Category: Interviews

Aaron Kamath, Co Head of the Tech, Digital and Commercial Law Practice at Nishith Desai Associates, reflects on a legal journey shaped by curiosity, rigorous academic training and close engagement with emerging industries. In this conversation, he discusses the evolution of his practice in India and internationally, the influence of advanced study in the United States, and his work at the intersection of technology, media and intellectual property law. The interview explores how lawyers must think beyond traditional boundaries, balance ethics with innovation, and remain rooted in first principles while advising on artificial intelligence, fintech, ecommerce and digital regulation.

This interview has been published by Anshi Mudgal and The SuperLawyer Team

What initially drew you to the legal profession? After more than a decade in practice, does that original sense of curiosity and intellectual engagement still guide your work today?

My early interest in law was shaped by a mix of curiosity and storytelling. As a student, I spent a fair amount of time reading John Grisham novels and watching legal dramas on television, which introduced me to the idea of law as both analytical and narrative driven. What appealed to me most, even then, was the process of interpretation, reading between the lines, constructing arguments, and finding alternate ways to approach the same problem. That inclination toward analytical thinking and questioning assumptions eventually translated into a serious interest in pursuing a legal degree. More than a decade into practice, that curiosity has not diminished; if anything, it has become more central to how I work. Each new business model or regulatory shift presents fresh questions rather than settled answers. Clients’ new and evolving business models require you to constantly test first principles and adapt them to new contexts. That ongoing intellectual engagement is what continues to motivate me. 

Over the course of your career, you pursued two master’s degrees (LLMs) and also worked toward becoming dual-qualified. How did you balance these academic commitments alongside the demands of professional practice, and what motivated you to take that path?

My decision to return to academics was largely driven by timing and intent. I pursued my first Master of Laws degree at Jindal Global Law School during the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside working as a lawyer. With lockdowns and travel restrictions in place, it felt like the right moment to go back to the books and revisit the theoretical foundations of business and commercial law. Balancing practice and coursework were demanding, but it was also energizing, and it gave structure to weekends that might otherwise have blurred into the workweek. In 2023, I took a sabbatical to pursue a second Master of Laws degree at UC Berkeley, California which was a very different and deeply immersive experience. Living and studying in the Bay Area placed me at the heart of global innovation and technology discourse. I had the opportunity to learn from leading academics and practitioners and to study subjects such as crypto regulation, fintech, telecommunications, and disruptive technologies at advanced levels, alongside U.S. constitutional law and legal history. Preparing for and passing the bar exam in the U.S. was one of the most challenging journeys of my life, both intellectually and personally. Post my academic break, working out of the firm’s Silicon Valley office in Palo Alto allowed me to witness the AI revolution at close quarters. Engaging with founders and investors who speak the language of ideas and innovation proved perspective-shifting, an experience I carry with me as I look to the road ahead.

Your practice spans technology, media, IP and commercial law, culminating in your leadership role at Nishith Desai Associates. What factors shaped this trajectory, and what attracted you specifically to these intersecting areas of law?

My trajectory into technology, media, and commercial law was less pre-planned and more the result of early exposure to how law operates in spaces that are still being defined. While I entered law school with an interest in disputes, my internships introduced me to technology and IP-driven work, where the questions were often novel and the answers far from settled. At the time, this was a relatively niche practice area in India, which meant there was significant room to think, build, and shape positions rather than rely on established templates. What drew me in was the way these areas sit at the intersection of law, business strategy, and innovation. The advice required is rarely purely legal; it demands an understanding of how products are built, how markets function, and how regulations respond to change. Over the years, the practice has expanded from traditional IT and media into digital platforms, consumer protection, telecom, fintech and blockchain, e-commerce and social media, privacy and cybersecurity, and AI. Being part of a practice that grows alongside innovation has made the work both challenging and deeply engaging.

Alongside your practice, you have written articles for renowned publications and spoken at global conferences, what prompted this move into thought leadership in the TMT space?

A significant part of my work has involved engaging with tech policy, including stakeholder discussions and submissions to regulators on issues such as foreign investment in e-commerce, e-wallet regulations, data protection, gaming, and AI regulation. Beyond day-to-day practice, staying current with legal and regulatory developments is essential, particularly in fast-moving sectors. Clients often come to you not just for answers, but for perspective and early issue-spotting. Knowing the law is the bare minimum; understanding where it is headed is what adds value. Writing for international publications (such as Journal of Innovation, iGaming Business, IPBA Journal) has been a way to deepen my own understanding of regulatory and industry developments, sharpen my thinking, and improve clarity in communication. I was also given the opportunity to speak at global conferences, across India and in Singapore, Dubai and Chicago. I also conduct webinars and guest lectures for young lawyers and law students, which keeps me connected to first-principles learning. 

