Super Lawyer

Category: Interviews

  • Jai Sahai Endlaw on moots, litigation and an LL.M from Berkeley

    Jai Sahai Endlaw on moots, litigation and an LL.M from Berkeley

    Jai Sahai Endlaw graduated from NLU, Jodhpur in 2013, and thereafter he had the opportunity to pursue higher studies from the University of California, Berkeley. While at law school he had huge achievements in mooting, his team at NLU, Jodhpur went on to win the 16th Stetson IEMCC World Rounds, an Honourable Mention for Best Respondent Memorandum at the 9th Willem C. Vis (East) Arbitration Moot, at UC, Berkeley also his team made it to the Semi-Finals Pacific Coast rounds of the 55th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

    With so much to tell you about him, we could ask only a few questions on:

    • Academics and internships for a career in litigation
    • Partaking in the best moots and acing them
    • LL.M experience from UC, Berkeley

     

    What is it that motivated you to take up law as a career? Was it an engineered move or a sudden decision?

    I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a career in law. Two factors anchored my decision – It being a family profession, the daily challenge of a court room drama was fascinating, and it was matched with my interest in current affairs, debating and reading.

     

    Would you say your parents were quite instrumental in making you take law as a career option? Did you get to hear legal discussions right from your childhood days?

    My parents were instrumental in helping my shape my career decision. The choice was entirely mine. In fact they are of the opinion that a study in science at school level helps develop and hone analytical abilities – I studied science at school. My father litigated in the District Courts and High Court. During his practice, he largely dealt with matters on the civil side, original and appellate which included property and rent matters. My parents gave me complete freedom to find my calling at law school, and even supported me when I expressed my desire to pursue further studies abroad. Yes, legal discussions were a part of routine dinner table conversations – I’m a third generation lawyer.

     

    Having a family with legal background may prove to be a huge advantage as far as establishing a practice is concerned. What is your opinion on the same? Did this factor ever play a role in influencing your decision to take up law?

    A legal background and family practice is definitely a privilege and of help, but only to the extent of giving you a realistic perception about the practice and understanding law as a profession. Ultimately, in the business of advising, you bring ‘yourself’ to the table. There may have been some subtle influences acting upon me whilst I made my choices, but it is imperative for the choice to match your area of interests. Only then can one support and sustain a career long term.

     

    Did your internships motivate you to get more involved in litigation than corporate law?

    Internships are indeed processes of self discovery. If you work on them seriously, 4 – 6 weeks of work in a firm or under a practicing advocate gives you an insight into what your future requirements may be. My core area of interest lay in a litigation practice of my own, and the internships were great learning experiences. In fact, my first internship was with an advocate who practiced in the district courts as well as at the High Court. I followed him in the Courts and observed him arguing over the course of one summer and that cemented my decision to litigate after law school. Since that involved regular Court appearances and briefings, I felt that working with an advocate would be befitting. Practical, hands on work, always helps to either endorse or change your career trajectory.

     

    What role do academics play in the career of an aspiring litigator?

    Academics and exam scores are baseline platforms for professionals. One must use the time of five years at Law School to learn to examine critically and couple the approach to build a mature thought process and a confident personality. At the end of the day very few lawyers ask you for your transcripts when you apply for a job as a junior advocate. Our profession is such that law school can only effectively prepare you on the theoretical aspect of law, practical knowledge will come on the job but only after you are sound on what the law says.

     

    Is there anything apart from academics that a student who wishes to pursue litigation must involve himself in during his law school life?

    I don’t think there are any specific categories of activities that one can pursue at Law School that necessarily help you become a better litigator or corporate lawyer. Having said that, moot courts are wonderful modules with fun and competitive ways of learning the law in a specialized area. They involve in depth research for specially constructed problems, and require clarity of mind and articulation. I haven’t written any papers myself, but I’m well aware that the effort, reading and critical reasoning that goes into publishing is another great opportunity for law students, not only to express their views but to test their analytical skills.

     

    Your team won the 16th Stetson IEMCC World Rounds and also an Honourable Mention for Best Respondent Memorandum at the 9th Willem C. Vis (East) Arbitration Moot. How big a role do you think mooting plays in the overall development of a lawyer?

