Super Lawyer

Category: Interviews

  • Anupam Tripathi, Managing Partner, The Practice, on starting independent practice and working as Senior Standing Counsel with IT Department

    Anupam Tripathi, Managing Partner, The Practice, on starting independent practice and working as Senior Standing Counsel with IT Department

    Anupam Tripathi graduated from ILS Law College, Pune, in 2004. After successful stints as Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department, he founded his own firm, ‘The Practice’.  He is also the managing trustee of an NGO called ‘Fight For Animal Rights’.

    In this interview we speak to him about:

    • Experience working as Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department, Ministry Of Finance in Delhi High Court
    • Starting his own firm “The Practice”.
    • Current scenario of direct tax law as a career option in india

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS?

    I am a lawyer in the Supreme Court, a social worker and animal rights activist. I am the founder and the managing partner of an east Delhi based law firm called ‘The  Practice’. I am also the founder and managing trustee of an NGO called ‘Fight For Animal Rights’, India.

     

    WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCED YOU TO CHOOSE LAW AS A CAREER? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ILS LAW COLLEGE FOR PURSUING LAW?

    I look at law as a means to bring about a social change in the society and in the country. By change I mean progress. My grandfather was a very successful trial lawyer in post-independent India before he was elevated as Judge, Allahabad High Court in the mid 1960s. To a great extent, I was inspired by him and more so by his personality and larger than life character to take up law as a profession. Late Nani Palkhivala has been an inspiration too, along with contemporary greats like Harish Salve and Ram Jethmalani. From very early days, while I was still in school what stood out to me always was that most great men who had achieved some remarkable feats were practicing lawyers (Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, my maternal grandfather, Late Kedar Pandey who was two time Chief Minister of Bihar and Railway Minister of India in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet in mid 70s to the early 80s was also a lawyer by profession). All these great men were lawyers. Today, you can add the likes of Barack Obama, former President of USA and our own President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind are also lawyers by profession.

    I was very clear that I wanted to practice law, i.e., get into litigation and for this reason ILS Law stood out for me as even back in 1999, when I took admission into ILS Law College, it had a reputation and a track record for being a stand out performer in moot court competitions on the National stage and a college where moots were taken very seriously, add to that the August faculty we had at the time- this the choice was obvious. I was privileged and honoured to spend five wonderful years in ILS Law College which trained me to be the lawyer that I have become today. In 2004, when I graduated from ILS, my college was ranked the Number one Law College in the country ahead of National Law School of India University Bangalore that was our arch-rival. In that year (2003-2004), we had won eleven out of the thirteen National Moot Court competitions in the country standing true to the reputation of the ILS Law College. I was privileged to have contributed to these National Moots by winning the Stetson National Environmental Moot Court Competition at the time. I later represented India in the World event of this competition at Stetson Florida, USA, and won a scholarship in the process for an LLM and was later facilitated with a Gold medal by then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Late Sh. Vilas Rao Deshmukh at ILS, Law College and nominated for best student award for outstanding performance in Moot Courts.

     

    HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WORKING AS SENIOR STANDING COUNSEL FOR THE INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF FINANCE IN DELHI HIGH COURT? CAN YOU SHARE ANY MEMORABLE OR INTERESTING EXPERIENCES IN YOUR STINT AS A SENIOR STANDING COUNSEL?

    I was privileged to be appointed as a senior standing counsel in the Delhi High Court on behalf of the Income Tax Department, Ministry of Finance, Government of India in the year 2010- 2013. At the time of my appointment which was after the assent and approval by the President of India in August 2010, I was only 29.5 years at the time (and subject to correction) I was supposedly the youngest senior standing counsel for the Central Government at the time in the country (I am told that the previous youngest senior standing counsel stood at 32.5 years). In my initial three months of appointment, I found myself to be struggling to cope up and match the requirements and rigours of the job and the pressures that you face being in that important position. Contesting, arguing with and facing in the court the likes of top tax moguls like Ajay Vohra, S. Ganesh, C.S. Aggarwal, H. Syali, Rakesh Gupta, K. Sampath, Mrs. Kapila Satyan Sethi, Rakesh Aggarwal was not easy to begin with. But I worked very very hard and in less than three months I had found my feet on the job and was now regularly matching these tax moguls argument by argument and submission by submission and having beaten all of them in several matters. I shared an excellent rapport with all my colleagues at Bar some of whom were 30 years my senior and I was also privileged to have developed an excellent standing before the Hon’ble High Court judges in the tax bench I was appealing before. Most these judges today are sitting judges of the Hon’ble Supreme Court today.

    My overall experience as a senior standing counsel was excellent having given me an opportunity to have made more than 1500 appearances in Delhi High Court at the time with more than 100 reported judgments to my name in a short span of three years. It was a great boost to my legal career.

     

    WHY DID YOU GO INDEPENDENT AFTER WORKING WITH BIG LAW FIRMS?

    I was very clear from early days at law school that after graduating, I wanted to train for not more than two years maximum before branching out my own private practice. I was fortunate to have reached this zone and space where I felt that I could venture into private practice within a year and few months of graduating law. Thus, after briefly working for law firms like AZB & Partners (my first employer) to Associate Law Advisors to later training with Mr. Vikram Kapoor Advocate, I founded ‘The Practice’ on August 5th, 2005 and have been practicing privately since.

     

    WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE WORK ENVIRONMENT AT BIG LAW FIRMS?

    It would be wrong of me to comment on the work environment in big firms that I have not personally worked with. I can only speak of my experience with the two big law firms I have worked with personally and would hence restrict my comments to my limited experience with them. At AZB & Partners, I was working on the corporate/ transactional side and found the atmosphere for a fresh graduate in law a to be very cold and unwelcoming. I also found that in a big firm like AZB & Partners, there were times when the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing. I also found an over emphasis on billing and bottom lines as opposed to winning cases and providing good representation and legal services to clients.

    To sum up, I would describe AZB & Partners at the time (2004) to be a great body, missing a heart & soul with its mind all over the place. But I must admit I have the highest regard for Ajay Bahl and Zia Modi both of whom are genius in their respective fields. Raman Sharma and Nanju Ganpathy are good and kind people too in their  setup. My experience at Associate Law Advisors was lovely. Working on the litigation side here was perhaps helpful as I was in my comfort zone here. Good people, great leadership and friendly colleagues of course helped. Mr OP Bharadwaj and Lira Goswami were wonderful bosses and people to work with and learn from.

     

    WHAT IS THE CURRENT SCENARIO OF STUDYING DIRECT TAX LAW AS A CAREER OPTION IN INDIA?

     

    I would advice law students to study direct taxes especially income tax law and think of it as a career option on the corporate/ transactional side where there is huge scope both with the big four accountancy firms as well as with corporate law firms all across India. However on the litigation side (bear in mind my specialty is tax litigation) there is narrower scope and a lot of competition you have to deal with. For example, in the Delhi High Court there is a handful of 8-12 tax lawyers who dominate and have all the cases with them. In the Supreme Court, there is again a handful of 5-8 senior advocates who specialise in tax litigation and dominate. Thus, be mindful of this competition and almost cartel/monopoly that exists which is not easy to breach, no matter how good your standing and ability in tax litigation may be.

     

    HOW DO YOU SAY ONE CAN GAIN EXPERTISE IN TAX LAW? WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A GOOD TAX LAWYER? IS THE WORK SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TRANSACTIONAL LAWYERS?

    Tax law is an extremely technical and specialised field. Simply putting, its tough unlike most of other legal practice areas. The thing about tax law is that either you get it or you won’t. Period!  Once you have got the hang of it, you would begin enjoying and improving at it every day. Being an extremely specialised field, you will also find that the work you do as a tax lawyer would neither be understood by 90% of your colleagues, even judges of High Court and Supreme Court in matters of taxation are few, who understand the field, specialise in it and have command over it. Like every other field, tax litigation too requires hard work and perseverance and a lot of reading and staying up to date with the latest case laws, etc. You can have all the flair as an arguing counsel, but if you are not technically sound with tax, you would struggle.

     

    YOU FOUNDED A LAW FIRM THAT IS DOING VERY WELL TODAY. WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU THINK SOMEONE WHO WISHES TO START A FIRM OR INDEPENDENT PRACTICE IS LIKELY TO FACE? WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE THEM TO DO TO MITIGATE SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES?

    When I started my firm, I had left a salaried job of an associate where I was earning 22,000 per month at that time. My first month turnover in August end of 2005 of my private practice was 3,500 Rupees odd. All my near and dear ones including my own family were doubting and wondering how will I survive and whether I would make it because I had started from scratch. My father was not a lawyer, I had not inherited anyone’s practice or clientele and hence my future seemed gloomy to them. Within a year of private practice, I was touching a turnover of six lakhs per annum i.e. 50,000 per month and from that modest beginning I have come a long way today where when it comes to Income tax litigation, Public Interest litigation, Consumer litigation and Divorce cases litigation – my name and the name of ‘The Practice’ stands out. The money has been good too, but I like to be modest about such things.

    To be brutally honest, I survived and succeeded because I had ability, perseverance and worked very hard. I would advice youngsters to get into private practice only if they are inheriting clientele and private practice of their father or they don’t just think but actually have the kind of ability, grit, determination and perseverance along with a well-worked out marketing and business plan to succeed, or else they will struggle or in fact fail. Youngsters should stick to jobs, unless they have the above, or at least wait for seven to ten years before setting up their private practice.

     

    WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THE ADEQUACY OF ANIMAL PROTECTION LAW IN INDIA?

    The animal protection laws in India are to a very long extent adequate; however their lack of implementation is a serious issue. India, in fact has one of the best animal laws in the World barring the exception of 50 Rupees fine for the first offence of killing a stray dog. Almost all animal laws in India are near perfect. It’s their implementation that’s missing and is key.

     

    HOW CAN A LAW STUDENT APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP AT YOUR FIRM? IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WANTS YOUR GUIDANCE, WHAT SHOULD HE/SHE DO?

    Email me at anupamtrip@gmail.com to apply for an internship at my firm or to work as a volunteer for my NGO i.e.Fight For Animal Rights, India after sending your application wait for a revert back from me. If you hear from me in upto two weeks or so, consider yourself selected. If you don’t hear from me, then move on. No amount of email reminders and telephone calls will help your prospect. My firm and NGO has one of the most popular and vibrant internship program not only in New Delhi but in India. I have trained and mentored more than 1000 law students in the last fourteen years and my firm provides internship opportunities to 100-150 interns every year from leading law schools all across the country, there is competition and vacancy issues, so one has to be mindful of this.

     

    WHEN YOU HIRE JUNIOR IN YOUR FIRM ‘THE PRACTICE’, WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR?

    I look for six to seven traits in every junior or for that matter in any person who is or shall be ever associated with me in whatever capacity – 1.Ability, 2.Integrity, 3.Energy, 4.Great sense of timing with situational and personnel awareness, 5.Ability to make work fun as purchasable a commodity as sugar & coffee, 6.dependability and 7.Loyalty. Unless, you have these seven traits in you, you may be a genius and may become the future Prime Minister or President of the country but sorry you don’t have a future with me.

     

    WHAT WOULD BE YOUR WORD OF ADVICE TO LAW STUDENTS WHO ARE ASPIRING TO LITIGATE JUST AFTER GRADUATION?

    My answer is Legal advocacy or “Vakalat” is  about litigation, litigation and only litigation. A real lawyer is one who goes to court, argues his cases, fights for justice for his clients and for larger public good and wins. Everybody else is a law graduate with a Bar license or a corporate suit with a fat salary,  may be a fancy car on EMIs who can’t secure his own bail when in trouble. In other words, graduate and get into litigation, work very hard, and do well. I wish you my kind of struggle, success, satisfaction and happiness!

     

     

  • Parvathy Tharamel, Associate, Trilegal, shares her work experience and on converting her internship to PPO

    Parvathy Tharamel, Associate, Trilegal, shares her work experience and on converting her internship to PPO

    Parvathy graduated from ILS Law College Pune in 2014. She completed her Masters in Business Laws from National Law School of India. She has an enviable academic record and an excellent series of internships at law firms.  She was also nominated by the faculty of ILS Law School by consensus and was awarded the ‘Best Student Prize’ of the five year law course. Soon after graduation, she started working as a Senior Executive, Wipro, Bengaluru where she worked for close to two years. She is currently working with Trilegal, as an Associate in Labour and Employment team.

    In this interview, she talks about:

    • Work experience at Trilegal
    • Converting internships to PPO
    • Importance of extra circular activities in law student’s life
    • Significance of moots and their preparation

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS?

    Though this is a common (yet difficult) question, I still don’t have a rehearsed answer. Let’s just say, I’m a lawyer by profession with an infectious smile who loves to work!

     

    WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCED YOU TO CHOOSE LAW AS A CAREER? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ILS LAW COLLEGE FOR PURSUING LAW?