How do you see your practice evolving in the future?

Looking ahead, a large part of my practice will continue to focus on future-facing business models and anticipated regulatory change. Clients are looking for a combination of strategic, legal and regulatory advice taking into account global legal frameworks that they already deal with in other markets. Softer aspects such as ethics and reputational risks are also relevant to consider. Emerging areas such as AI, digital assets and Web3, and data-driven products will require lateral rather than mechanical thinking. AI itself will also change how legal services are delivered. AI is a tool to assist decision-making, not replace it. Used thoughtfully, it can enhance efficiency in research, issue-spotting, and contract review, allowing lawyers to focus more on judgment, strategy, and problem-solving. That said, maintaining quality control and professional accountability will remain non-negotiable. 

Apart from your legal work, you have also been active in public speaking and community welfare initiatives. Can you tell us about your experiences outside your work commitments?

A good work-life balance is important and is sometimes more talked about than achieved. I believe that instead of being a sliding scale of time spent at work, work-life balance is the quality of time spent in one’s personal and professional life. Public speaking is something that I embraced from my primary school days, as a way of building confidence and expressing myself. From giving speeches in school assemblies, to winning moot courts and debates in law school, to speaking at conferences and workshops as a lawyer, I have always felt comfortable on stage. I started my journey was a toastmaster a few years ago and this helped with finer aspects such as structuring speeches and voice modulation. I have also volunteered at social welfare initiatives such as assisting with a cardiac health check-up camp and clothes donation drive. It brought me a sense of satisfaction to lend a hand to the community. 

With the depth of experience you have built, what guidance would you offer to aspiring lawyers and young professionals navigating the legal profession today, particularly those interested in emerging and interdisciplinary fields?

My advice to young lawyers is to stay grounded, especially in an environment filled with new-age jargon and access to AI tools. I have been privileged to have worked with some of the best legal minds in the industry. This has helped me grow as a professional, of course coupled with effort from my side. Three bits of advice that I most commonly give to law students and young lawyers is (i) Learn from your immediate surroundings: observe and absorb as many positive attributes that you can from senior lawyers that you work with and against, including the way they analyze the law, draft, manage their teams and handle clients; (ii) Don’t get pigeon-holed too soon: broad-base as much as possible in the first few years rather than aiming to specialize in a niche area of law at an early stage, and (iii) Question everything: Ask questions (within reason) of your colleagues and clients to get the best understanding of things, revisit provisions of law that you may have already read several times as new thoughts can arise, and don’t go with “standard language” or “market practice” unless you really understand it and can justify it.

Get in touch with Aaron Kamath –

In this in depth conversation, Nabin Bhandari, Founding and Managing Partner at Bhandari Law and Partners, Nepal, reflects on a career shaped by early conviction, international education, and institutional leadership. From discovering a natural inclination toward law in childhood to pursuing a Master’s degree in International Business Law in Brussels, and from entering Nepal’s evolving corporate and arbitration landscape to leading one of the country’s top ranked corporate law firms, he shares thoughtful insights on building a globally oriented legal practice from Nepal.

This interview has been published by Anshi Mudgal and The SuperLawyer Team

Before law became your calling, how did your early experiences quietly shape the decision to pursue this path?

To be very honest, my inclination toward law began far earlier than most people realize. As early as Class Two, whenever teachers asked what I wanted to become in the future, my answer was almost instinctive: a lawyer and a politician. At that age, I did not fully understand the profession, but the idea of advocacy, public life, and standing up for rights had already taken root in my mind.

Ironically, I entered the legal profession almost unknowingly. Law was part of my environment—my father is a lawyer, and my sister is also a lawyer. After completing my +2 (Grade 12), I felt a strong need to step out of that familiar shadow. Believing that I should explore something different, I chose to pursue Chartered Accountancy and successfully completed my CPT examination.

However, that experience became a turning point. While accounting sharpened my analytical skills, I gradually realized that I was disconnected from what truly motivated me. I missed the interpretative, argumentative, and human elements that law offers. That realization made it clear that law was not merely a family influence, it was my passion. Returning to the legal field felt less like a career shift and more like coming back to a long-held dream.

Today, law is not just my profession; it is the passion I consciously chose and continue to work on every single day.

Entering practice in 2015, when corporate law and arbitration were still finding their footing in Nepal, what initial struggles did you face?

Entering legal practice in 2015, at a time when corporate law and arbitration were still evolving in Nepal, my experience was shaped more by opportunity and discipline than by visible struggle.