    For me personally, mooting was definitely a confidence booster. It also taught me that hard work does really pay off. The way international moots are structured, you read and research about specific areas of international law for months and in the process learn the importance of team work and improve your drafting skills. These are important lessons that stay with a lawyer for their entire career. Actual practice before any court is different in terms of the pressure, you plead your case on behalf of a real client, who is depending on your skills and knowledge to get him relief. Mooting definitely helps in aspects such as marshalling the facts of a case and narrowing down and identifying the issues in a legal proceeding, but appearing before a judge who is sitting not only to adjudicate your case but multiple others on the same day is a very different and unique experience.

     

    How was your LL.M experience from University of California, Berkeley. Did you always have higher studies in your mind? If not, what motivated you to go in for the same?

    A post graduate degree was always very much on the agenda. What really clinched my decision to apply was my experience at international moots, meeting teams from various countries, observing their approach to the moot problem and touring various American Universities after Stetson. You will be surprised at how easy it is to walk into any law school in the U.S., introducing yourself as a law student from a foreign country and informing them of your desire to pursue higher studies in the U.S. and as a consequence being invited to sit in on one of the lectures being held at that time!

     

    For those students who are planning to go for higher studies, what do you think would be better- going right after graduation or going after having gained some work experience?

    I can only speak from my personal experience. There are no short term benefits of an LL.M degree/diploma in a career in litigation in India. The take away is largely in terms of personal growth. However, from what I told, as you grow in litigation and deal with MNC’s and foreign clients, a degree that such clients can relate to helps in them relating to the degree holder as well. Couple that with an international network that you develop during your LLM, and it’s a powerful combination.

    International experience is one of the most important components of a 21st century education, and a study abroad can be viewed as a step in that direction. Indian university graduates are relatively stronger on ‘soft’ skills such as interpersonal skills. Foreign degree holders appear disposed towards critical thinking skills, and using their knowledge to solve real world problems.

    The eternal conundrum that law students face is when, if at all, to pursue their higher studies. I chose to go straight after law school because I felt that I couldn’t afford to settle into a litigation career of a couple of years only to uproot it and go abroad for a year (or maybe more). On the flip side, I was one of the youngest in my batch at Berkeley Law and that has its own fair share of baggage!

     

    What do you think is the perfect formula for candidature at a reputed law school for further studies?

    I don’t think anyone has found the perfect formula to get accepted to the best universities in the world. But I do know that the universities definitely look for candidates with diverse backgrounds. Your personal statement should reflect a focussed approach as to why and how the course you are applying for is the right choice for you and what in your qualifications supports that cause. I would definitely advise any one looking to pursue further studies to keep a healthy balance of their academic with co-curricular activities such as mooting, publishing and presenting papers, participating in workshops and conferences in the area you are looking to speacilize/study further in.

     

    Is there any tip you would like to give to our readers, most of whom are students pursuing law?

    In retrospect, I found that law school makes available a broad canvas of choices to law students and it is imperative for a law student to figure out in the five years – be it through internships or through pure academic interest – where your passion lies. This can be immensely helpful at the time of recruitment as well as applying to foreign universities.

  • Sonakshi Kapoor on application and getting selected for the LAMP fellowship

    Sonakshi Kapoor on application and getting selected for the LAMP fellowship

    Sonakshi Kapoor graduated in BBA.LL.B from Symbiosis Law School, Pune in 2013. She had joined as a Junior Associate at A. U. Khan & Associates and had mainly worked in litigation matters. In 2014, she applied for the Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament (“LAMP”) fellowship, her application was accepted along with only 42 others among more than 1200 applicants.

    She tells us in details about:

    • The application procedure, dos and donts in order to get selected
    • Working with legislators and drafting private member bills and assisting them
    • Experience gathered from the LAMP fellowship

     

    How would you describe your childhood and pre – college life as well as educational background? Did you have lawyers in your family who motivated you to pursue a career in legal field?