    The result of an aptitude test was a key decisive factor in choosing law. My uncle is a successful lawyer and his work had inspired me right from the beginning. The environment at my school, St Josephs’ Anglo Indians Girls Higher Secondary School, Calicut encouraged students to look beyond the four walls of classroom and my teachers gave me the confidence to take part in debates, elocution competitions and to express my opinions. All these factors prompted me to choose law as a career option. Above all, my father intended to be a lawyer when he was young. So, when I decided to pursue law, I felt that I am fulfilling his dream in my own special way.

    I wrote CLAT and got through NUALS, Kochi and I also made it to ILS, Pune on merit, based on XIIth board marks. Until then, I’d enjoyed the privileges of being at home and a convent school in Calicut. Hence, my parents felt that the exposure in a prestigious institution in Pune would make me independent and that sealed the deal.

     

    PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR TIME AT LAW SCHOOL. HOW WAS YOUR APPROACH TOWARDS ACADEMICS WHILE IN COLLEGE.

    ILS was a beautiful learning experience and I truly cherish my five years in Pune. It was not just about learning law and giving exams in ILS. Friends became family and I’m confident they will remain so for life. The discussions outside classrooms during intervals, running around in college, the long queues for collecting marksheets, the podium, the pavilion and the beautiful campus. I miss them all now!

    The state of the art library, the committees, events and other extra-curricular activities run by the faculty offered me tremendous opportunities. I had the chance to meet and work with great legal minds in country while working for the Corporate Law Cell and the Editorial Board. The early morning lectures with the added requirement of 75% attendance taught me punctuality and discipline. I maintained a first class throughout all five years of law school. The lecture schedules provided flexibility to pursue other areas of interest and I could be a part of a research project funded by the Commonwealth foundation and complete my Diploma in Corporate Laws at ILS. As I was pursuing a five year integrated course, I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pune after third year and I was able to apply for my Master’s in Business Laws from National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU). Hence in 2014, I received my LL.B. as well as my Master’s degree.

     

    HOW IMPORTANT ARE EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES TO A LAW STUDENT?

    Extra-curricular activities have proven to be beneficial for me and I believe it would help individuals to hone their skills. Let me cite some examples. As the Student Coordinator of Moots and other Advocacy Skills Activities for three years, I had the chance to organise moot court competitions, conduct mooting workshops for students. I learned something new each time when I donned the hat of a coordinator because I had to interact with a group of more than 300 students each year, who represented ILS in moots, client counselling, negotiation competitions etc., keep track of these competitions and report the progress to faculty. Being the coordinator taught me teamwork, to be a good listener, how to be organised and mange my time. It also helped me to improve my problem-solving and communication skills. There was a sense of satisfaction when I was able to find solutions to problems. Through presenting papers at seminars, I left behind my fear of addressing an audience. With each and every extra activity and going beyond the curriculum, I was learning to unlock another milestone.

     

    YOU HAVE REPRESENTED YOUR COLLEGE AT PRESTIGIOUS MOOT COURT COMPETITIONS. HOW DO YOU RECOMMEND ONE SHOULD PREPARE FOR THEM? DO YOU THINK MOOTING IS SIGNIFICANT FOR LAW STUDENTS?

    A while ago, I came across a meme which said that “asking someone to be your moot partner is the single most important decision you make in law school“. I couldn’t agree more and I’ve been fortunate to work with wonderful people on challenging moot problems when I was in ILS. A significant part of the preparation goes in forming the group and identifying the competition one wishes to take part in. The selection procedures may vary from one college to another. But I feel the broad steps to address any moot problem is similar. Once you have the moot problem, the key tasks are to (1) understand the facts, (2) identify the issues, (3) research on the law, (4) apply it to your case (5) draft arguments accordingly and (6) improvise them based on multiple round of practice sessions. This is tried, tested and highly recommended.

    Most of the questions in exams tend to judge the memory of the student rather than analysing their reasoning or logical skills. Mooting provides a platform to test a student’s analytical skills. It also trains a law student to prepare effective arguments and to do thorough, in-depth and exhaustive research. Moreover, it also teaches law students to work in a team. Hence, I believe mooting is important.

     

    HAVE YOU EVER FELT THE NLU AND NON- NLU DIVIDE? DO YOU THINK IT IS A CONSIDERATION FOR EMPLOYERS?

    No. While this may have been true for some, I think recruiters focus on whether the individual would fit in their working environment rather than their law school. At the end of the day, the work speaks for itself and the NLU or Non-NLU tag will not create a distinction at workplace.

     

    HOW DID YOU SECURE YOUR FIRST JOB? HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK A HIGH CGPA IS FOR RECRUITERS? TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR SELECTION PROCEDURE AT WIPRO?

    Wipro offered me a PPO based on my internship.

    Though it may not be the sole criterion, I believe that marks generally play a critical role in shortlisting candidates for interviews.

    For internship, Wipro invited applications through the ILS Placement Cell and shortlisted candidates based on their CVs. Thereafter, interns were selected based on two rounds of telephonic interviews. I was offered a PPO based on my mentor’s feedback, the presentation before the legal team and an interview with the General Counsel.

     

    TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT TRILEGAL?

    I’m part of the labour and employment practice at Trilegal. The employment practice in law firms is not confined to the law regarding factories and industries as taught in law schools. Trilegal has one of the first dedicated as well as the most comprehensive employment practices in the country and I consider myself lucky for being able to work under the guidance of Mr. Atul Gupta who inspires me to find practical solutions to issues. I’ve grown as a lawyer, thanks to his brilliance and insights.

    At Trilegal, I routinely work on a variety of labour and employment issues ranging from recruitment until termination of employment. I assist in advising Indian and multi-national clients on matters regarding disciplinary proceedings, senior management exits, anti-harassment, structuring employee benefits, leave entitlements, immigration, transfer of personal data. I’m also involved in business transfers and related employee transfer scenarios. Trilegal has changed the way I look at problems and I’m grateful to the support I receive from my excellent team who makes every day worthwhile at work.

     

    YOU WORKED AS A SENIOR LEGAL EXECUTIVE AT WIPRO. WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN TASKS AND WHAT RESPONSIBILITY DID YOU UNDERTAKE?

    Parvathy is a recipient of the ‘Best New Lawyer Award’ which is given annually to Wipro’s best in-house lawyer.

    Wipro is a great place to learn and I was truly blessed to have worked with wonderful mentors and colleagues who motivated me at every juncture. I was part of the Compliance team at Wipro and I was primarily advising on Global Data Protection compliance. My portfolio also included advising business, HR and contracts teams on immigration, employment, export control and other regulatory issues in Europe. With the support and encouragement of my mentors, I also had the chance to assist the Government Advocacy team to on matters regarding public policy and also work with the Ethics Compliance team to ensure compliance with anti-corruption, anti-harassment laws etc. The team dynamics influenced my performance and I had a great journey in Wipro.

     

    WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OUR READERS, WHO ARE PRIMARILY COLLEGE STUDENTS?

    This is one of the best time in your life and it is important to enjoy what you do. The thought of internships and career prospects can be overwhelming at times. It’s quite normal and everyone goes through the same. So, don’t worry about it. Be confident and express your views and opinions. Work towards enhancing your writing skills. Try to write on a regular basis. It is essential to articulate your thoughts into words and to write with clarity. As Mathew Arnold once said, “Have something to say and say it as clearly as you can“. Channel all your energy in the direction which interests you. Nothing is impossible!

     

  • Tariq Khan, Senior Associate, Advani & Co., on authoring a best seller book and challenges faced by Non NLU students

    Tariq Khan, Senior Associate, Advani & Co., on authoring a best seller book and challenges faced by Non NLU students

    Tariq Khan completed his graduation from Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia in 2014. He specialises in International and Domestic Arbitrations, MSME disputes, Commercial Laws, Writ Remedies, etc. He is currently working as a Senior Associate, Advani & Co., Barristers-At-Law, (New Delhi) and has also been appointed secretary to the tribunal for SIAC arbitration.

    He is also a guest faculty in various law colleges across Delhi and NCR including Indian Law Institute and is currently working on his next book. Recently, Tariq featured in Fortune 500 (India) magazine (Special Issue, 2017-2018) for authoring the best seller book ‘On the Rise’ published by Universal Law Publishing (an imprint of Lexis Nexis). In 2017, All India Reporters Association conferred on him the title of Shaan –E- Awadh. He is a columnist and made it to the conference round of Judge Advocate General. He is associated with various NGO’s, commissions and is frequently invited by law colleges across the country for interactive sessions.

    With his demonstrated experience of working as a lawyer, author, academician, columnist, he talks to us about:

    • Problems in the Indian Legal Education
    • Biggest Challenges faced by Non-NLU students and First Generation Lawyers
    • Challenges faced in authoring first book
    • Making litigation more attractive to young lawyers

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PRE-COLLEGE LIFE?

    This is perhaps the first time I am writing about myself and it reminds me of a line from the brilliant film The Devil’s Advocate: “Vanity is definitely my favorite sin.” I am extremely fond of music and an ardent traveler. I can be described as a lone ranger who lives life by his own template and a frugal eater who mostly gorge on snacks. Incidentally, it is also literature that fills me with inspiration. I sometimes write on arcane but interesting topics and I feel that reading has shaped me personally and professionally. To sum up, I am brusque, direct and unbending.

    I belonged to a middle class family and spent my early childhood in Shahjahanpur, a small city in Uttar Pradesh. I was an average student in a very average school and never possessed erudition or eloquence. English was a language I was not very familiar with. When I was in my seventh standard, I was relocated to New Delhi where I jumped eighth standard and took admission directly in ninth standard. I had a tumultuous school life in view of fact that my parents put me in science stream as a consequence of which I had a terrible sort of anger and grudge against them. The minutiae of mathematics and science did not interest me at all. Contrary to my apocryphal perception, my father would always tell me not to run after money but prodigious prospects. Throughout my school life I had a feeling that I was never adequately praised or appreciated for my achievements but frowned upon transgressions. All in all, suffering has been the best teacher as it has bent and broken me but in a better shape.

     

    WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCED YOU TO CHOOSE LAW AS A CAREER? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE JAMIA MILIA ISLAMIA UNIVERSITY FOR PURSUING LAW?

    Well the truth is that I never wanted to be a lawyer for three reasons firstly, I did not have command over English language; secondly, I had stage fright and thirdly, I hated studying/reading. I clearly remember my father telling me to give law entrance however; I told him that I would do anything but law. I surreptitiously began exploring other options as I did not feel the influence of law, lawyers and judges in my life early on even though much of my character was built early in life as I grew up in a household where free expression was practiced and encouraged. Since I was a science student, I wanted to be an engineer and hence, I appeared for various engineering exams however, I failed miserably. I must add that it is hardships in life which we have to meet with and overcome them to build our true character. Nevertheless, I realized the unvarnished truth that it’s not what we take, it’s what we leave that enables us to sieve and confidently winnow down the choices to career path and therefore, I can vouch for the fact that I didn’t choose law , law chose me.

    Amidst challenging economic circumstances, not all can afford the exorbitant fees charged by private law colleges and thus, Jamia was a perfect choice as our annual fees was around five thousand rupees.

     

    WHAT ALL ACTIVITIES DID YOU TAKE PART IN DURING YOUR TIME AT LAW SCHOOL? HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IS MOOTING FOR A LAW STUDENT?

     My law school journey was fraught with controversies and obstacles. Compared with my contemporaries in other law colleges, I was a struggling law student in the first two years. What was even more disconcerting was that there was no mooting or debating culture in our college and there was hardly any support from seniors barring one or two. There was dearth of internship opportunities and there was no campus placement. But there’s a silver lining; in stark contrast to this depressing picture, Jamia gave me a larger slice and a canvas to draw on. We learn best when we learn by doing and that’s exactly how we learnt. At the end of the day, it’s all about your perspective whether you see the positive or the negative. Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise God for putting roses among thorns. You always have that choice.

    During college I applied for internships in almost every senior’s chamber and almost all tier one and tier two law firms however, most of them never responded despite repeated follow ups though, some of the firms were gracious enough to revert with a standard email saying “Currently we do not have any slot available. We will get back to you in case of a suitable opportunity”. Interestingly, this was the response even when I applied one year in advance. However, instead of giving up, I would remind myself of William Ernest Henley’s golden words in the poem, Invictus: “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” Consequently, I had the rare honour of interning under the tutelage of veteran lawyers and in tier one law firms. Insofar mooting is concerned, my team won various national and state level moots. To my surprise, my team qualified for the Oxford Price Media Moot Court Competition and we were the twelfth Best Team of South East Asia. This was the first time Jamia participated in Oxford Price Media International Moot. I was an avid debater in college and won in various national debate competitions. As the president of the debating society of my college, I organised the first Jamia National Parliamentary Debate and also worked as the Coordinator for Internship and Placement Committee.