I was fortunate to begin my career at Pioneer Law, one of the leading corporate law firms in Nepal. Working at such an institution gave me early and in-depth exposure to corporate law, regulatory frameworks, and commercial practice. I remain deeply grateful to the firm and, in particular, to my mentors there, who played a crucial role in shaping my professional foundation. The environment encouraged learning, responsibility, and precision qualities that continue to guide my practice today.

One of the most important lessons I learned during those years was the value of hard work. I worked long hours, often day and night, not out of compulsion but out of a genuine desire to gain experience. I actively sought additional work and responsibilities, believing that exposure was the most valuable asset at an early stage of practice. Because I was working within a strong institutional framework, I did not immediately perceive my early years as a struggle. However, that period demanded sustained effort, discipline, and consistency qualities essential for long-term growth in the legal profession.

With respect to arbitration, the field was still relatively underdeveloped in Nepal when I began practice. While corporate law had clearer structures and precedents, arbitration required a more proactive and self-driven approach. I continue to work toward specialization in arbitration, investing time in learning, training, and gaining practical exposure. It remains an area of focused professional development for me.

Currently, I serve as the Founding and Managing Partner of Bhandari Law and Partners, one of the leading corporate law firms in Nepal. The firm was originally established by my father as a chamber based practice under the name Bhandari Law Chamber. The firm was based in Beni, Myagdi the western part of Nepal. In 2023, I undertook a comprehensive restructuring of the firm, introducing institutional reforms and rebranding it as Bhandari Law and Partners to reflect a modern, full-service corporate law firm model. The firm started its operation from Kathmandu, Nepal. 

The firm has since been recognized by international ranking directories such as Legal 500, IFRL 1000 and other various international ranking institutions as a leading law firm in Nepal. Taking on the responsibility of Managing Partner at a relatively young age has been both challenging and demanding. It requires balancing client expectations, team management, strategic growth, and professional standards while continuing to evolve personally as a practitioner.

Overall, the early phase of my career taught me that success in a developing legal market does not come from avoiding challenges, but from embracing responsibility, maintaining discipline, and continuously striving to learn.

How did your time studying international business law in Brussels transform your understanding of legal practice beyond national boundaries?

My time studying International Business Law in Brussels, Belgium, was a defining experience that fundamentally transformed how I understand legal practice beyond national boundaries. I pursued a Master’s degree in International Business Law at the University of Brussels (Université Libre de Bruxelles), primarily because the program itself was highly specialized and among the most contemporary international business law courses offered by foreign universities at the time.

A key strength of the program was its faculty, composed largely of practicing lawyers from leading international law firms. Learning directly from practitioners allowed me to bridge theory with real-world application and gain insight into how complex cross-border legal issues are handled in practice.

Every subject was taught from a comparative legal perspective, covering European Union law, UK law, and U.S. law. This approach trained me to analyze legal problems beyond the confines of a single jurisdiction and to appreciate how different legal systems address similar commercial and regulatory challenges.

The academic environment itself was truly international. The university selected only 40 students each year, representing nearly 33 different countries. Engaging with peers from diverse legal backgrounds exposed me to the reasoning, legal culture, and problem-solving approaches of multiple jurisdictions. In effect, I was learning not only from professors, but from 33 distinct legal systems simultaneously.

Beyond academics, I had the opportunity to visit international law firms, observe their operational structures, and understand how global legal practices are managed. I also participated in international conferences, where I engaged in discussions with practitioners from various jurisdictions. These interactions deepened my understanding of cross-border transactions, dispute resolution, and international arbitration in a practical, real-world context.

Overall, studying in Brussels reshaped my legal mindset from thinking as a national practitioner to approaching law as a borderless profession, where adaptability, comparative analysis, and international perspective are essential.

What was that one defining moment in your career that shaped the direction of your practice ?

There was no single defining moment that shaped the direction of my practice. From a very young age, I was deeply passionate about the legal profession, and my career path has largely followed a straightforward drive by that long-standing commitment to law.

However, one experience in the early stage of my career played a significant role in shaping my professional maturity. At the beginning of my practice, I founded a law firm with a few partners and worked tirelessly to build the institution. I invested four years of  my productive time and effort but also my full professional commitment into developing it. Unfortunately, circumstances eventually required me to step away from the law firm that was created from the ground up.

While challenging, that experience proved to be a valuable lesson. It taught me the importance of institutional structure, choosing the right team, alignment of values, and resilience. Rather than diverting me from my path, it strengthened my resolve and clarified how I wanted to build and lead a legal practice in the future.