    I spent a substantial part of my school life in a boarding school in Mussoorie. The day I declared to my parents that I had decided to study law (I was still in the 10th Grade) they were left confused and quickly dismissed it as a phase. We had no lawyers in my family, except a first cousin of my father, but growing up in a boarding school ensured a very limited interaction with my extended family. So there was no one toinspire me or eventually guide me through a legal career.  It was altogether a scary thought for my parents especially when I decided to go all the way to Pune from Noida to get a degree in law.

     

    What inclined you towards the field of legal education? Do you reckon any specific incident that made you choose law as a career?

    Growing up in a boarding school, my access to the internet or the TV was so limited that it was almost non-existent. Books were the only source of recreation and inspiration for me. By the time I was 15 and meddling with the possibilities for my future (even contemplated being an astronaut or an archaeologist), I had already drowned myself in dozens of writings and books on women rights, particularly in the Middle East. The fact that a law alone could prescribe or curtail the freedom of an individual and influence life had struck me hard and was pushing me to pursue a career that would simply empower me. Hence, Law.

     

    Tell us about your law school life, how instrumental was Symbiosis Law School, Pune in shaping up your legal career? Did you grow an interest towards policy making in law school itself?

    Moving to Pune defined a very important phase in my life and my five years in that city have been instrumental in shaping the kind of person I am today. Symbiosis Law School, despite its small campus (the college has a bigger campus now), did manage to offer an education befitting a good law school of our country. We had defined hours and a plethora of subjects to study. This not only ensured that we read and understood almost all important central legislations but we also had ample time to participate in extracurricular activities.

    It was through a pamphlet on the college notice board that I read about the LAMP fellowship and how it offered a platform for young aspirants to participate in the policy making process. I applied for it in 2013 itself, however due to the recent Lok Sabha Elections the fellowship was deferred. My professors in college, who were also helping me with my LAMP application, helped me list out other similar career options that I could apply to. But I decided to practise law and apply for the fellowship a year later.

     

    You have worked with Senior Advocates and at National Commissions including the NHRC. Any remarkable internship experience which shaped up your career? How would you recommend students to go about choosing their internships?

    Every internship gave me an opportunity to experience something absolutely different. And I am grateful for all experiences, especially the bad ones for they helped me decide on what not to pursue, for instance from my internship at Bajaj, I knew I was not the right fit for a desk job at a corporate house. During my internship with a senior advocate, I was star struck. I learnt a lot but also gathered from my peers and seniors on how difficult a successful career in litigation was especially when you don’t come from a family of lawyers. However litigation is, without doubt, the more exciting career path and even as a LAMP fellow, I sometimes do miss attending courts (even though my practise lasted a year). As a law student, one should not hesitate to intern anywhere and everywhere. It is equally important to intern in a law firm or a company as it is to intern in a district court. However it would be helpful to achieve some clarity during the last two years of your law school, so you can only focus on the work that you would want to eventually do.

     

    Being a LAMP (Legislative Assistants to Members of Parliament) fellow is a great achievement indeed – you were selected over 1200 applications that were received this year. What all did you have to do in order to get selected?

    The selection process involves filing out an application form with a Statement of Purpose and a brief note on a recent policy or law. While I breezed through my Statement of Purpose, my biggest challenge was the policy synopsis.  I analysed the 2013 legislation on food security and had a tough time battling with the 500 word limit for there was much to say. The Food Security Act is a very controversial law with very conflicting opinions on its implementation and success. However multiple revisions later, I was happy with my note and submitted my application a day before the actual deadline. I was lucky enough to be called in for an interview at the PRS office (PRS also conducts interviews via skype for outstation applicants). The Panel interviewed me on the basis of my resume and my policy note and to adjudge my interest in public policy, my understanding of the fellowship, and my future goals. I was able to aptly respond to almost all the questions except a few to which I admitted having no knowledge of. Overall the interview did go well and I eventually received a mail admitting me to the Fellowship.

     

    How does one apply for the LAMP fellowship? What are your suggestions to people who aspire to become a LAMP fellow?