    Mooting broadens the horizon of law students and provides them with a platform wherein they can learn, grow, work in new environments and of course travel and meet new people. It is the most enriching activity that gives law students a firsthand knowledge of being a lawyer. It’s a platform for the law students to polish their rhetoric and research skills. However, appearing before a judge in a court of law who has to adjudicate many matters in a day is completely a different experience. Hence, in my view mooting doesn’t really help much after the student graduates.

     

    WHAT ACCORDING TO YOU ARE THE PROBLEMS IN THE PRESENT INDIAN LEGAL EDUCATION?

     To borrow the golden words of Justice Krishna Iyer: “Education is now priced in India, not given.” Money power has captured legal education in our country which is nothing but malignancy. Law colleges have become money sucking engines. Surprisingly, law students are being taught by teachers who have never even appeared in any court. There are certain anomalies e.g. we are taught penal statutes and tax statutes in second year or third year however, we are taught Interpretation of these penal and tax statutes in the fourth or fifth year. Serendipitously, we were fortunate to have a professor like Mr. Atyab Siddiqui who is a brilliant lawyer and equally a good professor who taught us the practical applicability of law using analytical method rather than the rote method.

     

    WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACED BY NON NLU’S AND THE FIRST GENERATION LAWYERS IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION?

     There are more than 1300 Non NLU’s in India and the law firms recruit only from the top most law schools. Even the internships are given on the basis of the tag of your college and not on the basis of your achievements. Unfortunately, some law firms discriminate between trainees/associates at the same position or level by offering lower salaries to the Non NLU’s. These practices deprive meritorious students of opportunities. Also, Non NLU’s don’t get internship opportunities with a lot of tier one law firm. In litigation even today, it is extremely difficult for a first generation or a Non-NLU student to get into a good chamber.

    Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter which college you are from and it doesn’t matter ‘who you know’, the only thing that gets you ahead in the profession is ‘what you know’. It doesn’t matter whether you are a first generation lawyer or a second generation lawyer. There are ample opportunities for all of you who are ready to face the challenges and strive for such opportunities. There are humongous prospects for those who are willing to make their mark in this field. This reminds me of few lines by George R.R. Martin “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it and it will never be used to hurt you.” Initially the profession may not be very rewarding however, if you stay in the profession and not give up, then you will be rewarded beyond your imagination. My mentor Dr. Singhvi has very rightly said that being a second or third generation lawyer definitely gives you a push and backup however, if you do not do well in first few cases, the system rejects you.

     

    HOW DID YOU GET A JOB AT A TOP TIER ARBITRATION LAW FIRM? TELL US ABOUT YOUR LIFE AT ADVANI AND CO.?

    When I was in my final year of law school I was very restless and perplexed and I would ask myself, what’s next? It seemed like a dead end to me with no place to go. Mr. P Chidambaram has pithily put it that “In law, there is no dead end. What seems to be the end could very well turn out to be a new beginning.” During my final exams, I applied for a job at Advani and Co. even though I had never studied Arbitration as a subject in college. I was interviewed by the then partner Mr. Apar Gupta who did not judge me on the basis of my law school and gave me a job. I was fortunate to work with him in the very first year of my career and learnt various facets of drafting and research under his tutelage. Thereafter, Mr. Gupta set up his independent practice as a counsel and left the firm. Since then, I have been working with Mr. Shashank Garg who is the partner in charge of our Delhi office. Mr. Garg in true sense is my ‘Arbitration Guru’ as he introduced me to the arbitration fraternity and gave me innumerable opportunities to argue matters in district courts, high courts and handle domestic as well as International Arbitrations all by myself. Advani and Co. has helped me grow as a person and as a professional. Since day one I have been working closely with Mr. Hiroo Advani who is an authority on the subject and I am privileged to have learnt the art of cross examination from him.

    As a senior associate at the firm, I am primarily representing various Multi National Corporations, Public Sector Undertakings and individuals in high profile arbitrations and civil litigation. I have also published various articles on the subject and I am a guest faculty at Indian Law Institute where I teach ADR in PG Diploma Course.

     

    YOU HAVE WRITTEN THE BOOK ‘ON THE RISE’ . PLEASE TELL US WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO WRITE THE BOOK AND HOW CHALLENGING IS THE TASK OF AUTHORING A BOOK?

    (Tariq authored the book ‘On The Rise’ that covers inspiring stories of young legal professionals which featured in Fortune 500 magazine.)

     I realised that there is no dearth of opportunities, but it is the dearth of information that restricts the trickling down of variety of options available to budding lawyers and hence, I felt that there was a dire need for a publication to give budding lawyers an insight of the legal profession and the challenges that follow. I must thank my mentor Mr. Shashank Garg who helped me extensively and also motivated me to come up with a book like this. Incidentally, the 20 contributors who believed in my idea deserve full credit of this book. When I came up with this idea, many people in fact discouraged me thereby making it one of the most challenging works of my life. It was difficult to execute the idea as it was my first book and being a first generation lawyer I did not have any connections however, I felt that here was no harm in taking aim, even if the target was a dream.

    There has been a divine intervention in my life that cemented my faith in this noble profession as there are some veteran legal eagles namely Justice A.K. Sikri, Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mr. Sidharth Luthra, Mr. Fali S Nariman, Mr. J.P Sengh, Mr. Arvind Datar and Dr. Faizan Mustafa that have constantly motivated and guided a ‘nobody’ like me. This book would not have been possible without their support. To my surprise the book featured in Fortune 500 Magazine. All in all the journey of this book has taught me that ideas become clear as we work on them. We just have to get started.

     

    ACCORDING TO YOU, HOW WOULD LITIGATION BECOME MORE ATTRACTIVE TO YOUNG LAWYERS?

     Most of the law students come from middle class and lower middle class families. After graduating, they have to assure their parents that they are going to be self sufficient if they are not making fortunes and will not be requiring the support of their family financially. This is possible only when seniors in the profession become more professional about this. Young lawyers on joining should be assured of reasonable remuneration. Of course an individual litigating lawyer would not offer as much as law firms would offer and those juniors who enter into litigation are generally prepared for that however, those who have responsibilities or family expectations, they avoid entering litigation but it often happens that when they join chambers, they are not told how much they are going to get. Those who take juniors owe a duty to their juniors clearly as to how much they are going to pay them. Additionally, what puts off many young entrants is the spectacle of lawyers hanging out in the courts during the day often without substantial work and then having work in the evening later hours. I feel time management in courts and in office can make litigation more attractive.

     

    WHAT ADVICE OR SUGGESTION WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE TO OUR READERS, WHO ARE PREDOMINANTLY LAW STUDENTS AND YOUNG LAWYERS?

    I may not be the right person to give any advice or suggestion to young lawyers as I am myself in my legal cradle striving to grow up and increase knowledge and stature however, we must always remember that no matter how big the problem is, time will solve it. First and foremost, get rid of all the negativity around you, some people in our lives act like anchors that are constantly trying to slow us down, cut them lose. Live in your present and plan the future because if you carry the burden of past negativities/unpleasant memories and recall them, then your downfall is inevitable. Always remember that the greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail and by keeping your mind on the objective, not on the obstacle. Keep in mind, success is the best revenge. My senior friend Mr. Bharat Chugh time to time keeps reminding me that readers are leaders and he keeps giving me books to read. Reading definitely helps! In my free time I see speeches/videos of the legends of law and learn from them and I read judgments of my role model centenarian Justice Krishna Iyer who possessed hoarded wealth of a vast vocabulary which helps me in writing articles and has also improved my legal lexicon over the period of time. Keep yourself updated with recent developments in law that can easily be done by following legal news portals like Live law, which is an excellent initiative, by MA Rashid. Scrolling through Live law for two minutes in a day gives me insights of what’s happening in the legal fraternity.

    Lastly, I would like to borrow words of Chief Justice John Roberts who is one of the most brilliant judges in the world: “From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted..And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes.

     

  • Pooja Reddy Chirra, Proprietor, C.Subba Reddy Co. Advocates and Consultants, shares her experience on managing her own firm

    Pooja Reddy Chirra, Proprietor, C.Subba Reddy Co. Advocates and Consultants, shares her experience on managing her own firm

    Pooja Reddy Chirra completed her graduation from Fergusson College, Pune University in 2014. She is currently managing her own firm  and her area of expertise is indirect taxation. She is actively involved in litigation of IDT matters.

    In this interview we speak to her about:

    • Challenges of managing her own firm
    • Importance of academics and grades
    • How to convert internships to PPO

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS? PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PRE-COLLEGE LIFE?

    I am 26 year-old Hyderabadi who is Mumbaikar by heart, an advocate by day and dramatic all the time! I specialise in Indirect Taxation and currently run my own firm, but I am more than my job description. I work with the Rotary Club of Bombay Powai, who were kind enough to let me organise the ‘Unsung Hero Show’ which has played a huge role in helping me do things which I would otherwise be too scared to take up. I also started organising etiquette workshops in 2015, focusing mainly on schools and colleges with students majorly from low income families.

    My pre-college life was simple, protected and uncomplicated, like most other kids at the time. My brother and I were raised by a set of no-nonsense parents who moved to Mumbai nearly 35 years ago and built the life they have today, with no help from anyone else whatsoever. We were both sent to Kendriya Vidhyalaya, IIT, Powai. Mainly because I had started to demand luxuries, like a chauffeur and a full time maid to cater my every need (I was six!). My parents always were very conscious about us being humble and modest, and so, Government School it was.

     

    HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY AS A LAWYER?

    Back in 2014, right after I graduated from college, I joined my father’s firm. Two weeks after I started, my dad had cardiac arrest and was hospitalised. Things got tense. My mother told me that if I wanted to help, the only thing I could do is to take care of work so that he won’t have to worry about it. I was beyond overwhelmed because I had no idea who half of our clients were and I had zero experience in the subject. During that time, when my father was still in the ICU, one family member lectured me in the ICU waiting area, saying that if I wanted my father to get better I should get married, preferably to a lawyer, so that he can take care of dad’s firm. It hit me then that in his eyes I had failed even before I attempted. Those words stuck me ever since and has been one of the reasons I so desperately want to make something of myself in the field of law. Fortunately, my parents were far more sensible and supportive. My father trained me in the strictest way possible, in the years that followed, we set a rhythm to our work, he did advisory and I did litigation, he would deal with the clients and I did the running around, we took turns taking vacation and we always had each other’s back.

    I realised later that during those few months when dad was ill, the kind of work I was doing was intense. I was appearing before various authorities without ever having accompanied a senior to observe how the proceedings are conducted. Of-course, it helped a great deal that my father prepped me well. But in those few months, my interest in the subject peaked and all inhibitions disappeared and I started to understand the subject instead of being afraid of it. After that there was no looking back.

     

    WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON ACADEMICS? HOW IMPORTANT ARE GRADES IN LAW SCHOOL FOR AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER?

    Academics and grades are important, but it is not sufficient. Simply because you score well in school or college, will not ensure a lifetime of illustrious career. Definitely not in the field of law.

    Your clients will come to you for your work ethic, your knowledge, sometimes even your honesty and compassion. Similarly, in a corporate office, your boss will not continue to keep you employed because you scored well in college, if you can’t get the work done.

     

    HOW FAR DID YOUR INTERNSHIPS DURING LAW SCHOOL HELP YOU IN YOUR CAREER AFTER YOUR GRADUATION? HOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE PRESENT LAW STUDENTS PLAN THEIR INTERNSHIPS?

    I interned during every college vacation, either with a counsel or with a firm. But the biggest mistake I made was to plan on what I intended to learn during the internship, and like most other law students, I tried to cram as many internships. The end result was that, I was once actually caught sleeping on the sofa by a Senior Counsel. Fortunately, he was nice enough to simply say, “go nap at the corner cubicle where no one can see you, so that others don’t get sleepy.”

    Regardless, internships can do no harm, if you pay even the slightest bit of attention to your surroundings, you are bound to learn something or the other, whether you want to or not. However, one bit of advice to every student, would be to do long term internships. Instead of doing one month internships, opt for one, three-month internship. You’ll end up learning way more and also increase chances of a PPO.

    And, at the end, pick a boss, not a job.

     

    HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIALIZATION? HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT ATTAINING EXPERTISE IN THEM?

    I didn’t chose my specialisation, my specialisation chose me.

    *dramatic pause*

    In all seriousness, I actually never wanted to take up Indirect Taxation. In fact, during the first year or so of law college, I wanted to graduate and immediately become a famous, dramatic criminal lawyer or become a savvy corporate lawyer with a huge pay package. (Yes, I blame the movies and shows too.)

    It was only after I started working on Indirect Tax cases, that I realised how interesting they were. There is constant change in the law, which keeps you on the toes. Each case is so beautifully different from the next. And in most cases you’re dealing with hyper technicalities, which can be extremely fun to research on.

    HOW CHALLENGING IS THE TASK OF RUNNING YOUR OWN FIRM? WHAT ARE YOUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES?

    I wouldn’t say it was easy.