In that sense, my career has not been shaped by a single dramatic moment, but by a combination of early passion, lived experience, and lessons learned through challenges, all of which continue to guide my approach to practice today.

In a career marked by high-stakes arbitration, which dispute was the most interesting to you that you’d like to share with our readers?

There have been several arbitration matters in my practice where the final awards were genuinely surprising. These cases reinforced an important lesson: while arbitration is firmly grounded in law, outcomes are often shaped just as much by facts, case strategy, and tribunal dynamics.

Although confidentiality prevents me from discussing specific disputes in detail, such experiences have significantly strengthened my respect for arbitration as an effective dispute resolution mechanism. They have also sharpened my analytical judgment, strategic planning, and ability to approach each case without assumptions.

Ultimately, the most interesting arbitration disputes are those that challenge your expectations and deepen your understanding of how law, facts, and strategy intersect in real world dispute resolution.

Transitioning from practitioner to managing partner, what were some responsibilities and challenges you faced along the way and how did you navigate them?

Transitioning from a practitioner to a Managing Partner brought with it a fundamental shift in responsibility. As the head of the firm, the most significant challenge is ultimate accountability. Regardless of the strength of the team, the Managing Partner remains answerable to clients for the firm’s work, outcomes, and professional standards. Ensuring consistency, quality, and client confidence requires constant oversight and leadership.

Another key challenge has been manpower retention, a concern faced by most law firms, particularly in developing legal markets. Law firms naturally function as training institutions, and team composition often changes over relatively short periods of time. As lawyers develop greater competence and professional confidence, many choose to explore new opportunities, which is a normal and healthy aspect of professional mobility within the legal sector.

While law firms must continuously strive to improve mentorship, workplace culture, and compensation structures, retention is also shaped by broader economic realities and market conditions that are often beyond the firm’s direct control.

To navigate this challenge, I have focused on building an institutional culture that emphasizes long-term professional development rather than short-term incentives alone. This includes offering clear career progression, sustained mentorship, meaningful responsibility, and exposure to high-quality work. When lawyers can see a future within the firm and feel valued as part of its growth, retention becomes a shared objective rather than a unilateral expectation.

Overall, the transition from practitioner to Managing Partner has required balancing leadership, client responsibility, and institutional development shifting from individual legal performance to building a sustainable and credible legal institution.

How does the arbitration and corporate legal landscape in India differ from Nepal, and what has been your experience handling matters involving Indian entities?

The arbitration and corporate legal landscapes in India and Nepal differ significantly, largely due to the scale and maturity of their respective economies. India has a much larger and more diversified economy, which is reflected in the complexity, volume, and sophistication of corporate legal work. In contrast, Nepal’s economy is relatively smaller, and while corporate law practice is steadily developing, it is still in a growth and consolidation phase.

In Nepal, corporate legal practice is evolving, with increasing awareness of compliance, governance, and structured transactions. However, the scope and scale of matters remain comparatively limited. 

Similarly, arbitration practice in Nepal is predominantly construction centric, with commercial and investment arbitration still emerging areas. In India, arbitration, particularly international arbitration, is far more developed, supported by a larger pool of trained practitioners, institutional frameworks, and extensive exposure to cross-border disputes.

India handles a significant number of international and cross-border arbitration matters, whereas Nepal currently has fewer practitioners with sustained exposure to international arbitration. This highlights the need for Nepal to develop a stronger base of international arbitration professionals to meet future demand.

From a practical standpoint, I have had experience handling corporate and dispute-related matters involving Indian entities, particularly in cross-border transactions and contractual disputes. These matters often require navigating differences in regulatory frameworks, commercial expectations, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Working with Indian clients and counterparties has underscored the importance of precise contract drafting, choice of law and jurisdiction clauses, and strategic dispute planning at an early stage.

A critical issue affecting both jurisdictions is the non-recognition of Nepalese arbitral awards in India. Despite substantial trade and commercial engagement between the two countries, India has made a reciprocity reservation under the New York Convention and has not notified Nepal as a reciprocating territory. As a result, arbitral awards rendered in Nepal are not enforceable in India. By the same principle of reciprocity, Nepal could also decline enforcement of Indian arbitral awards, although this would not serve the broader commercial interest.

This issue requires institutional dialogue and policy-level engagement between the two countries. Resolving it would significantly enhance cross-border trade, investor confidence, and the effectiveness of arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism between Nepal and India.

For aspiring lawyers in Nepal aiming for international arbitration, what common myths about success do you believe need to be challenged?

