nor refer to case law or other external court documents and verdicts that may confuse your audience. Keep it simple.
The audience in legal writing: Your audience here are specialised legal professionals. You have to be totally professional, adhering to a specific writing structure, such as IRAC and/or using writing styles such as the ‘Blue Book’. Use legal terms with these audience and of course you have to refer to case law or legislation to prove your point.
The goals and objectives are also different in each case. The main goals with legal content are raising awareness, marketing and building up your client base, and/or sharing thoughts regarding legal issue, while the main goals and objectives with legal writing are to address a legal issue in a scientific and professional way, to explain and prove your points regarding legal issues, and/or abiding with the formalities that are required in court.
Having clarified some important differences between legal content and legal writing, I want to emphasise that it is highly recommended for legal content to be written by an attorney, a legal professional or at least someone who has a legal education or background. The reasons for this are the following:
Protecting your brand and reputation: Legal content contains legal information, so imagine if someone who knows nothing about legal content writes something that contains false or outdated legal information!
If this happens, your credibility and reputation will be ruined and people will not trust your advice anymore. Beware of this please and do not make such a mistake.
Being responsible: It is true that providing legal content to the public doesn’t constitute an attorney-client relationship nor an attorney-client privilege, but you are morally responsible for the content. This content may be used as a reference or it may influence someone’s decisions or actions. Thus, it needs to be written by an attorney, a legal professional or at least they must review it very carefully before its publication.
Preparing legal content is not an easy job. Searching through legal documents, laws, legislation and case law is hard work and requires a high level of legal education. Search engines dedicated to the law, such as Westlaw, LexisNexis and others, are vital when it comes to legal searches, and unfortunately it is very difficult for non-legal professionals to use these engines properly.
So, it is highly recommended, if not a must, that legal content be written by an attorney, legal professional or at least someone with a legal education or background.
What was your topic of research for your LLM [Master of Laws]? What prompted you to undertake that topic for your research?
I did my LLM in International Law at the College of Law, Stetson University in the USA. The title of the research paper was ‘Ensuring Respect for International Humanitarian Law: Appointing Legal Advisors to Commanders in the Armed Forces’.
I decided to research this topic because I believe that legal advisors can play a vital role in times of both peace and war. In my opinion, everyone needs a legal advisor to help him/her take the right decisions and actions; thus, access to legal aid should always be one of our human rights.
What would your parting message be to all these young budding lawyers?
It was nice talking to you and I would like to tell you guys that you should believe in yourselves, be proud of being lawyers, and do not forget to give back by pro bono or in any way you can.
Is law something you were inclined to pursue, and why did you decide to pursue it?
While growing up, I aspired to become a couple of things, but law never crossed my mind. Pursuing law was never part of my plan. While pursuing Commerce in senior secondary I had Business Studies as a subject wherein for the first time I came across partnership law. I found it quite interesting. After that, I went on to pursue B. Com where I had Company Law, tax laws, partnership laws as some of subjects.
My interest in law increased but it was limited only to commercial aspects of law. After that I decided to pursue Bachelors in Law (LL.B).
What was your Law School journey like?
I pursued my LL.B from Campus Law centre, Faculty of law, (Law Fac) University of Delhi. It was a whole different world. There were students from all walks of life.
From struggling to attend morning classes to exploring nearby food joints, from having most crucial legal discussions over tea to attending fests across DU, my college life at law faculty is very integral to what I am today.
After my LL.B I pursued my LL.M from the Indian Law Institute. The culture at ILI was completely different from Law Fac. Multiple assignments, presentations, Wednesday seminars and daily class work kept me on my toes. It required a lot of hard work and smart work.
I can proudly say that ILI has prepared to be calm in most stressful situations. I remember one of our professors would send a 100-150 pages article at 5:00 in the evening and we had to read it, analyse, and make comments for the early his morning classes.
Little did I know how important a life skill he was teaching us. Today, when I have stressful work situations, I stay calm, and I have the confidence that I can do it within the limited time frame.
I pursued my second master’s degree in International Business Law (IBL) from University of Helsinki (UH). The college culture was nothing like my previous educational institutions. However, when I got admission, it was the COVID period, and all my classes were held online. I had a 9-month-old when I started my LL.M at UH.
It was a challenging phase, not getting enough sleep at night, waking up preparing meals and attending early morning classes. There were times when
I would switch of Zoom camera during the lectures, feed my daughter during the class holding her head from one hand and making class notes from another. But the study culture in at DU and ILI had prepared me well enough to cover maximum syllabus in a short span, filter through huge study material and find important points and trained me well in writing answers. I participated in multiple events organised by the University and the Student Wing of Lawyer’s Union.
Kindly brief us about your initial struggles in the beginning of your professional career.
My career struggles are two folds, the first one was in India and the second in Finland. I am the first lawyer in my family. My parents were unsure of the choice of my career but have always been supportive even when they had practical doubts.
The struggles for the pioneers of legal profession in a family are quite real, especially when you are a woman. However, I was fortunate that there were online platforms where job advertisements for junior positions were posted. I got the opportunity work with and learn from Supreme Court Lawyer Adv(DR.) A.K Gautam. Once you gain a bit of experience, learn your craft then the legal fraternity is open, and you can explore your professional options.
When I moved to Finland, my Indian experience and education was not of much use while looking for a job. I could not even get a trainee position. It was a difficult and that made me take the decision of pursuing my second LL.M.
While pursuing LL.M I realized that knowing the language was quintessential to legal roles. I saw Data Privacy as an area where I believed and assumed that most work would be done in English as Data flow is transnational. I developed an interest in the area as well.
I found a trainee position after being rejected by almost 20 places. Good things take time; I found a trainee position in one of the biggest MNC in Finland and that experience helped my professional journey. However, it’s not that easy, I still feel the need to learn Finnish language as without it I am restricted in my career growth.
If a contract is in local language, my merits are of limited use there. I also understood that as an immigrant I need to work way more than a local. Since I had charted my way into privacy, I decided to be part of International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and applied to be part of IAPP Helsinki Knowledge Net Chapter.