    I lost my father on 10th August, 2017. He died so suddenly that even till today it is hard for us to believe that he isn’t around. The day after we cremated him, I started getting calls from my office and a few clients even I also got news of people trying to poach clients. I went back to work on 12th August and we immediately went into survival mode. Apart from my support staff, I have two colleagues with me, Arjun Nair and Vinit Dubey. They have proved to be the best team one could ask for. My dad’s death was a huge loss for them too, but they never took a day off. For several months, we worked seven days a week and twelve to fourteen hours a day.

    During the first few weeks I spent most of my time speaking to clients who were worried about the fate of their case. Several clients showed a lot of faith in us and stayed back, no questions asked. Some needed a little more persuasion.

    What was more interesting, was to see how most people were more curious about whether I would continue to work, since I was recently married and what would happen if I had babies? There were a few others who told me that since everyone at the office was below the age of 30, we were too young to do this kind of work. And all this made us work even harder. Today it has been a little more than eight months and we are doing good. The initial fear of losing clients and not being able to pay the bills and salaries has gone down the drain, we have got new clients as well.

    Through all of this, on several occasions I felt like closing the firm. It was emotionally and physically gruelling. While, my mother, brother, aunt, uncle and husband proved to be the best cheerleading squad one could ask for, I was more than fortunate to have Balani Sir, Krishnakumar Sir, Anish Desai and a few others encouraging me to continue. If it weren’t for them, maybe I wouldn’t have continued with this office.

    I would still say that this is my father’s firm, that he built on his own with the help of my mother. It is his legacy that he has passed on to me and right now I am only a guardian. Only after I build it further and scale it, I can truly call it my own firm.

     

    WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVISE TO STUDENTS WHO ARE LOOKING TO MAKE A CAREER IN INDIRECT TAX?

    Don’t be afraid of the subject. Once you start getting a grip of it, it becomes an addiction.

     

    WHAT ARE THE SKILLS ONE NEEDS TO DEVELOP TO SUCCEED IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION?

    Be a good orator, learn to listen carefully, be ethical in your work and read like your life depends on it.

     

    WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR A LAW STUDENT TO APPLY FOR INTERNSHIP AT YOUR FIRM? HOW DO YOU SUGGEST THE STUDENTS CONVERT THEIR INTERNSHIPS TO PPO??

    Anyone who wishes to apply either for internship or a job can simply send us an email at subbareddyandco@gmail.com.

    If you want to convert your internship into a PPO, do the following:

    • Work on your research skills.
    • Be proactive. Don’t constantly wait for instructions.
    • Don’t be tardy.

     

    HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF UPDATED WITH LATEST LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF TAXATION CONSIDERING THE CONSTANT CHANGES?

    For indirect taxation, there are weekly journals that are published, which my dad would read regularly. I picked up the habit from him.

    Also, we live in a world today, where for every activity and for every group of people, there is a WhatsApp group. The CESTAT Bar Association also keeps up with this trend. On a regular basis, there are advocates who keep posting the latest amendments and judgements on the group, which is followed by an insightful discussion on the same where everyone weighs in their opinions.

    The ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ sessions outside the courtroom while we each wait for our matters to come up, also helps us stay updated.

     

    YOU ARE CURRENTLY PURSUING YOUR MASTERS, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET A MASTER’S DEGREE IF YOU’RE PURSUING A CAREER IN LITIGATION?

    If you want to practice in courts and focus on litigation, what matters the most is that you start appearing in courts as soon as possible and as often as possible. All your learning will happen in a court room and court room training is irreplaceable. Spending two more years in a classroom after finishing law, may not be of much use.

    However, if you want to broaden your sphere of knowledge, then it would help to do an online course while you’re working. You could be a lawyer by day and a student by night. Just make sure you pick a university / course where examination is application based and not purely theoretical.

     

    LASTLY, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PARTING MESSAGE TO OUR READERS?

    Truly learn to enjoy your life in college and don’t be stuck in the library, since most of the real learning happens outside of it anyway.

    Spend more time to develop life skills and long lasting relationships instead of trying to memorise the contents of the books enlisted in your syllabus.

    Experiment, learn, make mistakes and grow.

     

  • Ankit Rajgarhia, Senior Associate, Karanjawala & Co., shares his experience in dispute resolution

    Ankit Rajgarhia, Senior Associate, Karanjawala & Co., shares his experience in dispute resolution

    Ankit Rajgarhia graduated from Symbiosis Law School, Pune, in 2012. He joined Induslaw after his graduation and worked there for three years, he then moved to Karanjawala & Co.,New Delhi, where he works in the capacity of Senior Associate. His primary practice area is dispute resolution-litigation and arbitration.

    In this interview he talks about:

    • His experience at Symbiosis Law College
    • His experience in dispute resolution
    • Difference between working in a firm and with an independent counsel
    • His experience at Karanjawala & Co

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS WHO ARE MOSTLY LAW ASPIRANTS, LAW STUDENTS AND YOUNG LAWYERS.

    I’m currently associated with Karanjawala & Co., a leading litigation & dispute resolution law firm as a Senior Associate in the Civil and Commercial litigation, Arbitration and Disputes Resolution team, headed by Ms. Meghna Mishra- Partner.

    Prior to joining Karanjawala & Co., I worked under Mr. Amit Kumar, Managing Partner of Indus Law Associates & under Mr. Ranjit Kumar, Senior Advocate (former Solicitor General of India) assisting them in Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and Hon’ble High Court of Delhi. I have also authored articles on ‘Anti Dilution Protection’ and ‘LML-PIAGGIO dispute’ which got published on various online legal portals like JurisOnline.in, Legal Articles Directory, Lawyers Club India. My latest article on ‘Financial Creditor and Operational Creditor’ was published on the Viewpoint section of Bar and Bench.

    I got my B.A. LL.B degree from Symbiosis Law School, Pune in the year 2012 and have since then represented domestic and international clients in many complex commercial litigations and arbitrations.

    Apart from an active litigation practice I have been a cricket enthusiast representing Karanjawala & Co., Supreme Court Bar Association etc. in major cricket tournaments.

     

    TELL OUR READERS A BIT ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD AND PRE-COLLEGE LIFE AS WELL AS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND. DO YOU HAVE LAWYERS IN YOUR FAMILY WHO MOTIVATED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN LEGAL FIELD?

    I was born and brought up in Patna. To be honest, I was predisposed to pursue Law since childhood. I hail from a family of lawyers including my grandfather, father and brother. My father was a Tax Lawyer and one of the youngest lawyer in Patna to become a Senior Advocate in his times. I have grown up spending most of my post-school hours in his office full of law books.

    Honestly, I was a very average student throughout my school and college life. However, I took deep interest in sports, debates and social events. Even though I wish I had put in more hours of hard work in studies, I am glad to have honed my skills of communication and networking, which have equal importance in the field of law.

     

    WHAT WERE YOUR AREAS OF INTEREST DURING YOUR GRADUATION? HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT DEVELOPING EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE IN THESE AREAS?

    During my college days apart from academics I had the opportunity to intern at various organisations, to name a few such as Hon’ble Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, High Court of Delhi; Senior Advocate Jayant Bhushan, Supreme Court of India; Former Additional Solicitor General of India, Mr. Amarjit Singh Chandhiok, High Court of Delhi; Former Additional Solicitor General of India, Mr. P.P. Malhotra, Supreme Court of India; Jyoti Sagar Associates; NGO Pragya etc. While interning at these places the primary responsibilities were working on cases relating to Civil Law, Arbitration, Dispute Resolution, Criminal Law, Administrative Law, Constitution Law and Disputes relating to property apart from visits to Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, High Courts of various Jurisdiction and District Court of Delhi.

    These internship experiences not only groomed my practical legal knowledge but also motivated me towards litigation in India. While interning at above mentioned places I had the privilege to work along with Senior Advocates, Managing Partners and other legal personalities which not only taught me the art of drafting but also groomed my drafting and research skills. In my present employment I have realised that to excel in litigation you need to have a good foundation in drafting and court craft and not only be limited to good command in English language.

    An aspect of Law that has always been of interest to me is that, Law influences almost every facet of our life, and is constantly evolving to keep up with the dynamic changes to which we constantly try to adapt. In particular, I am always drawn towards Dispute Resolution mainly because it consists of constructive legal argument and an analogy of legal reasoning more often than in many other careers. I strongly believe in following one’s passion and a career in Law has always been my calling.

     

    YOU GRADUATED FROM SYMBIOSIS, LAW SCHOOL IN THE YEAR 2012. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A STUDENT ASPIRING TO BE A PROFESSIONAL THERE? HOW INSTRUMENTAL WAS SYMBIOSIS IN SHAPING UP YOUR LEGAL CAREER? TELL US ABOUT ORGANIZING AND CONCEPTUALISING AND PLANNING THE FIRST EVER SYMBIOSIS PUNE FEST (SYMBHAV IN THE YEAR 2008).

    My life at Symbiosis Law School, Pune was blissful not only in terms of academics but also extra-curricular activities. While I was a mediocre student at college, I also made it a point to focus on mooting, articles and extra-curricular activities such as sports or organising university level events.

    I would give my college full credit for expanding my mental horizon and for encouraging lateral thinking in me through free discussions and healthy debates in classrooms. Apart from having a great faculty structure in college, we have also had the honour of closely interacting with guest faculties such as Mr. Ram Jethmalani, Senior Advocate & HMJ Pradeep Nandrajog. I learnt that more than securing good marks in legal education, it is important to learn and stay updated about latest developments through interactions and discussions with peers and stalwarts in the field of law.

    I was fortunate to be part of organising committee of first ever Symbhav [Symbiosis First ever legal fest, 2008]. In the very first year of college, taking cue from the pattern of other major legal fest in the country, we conceptiualised the idea of Symbhav. My role was to spread awareness about Symbhav. Now in its 10th year, Symbhav is one of the major legal events across Indian Law Colleges. Now in its 10th year Symbhav continues to be a major legal event across Indian Law Colleges not limited to Law Students but other branches of stream in India.

     

    AS A MEMBER OF THE CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL LITIGATION, ARBITRATION AND DISPUTES RESOLUTION TEAM, TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY. WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE?

    I had the privilege to join Civil and Commercial litigation, Arbitration and Disputes Resolution at Karanjawala and Company in the year 2015. Over the two years, I have carved out a niche practice for myself at Karanjawala and Company by providing clients with prompt legal assistance and delivering results. I credit my growth over the last two years to my boss and mentor, Ms. Meghna Mishra- Partner, who is a leading name in Dispute Resolution.

    I am an early starter. I have long travel hours between Gurugram (my home) and Delhi. I use this time to plan and coordinate court visits and client meetings. I strongly stand by my principle of doing thorough preparation before entering the the court. Latter part of the day is spent in briefing senior counsels, attending conferences with Senior Advocates, Advocates and General Counsels followed by preparation for upcoming matters including drafting and research. It is very important to stay up to date with the amended laws as well as recent Judgments passed by the Hon’ble Judges of different tribunals. This helps in carving out strategies for the upcoming matters and communicating the same to the clients. According to my father, majority cases are won by thoughtful and out of the box strategies.

    YOU JOINED KARANJAWALA & CO. IN 2015 AND WERE PROMOTED TO SENIOR ASSOCIATE IN 2017. WHAT LEAD TO THIS ALLEVIATION? HOW CAN ONE/ WHAT SHOULD ONE DO TO ACQUIRE THIS POSITION IN A SHORT SPAN OF TIME?

    I was elevated to the position of Senior Associate within two years of working in Karanajawala & Co. and overall of five years in legal practice. I have worked very hard at every step towards this position. Legal practice demands dedication, sincerity and perseverance. Moreover, building a strong foundation of the simplest of legal concepts has kept me on the right track. I have always made sure that the firm and the client are always on the same page and that the client gets full satisfaction from our services. At the same time, time management is quite crucial and I would credit my mother for imbibing this in me at a very early age.

     

    TELL US THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SMALL SCALE BRIEFS AND HIGH STAKE BRIEFS IN INDIA? WHAT IS THE INITIAL ART OF BRIEFING SENIOR COUNSELS?

    According to me no brief is small stake or high stake ; only the quantum mentioned in the brief is high or small. We enter the profession to learn each and every day and learning is a never ending process for lawyers. In the initial years of profession it is very important to work on all kinds of matters and briefs, to be able to learn from all aspects of Law. Having said that it is also very important to work in different Tribunal/District Courts/ High Courts to be familiar with different working culture of different forums.

    The initial art of briefing Senior Counsels is to be thoroughly prepared with the matter as if you have to argue in the court. It is also important to know the latest Judgments or case laws along with respective paragraph numbers, pertaining to the issues involved in your briefs. In order to optimise on the briefing time, it is important to have case note ready to enable you to give quick answers to the queries put forth by Senior Counsels. It is important to be aware of particular styles of working of different Senior Counsels (for example some would start with prayer of the brief and the others would start with brief facts of the case).