    The application process generally begins by April and the deadlines are also released. The general information on the fellowship such as eligibility criteria, selection process, stipend etc., is available on http://lamp.prsindia.org/thefellowship. The Application form is also available on the website and clearly specifies the procedure for filling and submitting the form. If you wish to apply for the fellowship, then you should start keeping a tab on the everyday working of the Parliament including the bills which are introduced or eventually enacted and issues which are discussed (for instance the crisis of black money was recently debated). Once the deadlines are released, start working on your policy note by listing at least 2-3 topics that you would want to analyse and eventually decide on the policy synopsis that you would want to submit. While writing your statement of purpose, try to put down concise information relevant to your achievements and your interest in public policy and the fellowship. Do submit your application few days before the actual deadline for you may face a lot of issues with the website at the eleventh hour, with many applicants trying to submit their applications.

     

    LAMP fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to interact with Legislators at a personal level, and to understand the policy process. What have you learned in your stint as an LAMP fellow?

    As a law student and then as a lawyer, my most basic achievement was understanding our legal and political structure and as a LAMP fellow, I have continued this learning process. I have dedicated my time and potential to the cause of a Member of Parliament by contributing towards his policy and legislative debates and other Parliamentary interventions (including drafting a bill) which I know will have an impact –in a small way – on the laws and policies of tomorrow. The magnitude of this responsibility alone has been the biggest learning experience for me.

     

    Please tell us about the kind of work a LAMP Fellow is required to do in a typical workday.

    A typical work day (when the Parliament is in session) involves framing and submitting Parliamentary Questions, Matters of Urgent Public importance that my MP would want to raise in the Parliament and working on supplementary interventions. The biggest task is meeting all the deadlines set out by the Parliamentary Secretariat and complying with its procedural requirements which are very similar to the filing process in courts. The interventions and questions often revolve on issues related to the constituency of my MP. It’s a small contribution to my MP’s work but it keeps his mind free and helps him take up larger issues.

    When the Parliament is not in session, work generally revolves around preparing for the next session, drafting private member bills, working on speeches that my MP is required to deliver on various platforms, and attending workshops and training sessions organised by PRS.

     

    Do you have any interesting experience whilst being a LAMP fellow which you would like to share?

    As a LAMP fellow everyday offers a different experience. Even though I function within the confines of a schedule and various deadlines, no two days are alike. However rather than an interesting experience, I would like to share an important moment as a fellow which was when my MP raised an issue drafted by me, for the very first time, in the Parliament. It was an intervention (supplementary question) on preserving the language and culture of tribes in Kerala and it taught me the magnitude of my responsibility and of the consequences.

     

    Do you have any plans to pursue higher education in the future?

    I do wish to pursue a Masters in Public Administration and I am in the middle of shortlisting colleges and universities abroad for my higher education. In the coming months, I will begin with my application process including taking the necessary tests. I would want to eventually work as a forerunner in the framing and implementation of policies and projects that resolve important societal problems.

     

    Is there any message you would like to share with our readers?

    You should be strong and stubborn in what you want to pursue despite all resistance. Even if it is a different career path, don’t hesitate to explore it but have the courage to make mistakes for they are inevitable and sometimes the best teacher. Studying law can be tedious and monotonous mostly but it is indeed an exciting career option so be strong willed and work hard but don’t forget to have fun along the way.

  • Rijoy Bhaumik, Senior Associate at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan on a law firm career

    Rijoy Bhaumik, Senior Associate at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan on a law firm career

    Rijoy Bhaumik is a graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (Batch of 2012) with a B.A.LLB (Hons.) degree. He has an enviable mooting record and an excellent series of internships at top law firms. His diligence and mettle at work was recognized when he bagged a job offer from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) in his 5th year of law school during campus placements. Currently, he is working as Senior Associate there. We asked him to share his experiences and strategies he used over the years.

    In this interview, Rijoy talks about:

    • Co-curricular activities like mooting at NLIU
    • Importance of Internships
    • Preparing for job interviews and securing a job at LKS
    • Work and promotion at LKS

     

    Give us a brief introduction of yourself. Did you have lawyers in your family? What brought you into studying law?

    It is a very difficult thing, talking about oneself, because you often end up at a loss for words. However, that being said, I must say that such an initiative will allow young law students to learn from the experiences of others and perhaps not make the same mistakes as their predecessors. I am a first generation lawyer from a middle-class family in Kolkata. There are a few advocates in my father’s generation in the family, but in our immediate family, there is none. Choosing this career was not easy, especially considering the thrust of emphasis of the Indian education system towards engineering and science. But from an early age I was interested in Democratic Politics and the constitution.