I am a Young Privacy Professional (YPP) with the Helsinki Chapter. There is a lot more to be done and miles before I go to sleep.
Tell us about your current role and how do you plan your day?
I am a Privacy Specialist working with Tietoevry Finland. My job involves ensuring privacy and GDPR compliance withing the workstream I work. It involves reviewing commercial contracts, analysing the need for Data Processing Agreements, making impact assessments, and negotiating with clients in matter related to privacy. In short, I deal with the aftermath of Schrems 2 judgement.
I am very structured in my approach. I like to have a clear idea of things I am supposed to do, and I prioritize my cases depending on deadlines, the billing from client etc. I have developed a system to do my work and I like documenting things for future review. My calendars are well maintained and are up to date. I reserve around 15 hours weekly for working alone, around 12 hours go into meetings and rest is for contingencies and writing mails. However, there is no rigid rule, and each day looks different depending upon the need of the hour.
I like to maintain a balanced approach in my work life and personal life. My work hours begin around 7:30 in the morning and I like to end my day by 15-15:30 in the afternoon. I start early so that I can have the whole of evening to spend with my daughter. I reserve 1 hour after dinner to read about new legislations or cases coming in the privacy arena or anything that interests me.
What’s your take on privacy regulations in India? We have seen many industries violating the rules during covid specifically in India, what improvements do you suggest?
In India, Right to Privacy is an integral part of Right to Life and personal liberty under Art. 21 of the Constitution. It includes rights to erasure, right to be forgotten etc.
However, a law strictly dealing with protection of personal data, ensuring proper compliance by companies processing personal data, and tackling the issues in modern digital world. is much needed. The Personal Data Bill 2019 has been withdrawn and as many as 80 changes were suggested in the Bill. Protecting personal data should be the prioritized specially when Data is the new Oil.
The Bill has many lacunas, there were criticism from many well versed in the area. My suggestion would be to have a Bill that focuses on protecting Individual’s personal data with a balanced approach towards the controllers and processors.
Do you think AI and Legal Tech can pose some challenges as well with a bunch of benefits in the legal industry? If yes, please share the same with our audience.
Legal tech and AI are in their growing field, there is much that is unknown. There are developments in AI every day. Witnessing formation of a new law can be challenging and full of opportunities. There has been a surge in demand for tech lawyers, legal professionals specialized in privacy laws and cyber security. I believe professionally growth in AI and Legal tech offers an opportunity of employment and growth.
Were there any specific roadmap or strategies that led you to success in law, or it was all unplanned right from the beginning.
During my LL.M in IBL I opted for Information Law as a subject and that is when I decided to take more optional courses in the area of privacy. I also figured that in the privacy sphere most work will be done in English and not Finnish. And after I was sure about my career path, I planned my growth parameters, being part of IAPP was one of them.
I felt that being an immigrant with no or little professional network, networking is what was needed, IAPP events provided an opportunity to network with other privacy professionals and their bulletin kept me aware of latest developments.
I stepped out of comfort zone and reached out to alums of IBL course asked for their advice on how and where to apply, attended multiple mentorship programs, CV and cover letter writing sessions held by top consulting firms, lawyers working as in house legal counsel, privacy counsels and privacy specialists.
I had to start from scratch all over again and this time it was more difficult as I was not in my country, I did not speak or understand the language spoken in the country I am residing.
According to your experience, what specific observations one must make while reviewing the commercial agreements and contracts that too according to the GDPR compliance?
The first thing you must see are the signing parties, if both are in EU, then check if the client has entities outside EU/EEA, what are the sub processors being used by the client to process your organisation’s personal data, what kind of data is being processed, why is the data being processed, what is the category of data subjects, is sensitive data being processed, are global cloud service providers involved, where are the data centres, what are the additional security measures listed.
Once you have answer to these questions, see if there is transfer outside EU/EEA, then an SCC would be required except for adequate countries. Once it has been reviewed legally, ensure to collaborate with your privacy manger to check the privacy measures taken by the client.
Lastly, as a woman in law, what would your advice be for the upcoming female legalprofessionals?
There is nothing women cannot do; they might be restricted because of their circumstances but they surely can achieve anything the set their eyes on.
Hard work pays off and from one woman to another, if I can do it, so can you!
Ask for help and advice when needed and empowered women around you will guide and empower you!
What was your “slam-book career aim”? How well did it go?
What I will call my “slam-book career aim” was a really hopeful one. It was clearly to be a lawyer at a time and later to become the chief justice of Nigeria. As this career aim would suggest, I was an audacious child- thinking I could be anything with little regard to the humongous amount of efforts that great attainments require.
It is going well- not easy as thought but even more accomplishing, with supports and relentless efforts. I have now become a lawyer and probably will one day become the chief justice of Nigeria. Although the realities of the Nigerian judiciary reduce its attraction.
You are a young generation lawyer; you must have enjoyed your graduation. Would you like to share any “funny-legal” memories of student life?
Indeed, I made beautiful memories and enjoyed school and graduation. I was a frequent participant in moot and mock competitions and professional student activities, so I recall several “funny-legal” memories. To point to an interesting one was my time as the Chief Justice of Students in University of Ilorin during my undergraduate days- we would engage in serious court sessions where student lawyers will present serious arguments in the student court which I presided over- it was a serious business which greatly impacted on students lives on campus- looking back the best description for it is “funny-legal” memory.
I live to relish the memory, it makes me laugh upon reminiscence and realize my endearment of the legal profession and analytical arguments, presentation and adjudication since early university years. I was participating in these activities for reasons I could not exactly point to, it is interesting, how the reasons and justifications for events become clear after the events.
How has been your experience thus far working as a technology lawyer and how do you see it evolving further?
The practice of technology law is immersive. Technology law is by far the fastest-paced aspects of law- given the non-stop innovative advancements in the technology space- which the law continuously strive to keep up with. My experience has been eye-opening. On an high level, through my experiences at G. Elias, I have been able to interact with the laws on different level both as a solicitor and barrister- learning directly from advising and representing mainstream companies across different sectors in highly significant transactions and disputes. The role of a lawyer is delicate and demanding.