    While it is important to assist Senior Counsels through the matter, it is equally necessary to be able to put forth your suggestion with reasoned logic before the Senior Counsel. I personally feel that no reasonable suggestion given is a wrong suggestion.

     

    YOU HAVE PENNED DOWN QUITE A FEW ARTICLES PUBLISHED BY REPUTABLE WEBSITES IN THE LEGAL WORLD. HOW DO YOU FIND TIME TO WRITE? WERE YOU ALWAYS PASSIONATE ABOUT WRITING?

    Since my college days, more than class room studying I have been more driven towards the practical aspect of law, be it reading the Judgments thoroughly or penning down my opinions either for or against the Judgment. Soon after my third year of my college I started penning down my views in the form of Articles, some of which got published in leading legal websites and journals. Expressing my reasoned views helped me in having a clarity on my research studies.

     

    PRIOR TO JOINING THE KARANJAWALA, DESCRIBE YOUR TIME AT INDUSLAW. WHAT WAS YOUR WORK PROFILE?

    I was with IndusLaw for a valuable period of three years wherein Mr. Amit Kumar- Managing Partner was like a mentor to me. In Indus Mr. Kumar not only gave me an opportunity to draft for various clients but also gave me an opportunity to brief Senior Counsels as well as appear before different forums. The different things which I learnt at Indus are:

    • Learning professionalism
    • Experiencing Criticism
    • Determining your future
    • Building relationships

    At Indus under the guidance of Mr. Amit Kumar I worked for a number of prominent clients such as- CCIC, Medical Council of India, Pawan Hans, Handlooms And Handicrafts, Ranbaxy, Rail Land Development Authority. Mr. Kumar, not only helped me in drafting but also gave me opportunities to appear before various forums. I have appeared in matters before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, Hon’ble Delhi High Court, Hon’ble District Courts, Hon’ble Green Tribunal, Hon’ble Consumer Forum, Hon’ble DRT/DRAT, Hon’ble NCLT, Hon’ble BIFR/AAFIR And Labour Commission and Tribunals such as the National Company Law Tribunal, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, National Green Tribunal and Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.

     

    HOW WOULD YOU TELL OUR READERS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING IN A FIRM AND WITH AN INDEPENDENT COUNSEL?

    Being an independent litigator or founder of a firm, in the bubble of the bar, is a pretty big deal. Most who start in litigation, often only on nominal remuneration (if any) doled out by well-paid senior lawyers, dream of the day they can finally set up their own shop.

    While it might seem to outsiders like all it may take to become a successful advocate is talent and passion, the skills required lie in the business realm more often than in legal.

    “There’s no way to study this rationally as a business. A business consultant would lose his mind trying to study what the independent (law) practice looks like. It makes no sense financially. It is a completely messy, uncertain area; no two people have anything going on which is alike,”. “(A business consultant) will ask, ‘Where’s the cash flow?’, and you’ll say, ‘Cash flow was there yesterday but then my clerk used it all up on photocopying.”

    Indeed, going independent is often less about business rationale than something more intangible.

    “It’s only about passion “If you love wearing black and white and if you love appearing in courts, you can start up from anything to go up to any level for appearing in courts. I can’t sit one day at home, I want to go to court every day.”

    Yet, despite the passion, not every independent litigator stays the course.

     

    LASTLY, WHAT BE YOUR MESSAGE TO OUR READERS WHO WANT TO CREATE A NICHE FOR THEMSELVES?

    • Plan before you act.
    • Read a lot but do not just read; understand the law as well and implement it accordingly.
    • There must be clarity in your thought process and the same must be reflected in your drafts and correspondence.
    • Be confident and professional in your approach!
    • Do not be shy or hesitant in seeking help from seniors when in need.
    • Be ready to fail, learn from failures and keep moving forward. If you lose a case, take it as an opportunity to learn and move on.
    • Hard work! [I am a firm believer that hard work pays one day and there is no substitute for hard work]
    • Lastly, Lawyers are made by the society, whatever a person is today is because of society therefore, one must give it back to the society [Always help others, in whatever way you can].
    • Take no short cuts in litigation. Progress to higher level could be slow, but remember to never jump steps.
    • Litigation demands confidence to be able to argue in front of the judge. So work on building confidence by interacting and networking.

     

     

     

  • Siddharth Ranka, Assistant Manager-Legal, Scorpio, on pursuing Maritime law, studying in Southampton and his experience

    Siddharth Ranka, Assistant Manager-Legal, Scorpio, on pursuing Maritime law, studying in Southampton and his experience

    Siddharth Ranka graduated in law from ILS Law College, Pune, in 2008. He then went on to pursue his Master’s degree from the University of Southampton, specialising in Maritime Law. After the post graduation, he joined Bose & Mitra & Co as a senior associate he then moved to Allen & Gledhill as foreign associate. He is currently assistant manager – legal, at Scorpio, where he handles the Group’s global contentious and non contentious maritime issues, compliance and general corporate practice.

    In this interview he speaks to us about:

    • Maritime Law as a career and its scope.
    • Experience at ILS Law College and University of Southampton.
    • The difference between legal education in India and abroad

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS? PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PRE-COLLEGE LIFE?

    I would like to introduce myself to the readers as Siddharth Ranka, an outdoorsy, yet rooted individual with a great respect for my life, my loved ones and the work I do. I grew up in Pune where I spent more time playing sports and being outdoor than indoor. I was an erratic student and a nightmare for my parents and teachers. Being a sports fanatic and extrovert, I wanted to pursue a career in sports or event management, but life had different plans, as it always does, in its charming un-foreseeability.

    Fast forward to today, I am a maritime and compliance lawyer with Scorpio Group (Scorpio). Prior to Scorpio, I worked with Bose & Mitra & Co in their Mumbai office (BMC) and Allen & Gledhill in Singapore (A&G).

     

    HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT LAW SCHOOL? ARE THERE ANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

    ILS Law College, Pune was a remarkable experience. As a local from Pune, it was probably the first time I met a lot of people from different parts of the country who brought with them their own unique culture. So, one was always learning both in law school and outside. What was not surprising was that the students, and my batchmates, were extremely talented, ambitious and competitive, and at the same time helpful.

    I have tons of memories attached to that time in my life, and two standout the most. First and most importantly, meeting Priyadarshini,my wife. Secondly, the students who stood up against the unfortunate ragging incident that took place in the college campus in 2008.

     

    WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO GO FOR A MASTER’S PROGRAMME? WHAT LED YOU TO CHOOSE MARITIME LAW AS YOUR SPECIALISATION?

    A close friend, Riti Tyagi, introduced me to maritime law in my fourth year of law school. At the time, it sounded like a “fun” thing to do; but because we did not have maritime or allied laws in our curriculum, the basic knowledge was missing. What made it tougher back then, was the fact that there was very little information available, with professors, online or in books, regarding its scope.

    When I took up my first job at BMC, I was going into the unknown. Fortunately, I was trained and guided by Amitava Majumdar (Raja) and Shiv Iyer, both of whom had studied maritime law in England.

    What I quickly learnt was that maritime law is heavily reliant on English law – even outside the so-called “commonwealth” so it was important to get a good platform on the subject from an English law perspective. This was essentially, when I made the decision to pursue an LLM in Maritime Law. In my decision to pursue further studies, I had steady and relentless support from my parents, who constantly urged me to follow my passion and pursue higher studies, and Priyadarshini, who was instrumental in grooming and guiding me in my decision to study and work abroad and channelized my efforts into reality.

    Shipping is so internationally connected that if one needs to succeed as lawyer in this niche area of law, you must make contacts not only locally but also with our international counterparts. For this, my LLM proved to be the ideal platform. I studied and met students from more than 25 nationalities, and consequently still refer business and matters to each other.

     

    WHAT ARE THE NECESSARY TRAITS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BAG A SCHOLARSHIP FOR LLM?

    I would wholeheartedly suggest getting enough work experience, building a strong academic background and gathering good recommendations from industry personnel. Furthermore, writing articles or technical papers on legal issues which highlight your intent to pursue an LLM will increase your chances to bag that scholarship.

     

    WHAT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHILE WRITING SOPS TO PURSUE AN LLM ABROAD?

    One must focus on their motivation, objective and what is guiding them to pursue the LLM, and these must be expressed clearly, but succinctly. One should not say that they are interested in IPR or Competition law, when they are applying for a LLM in maritime law, because that would clearly conflict, showing lack of requisite knowledge, interest and aspiration.

    Lastly, the most important and yet often overlooked facet would be the skill of writing clearly with no grammatical errors.

     

    WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU SEE IN THE LEGAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA AND ABROAD? HOW CAN THE INDIAN LEGAL SYSTEM IMPROVE?

    The courses abroad are more structured, and a lot of importance has been given to self-educating. One must be prepared well in advance, for the lectures and classes they attend. Theory is given importance but the scales tip more towards understanding a subject practically. Since law, as a discipline is neither black nor white, there is nothing deemed to be right or wrong – one is allowed to express as they perceive.

    Another pivotal difference is, we have time-allotted “lectures” in India, while abroad you have interactive sessions which are followed up with tutorials or group discussions. This encourages the expression of thought and evokes confidence when speaking in public.

    The Indian legal system is complicated but the most obvious criticism will be the delayed time frame in the delivery of cases.

    To address this, there is an urgent need for reforms when it comes to, imposition of legal costs in commercial litigation and protection of client’s rights against lawyers.

    I am an advocate for courts to be accessible to all, but the process cannot be abused. The Commercial Courts Act does address this effectively, but in practice, courts have been generally reluctant to award costs. The risk of costs exposure would discourage frivolous litigation and go on a long way to reduce the backlog of cases that we presently find in Indian Courts.

    Also, lawyers should be treated in the same manner as doctors or engineers when it comes to negligent advisory. This will not only improve the legal services being offered but also reduce frivolous proceedings, which are filed at the instance of lawyers.

     

    YOU HAVE WORKED AT ALLEN AND GLEDHILL, SINGAPORE POST YOUR LLM. HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WORKING IN A FOREIGN LAW FIRM? HOW IS THE LAW FIRM CULTURE ABROAD DIFFERENT FROM INDIA?

    Singapore is a modern story for global financing and business. It has been able to attract professionals and businesses from different parts of the world and has developed into one of the leading dispute resolution centers in the world. The advantage, therefore, is that one is exposed to diverse cultures, different stakeholders and global issues, rather than being jurisdiction specific.

    My stint at the A&G helped me tremendously to mature and evolve as a lawyer. More than legal acumen, it exposed me to soft skills, which include, internal training, importance of presentation – drafting pleadings or advices, client management, file management, etc. It was also stimulating to work with clients and lawyers from different parts of the world, and has greatly impacted my upward learning curve.

    Firms abroad are very structured and lean on transparency in the working culture. There is a great deal of investment put in the employee development and data management, which, improves consistency in work across different departments and better time management.

     

    WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO COME BACK TO INDIA AFTER WORKING IN SINGAPORE?

    I was very interested to see and learn the litigation practice side of the law and wanted to understand the working of Indian courts, both from a strategic and legal point of view. For this, it was important to be in India, considering one sees far more litigation action (in court or arbitration) here than abroad.

     

    AS ASSISTANT MANAGER-LEGAL WITH SCORPIO, WHAT ARE YOUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES?

    Scorpio is probably the only foreign shipping company with their shipping legal team based out of India. This basically means that I, along with my team, handle Scorpio’s compliance issues (sanctions, anti-corruption, etc), legal shipping disputes, risk assessment and risk management issues. The role requires my team to assist internal stakeholders in any dispute or issue that they face around the world.

    To give you quick sneak peek, on a particular day, I could be handling a contractual dispute under English law, a collision in the Indian Ocean and conducting a compliance check for a new entity which Scorpio is considering doing business with, simultaneously.

    A lot of the time is spent working internally with stakeholders to understand the issues they are facing and study market trends, understanding how their position can be best protected from a contractual standpoint.

    In addition to the legal side of work, my role involves managing my team.

     

    WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF A CAREER IN MARITIME LAW IN INDIA?

    When one refers to “Maritime law” they are really speaking about a wide spectrum, ranging from ports, custom, shipbuilding, ship breaking, cargo traders, charterers, ship management and obviously shipping companies.

    This is a niche area and has traditionally been dominated by boutique small sized firms. Recent years have seen an influx of the so-called “big firms”, which enhances the career options in the otherwise less-sought out area of law. Other than law firms, one can look at in-house roles with shipping, chartering, trading houses and ports.

    A lot of foreign shipping companies carry out operations throughout India, but when it comes to legal issues, they are still handled by in-house legal teams based outside of India. At Scorpio, we have done things differently and have an expert team of Indian lawyers who handle legal disputes involving the Group not only in India, but also abroad. For me, this is an area that I can see developing and would increase career opportunities in maritime law.