    Moreover, I was always a talkative child and as my mother would put it, I would love to argue. In such a backdrop, as I grew up, the profession of putting forth a point of view on the basis of rights and liabilities always appealed to me. Even though I was a science student in my plus two years, I decided to try my luck at the various national law colleges that had been established then. In our time there was no CLAT, and we had to sit for each of the entrance exams individually. Luckily, I got through NLIU, Bhopal, HNLU, Raipur, NLU,Jodhpur in their second list and Symbiosis, Pune. Thereafter, my law journey started in Bhopal.

     

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    Tell us about your time at NLIU. You seem to have participated and excelled especially in mooting activities, can you walk us through the highlights of your life in college in that sphere?

    From the very beginning, I looked at law school as an opportunity to participate and take part in various activities on offer. Naturally, moot court competitions were always regarded as the law school activity, and after winning our first internal moot in the first year, I had the confidence to try out for the University team and represent the University in national and international law tournaments. Thereafter, I would say I was extremely fortunate to have excelled in various moot court competitions, winning numerous personal accolades like speaker awards, etc.

    However, it was the team awards that really appealed to me, wherein my various teammates and I won tournaments like 2nd Christ University National Moot Court Competition 2011, Surana & Surana National Trial Advocacy Moot Court Competition 2010 and the 13th Annual M.M. Singhvi Memorial Bar Council of India International Law Moot Court Competition 2010. Of these, being the finalist in the M.M. Singhvi moot holds a special place in my heart as it was probably one of the most prestigious moots in the country back then (it was discontinued after the 2010 edition), and we bested 66 teams from all over the country to reach the finals.

    Further, it was an international law moot and we had the opportunity to argue before Hon’ble Justice Dalveer Bhandari, among other legal luminaries, and presently Justice Bhandari is a Judge of the International Court of Justice, which makes it all the more special and precious. Most of my time at NLIU was spent in jumping into various activities around the year to keep myself busy, and I am glad that it became the norm, as it was important to keep myself busy while in college as otherwise life would get monotonous.

     

    As an undergraduate student at NLIU, you took part in other activities other than mooting and also were actively involved in committees. Tell us how these activities and participation in committees helped in shaping your legal career?

    Apart from mooting I was actively involved in debating, client-counselling and alternative dispute resolution tournaments with varying degrees of success in all of them. I was part of the first debate team from NLIU to participate in both the All Asians Debating Championship and the Worlds Universities Debating Championship and won numerous speaker and team awards in national parliamentary debating championships. I was also fortunate to be adjudged Best Student Advocate in the National Client Counselling Tournament at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. But it was alternative dispute resolution that took up most of my time in my later years in law school.

    I took part in the prestigious 5th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition 2010, organised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France and in the subsequent year I was appointed coach of the NLIU team that represented the same competition in 2011. NLIU also had various committees which regulated mooting, debating, cultural, sports, alternative dispute resolution and many other activities. I was always very eager to be part of organising committees in various years in the institution. I personally feel that one of the facets of a University is the activity that is seen around the campus and everyone in the student community should do what they can to enrich law school life through these committees.

    In the earlier years we learnt how to handle groundwork, and in later years of law school skills of man-management and financial management were required to handle various events, as most of the committees in NLIU were entirely student-run with semi-financial and logistical backing from the University. It was all a part of growing up in law school and exposed us to the tenets of an organisational structure which we have to adhere to for the rest of our lives. In my final year, I was appointed the Convener of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Cell and my team and I planned and successfully organised the NLIU-Khaitan & Co.-INADR Law School Mediation Tournament, 2012 in NLIU, Bhopal.

    This was the first time such a tournament was taking place in India, and we were backed by Khaitan & Co., Mumbai, one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in the country. Also for the first time, we had substantial backing from the International Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR), Chicago and their various representatives all across the globe were present in training and judging the participants in the competition. As Convener of the ADRC, I was Convener of the Tournament, and it was the biggest learning experience in my law school career. Not only did the experience teach me various degrees of planning and organisation, it also exposed me to the pinnacle of mediation tournaments right here in India, and I was extremely fortunate to interact and make friends with international mediators from INADR.