The amount of dedicated hours required for work and amount of caution required to ensure that no stone is left uncovered and nothing is amiss in assisting the client go a long way. Being well abreast of the traditional areas of law, being progressively evolving and familiar with emerging technologies and giving in the required amount of work are the hallmark of an excellent technology law practitioner, especially a young one like myself.
The ever-evolving nature of technology warrants that laws pace faster in innovation and reach. I imagine that in few years, emerging fields and grey areas will become frequented areas of law- the growth and immersion of the blockchain, metaverse, new economies (such as tokens, cryptocurrency and virtual assets) evince this projection. A major challenge however is how far law can in fact regulate technology- giving the superiority of technology in speed and evasion, for instance, the regulation of Big-Tech companies, the policing of cross-border data transfer, jurisdictional conflicts in the metaverse, among many other unresolved aspects.
Can you please briefly explain the idea behind both of your startups, and what are the brownie points one must consider before building any sort of startup?
I have co-founded two fast-growing early-stages start-ups; Droitware (www.droitware.com) and Harib Academy. The co-founding of Droitware was motivated by my first-hand experiences with the several issues that the Nigerian (and Africa) legal justice systems face, especially the problems of (i) justice delay, (ii) incoherent legislations and (iii) database asymmetry. Essentially, Droitware is building technology solutions (including AI-enabled systems) that will sustainably solve the problems in (i), (ii) and (iii).
As for Harib TechLaw Academy, the knowledge gap in technology law-especially in Africa- needs to be savaged. There a number of enthusiasts in technology law among law students and young lawyers, however very few institutions offer any course on relevant areas of technology law or connect adept practitioners of technology law with enthusiasts among students and young lawyers. Harib Academy is dedicated to connects seasoned practitioners with enthusiasts and students and offer free-of-charge certified courses for enthusiasts and students to learn.
According to you, what’s standing in the way of a Legal Tech Boom?
I think LegalTech is booming- not to the extent it should- but there is a boom, an incremental one at that. A comparison of the state of legal practice in the past few years and the present state in most jurisdictions will bear witness. Technological systems are being adapted in law practice and justice deliver in an unprecedented manner, for instance the introduction of electronic evidence, electronic signature, virtual hearings, virtual assistance to judges, legal virtual data bases, among others are clear.
However, the impediment limiting the boom from having a wider reach and exceeding its potentials, may be the non-acceptance and reduced exposure of lawyers to technological advancements. Most laws and practitioners have not been borne off their traditional natures- another flag is the move of startups and innovators towards aspects of technology like FinTech and HealthTech than LegaTech.
We get to see this question a lot of time, “Will AI research tools replace lawyers”? We would like to take Ibrahim’s take on this question.
AI is faster and more accurate, AI research tools will go a long way in assisting lawyers in making lawyering more efficient for lawyers that explore AI tools. However, AI tools cannot exactly replace lawyers- the place of critical thinking, “human lawyering”, traditional wisdom and original human idealization cannot be outrightly outstripped by AI tools in law.
What, in your opinion, could be a social security safety net for lawyers after experiencing various pandemic waves?
The pandemic waves clearly evince that there is no alternative to LegalTechnology- that is the security safety net for lawyers. From a dispute resolution perspective, the adaption of legal technology in some jurisdictions more than others was the mark of efficiency in justice systems- courts in jurisdictions that fastly adapt technology- such as virtual hearings, electronic filings, proctoring, cloud databasing and the rest navigated the pandemic more easily and efficiently.
On the other hand, jurisdictions that have not adapted technology in their justice and dispute resolution systems now battle with backlogs that are straining efficiency in justice delivery.
How important do you consider for lawyers to be tech-savvy?
Not all lawyers will practice technology law- albeit, it is critical that lawyers across all practice fields develop their knowledge of technology- to enable them maximize the ease that technological adaptions is affording lawyers. Also giving how technology now cuts across all the other areas of technology on one hand and on the other hand the essential need of technology in the current roles of lawyers and the use/adoption of the several technology tools for lawyers make it imperative for lawyers to adapt and get familiar with technology.
Lastly, any tips for our readers?
As lawyers, law students and/or general researchers, my parting message will be setting our values rightly in all we do and letting- consistency and identification stay atop of these values. Consistency in our efforts, progress, learnings, advancement and identification of our strength, weakness, interest and calling.
To shortly put in Obama’s words “Values are faithfully applied to the facts before us, while ideologies override whatever facts call theory into question”.
Tell us about yourself-what motivated you to choose law as a career path.
Career of law provides multitudes of opportunities. There is no dearth of opportunities after pursuing law honestly . Advocates don’t retire. I wanted to leave an imprint on my deceased father’s legacy. This motivated me to choose law as a career path.
There is still a cloud of uncertainty regarding the importance of internships as there still are a lot of law students out there who do not pay much heed to internships and practical training. How important do you think internships are to succeed in the legal profession?
Internship and practical training have become an inevitable part of the academic career of law students. In my humble opinion, procedural law like CRPC, CPC could not be well understood without practical training in chambers of an advocate or litigation firm. Process fee, suit valuation, court fees calculation, deposition of witnesses, trial intricacies are such important concepts which a law student cannot understand without practical training. Law students should get training like they become ready to take up cases independently just after graduation.
Everywhere there is a shortage of Court staff, every court is over burdened.Senior Practitioners should be invited as guest faculty in law college.
Every aspiring Criminal law candidate must do an internship with Public Prosecutors available in District Courts who conduct trials daily. Candidates will be able to see how examination of witnesses done in Trial, they will be able to see original police records like charge sheet, FSL Report, depositions of witnesses, Seizure memo, post mortem report. These practical learning can be possible only when candidates are associated. with Public Prosecutors .Candidates will be able to understand where lapses in investigation done by Police and difficulties of Judiciary.
Congratulations on passing the AOR exam in your first attempt, how was the experience for you writing that exam? What preparation or tips would you suggest to our readers?