One of the most common myths among aspiring lawyers in Nepal is the belief that international arbitration is beyond their reach due to limitations of nationality, jurisdiction, or exposure. As a result, many Nepalese lawyers confine themselves to domestic arbitration, even though the legal skills required for international arbitration are not fundamentally different.

It is true that Nepal has a smaller economy and, consequently, a stronger concentration of domestic arbitration practice. However, this should not discourage lawyers from pursuing international arbitration. On the contrary, it underscores the importance of adopting a broader, international perspective. International arbitration may appear challenging, but it is not inaccessible. With the right training, discipline, and commitment, Nepalese lawyers can compete effectively on a global stage.

Another misconception is that international arbitration requires extraordinary credentials or foreign nationality. In reality, the field values competence, preparation, and credibility over nationality. What is essential is continuous learning through specialized training, exposure to international practice, and engagement with global arbitration communities.

Aspiring lawyers must think beyond immediate geographical limitations and develop an international mindset. By investing in education, building networks, and gaining exposure to cross-border work, Nepalese lawyers can establish themselves in international arbitration practice despite the challenges.

Ultimately, success in international arbitration is less about where you come from and more about how prepared you are to think, work, and operate globally.

Looking ahead, how do you see the future of your practice and arbitration culture evolving in the years to come?

Looking ahead I am optimistic about both the future of arbitration  practice and the broader arbitration culture in Nepal. Nepal has strong potential to develop as a credible arbitration jurisdiction, particularly in the area of international arbitration. However, realizing this potential depends largely on the availability of well-trained and qualified arbitration professionals and increased exposure to international standards and practices.

For arbitration to evolve meaningfully, there must be progressive reforms to Nepal’s Arbitration Act to ensure it aligns with global best practices. Legal reform alone, however, is not sufficient. Nepal also needs to invest in developing a strong pool of internationally qualified arbitration practitioners who can handle complex cross-border disputes with confidence and credibility.

Equally important is the role of the judiciary. Judges dealing with arbitration-related matters must receive specialized training to ensure a consistent, arbitration-friendly approach. A progressive and supportive judiciary is essential for building trust in arbitration as an effective dispute resolution mechanism.

If these elements legislative reform, professional capacity-building, and judicial support come together, Nepal has the potential to emerge as a reliable and respected hub for international arbitration in the region. 

Get in touch with Nabin Bhandari –

Born into a family of scholars and shaped by rigorous academic training, this in-depth interview traces the journey of Dr Neeti Shikha, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader at the University of the West of England. Spanning Indian institutions, international universities, and public policy bodies, her career reflects a sustained commitment to legal academia, research, and institution building. From early influences rooted in intellectual integrity to advanced research at UCL and a PhD focused on corporate governance and legal transplantation, the conversation explores how academic leadership, mentoring and digital legal education intersect in a global academic career.

This interview has been published by Anshi Mudgal and The SuperLawyer Team

What early experiences or influences inspired your interest in law and academic research?

I was born into a family of academics, with both my parents holding PhDs, and this profoundly shaped my early relationship with learning. Education was never treated as instrumental or transactional in our household but as a way of life grounded in discipline, intellectual honesty, and sustained effort. My parents came from modest beginnings and built their academic careers purely through hard work, which instilled in me a deep respect for rigour, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence. From an early age, I internalised the idea that knowledge demands commitment and that intellectual integrity matters as much as success.

I was always driven by an inner quest for knowledge and a deep curiosity about justice, politics, and social change. These instincts became more sharply defined during my university years. Participation in mooting and engagement with student movements and legal debates exposed me to the living nature of law and its role in shaping social and political outcomes. Engaging with questions around rights, governance, and institutional power made me increasingly inquisitive about how law operates both doctrinally and in practice. That phase transformed law from a subject into an intellectual vocation.

Mooting in particular played a formative role in developing my research orientation. Preparing arguments required deep engagement with legal principles, comparative reasoning, and policy considerations, and it trained me to question assumptions, test rationality, and think critically under pressure. This experience resonated strongly with a principle I continue to value deeply, often captured in Gandhi’s words about living as if one might die tomorrow but learning as if one were to live forever. The idea that learning is continuous and ethical, rather than finite or instrumental, has stayed with me throughout my academic journey.

Over time, I came to appreciate that academic research and the serious study of law require sustained commitment to questioning, reflection, and critical thinking. While many of these qualities were shaped early through my upbringing, they were honed through practice, failure, dialogue, and intellectual discipline. Equally important was the role of peer learning. I consistently found that my strongest academic growth occurred when I was surrounded by intellectually curious, hardworking, and ambitious peers. Engaging in deep discussions, collective problem solving, and shared inquiry reinforced my belief that scholarship is not a solitary pursuit but one that is strengthened by the company of thoughtful and committed people.