     

    WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MESSAGE FOR YOUNG LAWYERS AND LAW STUDENTS?

    I am committed to my contention that to succeed in the legal sector, knowing the law is only half the story; the other and probably more important half is developing your inter-personal skills and the ability to “sell” the services you offer as a lawyer.

     

     

  • Sukanya Natrajan, Associate, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, on studying at Oxford, her internship experiences, and importance of higher education

    Sukanya Natrajan, Associate, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, on studying at Oxford, her internship experiences, and importance of higher education

    Sukanya graduated from ILS Law College in 2016. She then went on to pursue her MSc in Law and Finance from Oxford. She is currently working as an Associate at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.

    In this interview we speak to her about:

    • Importance of higher education
    • Her Master’s degree from Oxford
    • Her internship experiences

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS?

    A book lover who loves chocolate and potato? Well, law is what I do but there’s more to me than just that. While I like to think that I’m a serious professional who’s a perfectionist to the point of extreme annoyance, there’s another part of me that still dances to DDLJ songs and recites the dialogues to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Besides Bollywood and books, you’ll mostly find me with some wine and Sinatra on quiet evenings discussing conspiracy theories. Oh, and breakfast food for dinner is always good to go.

     

    WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO OPT FOR A CAREER IN LAW?

    As a kid I was a voracious reader so naturally authors like Sidney Sheldon and John Grisham glamorised the field for me. I was into debating from a very young age and so it made sense that the most talkative (read: argumentative) person in class takes up law. Even though legal dramas like Suits and Boston Legal make it seem like it’s that simple, being a corporate lawyer in India is whole new ball-game altogether and I guess it was mostly books and engaging conversations with everyone I ever met that made me choose this field.

     

    WHAT KIND OF INTERNSHIPS DID YOU UNDERTAKE DURING YOUR STUDENT YEARS? ANY ADVICE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO INTERN AT TOP-NOTCH FIRMS?

    I have interned at a total of twelve places. My basic objective was to give every field a chance before I spend 40 years of my life doing the same thing. I won’t deny that an internship typically gives you minimal exposure in the first three years and you’re only seriously considered in your penultimate year onwards, but I wanted to experience everything – from NGOs to litigation to corporate firms. I started to develop a liking towards corporate law in my third year of college and hence, started interning more with corporate teams in order to solidify my decision to become a corporate lawyer.

    Well, I would firstly say an experience at any place will teach you something, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t get to intern at top notch firms. One piece of advice – always mould your objectives from firm to firm. I always tailor my CV according to the places I am applying at and I tailor my cover letter as well, instead of sending the same generic piece everywhere. This shows that you have put in efforts to be where you want to be and that you genuinely want to be considered for an opportunity to work with the firm. Lastly, now that I have handled a few interns myself, I’d like to tell them that nobody expects flawless work. Do your best, stick to timelines and be dedicated at what you’re doing.

     

    WOULD YOU SAY HIGHER STUDIES ARE RELEVANT FOR A CAREER IN CORPORATE LAW?

    Speaking from personal experience, I think higher studies are important if you really want to enjoy what you do. However, I don’t think the timing matters much. I don’t believe there are immediate gains from an LLM degree. For me, the point of higher studies is to broaden my knowledge base of the field and not to score a better-paying job. It does add to your qualifications and employability but it’s not an absolute necessity. So I’d strongly suggest that one should do it because they want to know more from some of the brightest minds in the field and the improved career prospects come in simultaneously.

    With respect to corporate law, higher studies are bound to help you gain that exposure and edge over others. Unlike litigation, corporate law is about strategizing the right way and higher studies in your area of interest will help set you apart from the crowd. It’s all about your knowledge – the more you know, the better it is.

     

    WHICH UNIVERSITIES DID YOU APPLY FOR LLM? HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING WHICH COLLEGE TO GO TO FOR YOUR LLM?

    I only applied to two institutions – University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Truthfully speaking, I prioritized the course over the college and so I was only looking to get through either of them – the LLM in corporate laws at Cambridge or the Masters in Law and Finance at Oxford – because their course curriculums had the very same modules that I wanted to study. In fact, MLF is a dear, dear course as it has the perfect interplay of law, economics and finance and thankfully, I got just that.

     

    WHAT DOES THE CV OF A STUDENT SEEKING ADMISSION TO A PREMIER UNIVERSITY OFFERING AN LLM PROGRAM HAVE TO LOOK LIKE? WHAT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHILE WRITING SOP FOR LLM ABROAD?  WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SHARE YOUR SOP FOR REFERENCE OF LAW STUDENTS?

    Well, as sad as it is, grades do matter a lot. I personally don’t think grades should matter as it can never define what a person is, but the world needs standardised scores for them to compare and apparently this seems to be the easiest parameter. So, focus on getting decent grades (sorry guys!). Secondly, interest in the topic and I cannot emphasise this enough. You really need to be passionate about further studies and the subject matter that you have chosen and the way to showcase that is if you have any publications. There has to be yearning to know more and you need to express that interest sufficiently.

    In an SOP, try to stick to crisp and to-the-point sentences that highlight your best qualities. Do not exaggerate. Moreover, there should be a clear flow of thought that is communicated in a simple yet sophisticated manner so it sounds convincing. This is the only two minutes the other person has to review your SOP, so make sure you make for an interesting read.

    I don’t think I have my SOP anymore, but I’d love to help anyone who would like to seek my inputs. People can always reach out to me on LinkedIn, Facebook or Gmail.

     

    HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY? WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU SEE IN THE LEGAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA AND ABROAD?

    My year at Oxford was incredibly colourful. I met so many people from different parts of the world and different walks of life, all with a unique story to share. I made tons of good friends along the way and all in all it was a very wholesome environment to learn in. Studying abroad really opens up your eyes and expands your horizons – not only in terms of education but also your perspective towards various other things.

    Fact is in India, law school education is primarily focused on theory and internships are the only way to gain any sort of knowledge about the practicalities of the field (that is, if they give you real work). However, one thing I noticed abroad was how the curriculum itself was more leaning towards pragmatism than theory. It wasn’t just a bunch of random assignments but the whole duration of the course where we were made to draft proposals and subject to expert scrutiny. In a nutshell, legal education or even academics as a whole abroad is no less difficult than India, but the process is taxing in a way which ultimately shapes your thoughts, approaches and perspectives instead of your ability to simply retain information for a two hour examination.

     

    AT WHAT STAGE IN ONE’S LAW SCHOOL LIFE MUST ONE PICK A SPECIALIZATION? WHAT LED YOU TO CHOOSE SPECIALIZATION IN LAW & FINANCE?

    There is no specific time or age. I know people who knew what they wanted to achieve out of law in their very first year. But you also meet people who you learn and discover these things with alongside in your journey. I feel that one can decide at any level if they’re passionate enough and know enough about the subject matter to justify the choice. I was reading a lot on behavioural economics in my fourth and fifth year of law school and that was what led me to finding the perfect course for me.

    Along with law, I’ve always taken a keen interest in Economics. Seems like a bit of an overstatement but when I discovered the MLF course, I just knew this is what I’d been looking for. To be able to integrate both areas of interest and apply that in my career – MLF was my only way – and it didn’t take me more than 48 hours to convince my parents of the same.

     

    YOU HAVE DONE ADDITIONAL COURSES AND DIPLOMAS DURING YOUR TIME AT LAW SCHOOL. HOW FAR HAS THE COURSE HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE CURRENT LAW STUDENTS TO TAKE UP SOME ADDITIONAL COURSES DURING THEIR TIME AT COLLEGE?

    Well, my college was only for four-five hours a day. I had to find some way to kill time so I took up a lot of additional courses to read and learn more about law. I have one diploma each in IPR, competition law and corporate laws in addition to the executive level of CS. I even took up Masters in Business Laws from NLSIU, just to keep myself busy.

    Apart from keeping me productively occupied, taking up extra courses enabled me to understand the subtle nuances of law in various fields, thereby helping me to explore my options. It’s not just about adding an extra line in your cv, but about how your field is applicable in real life.

    I would say take up the courses if you have time to spare and are willing to learn. Don’t do it because you think it’ll impress your interviewer, but because you want to know more and more.

     

    WHAT WOULD BE YOUR WORD OF ADVICE TO YOUNG LAWYERS AND LAW STUDENTS?

    Don’t fret about not getting big names on your CV. Try for it. If it doesn’t happen, it’s okay. Don’t give up and don’t lose heart. Take any opportunity that you can lay your hands on – learn more, experience more, know more. Those 5 years, I had a lot of time and I regret not spending it more efficiently. Studying in a law school is no different from any other college experience – it is the time for all your firsts. So be active in college, be it debating, moots or sports and at the same time, take time out to chill and make memories with your friends.

     

  • Subham Chatterjee, Senior Associate, Sterling Associates, shares his insight on Litigation, Corporate Law and work experience

    Subham Chatterjee, Senior Associate, Sterling Associates, shares his insight on Litigation, Corporate Law and work experience

    Subham Chatterjee graduated from ILS Law College, Pune in the year 2013. After this, he joined Dave & Girish & Co., Mumbai. He then went on to pursue his Master’s degree from University of Mumbai in 2014, with a focus on Environmental Law.  He is currently working as Senior Associate at Sterling Associate.  His areas of practice include General Corporate, Capital Markets and Start-up Practice.

    In this interview he talks to us about-

    • His legal education at ILS Law College, Pune
    • Transitioning from litigation to corporate law
    • His experience at ‘Sterling Associate’

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS?

    I would like to introduce myself as a ‘corporate lawyer’ to the readers. My name is Subham Chatterjee and I am currently working in a Mumbai based law firm – ‘STERLING ASSOCIATES’. I have been with the firm for three years now. My core practice areas include private equity, capital markets, general corporate and advisory. Apart from my core practice areas, I also do a bit of litigation work but it is only limited to drafting of pleading papers, briefing counsels and providing legal advice to my clients.

    I graduated from ILS Law College, Pune (the five year course) in June, 2013. Thereafter, I also completed by LLM (masters in law) from the Department of Law, Mumbai University, in the year 2016.

    Just to tell you my background, my native place is Burnpur, a small town in Burdwan district of West Bengal. I attended St. Patrick’s H.S. School, Asansol, which is a very old and reputed school, and which is run by the Christian brothers, who are known for their discipline and punishments.

    Thereafter, I completed my twelveth from Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune which is also an extremely well known and reputed college, attracting talent from all over India.

    My hobbies are travelling to new places, reading books and newspapers, listening to music, exercising, and trying new and different cuisines (I am a real food-lover).

     

    HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE LAW AS A CAREER OPTION?

    It’s actually a matter of coincidence that I became a lawyer because as school boy in Burnpur, I had never imagined that I would become one. During my school days, just like many of my classmates, I wanted to become an engineer too. However, by the time I was in ninth and tenth standard and was preparing for my board exams, I realised that I am extremely weak in science. So I stopped thinking about having any career in engineering and started considering other career options. My father, who at that time was posted in Thane district of Maharashtra, suggested that I should pursue my further studies in Pune, which offers plenty of career opportunities in different streams. Therefore, after my tenth standard exams, I shifted to Pune in order to pursue a career in commerce. I was fortunate enough to secure admission in Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) for my twelfth.

    While in BMCC, in the initial months, the profession of chartered accountancy sounded quite appealing. Many of my friends were planning to pursue chartered accountancy and had started preparing for it (i.e. the CPT – Common Proficiency Test) by the end of eleventh standard. However, I was not kind of liking the subject ‘book-keeping and accountancy’. In fact to be honest, tallying the profit and loss account and the asset and liability side of the balance sheet was a nightmare for me.

    I remember that during my days in BMCC, teachers used to encourage us to read the newspapers especially the business section, as we were commerce students. I followed their advice and somehow I developed an interest in the news relating to mergers and acquisition, joint ventures, business deals etc. which are generally the things which corporate lawyers deal with. Also, one of my roommates in my eleventh standard was a law student and he often used to speak to me about his law subjects like contracts, law of torts etc. Lastly, in BMCC, I participated in a few debate competitions and some essay writing competitions. I also got few of my articles published in ‘Think Track’ – the annual student magazine of BMCC. My teachers and some my seniors in BMCC had appreciated my articles and had told me that I have good communication skills, which are necessary for lawyers. So these were few of the important factors which led to my decision of pursuing law as a career option.

     

    PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COLLEGE LIFE? HOW IMPORTANT WAS YOUR COLLEGE IN SHAPING YOUR CAREER?

    I feel privileged to have had the opportunity of studying in ILS Law College, Pune. It is one of best law colleges in the country and provides a lot of opportunities and exposure to its students. The best thing about ILS was that the day I started my college, I had a very strange feeling. It was a feeling which I had never experienced before. This feeling was actually a realisation, that law is the field where I belong.