Thank you . I was determined to Crack AoR exams because I had conviction in my mind that AOR tagg set me apart from other leagues of advocates. Since i came from Bihar to Delhi. I was facing difficulty in getting cases. I could not become a Junior all the time. AoR tagg gives me recognition and a sense of independence. The mantra for my success is consistency.
I used to study daily for AOR exams. I had taken print out of questions papers of previous years questions papers and answered all questions that have been frequently asked . For leading cases, candidates should focus more on understanding the cases. For cracking exams I have some most important tips:
(a) Answer all questions completely.
(b) Handwriting should be legible . For drafting paper don’t make errors in mentioning Order and Rules of Supreme Court Rules/ provisions of laws.
(c) Answer to the point. If you are able to cite Judgments it will help you fetch good marks.
Do you believe that law students must be taught the ground reality of Court procedures along with the theoretical part?
Yes law students must be taught ground realities of court proceedings by Trial Court Advocates. Candidates will be able to understand why there is delay in delivering Justices and huge pendency of cases. A student of today is a practitioner of tomorrow. If they are aware of ground realities , it will help them in solving problems of the system or they will be able to make correct decisions pertaining to their career.How do different approaches of adjudicators help in critical thinking? Do you believe that it helps in understanding cross-cultural overlaps in legal systems?
How do different approaches of adjudicators help in critical thinking? Do you believe that it helps in understanding cross-cultural overlaps in legal systems?
Different adjudicators may have different approaches in dealing with the same case. It certainly helps in understanding cross cultural overlaps in the legal system. Reading orders and Judgments of adjudicators at different levels at ( Original side and appellate side) certainly develop critical thinking.
Do you believe that being related to a family of lawyers helps in this profession?
Being related to a family of lawyers certainly helps in kickstarting your career. But after certain years of career , it’s hard / smart work that will give you name and fame. It’s my experience that when a law student becomes an advocate , nobody easily helps. “Exceptions exist” .
Every other advocate becomes your competitor. Therefore if somebody has advantage of a lawyer in the family , it will certainly help in many ways.
You are quite active on Linkedin and we are guessing that you know the algorithms as well, what’s your mantra of posting content there?
I post knowledge based content on Linkedin. Sometimes the topics and issues are not preplanned. It randomly comes to my mind. While posting , I always think that viewers get some insights from my post. All my posts are natural and originate from honest thinking. Networking is important for Advocates.
And posting on Linkedin is one of the ways that people will recognize you when you cannot advertise.
Would you like to discuss how the startup era opens new opportunities in law for upcoming lawyers?
Every new start up needs a legal consultant. There are compliances of regulatory authority, approval of authority, required to every start up. There will always be opportunities for IPR practitioners, cyber law experts, corporate and commercial law practitioners.
Can one with no proper guidance pave his/her path and succeed in life? How would you like to inspire our readers to be determined and passionate?
There are many things in life which a person learnt from committing mistakes and also after a certain time period. If somebody is getting proper guidance, he/ she may have to struggle less compared to those who don’t have proper guidance. But I won’t say that if anyone has no guidance he/ she will not succeed. We learn many things from observing others. Good association is important .
See, your Job and career are your bread and butter. First stay honest to yourself then only you can be honest to others. Everyone should aspire that I have to learn something new every day.
I used to read the life stories of Dr BR Ambedkar, Nani Palkiwala , Martin Luther King Jr, Mathematician Ramanujam, Nicole Tesla . They leave a great impression on mankind. This helps me to be motivated and passionate to do better in life.
Let us begin with the most important question, did you always dream of becoming a lawyer or, did it happen by chance?
This is a proverbial question, I am a first generation lawyer and it was purely by chance. I guess destiny played a larger role than my desires. I had already thought my path through, I would complete my economic honors and would thereafter do my Masters in Business Administration, but fate had other ideas. My best friend was writing the entrance for national law school of India university and dragged me to write it with her.
My idea to write it was purely to support her. I got in and thereafter my father pushed me to attend the interview as he had heard great things about the university and felt doing a professional course would hold me in better stead.
Therefore I landed in Bangalore fell in love with the city. I passed my interview and was offered a place. It was at that time I looked at the curriculum which is trimester based with multiple subjects and all I could think was I definitely was not going to be bored. Plus the adventure of living on my own and all such factors pushed me to say yes. SO as you can see all the wrong reasons but it led me to the right direction and my calling and I can safely say I love the law, I love what I do, I did find my calling.
Do you feel it is necessary to have a mentor/ guide to handhold a young lawyer in the beginning years of the profession?
Its not a necessity but it is definitely a bonus. Any form of mentorship and guidance in our earlier years does build perspective. When we pass out of our various universities what awaits a new way of life and of course a journey we must chart. However many of us feel quite lost and wonder if decisions made by us are the right ones and sometimes certain decisions does make us wonder “what if”….however when one has a mentor or a guide, the discussion or even somebody as a sounding board enables us to explore our ideas as well as provides us with new perspectives which gives a sense of direction.
When I was co-leading the mentorship vertical of CII-IWN I saw the number of women professionals, entrepreneurs who derived great help from the program, mind you these ladies are all senior professionals, so if they can find the positive for having a mentor and guide think of how much help such a program would do for a budding lawyer.
You have a great experience in labor law matters and IPR issues, what drew you to these fields?
Interestingly IPR chose me rather than the other way round. Which started as a challenging task to clear some historical issues of a department led to me understanding picking up the law and the nuances surrounding it and thereafter I continued to pursue it.
Labor was something I was naturally drawn to due to the complexity and vast nature of law. I enjoyed the thrashing out contractual issues to working around nuances of employer-employee litigation. Labor is an area that has all facets of law in action- compliance, contractual, specific legislation and litigation with a dollop of mediation and settlement. Therefore all these interesting facets kept me engaged and my interest in labor law grew,
Is there any roadmap that a legal professional should follow in order to master it completely?