Together, these early influences shaped not only my interest in law but also my commitment to academic research as a disciplined, ethical, and collaborative pursuit of knowledge.

How did your Master’s at UCL and PhD at NLU Jodhpur shape your perspective and impact your journey?

My Master’s studies at UCL were genuinely life changing and intellectually transformative, shaped by an academically rigorous and research led learning environment that combined substantive legal depth with a clearly articulated pedagogic philosophy. The programme was delivered by leading scholars and practitioner academics, including Dan Prentice, Graham Penn, Arad Reisberg, and Iain Fletcher. Their teaching consistently engaged students with first principles, policy rationales, and the broader institutional and economic implications of legal regulation. The presence of practitioner academics ensured that doctrinal analysis was continuously tested against real world commercial and regulatory realities, creating a learning experience that was intellectually demanding, practically relevant, and deeply formative.

The design of the programme placed deliberate emphasis on independent learning, critical engagement, and intellectual autonomy. At Master’s level, students were expected to take responsibility for structuring their own learning, developing original arguments, and engaging critically with complex bodies of scholarship. The curriculum and assessment regime required analytical depth, synthesis, and evaluative reasoning rather than descriptive reproduction. This approach significantly shaped my intellectual maturity and strengthened my capacity for advanced legal reasoning. Access to UCL’s world class library and research resources enabled sustained and intensive engagement with primary and secondary materials, particularly in the period following the global financial crisis, when debates around banking failure, regulatory reform, and systemic risk were actively shaping both academic discourse and legal practice.

The international and professionally diverse student cohort further enriched this experience. Many peers brought prior experience from legal practice, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and public policy roles across multiple jurisdictions. Engaging with such diversity sharpened my comparative perspective and deepened my understanding of how legal systems operate across different institutional and cultural contexts. Informal study groups and sustained peer discussion became an important site of intellectual exchange, allowing complex legal problems to be examined from multiple angles and reinforcing the value of collective reasoning.

My doctoral research at NLU Jodhpur further consolidated my scholarly identity and commitment to academic inquiry. Under the mentorship and encouragement of Justice Mathur, I undertook doctoral research in company law and corporate governance that studied and assessed the influence of legal transplantation on Indian corporate law. Focusing on the Companies Act 2013 at a time when it was evolving from proposed legislation into enacted law, my research critically reassessed the limits and consequences of legal transplantation, particularly the influence of UK company law on Indian corporate regulation. The evolving legislative framework required sustained methodological rigour, conceptual adaptability, and close engagement with comparative legal theory.

The PhD experience confirmed that academic life is intellectually demanding and often solitary. It requires discipline, self motivation, and resilience, particularly when pursued alongside teaching commitments. Conducting doctoral research in parallel with full time academic responsibilities demanded careful organisation and sustained focus. Above all, this period reinforced the importance of intellectual honesty, critical self reflection, and long term engagement with ideas. These experiences continue to shape my approach to research, teaching, and policy engagement, and underpin my commitment to rigorous and socially engaged legal scholarship.

What inspired you to pursue an academic career, and how has your role evolved from Indian institutions to international academia?

Teaching has always been the core of my academic identity and the source of my deepest professional fulfilment. It is one of the few activities I can engage in continuously, even for extended hours, without experiencing fatigue. In my early career, my only hesitation about pursuing academia was whether it would be financially sustainable within the Indian context. With strong family support and a consciously simple lifestyle, that concern gradually receded, allowing me to commit fully to academic life. What continues to draw me to teaching is its immediacy and meaning. The classroom feels like a space of intellectual energy where learning emerges through dialogue, experimentation, and shared curiosity.

A significant influence on my academic vocation was witnessing my father’s lifelong commitment to his students. Many of them went on to become leading scholars and professionals across the world, and observing the long term impact of his mentorship shaped my own understanding of education as a relational and enduring endeavour. Teaching, for me, has never been limited to content delivery but has always been about shaping intellectual confidence, ethical engagement, and independent thinking.

My academic role in India was broad and institutionally embedded. It involved teaching large cohorts, designing and revising curricula, contributing to institution building, delivering executive education, and engaging in policy oriented and doctrinal research. This phase required adaptability, leadership, and a strong sense of academic responsibility, particularly within resource constrained and rapidly evolving educational environments.