    The five years of college life in ILS were the best years of my life. I am also extremely fortunate to have had very good teachers in ILS. They not only taught us the subjects but also used to share with us their practical experiences and the challenges in practice. Their counsel and guidance continue to help me even today. They also used to encourage us to take part in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

    And of course, I made great friends in ILS and I am still in touch with most of them. We’ve had lots of fun and great moments of joy when we were in college. I do miss those times a lot today. Most of my friends are doing really well in their career and it does give me a sense of pride.

    In my college days, I took part in various activities like debates, essay writing competitions, model united nation (MUN), quiz competitions, moot court competitions, writing articles and research papers etc. Though I was not very good at them, nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed these activities and also they were good learning experiences for me. These activities taught me life skills which are – to work hard, avoid short-cuts, not to give up easy, believing in myself, figuring out my strengths and weaknesses, and learning from mistakes and failure.

    I was also a part of the ‘Corporate Law Cell’ and the ‘HARIYALI – Environment Awareness Cell’ of ILS. I used to attend the seminars and conferences which used to be organized by them, which also were a great learning experience for me. These seminars which I attended, coupled with my internships and diplomas, helped in developing my interest towards corporate and financial laws.

    Also, a couple of my research papers which got published in law journals helped me get some internships. In my final year in ILS, I got placed on campus with Dave & Girish & Co., a law firm in Mumbai.

    In these ways, ILS was instrumental in shaping my career.

     

    YOU HAVE DONE ADDITIONAL COURSES AND DIPLOMAS DURING YOUR TIME AT LAW SCHOOL? HOW FAR HAS THE COURSE HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE CURRENT LAW STUDENTS TO TAKE UP SOME ADDITIONAL COURSES DURING THEIR TIME AT COLLEGE?

    I have done a diploma in cyber law, diploma in corporate and financial laws, and a diploma in mergers and acquisitions. I also completed a certificate course in ‘Competition Law and IPR’ from FICCI in my final year in ILS. As our college lectures used to be for only around three hours in the morning, I used to be free for the rest of day. These diplomas were a way to utilise my time in a better and more effective manner, and was also a way to understand where my interest lies amongst the various specialisations of law.

    The diploma in corporate and financial laws from Symbiosis Law College was quite difficult but was quite helpful. The syllabus was quite extensive but my teachers were really good and they helped me understand even the complicated subjects in a very simple way. I must mention the names of Mr. Nikhil Fulambarkar, who taught us securities laws and competition law, and Mr. Ganesh Hingmire, who taught us international economic laws. They were very helpful and had guided me really well throughout the diploma. In fact I used to get in touch with them even after I cleared this diploma for counsel and help in relation to various queries which I encountered during my law course.

    These diplomas/certificate courses helped me realize/develop my interest towards corporate and financial laws.

    As I have gained from the diplomas/certificate courses, I would suggest that in case any of the law students are keen on figuring out which area of specialization he/she wishes to pursue or wishes to gain additional knowledge apart from the subjects being taught in college, then they may consider pursuing some of the diplomas/certificate courses which are offered by various institutions.

     

    HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT PLANNING YOUR INTERNSHIPS AT LAW SCHOOL?

    In the initial years, I did not plan my internships at all. I just saw that all my friends and my seniors preparing their CVs and shortlisting the names of law firms where they were planning to apply for internships. Therefore, I just followed their footsteps and happened to apply in a few law firms in Pune, and fortunately landed a four week long internship in a law firm which was completely into litigation in the district and sessions court, consumer forum, debt recovery tribunal etc. I subsequently went on to intern with the same firm’s Bombay and Delhi office in the forthcoming years in ILS. These initial internships were also helpful in developing my interest in corporate law.

    In my third, fourth and final year in ILS, before applying for my internships, I used to shortlist those firms where I, as an intern, could get opportunity to learn new and practical aspects of law, and how a lawyer deals with challenges which he/she encounters in practice. While applying, I also used to check if the law firm has a good corporate law practice so that I would get to learn more about the area of law where my interest lied. Also, while applying for internships, I paid a lot of attention on drafting and presentation of the internship application/ cover letter and my CV and before sending them out, I used to proof read them multiple times, in order to avoid any mistakes, as I felt that any silly mistake in the draft of the application/cover letter and the CV, may jeopardize my chances of securing my internship in that law firm.

     

    YOU DID LITIGATION IN YOUR INITIAL YEARS AND LATER SWITCHED TO CORPORATE FIRM? WHAT LED YOU TO CHANGE FROM LITIGATION TO CORPORATE?

    Litigation happened to me by chance. I did litigation in my first job i.e. at Dave & Girish & Co., Mumbai. In fact when I was interviewed by the managing partner of Dave & Girish & Co., Ms. Mona Bhide, she had asked me that given an opportunity which department would I prefer to join – litigation or corporate. And without thinking twice I had responded ‘corporate’. However, when I joined there, I was given litigation matters to handle. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed doing litigation assignments during the first couple of years of my career. Litigation was a great learning experience for me especially preparing for hearings, briefing senior counsels and counsels, and occasionally having the fortune to appear and argue the matter myself. It helped improve my drafting and communication skills. Having the opportunity to work on different areas and on matters filed before different forums such as High Court, City Civil Court, DRT, ITAT, Sales Tax Tribunal, Company Law Board etc. was a good exposure, and that experience and knowledge which I have gained working in litigation is invaluable, and that continues to help me even today while drafting contracts or advising clients.

    Now along with litigation, I was also getting some corporate assignments viz. drafting of agreements, legal opinions etc. I gradually realized that though litigation was turning out to be a great learning experience, still my core area of interest continued to be corporate and financial laws, and I still wanted to pursue my career as a corporate lawyer. This is because I still believed that I would be more comfortable and would be in a better position to contribute to my firm and my career by working as a corporate lawyer. I also spoke to some of my friends and seniors in the profession and discussed with them about what I was considering, and took their opinion on the same. Therefore, leaving litigation and pursuing my goal as a corporate lawyer was not a very comfortable decision but it surely was well thought out.

    But I can say from my experience that having a litigation experience of a couple of years, and the skills which I developed while working in litigation, has continued to be helpful to me in my current assignments as a corporate lawyer as well.

     

    WHAT ARE YOUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS SENIOR ASSOCIATE AT STERLING ASSOCIATES?

    Sterling Associates is out and out a corporate law firm. In Sterling, my practice ranges from capital markets, private equity and joint venture transactions, M&A, fund formation, general corporate advisory, drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements etc. I am also responsible for rendering legal advice and support to ‘start-ups’. Start-ups form a significant part of Sterling’s clientele. Advising start-ups is interesting but at the same time it is challenging and sensitive. A lawyer advising start-ups for some commercial agreements with third parties or tie-ups or for fund raising etc. must understand the nature of the business, the vision of the entrepreneur, its strengths which should be secured and not compromised in these transactions, the opportunities which the start-up may have in future and challenges/risks which may arise, and therefore a lawyer has to address all these concerns while advising a start-up. Accordingly, the documents/ agreements to be drafted in transactions involving start-ups have to be customized to secure its interests.

    I work with a team of extremely talented and hardworking professionals in Sterling, led by Mr. Ramakant Kini, Managing Partner, Sterling Associates. I am fortunate to have reputed and extremely promising companies, funds and entrepreneurs as my clients, whose assignments I handle on behalf of Sterling. In Sterling, I have learnt to have a solution oriented approach to the assignments for which I am responsible. As a senior associate, my endeavour is to deliver quality results for my clients in a punctual manner by giving due priority to my professional assignments, and at the same time help my colleagues develop and improvise upon their skills and realize their potential. 

     

    WHAT WOULD BE YOUR WORD OF ADVICE TO YOUNG LAWYERS AND LAW STUDENTS?

    My word of advice to young lawyers and law students would be to work hard, believe in yourself, do not find short-cuts, be humble, never stop learning, surround yourself with good and positive people, AND, no matter what the odds are, never stop trying; because I had read somewhere – ‘TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST, BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO’.

     

  • Aditya Mehta, Senior Associate, IC Universal Legal, shares his insight on independent practice and litigation experience

    Aditya Mehta, Senior Associate, IC Universal Legal, shares his insight on independent practice and litigation experience

    Aditya Mehta graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai, in 2007.  Post graduation, he worked in the Chamber of Advocate Amar N Bhatt. He has more than ten years of work experience and is currently working as Senior Associate at IC Universal Legal, Ahmedabad.

    In this interview we talk to him about:

    • His experience in IC Universal Legal
    • Setting independent practice
    • His experience of a litigation lawyer at a firm

     

     

    HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT GLC MUMBAI? WHAT ACTIVITIES WERE YOU INVOLVED IN APART FROM THE REGULAR ACADEMIC CURRICULUM?

    After my schooling, I decided to apply for a five year integrated law course from GLC Mumbai. GLC was my first choice as it has the distinction of being the oldest law college in Asia (est. in 1855) and has a rich heritage and pedigree.

    During my academic years at GLC, Mumbai, I was an active member of a Social Service League Committee, which undertook various projects, benefiting students, NGOs and the community at large, which was achieved by tie-ups with Government as well as Non-Profit Organisations. For first three years of my law school I was a part of this Committee, which in collaboration with a NGO helped under-trial prisoners, who were unable to retain services of a Lawyer, to help file their bail applications.

    Overall my experience at GLC helped me build a solid foundation for my future endeavours in the legal profession and I feel proud to be part of an institute that has a very strong and eminent alumnus.

     

    WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON ACADEMICS? HOW IMPORTANT ARE GRADES IN LAW SCHOOL FOR AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER?

    Academics are really important to understand the principles on the basis on which laws are drafted and implemented. Good academic career may help to understand and implement various provisions of law in better way. However, to be very honest I personally feel that grades are not really as important as having a sound understanding of various subjects. I feel that grades are just a reference for your own evaluation.

    But the aforesaid also depends on what type of practice you choose to take up after your law school, as good grades may help you land a good job. However, for litigation, I personally feel that grades do not matter much, but a better understanding of law and its implementation helps in a longer run.

    Therefore if one intends to practice litigation, I recommend to have more of hands on experience along with academic knowledge, which can be only achieved by undertaking variety of work during internship and also by not neglecting what is being taught at the law school. I also think that actively participating in as many extra-curricular activities as one can will be like adding another feather on the hat.

     

    HOW FAR DID YOUR INTERNSHIPS DURING LAW SCHOOL HELP YOU IN YOUR CAREER AFTER YOUR GRADUATION? HOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE PRESENT LAW STUDENTS PLAN THEIR INTERNSHIPS?

    Internships during law school are equally important as academics. It helped me immensely in selecting my area of interest. It gave me an insight on different aspects of law like Litigation/Non-litigation in Civil/Criminal/Corporate work. It provided an opportunity to understand the real-life scenario and hands on work experience.

    Speaking for myself, during my internship period, from second year in college till the fourth year, I interned at a couple of law firms in Mumbai, trying my hands on different subjects of law and by the end of internship, I realised that I was not the type of person who can manage to sit on his desk and exclusively do non-litigation work and that my real interest lies in appearing before a Judge or an Authority to defend/protect the interest of litigants. Therefore, for my final year in law school, I chose to intern under a Senior Advocate at the High Court of Gujarat.

    My decision to do an internship in the final year before the courts at Gujarat and not Mumbai, played a very important role in my career.  I would suggest all law students to get most out of their internship and work on as many diverse fields of law as possible and also do an internship in their home state/town, at least for a period of six months, in their choice of field to come to an informed decision in selecting their area of specialisation and place of practicing law after their law school.

     

    HOW WAS YOUR FIRST YEAR AFTER GRADUATION? WHAT DO YOU THINK WERE THE BIGGEST HURDLES AND CHALLENGES IN THE EARLY DAYS OF YOUR CAREER? HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THEM?

    After graduating from Government Law College, Mumbai, I decided to return to Ahmedabad, to start practicing on the litigation side. I joined the Chambers of Advocate Amar N Bhatt, wherein I was allowed to take up my own personal cases for my clients since day one. During my tenure at his office, I represented his clients mainly in the Trial Courts and the Tribunal. I also assisted him in various cases in the High Court. During my initial days, I was always advised by my senior that every lawyer should start his practice from the Trail Court and also that he/she has to have experience of conducting a Trial including examination and cross examination of witnesses.

    I truly acknowledge the assistance received from my senior, which helped to build a strong/solid foundation for my career development/growth.

    Right after getting my license to practice, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to represent my very own first client before the Trail Court. I still remember drafting a written statement to be filed on behalf of my client before the Trial Court, I went through the final draft over and over before showing it to my senior for his assistance and inputs and it was at that time I was introduced to Order 8 Rule 2 to Rule 5 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (which I might have not given much importance during my academic years). Before that I had never paid much attention to such type of provisions. From that day, I understood the importance and requirement of reading.

    Later, as and when the volume of work/responsibilities grows, the challenge mainly rolls around managing the high volume of work across different courts and in order to manage in such situations, we need to thoroughly understand facts and details of each component of the case. We are also required to understand the technical details of different elements involved in each case and efficiently implement the correct measures in order to secure justice. It is at moment you realise the true meaning of ‘PRACTICING Law’.