Never think you have mastered the law….our profession is such we need to constantly learn, the day your desire to learn dies that day you can be assured your tryst with your professional growth also stops. Constant updating, readying, picking up new practices, learning from your peers makes one a better professional. Never fear to ask, we are human we have to accept that our mental capabilities are limited therefore whenever you advice always check before providing the advice and if you do not know learn to accept look it up and then respond with the correct advice.
Even during the times when there was a complete lock down and there was Work from Home, there were still cases being discovered where sexual harassment was observed, what are the main reasons of these acts? And how can it be further improved?
Sexual Harassment reached some of its highest rates because of use of the digital technology at work. The use of phones and laptops, and communication through whats app, telegram and social media enabled many to shed their inner inhibitions and routine demean-ours and exploit the ubiquitous nature of the virtual world and commit acts which the person might not do if in the physical world.
This led many to cross lines and to use their virtual self to commit the very acts they might have desired to commit in the physical world but never attempted due to certain fears. Any manner of bringing down sexual violation of another individual can only happen at grassroots level, sensitization needs to take place at school levels and we need to bring up our children to respect one another then there might be some change…
Other than that if we are to speak legally I would say greater enforcement of our laws.
While we take proactive steps of bringing new laws and policies equally important is the need to see that the same has an eco- system that enables its implementation, an implementation, which will make the majority to think thirty times before attempting any act.
How do you see the IT industry creating more developments in future and to what extent it can help the legal fraternity?
AI and ML is the next big thing. Digitization is the new era, therefore legal fraternity will require to jump on board this new digital wave and such new technologies will definitely reduce time in execution of tasks, whether it is in research, contract or litigation.
I thin even the present hybrid mode has enabled more time, flexibility and ability among our legal fraternity and this is just the beginning.
Innovation will very soon bring on versatility and time to be juxtaposed enabling lawyers to actually do more than the present structure of advisory and litigation, am waiting for that change.
How do you maintain a work-life balance in your profession and would you mind sharing an example of a typical working day?
Time management and prioritization are my key tool. There are 24 hours in a day. I am not much of a sleeper, 5 hours is good number of hours for me to be refreshed therefore I work in cycles. My early morning 6 am goes towards reading my newspapers. 6-8 am thereafter is to get my boys to school . 8-9.30 am is more for breakfast and catching up on whats in store for the day.
Mornings I mainly do meetings and networking, my legal work depending on the load I accomplish it through the day .
Between 6-9 I am usually again with my families and depending upon my work load I tackle the work at night. I try to read or watch TV at least for 1 hur to unwind.
Typically I try not to keep things for the next day except for transactions as it has its own course, but I also learn to listen to my body and if I cant do something I start fresh the next day. For me the aspect of balancing comes in because I don’t compartmentalize my time and I use every bit of my day to achieve both work and life.
You’ve accomplished so much in your profession in such a short amount of time; however, given the nature of the legal profession, are you able to carve out time for your other interests or hobbies?
I love cooking and reading, travelling is another personal favorite and of course eating somehow I do try and find some time not as much as I would like to, but a Sunday I do try my hands at new things, something about baking calms my stress levels. In fact earlier on in my career every Sunday was dedicated to baking now its difficult, but once in a while do indulge in it.
I think one must take some time out in order to avoid burn out, it can be something small or a specific week, but something for oneself if we try and do resentment towards extra work as well as situations are far less.
What would be your parting message to our readers and the young budding lawyers?
There is no substitute for hard work, but more importantly always remember that if we are good to others then life has a strange way for that all to come back and good things to happen. Therefore respect your peers, respect your juniors as much your seniors, always look towards new avenues and never fear from challenges. Entire life is about choices and our choices define our journey, therefore never regret your choices go with them appreciate them the good from the bad whatever it might be, you will then find things always have a way to work its upside to you. Wishing each one of your unique abundant journey.
Let’s start from the beginning – What prompted you to choose law?
I still don’t know what triggered me to choose law. Somehow I never even imagined about pursuing a career in any other profession. I always wanted to be a lawyer.
Was choosing law came naturally or it felt easy to adapt?
It was certainly not easy to adapt to it, definitely not when you choose to join litigation as a profession. It is the most difficult path to choose as a Law Graduate. At the same time, it’s the most interesting and fascinating one as well. Every day you learn something new irrespective of how many years you have been practicing for.
What can be the real challenges while establishing a career in the field of law?
There are way too many to list them out. However, I believe in just one mantra. The path is very difficult and you will get many reasons to quit. Both work and money won’t come for years. Just hold on and keep moving. A career as an advocate won’t be made overnight.
How do you manage a balance between appearing before different tribunals? How do you plan all that?
I have always believed, ever since my days in Law School that Tribunals are the most important part of our judicial system. They are headed by experts in law and believe in imparting speedy justice. The ease with which Tribunals in this country function helps me in managing my work.
Could you please shed some light on “Personal Laws” so that our audience can understand that better?
Broadly speaking, Personal Laws govern those aspects of our life that come under the wide umbrella of Freedom of Religion under Article 25 to 28 of the Constitution, for instance, laws relating to marriage, divorce, maintenance, succession, etc.
These are those aspects of our lives that are governed by the religion one follows. Hindus, Muslims, Christians…all have different rules and a person belonging to any of these sects must adhere to these rules. The Constitution of our country grants protection to them provided they are not against the rules and limitations provided therein.
Please share some insights on your Book “The Defective Sex Law of India”.
The Defective Sex Law of India is my first book that was published in 2018. It is a detailed criticism of the criminal laws governing sexual relations in India viz., the law punishing Rape under the IPC,
the erstwhile Section 377 that criminalized homosexuality, the provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and the provisions under the Evidence Act and the CrPC. The Book is available on Amazon.
According to you, what necessary changes have to be made in women’s laws?
All the women laws in India find their roots in Article 15(3) of the Constitution that gives Parliament the power to make special laws for women. The provision talks about protective discrimination and protects the interests of women and children. Because of this provision in law we have seen some path-breaking changes in the conditions of women in India society that have been devastating ever since.