My transition to international academia marked an evolution rather than a rupture. Teaching internationally has involved working with smaller and more diverse student cohorts, engaging with digitally mediated learning environments, navigating structured quality assurance frameworks, and deepening my immersion in research culture. These contexts have demanded greater emphasis on reflective practice, student centred learning, and alignment between teaching, research, and institutional standards.

Despite these contextual shifts, the essence of my academic work has remained constant. Teaching, mentoring, peer learning, and continuous self evolution continue to define my professional life. Across Indian and international institutions, academia has represented for me not merely a career path but a lifelong commitment to learning, intellectual growth, and contribution to the scholarly community.

What motivated your transitions across institutions, disciplines, and countries, and how did you navigate the move to the UK?

My transitions across institutions, disciplines, and countries have consistently been guided by a desire to undertake work that is institutionally meaningful and socially consequential. Rather than pursuing mobility for its own sake, I have been drawn to roles where academic labour extends beyond individual teaching or publication and contributes to building programmes, shaping policy, and strengthening institutional capacity. At several points in my career, this has meant stepping into formative or founding roles, often within institutions undergoing transition or growth.

In India, this orientation took shape early in my academic career. At NLU Jodhpur, I was closely involved in institution building during a formative phase of the university’s development. In 2011–12, I set up the Centre for Comparative Commercial Law, creating a platform for research, curriculum development, and international collaboration. Through this work, we established academic partnerships with UK based centres at a time when internationalisation in Indian legal education was still evolving. This experience shaped my understanding of academic leadership as something grounded in vision, continuity, and sustained relationships rather than short term outputs.

Alongside institution building, I remained an active researcher and was deeply engaged in policy oriented work with government institutions. Much of this work found its way into policymaking and regulatory thinking, which I found particularly fulfilling, as it demonstrated the capacity of rigorous academic research to inform real world governance. During this phase, I also worked extensively in executive education and leadership training, which further deepened my understanding of how law operates in practice. One particularly formative experience was training senior leadership following the Indian government’s decision to corporatise the Airports Authority of India. I was among the first to train over thirty airport directors for their transition into corporate governance roles. That experience brought home the reality that corporate governance is not merely about formal rules, but about how responsibility, accountability, and decision making are internalised within institutions.

This combination of research, practice, and institutional engagement culminated in my work at the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. I served as the founding head of the Centre for Insolvency and Bankruptcy and was entrusted with launching and delivering India’s first Graduate Insolvency Programme. When I joined, the programme existed only as a brief conceptual outline. Launching and delivering it required building the academic framework, admissions processes, institutional partnerships, and national outreach from the ground up. Working with a very small team, but supported by leading figures from government, industry, and the professions, we developed a programme that has since sustained itself across multiple cohorts. That experience was one of the most demanding of my career and fundamentally reshaped my understanding of academic leadership, resilience, and institutional responsibility.

My move to the UK was both a professional and deeply personal decision. As a mother to a young daughter who was six at the time, I was seeking an environment that would allow me to sustain academic excellence alongside care responsibilities. The UK higher education system has been transformative in this respect. It is built on institutional trust and professional autonomy, where contribution is assessed through integrity, quality, and outcomes rather than visible presence or long working hours.

Earlier in my career, there were moments when professional demands left little room for care responsibilities, including times when I had to leave a very young child unwell in order to meet inflexible expectations. These experiences were not individual failings, but reflections of systems that are still evolving. By contrast, the UK system places trust in academics, and in turn, academics work consciously to honour that trust. The ability to structure work with autonomy, to have genuinely protected time, and to pursue research without constant administrative overload has fundamentally changed how I experience academic life.

Being able to contribute fully and responsibly to my institution, while also remaining deeply engaged in my daughter’s life, is something I value greatly and regard as a marker of a sustainable and ethical academic career. Across all my transitions, what has remained constant is my belief that academic work must be intellectually rigorous, institutionally responsible, and human in its design. Whether in India or the UK, in law schools, business schools, or policy institutions, my motivation has been to help build academic environments that trust people, value ideas, and allow scholars to thrive as whole individuals.

As Programme Leader for the Online LLM at UWE, what does this stage of your journey represent in terms of growth, responsibility, and influence?

Leading the Online LLM at UWE represents a deeply meaningful stage of growth for me, particularly at a time when online education is shaping the future of higher education globally. Having earlier co-designed India’s first bilingual public policy programme, Lok Niti, I was acutely aware of both the promise and complexity of digital learning. This role challenged me to design an inclusive programme that welcomes learners from non-law backgrounds while maintaining academic rigour.