     

    YOU HAD INDEPENDENT PRACTICE FOR OVER TEN YEARS. WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID YOU FACE TO SET UP YOUR OWN PRACTICE AND WHAT LED YOU TO JOIN A FIRM AFTER ESTABLISHING YOUR INDEPENDENT PRACTICE?

    From the day, I graduated from law school in 2007, till August 2013, I worked in the Chamber of Advocate Amar Bhatt, assisting and handling cases of his clients before different Forums. During that time, I had few of my own clients that I used to represent in various Judicial/Quasi-Judicial Proceedings. Over a period of time, somewhere about in the starting of year 2012, it so happened that my independent practice started picking up and it became difficult to effectively manage the workload of both my senior’s cases and my own independent practice. I remember, that for a year or so, I used to work on the cases of my senior from morning to evening and manage work of my own clients thereafter, till late in the night and during that period of time I made a decision to start my own office, which was started in around August 2013.

    When I started my own office, my senior gifted me a book on ‘Administrative Law’ signed by him and he quoted the following “When you mention a famous race horse, they always ask you ‘From which stable?’ The stable is important. When you name a lawyer who has done well, people will ask you ‘From which Chamber?’. The Chamber is important.”

    From that period, till I joined the Firm, I was the boss of my own office. It was at that time I realised the importance of having a senior/mentor by your side and that every small mistake you made, were filtered and corrected by him. It is only when you become captain of your own ship you tend to put in your best foot forward and try to muster all the knowledge and experience you gained over the past years and try to achieve the best possible result for your client, without the safety net which always was there when you use to work from a Chamber of a senior lawyer.

    My close friend and childhood buddy Aayush J Modi, who is a partner of the firm, started the Ahmedabad office in June 2015. We have known each other from 1st day of the school. Both of us attended the same law school as well. His area of practice mainly consisted of non-litigation work, IPR and immigration law. Sometime in October/November 2015, he asked me if I was interested in joining as a Senior Associate and heading the litigation department of the Ahmedabad office. I had no second thought and decided to join the office of IC Universal Legal (previously known as ‘Universal Legal’) and brought in to the firm my independent clientele and joined the firm from January 2016.

    My decision to leave my independent practice and to join a law firm was a no brainer. Firstly, in today’s world, with the growth of trade and businesses and with the increase in interstate/cross border trades, it was necessary to be present in more than one city or a state. IC Universal Legal has its presence pan India with having eight offices in seven states in India and also having an exclusive Affiliation with The Chugh LLP, which has five offices in the United States. Secondly, the clients being corporates or even individuals look for firms who can cater to all their legal requirements and can be their one stop solution. By joining the firm I got a chance to setup and head the entire litigation department for the Ahmedabad office, was somewhat like having my own independent practice under the umbrella of expertise and experience of the entire firm.

     

    AS A SENIOR ASSOCIATE IN IC UNIVERSAL LEGAL, WHAT IS THE WORK EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE GATHERED TILL NOW?

    With the name of the firm attached to my name, I felt more confident in taking up more variety of work and was able to further broaden my field of practice as after joining the firm, I got opportunities to work in collaboration with not only our offices in India but also got opportunities to work with The Chugh LLP, USA, that has an exclusive affiliation with our firm. The opportunity not only helped me provide efficient services to my clientele pan India but also in other countries.

    The years 2017-18 have also proved to be very fortunate for me as in the year 2017, I was accepted as a Member of Young MCIA (Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration) and in the year 2018, I was awarded as the “Arbitration Lawyer of the Year in India, 2018” by the International Advisory Experts and was also awarded as the “Leading Commercial Litigator of the Year, India 2018” by Acquisition International.

     

    PLEASE TELL US THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AT YOUR FIRM? HOW DID YOUR APPOINTMENT TAKE PLACE?

    Any candidate, who desires to apply, may send in their resume by post or e-mail to the concerned Office, which they intend to join. Upon receipt of the resume and subject to vacancies in that particular office, a list of questionnaire is shared with the candidate. After reviewing the answers the candidate is then interviewed either in person or through video call. Once the candidate clears the interview, the resume and answers are reviewed by the Partner/s. And once that process is completed, the candidates are informed about their appointment.

    So far as my appointment is concerned, I also went through the same process as mentioned herein above.

     

    YOU HAVE A VERY DIVERSE AREA OF PRACTICE. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF UPDATED WITH ALL THE LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THESE FIELDS?

    Since the day I started practicing, I had the privilege to represent my clients in various Judicial/Quasi-Judicial Authorities throughout India on various subject matters. In this profession and from whatever experience I have, I can surely say that no two cases are the same and that the facts and circumstances in every case are different.

    The challenge in having such a diverse area of practice is that you should be aware of all the legal developments happening every day. It is simple and can be done by allotting at least an hour everyday to go through all the legal portals, news websites and forums. The other most important and efficient way to stay updated is to discuss your doubts/queries with your colleagues or friends and sometimes indulge in discussions with them.

    In fact, after joining the firm, which has a wide variety of expertise, it sometimes became difficult when someone asks you queries altogether on a different subject of law that you have never dealt with in your career. To be very honest, I feel that litigants/clients/friends or family thinks that we being a lawyer must be aware of every law or every rules and regulations that exist, even if you practice IPR Laws, they think that you will know rules pertaining to traffic violation also.

    In order to meet a certain level of expectations, we have designed a concept called ‘Classroom Studies’ in our office, where every Friday evening one person has to educate the others on any subject in which he or she has an expertise and such session is followed by a Q&A session. By this way everyone, will be able to have at least basic knowledge on variety of subjects over a period of time.

     

    LASTLY, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PARTING MESSAGE TO OUR READERS?

    I would like to share with you this quote:

    “If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability” – Henry Ford.

     

  • Mohammad Manauar, Senior Manager-Legal, SMS Group, shares his roles and responsibilities as In-house Counsel

    Mohammad Manauar, Senior Manager-Legal, SMS Group, shares his roles and responsibilities as In-house Counsel

    Mohammad Manauar graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, in 2008. He currently works with SMS Group and handles corporate legal team of India. He has eight years of work experience and has worked as a practising lawyer as well as an in-house counsel with organisations like Thomas Reuters, Infosys BPO Ltd and Sirion Labs Private Limited.

    In this interview, he talks to us about:

    • His role and responsibilities as Senior Manager – Legal in SMS Group
    • The reason behind giving up litigation practice and accepting an in-house legal counsel role.
    • His college life at Aligarh Muslim University

     

     

    HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR READERS? PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR PRE-COLLEGE LIFE?

    My name is Mohammad Manauar, a small town boy with big dreams from Darbhanga, Bihar. The linguistic heritage and nuances of indigenous art and craft nurtured in me curiosity from the very inception and the zeal to pursue knowledge led me to my unending journey of deciphering new avenues of legal development.

     

    HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT LAW SCHOOL? ARE THERE ANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

    Like I said I belong to a small town in Bihar, and hailing from a small town has its own advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is zero expectations from your family and faculty, while the greatest disadvantage is about this great expectation of proving your caliber beyond reasonable doubt. My initial year at law school was all about making a mark among the big shots and stealing spotlight by my hard labor, wit and humor.

    Days in Aligarh University were golden days. It’s a central university with around 30,000 enrolled students and more than 16,000 used to reside in hostels, wherein students from different streams and courses lived together, so that gave me a very diverse perspective of things. The more you interact with people from different fields and areas, the more your mind opens to diverse views.

    I was very much active in student politics after my third year and was Senior Proctorial Monitor (SPM) at AMU in 2008-09. This is the highest administrative student post, which means the head of 30,000 students. Apart from this I was also Senior Hall of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Hall, which is exclusive boy’s hostel for the law students.

     

    WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO GO FOR A MASTER’S PROGRAMME? WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO SPECIALISE IN CRIMINAL LAW?

    The inner zeal to pursue and acquire knowledge motivated rather compelled me to pursue master’s programme. There were multiple factors that influenced my decision to specialise in criminal law, but to name a few were continuous reading of crime fictions during college days and young man’s desire to change the state of country’s not so good criminal justice system.

     

    YOU COMPLETED YOUR LLM FROM ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY. WHAT WAS THE CURRICULUM LIKE AT ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY? WHAT FACTORS LED YOU TO CHOOSE LLM FROM INDIA RATHER THAN LLM ABROAD?

    The Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University holds the honour of being the flag bearer of five years integrated graduation course in law. Further, it is also one of the top five premier research institutes in legal education. In 1960, the Department of Law became a full-fledged faculty.

    The Department of Law of Aligarh Muslim University is one of the oldest departments in India. The teaching of law in AMU was introduced in the year 1883. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder was greatly impressed by the programme of legal education in British Universities. So he was very keen to have legal education on that pattern in AMU also.

    There are several legal luminaries passed from AMU like, Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon considered by many as the father of modern legal education in India passed the master’s degree in law (LLM) from AMU and had the distinction of being first PhD holder of Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University. He is the founder Director of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and the founder Vice Chancellor of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS).

    Even Prof. Tahir Mahmood an Indian legal scholar and author of a large number of books frequently cited in the judgments of the Supreme Court of India and High Courts. He also did is LLM from Aligarh Muslim University.

    The curriculum in LLM is detailed; research oriented and depends upon specialisation. Master’s degree provides you the depth of understanding of the subject. The specialisations are in Business laws, Constitutional Law, Environmental Law, Criminal Law, IPR, Muslim Law etc.

    I got chance to learn Constitutional law from Prof. (Dr) Faizan Mustafa, who is the presently Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University, Hyderabad and criminal law from Dr. Shakeel Ahmad who was almost like my guardian angel. In fact the entire faculty was very supportive and appreciative.

    As I have already shared, being a student leader I was juggling between books and problem of the students. This helped me a lot in understanding and making very good rapport with people to interact or have a business. And till today it is helping me in my corporate job where I meet so many people every day.

    The course fee and indigenous restrictions as to practice and academic pursuits led me to pursue LLM from India rather than abroad.

     

    YOU DID LITIGATION FOR INITIAL YEARS AND LATER SWITCHED TO IN-HOUSE COUNSEL ROLES? WHAT LED YOU TO CHANGE FROM LITIGATION TO IN-HOUSE COUNSEL? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AN IN-HOUSE COUNSEL GENERALLY?

    The struggle of making a mark being a first generation lawyer and acute family pressure to earn money and share responsibilities made me switch from litigation to in-house counsel roles.

    With the laws and regulatory compliances becoming more complex, companies face various risks and challenges. The in-house legal is required to understand the risks and issues involved in a decision from a legal stand point and further communicate it to the management. This will enable the management to make informed choices and decisions within the acceptable risk profile.

    There are inherent cost savings, since one is not paying external counsel at an hourly rate. In-house counsel works exclusively for the business employing them, rather than for a third party with a number of different clients. In-house counsel have the added advantage of being familiar with the business employing them, they already know the company’s working environment, its principles and its general ethos. As employees of the business, they will also have the best interests of that company at heart, which may not be the case for external counsel.

     

    DO YOU TAKE INTERNS IN LEGAL DEPARTMENT AT SMS GROUP? WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE OF APPLICATION FOR INTERNSHIP?

    As of now, the in house legal team sits in Germany. We are on the verge of expansion in India. I am the first one hired for India corporate legal team. As the team will expand in couple of months, we will start hiring law interns.

     

    AS SENIOR MANAGER-LEGAL WITH SMS GROUP, GURGAON, WHAT ARE YOUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES?

     As Senior Manager – Legal with SMS Group, Gurgaon, I am handling overall legal affairs of the SMS India Pvt. Ltd.

    • Contract Management- Independently handling the complete closure of the contract post receipt of the requirement by the concerned dept. through vetting, drafting and negotiation (both international & domestic contracts).
    • Negotiation in direct covering both commercial and legal aspects of EPC Contracts, tenders, bidding, sub-contractor agreements, commercial and procurement contract, government projects, POs.
    • Tender preparation and negotiation reviews and comments on commercial and technical tender terms and requirements, and the overall execution strategy taking into account risk, scope, and schedule as per internal company standards. Highlighting changes and deviations.
    • Assist project team in resolving contractor disputes, claims, and performance issues.
    • Ensure adherence to the contracting plan, document and obtain prior approval of exceptions.
    • Handling lawsuits of the company
    • Advising to group HR head on legal issues concerning employees (Present and Past) and any other HR/labour law issues as per requirement.
    • Other legal issues as and when required

     

    WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MESSAGE FOR YOUNG LAWYERS AND LAW STUDENTS?

    Never underestimate the power of diligent effort and hard labor. Never bow down to challenges as facing it will bring the best out of you. Never settle with time and keep on climbing the ladders of knowledge and expertise because we lawyers are like old foxes as we reap gold with grey hairs.