However, today we are witnessing that these laws that are made to protect women are in turn being used as a weapon to harass and extort people. False cases are rising and the judiciary is finding it very difficult to cope with them because of the loopholes in these laws. These loopholes have to be filled and the laws that are meant to protect women cannot be used as a weapon to harass anybody. It is the legislature that has to step in and amend these laws in a way that the true spirit of Article 15(3), Article 14 and the Preamble is protected.
What is your life mantra to work stress-free?
Stop bothering yourself about the future and stop lamenting about the past. Live in the present and give your best in what you do. Success or failure is not in your hands.
Whether you succeed or fail, keep moving. Either way, it’s not the end of the tunnel. The road of your legal career is very long, precisely why a lawyer never retires. Keep moving.
Any last piece of advice that you would like to give to the upcoming generation of legal professionals?
Be patient. Success comes late for a lawyer. Most probably you’ll get the tag of a ‘successful lawyer’ when your hair are grey and your body has started to give up. Till then be ready to face criticism from your seniors to colleagues to judges to court staff and even family and friends. The only person who needs to believe in you is “YOURSELF“
It is said that the best moments happen when they are unplanned. How true do you find this axiom? Do you anyhow relate to it considering that you were a Science student and had never intended to take law as a career?
Absolutely, I think my professional journey stands testimony to it – whether it be competing in my first moot competition (Alfred Deakin International Commercial Arbitration Moot) in my final year or bagging the Herbert Smith Freehills vacation scheme prior to that.
My journey from Sanskriti School to Jindal Global Law School was similar. Having been brought up in a family, surrounded by professionals from the armed forces, engineering and medical background, law was never on my radar.
After preparing for engineering entrances for three years, I realized I was not passionate towards the field, although I had secured multiple admissions in the field of engineering, commerce and mathematics.
The decision to enroll into law school was guided by, first, taking a deep look within, and then being mentored by my educationist and career counsellor mother.
The legacy of my grandfather, a practicing lawyer (alumni of CLC) prior to joining army under the emergency commission, and great grandfather, a leading criminal lawyer/magistrate turned politician (alumni of Law College, Lahore) were definite motivators. In hindsight, studying science until college helped me imbibe a scientific temperament to which I owe my analytical skills, attention to detail and general problem-solving approach.
The curiosity of a science student drives my interest in the sociological and jurisprudential study of law and understanding the ‘why’ behind concepts.
You happen to specialize in Mergers & Acquisitions, Investments, and Private Equity Transactions. Can you tell us a bit as to what prompted you towards this field of law? When did you realise that you wanted to specialize in M&A?
It might surprise you to know that I undertook 16 internships during law school (which allowed me to understand almost all practice areas and work undertaken by corporate lawyers), apart from 2 TAships, 3 RAships and auditing specialized courses (taught by legal doyens like Prof. MP Singh, Sr Adv Ravi Sikri, Ms. Aparna Mehra). Further, being the editor for an interdisciplinary research blog and journal and being part of the college placement team throughout exposed me to a mix of work experience, course work and undertaking research in the field.
What definitely interested me was the internship at CAM, where I assisted with due diligence and research for the mergers of public sector banks.
My interest in corporate law grew while studying the Securities & Regulation elective course wherein we drafted a DRHP and I further found my area of specialization during the course on venture capital transactions, taught by Mr. Siddharth Nair, partner at SAM.
Apart from this, I have actively participated in international mediation competitions which mostly have commercial and cross-jurisdictional disputes case studies – these have trained me to understand the interests of different parties and prepared me for client-facing work.
Additionally, connecting and discussing with corporate lawyers from Europe and USA, regarding their work/transactions fueled my interest, and mentally prepared me for the hours which come with the job.
You also happen to have dealt with some high-profile transactions as well. Not many lawyers can achieve this feat so early on in their career, let alone women lawyers. What was the story behind your success? Did you have to face any kind of stereotypical struggles and if you did, how did you overcome them?
In my opinion true gender equity in the Indian scenario is still a long way off – whether it be the higher judiciary, appointment of senior advocates or partnerships at law firms. Having strong leaders who support women’s careers and provide equal opportunity to them contributes a lot to bringing more women into the profession. I feel I am truly blessed to have been mentored by brilliant lawyers, wherein AOR Manisha Karia offered me my first internship and placed her trust in a first-year law student, while Sr Adv Aishwarya Bhati, ASG of India, took special interest in building a strong conceptual foundation for me during my internship, they have been a huge guiding force in my career.
As compared to litigation, law firms see a much higher female workforce participation. In most part, this is attributable to the strong leadership at law firms which have nurtured an equitable work environment for women to succeed. At SAM, it is Shardul Shroff Sir and Pallavi Shroff Ma’am. My own team, led by Ms. Puja Sondhi, is female-dominated across the echelons.
The team provides exceptional exposure in terms of venture capital transactions to its associates, having advised on numerous investments into unicorns in the past years. This has allowed me to learn a great deal through various transactions and through the commitment of my seniors to pay particular attention to their juniors’ growth and learning through continuous training and feedback.
You have made a name in the international ADR circuit for yourself which is quite a distinguished honor so early on and you are also a founder of a dispute resolution organization, Sankalp. Can you tell us about your journey and your organization?
I trained as a civil and commercial mediator in my first year itself with ADR ODR International. The next year I took it upon myself to learn and improve my skills further by working with Dr. Claudia Winkler at The Negotiation Academy, Vienna for 2 years. During this time, I also participated in multiple national and international competitions including CDRC Vienna and ICC Paris. Over the years I have continued to mentor and still regularly train Indian and International teams both for national and international competitions. I feel privileged to have been invited to judge at international competitions (even as a young law student among a distinguished panel of judges at INADR Georgia and Transatlantic Negotiation Competition by Syracuse University and as a mentor for the maiden mediation training program in Sri Lanka).
Through such opportunities and having participated in Global Negotiation Conference, I have built a network of friends and colleagues across borders who work in various capacities as political negotiators, corporate lawyers, mediators, et al. The positive support I received from the international community in my endeavors inspired me to expand this community to include more law students and young professionals from across borders to facilitate mentorship relationships with experienced professionals.