The responsibility lies in ensuring that what we design today remains relevant for legal professionals even a decade from now. The influence is significant, as I now work with a truly global cohort of students. Personally, progressing from lecturer to senior lecturer and programme leader in the UK has been humbling and reaffirmed my belief that growth should be measured through learning and contribution, not titles. I am particularly excited about developing innovative digital pedagogy and responsibly integrating AI into legal education.

What challenges have you faced in managing the multiple roles and responsibilities throughout your career, and how did you overcome them?

Like most academics, I have always balanced multiple roles including teaching, leadership, advisory responsibilities, and policy engagement but the most significant challenge has been managing all of this alongside motherhood. Serving on advisory boards and contributing to institutions beyond my home universities has been both a responsibility and a privilege, allowing me to give back to spaces that shaped me.

At the same time, being a single working mother, especially after moving to the UK, required deep personal adjustment. What helped me was discipline, organisation, and clarity of priorities. The UK system has allowed me to live fully as both a mother and a professional, without guilt dominating either role. Today, I value balance over perfection and have learned that meaningful work and meaningful family life can coexist when guided by structure, gratitude, and purpose.

How do you approach mentoring and supporting students beyond the classroom, and why is it meaningful to you?

For me, mentoring beyond the classroom is essential, particularly in today’s high-pressure environment shaped by competition and social media. I have seen students arrive at top institutions burdened by expectations, identity crises, and fear of failure. I approach them with empathy rather than judgment, because I remember how vulnerable that phase of life can be.

Many of my students have gone on to succeed in diverse fields and helping them discover their direction has been deeply fulfilling. Mentorship is about unlocking potential and helping students see possibilities beyond conventional paths. I believe the biggest injustice is untapped talent, and if I can help students gain confidence, clarity, and purpose, that is the most meaningful reward I could ask for.

What legacy do you hope to leave through your contributions to law, education, and policy, and what roadmap would you suggest for students aspiring to public policy careers?

I do not think of legacy in a grand or monumental sense. What matters more to me is whether my work has made a meaningful and sustained contribution to how law is taught, researched, and connected to society. My teaching, research, and policy engagement have always been oriented towards helping students and practitioners think more deeply, critically, and ethically about law’s role in shaping the future.

My research agenda is deliberately future focused and interdisciplinary. Working across disciplines has consistently required me to learn new intellectual languages and rethink legal problems from broader institutional, economic, and social perspectives. I have written books on commercial law and public policy, and I am currently working on my seventh book, which focuses specifically on insolvency laws and is scheduled for publication in 2026. Across these works, my endeavour has not been to produce static doctrinal texts, but to promote reflective and forward looking engagement with law. I hope that these books have, even in small ways, influenced how students and scholars think about governance, accountability, and systemic risk.

In my teaching, I have sought to make learning engaging, practice oriented, and intellectually demanding. I encourage students to question assumptions, challenge the status quo, and develop the confidence to think independently. If students leave my classroom with curiosity, ethical clarity, and strong critical thinking skills, I consider that my most meaningful contribution.

One principle that underpins both my teaching and mentoring is the importance of cultivating a healthy mind. Just as a healthy diet is essential for a healthy body, I believe that thoughtful and sustained reading is essential for a healthy mind. I often tell students that reading good books matters deeply, not only for acquiring knowledge but for shaping intellectual character. Learning from the best books and ideas becomes part of one’s academic identity and professional integrity.

At the same time, I emphasise that learning cannot be confined to textbooks alone. The future belongs to those who can think, adapt, and respond to complexity. The capacity to learn, unlearn, and relearn is increasingly vital, particularly in public policy contexts where uncertainty, competing values, and long time horizons are the norm.

For students aspiring to careers in public policy, I recommend building strong foundations in law or economics, alongside comfort with data, numbers, and empirical reasoning. Formal qualifications matter, but skills such as problem framing, evidence based analysis, patience, and ethical judgment matter even more. Public policy is not about speed or visibility, but about discipline, humility, and sustained commitment to the public good.

I am also mindful that each generation engages with work and purpose differently. Today’s students often seek balance, wellbeing, and meaning alongside professional achievement, and this should be understood as a strength rather than a limitation. Hard work remains essential, but so does mental health, reflection, and a sense of purpose. In an increasingly digital and fragmented world, remaining connected to people, communities, and shared social goals will be one of the defining challenges of the future.

This is why I place strong emphasis on peer learning, dialogue, and service oriented thinking. Engaging with others, contributing to society, and grounding professional ambition in broader social responsibility are central to sustaining both intellectual depth and personal resilience. If my work can help students develop not only analytical rigour but also reflective judgment, balance, and a commitment to serving society, that is the legacy I would hope to leave.

Get in touch with Dr. Neeti Shikha –