Hence, Thomas John and I founded Sankalp – The Dispute Resolution Organization, which has already garnered support of many professionals and students alike across continents. We are earnestly working towards its growth and collaborating with businesses, institutions and organizations. Our aim is to make business processes more efficient and cost-effective through increased utilization of negotiation and third-party neutrals.
You worked in Kailash Satyarthi’s organisation and accompanied in their training and child labour raids as well. What was your experience like during such work? And does pro bono work add value to a professional’s life?
I interned with Bachpan Bachao Andolan in my second year wherein I closely worked with the team on the month-long training prior to the Bharat Yatra (a 35-day long march across the country to build unprecedented awareness on combating child sexual abuse and trafficking). It was truly enlightening to learn from the activists working on-ground across India and to understand the challenges they faced every day to bring about real change and thus secure a safe childhood for children. I also accompanied the team on a raid on sweatshops employing child labour.
That experience of observing the actions of BBA’s raid team, the accompanying police officials, magistrate, the employers and the children, exposed me to a lot of life’s harsh realities and re-enforced in me the importance of easy access to education and opportunities for children. On days when I was highly tired after my work commitments taking out time to tutor children from lower-income backgrounds or spent weekends volunteering at the nearby children’s home, felt very much worth it.
Over the years I have stayed connected with the work of the foundation. During the pandemic, I had the opportunity to volunteer with Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation – working on their campaign against child sexual abuse and subsequently, assisted the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights to conduct research relating to the status of children’s well-being and the access to learning resources and activities during the Covid-19 pandemic in government and municipal schools.
This was utilized as policy inputs for designing effective interventions once schools reopened post the lockdowns.
It is absolutely essential to do pro bono work – it keeps you motivated, gives one immense satisfaction of helping a person in need and keeps one engaged in the long run. This is also the advice that I have received from multiple senior lawyers and businesspersons. For me, apart from hobbies, education has been an important cause – may that be tutoring school children or coaching and mentoring college students or training professionals in negotiation skills.
Was it a tough call for you to choose between LLM and job? What points one needs to consider while taking a call between these two options?
I had first planned to apply for an LLM after receiving my HSF vacation scheme offer since they hire two years in advance as compared to Indian law firms. However, the HSF offer did not pan out as expected in light of the pandemic. Hence, at the time of my graduation, I was presented with the dilemma of moving to London to pursue my Masters or to start work with one of the best transactional law teams in the country.
I had received offers from University College London and Queen Mary University, and also had the PPO from SAM. Upon weighing the pros and cons, gaining work experience at a tier-1 law firm with a team dealing with VC and PE transactions with exposure to a very active investment market as valuations skyrocketed, was the obvious answer.
My work with the team has proven my choice to be correct. In college, I lacked sufficient clarity to choose a Masters specialization, and my main motivations to pursue a Masters were intellectual growth and access to a new jurisdiction. However, while working with the best corporate lawyers across jurisdictions, advising on upcoming yet niche areas of law and being part of numerous high-value deals has helped me streamline my professional interests and goals.
Our readers will be very much interested in knowing more about Vacation Schemes, the eligibility criteria and more crucial details about it.
Vacation Scheme is equivalent to securing an assessment internship at a tier-1 law firm in India. UK based law firms have the vacation scheme route to land training contracts with them (which is required to gain qualifying work experience to qualify as a solicitor, however, that is changing with the new SQE regime). Certain top international law firms like Herbert Smith Freehills, Allen and Overy, Linklaters, etc. have India Internship programs wherein each year they invite applications from penultimate year Indian law students and offer vacation schemes to a handful of them selected through a highly competitive multi-stage shortlisting process.
The process involves an online application and online test which qualifies candidates for a competency interview followed by an assessment centre. The specifics of the process may differ for each firm but are largely similar. There is no one size fits all approach to securing a vacation scheme offer. However, performing well academically, having a good CV including diverse experiences will certainly enhance your chances to succeed.
There are also a lot of resources available online to prepare you for the process. Reaching out to candidates who have succeeded in the past is always a good idea (I would be happy to help out anyone who reaches that stage). Research well if you are planning to apply. Apart from that, the graduate recruitment teams at the firms are very responsive and helpful throughout the process, so feel free to contact them.
What would be your parting message to our readers and the young budding lawyers? How can they mark their presence in the niche of venture capital transactions and cross-border M&A?
Give yourself the time and space to explore your interests to find the area that truly excites you. The legal career is a long one and you should be pursuing what makes you excited to get out of bed each morning. More importantly, be unafraid to put in the hard work to make a name for yourself. The more you persevere in the initial years, the better your learning will be and you will be a better lawyer for it. One has to learn the art of networking both in India and abroad. It is absolutely essential and if you are doing it right, you will realise that most people in this profession are willing and happy to mentor juniors. A great example of such a person is my role model at Jindal, Professor C Raj Kumar despite his multifarious endeavors always finds time to motivate and mentor students.
There are very few teams working in the niche area of VC. Speak to people, intern and find a team that does the kind of work you want to do, and also, provides a healthy work environment where your seniors motivate you to learn each day and to gain more exposure.
It is a blessing to be doing the work you love and with the people who inspire you. Further, build mentorship relationships with your seniors to learn from their expertise and experience. For me having a mentor like Mr. Siddharth Nair and learning from my partners, Ms. Puja Sondhi, Mr. Aayush Kapoor and Ms. Manita Doshi, who have each built a name for themselves in the industry and go out of their way to teach me on a daily basis – has made all the difference.
What was your motivation behind choosing law as a career?
Having the knack since the early years to eliminate options I always knew what I never wanted to pursue rather than being crystal clear about what I wanted to pursue. Law happened to me by chance and for me, it was never the means to achieve my goals. And honestly, I do not remember one specific isolated incident that motivated me to pursue law until I left political science honors after pursuing it for one year.
In this one year, I participated in MUNs and studied different philosophers which led me to realize my interest in Constitution and International Relations and hence law happened.
How important is it to get yourself into legal writing in this profession according to you, what other areas should one explore?
Well, in my opinion, it is indeed very important to get oneself who is involved in the legal profession to indulge in legal writing. In the first place tell me, what is an article all about – is it merely a combination of words or a compilation of the already existing literature? The answer to this would be a big NO. Over time, as I have understood an article is your way to contribute to legal academia by using your own interpretational and analytical thoughts based on the grey area in the existing literature – something beyond what exists on google or for that matter of fact any other legal database.
As a law student, one is engaged in writing right since the first year – the primary purpose for which is to inculcate the research aptitude and execute it in writing considering that this aptitude is one of the basic requirements even post the undergraduate years.
Additionally, having publications in your name in esteemed and reputed journals surely makes a remarkable impact on your CV undoubtedly showcasing the extensive knowledge one has in a specific domain. However, at the end of the day, it is one’s sole discretion to either quote what already exists in the databases or make a significant contribution to legal academia by one’s name.
Furthermore, other areas that one should explore during law school without an iota of doubt are mooting, internships, debates, paper presentations and attending conferences, and actively participating in societies and volunteering for events. I consider all of these activities to inculcate confidence in an individual while also building skills at the same time.
The more one gets involved in these activities, the more skills and knowledge the person has and no other place is better to give it a shot if not law school. While I believe interest area surely lies in specific domains, without exploring each domain how does one get to conclude respective interest areas?
Tell us about your journey in this profession in a nutshell!
The five years that I spent at KIIT Law School, Bhubaneswar has in all been an amazing experience. I knew right from the first day of college that the journey for a first-generation lawyer is not a cakewalk and that to succeed in any area of law would require hard work and patience at the same time.
Hence, during law school, I kept myself involved in balancing my academics with both extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. I have had the opportunity to represent my college in Moot Court Competitions winning laurels for the college.
Additionally, I have participated in several conferences and have several decent publications in my name. Apart from academics, I also was quite an active member of different societies in college which led me to become the Convener of the Moot Court Society.
I also was fortunate to share excellent relations with some of the professors at KIIT Law School who taught me valuable lessons for life beyond the black-and-white letters of the law. In retrospect, I think I made the best decision to join KIIT Law School which gave me ample opportunities to grow into the person I am today.
On the personal front, I think my personality went through a massive change during the journey. Made a lot of friends, committed endless mistakes both at the professional and personal level – learned from them, failed ten times more than I succeeded – learned to get up again and again.
Like we always say, hard work does not go to waste, each and everyone gets paid on time! but what were your strategies for achieving the goals you planned?
I would first like to share a small anecdote before I answer this question. Right from Day 1 of my five-years law school, I started dedicating myself to writing research papers. However, it would not be until my third-year end that my first paper got published. Three years of rejections from endless places and I could not figure out the reasons for it not being accepted for publication. Between the journey of failing time and again and getting up an equal number of times, my first paper after years of hard work got published. To answer the question, I have learned it hard way that a CV of failures is ten times more than the two-page original successful CV.
Hence, I never had planned any particular thing to achieve a certain goal, instead, I picked up things impromptu and would never give up on the said until it was done and achieved. The only strategy that I followed throughout my law school was to maintain hard work, and consistency and never say die even when the going gets tough! Additionally, I also believe that read, read and read no matter the upward or downward phase of life – because the knowledge and the experience that comes with reading are irreplaceable.
You’ve written on the role of Artificial Intelligence in the Healthcare Sector, how do you think AI can change the way we deal with different industries, and what necessary dangers it can impose for us as well?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has penetrated almost every sphere of an individual’s life. Albeit, AI has the potential to transform every sector in an efficacious manner yet the ramifications it poses cannot be denied. Some of the ramifications in my limited knowledge are ethical issues, regulatory and compliance issues, legal issues, environmental and sustainability issues, and economic and socio-political issues only to mention a few.
Given that each sub-topic has the potential of being expounded into a research paper or an article I limit myself to merely mentioning the categorical issues. In my opinion, before the implementation of AI at the core of each sector, the artificial literacy of the nation and the economic status of the nation is ought to be considered to prevent any sort of exacerbation of the gap between the two extreme ends of the economic status and hierarchy.
Please tell us in brief about your current role!
Usually, we are expected to start by 9.30 – 10 am wherein the first hours of the day generally go into attending meetings, responding to emails, and updating oneself on the task for the day. Primarily, the task involves reviewing documents and contracts for the clients, reading the case, and the judgments related to the task.
What is your life mantra to work stress-free?
Some of the mantras that I follow at a personal level to work stress-free is maintaining a balance between work life and personal life. I believe being with your family is equally important as your career. In this context, I more often than not take shelter in some close friends and family to calm down on any aspect of life.
At the professional level, I tend not to compare myself with either friends or colleagues and not attach myself to the outcome of the work. At the same time, I also believe strongly in my hard work and ability to accomplish the goals I have set my eyes on.
Any last piece of advice that you would like to give to the upcoming generation of professionals?
My constant endeavor throughout this interview has been to share my own experiences with extreme frankness. And since I have just started, my limited knowledge and inexperience shall make the pieces of advice narratively limited and premature, nonetheless, some of my learnings that I would like to share are
In the first place, in this journey that entails endless creativity and options to be explored, do not limit yourself and explore every kind of opportunity that one may have at hand. Secondly, as cliché as it may sound there is no substitute for hard work and I will not be either the last or first person to emphasize this. Along with Hard work, patience, sincerity, and perseverance are the basic requirement of an individual in any profession.
Thirdly, never hesitate to ‘ask’ either for any sort of help or internships or recommendations, or any other thing that comes up to your mind. I’ve learned that ‘asking’ does not allow you to lose anything because you do not have a thing to lose instead it might as well work in your favor. Fourthly, read, read and read because this will help you eventually in your career.
Lastly, being an avid follower of Swami Vivekananda, I suggest one have a ‘never say die’ attitude. This essentially helps in recuperating the failures and rising once again considering at times you will inevitably feel like giving up on everything because things failed to work on your chartered timelines but then don’t!