    As the first of its kind in India, the Tournament was a roaring success and all 32 team slots were filled, with many teams in the waiting list.It was particularly a big highlight in the twilight of my law school career, and the experiences of delegation of work and handling an organisation tree of many volunteers shall be held with me throughout my life.

     

    rijoy-bhaumik-3You are a senior associate at Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan. How did your appointment at take place? Tell us about the nature of work you’re entrusted with therein and what’s a typical day like?

    Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan happened through the internship process for me. In May, 2011 I interned at the Delhi office of the firm and was exposed to a work area that was wholly new to me – indirect tax litigation. Through this internship I experienced first-hand, the work ethos of the firm and really liked the kind of ground breaking indirect taxation work that the firm specialised in. Thereafter, in August there was a short interview and the firm confirmed my recruitment on the basis of my internship, with most of my fifth year left before me.

    I joined the firm in their Bangalore office in June, 2012 and thereafter, in June, 2014 I was promoted as Senior Associate in the firm with greater responsibilities. The work involves a variety of areas, especially since I am posted in a new office in Kolkata, wherein we are expected to draft appeals, replies, writs, and also appear before various authorities. A typical day at work involves going to the courts or the Tribunal in the morning, and thereafter returning to draft.

     

    Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan have its main focus in the taxation work area. How do you feel about tax laws not being an important part of syllabus in colleges?

    My experience in L&S tells me that it is not possible to learn the law without working everyday around it. Any three-four month course in University cannot even touch the tip of the iceberg that is taxation laws, and many practitioners have spent their entire lives just practicing only a small part of tax laws. Therefore, an addition or non-addition to the syllabus in colleges shall not matter one bit, as working knowledge of the law can only be gained through experience. That being said, it is the choice of the colleges to include the subject in the curriculum, because then the students shall be exposed to taxation law and the rules of interpretation that guide tax law at an early stage.

     

    You recently got transferred from Bangalore branch of your office to Kolkata. Does the transfer bring any changes in your work?

    Bangalore office of L&S was already an established office of the firm when I joined with many attorneys already working there. I was assigned an advisory role in the office, wherein my job description was wholly involved in preparing legal opinions and preparing compliance reports, etc. However, when my partner informed me that I may be shifted back to my hometown in Kolkata, where the firm planned to open its ninth office in August, 2013, I was a little circumspect as to what it would offer. However, after shifting to the Kolkata office, we were all thrust into the deep end of the pool so to speak. We were expected to be adept at both litigation and advisory work, and also know various different areas of indirect taxation like service tax, CENVAT credit, central excise, VAT laws, customs, etc. We were a very small team leading a new office, and we all had heightened amounts of responsibility as would naturally be the case with all new offices and small teams. From advisory work, I suddenly found myself doing litigation work and appearing before courts and interfacing directly with the clients. This change was a huge jump in my legal career, as the levels of exposure heightened in Kolkata, within a minuscule span of time.

     

    What does it take to get promoted from being an associate to a senior associate at a top law firm? Which skills would you say contributed towards your promotion?

    Haha! This question is one which is best answered by my superiors! However, you get some idea as to what is required from the daily rigours of the job and when you do everything required of you consistently enough, they are bound to recognise it. For me personally, moving to a new office was a big challenge that even us junior associates had to stand up to. Due to the lack of manpower and back office support, and owing to the fact that the firm already had a strong foothold in the east, all of us were multi-tasking all the time. Therefore, due to the shift from a large office to a small new office, our responsibilities had grown manifold in a matter of a few days. I guess it brought out the best in me, wherein I was expected to appear in Courts and Tribunals, draft in the evening and even interact with clients on a regular basis, whereas back in Bangalore, we were expected to do only a fraction of such responsibilities. Due to the growth in responsibility and my reaction to the same, I guess the firm recognised the efforts and promoted me to senior associate this year. Therefore, holistically answering the first part of your question, I guess you need to step up and be counted. Mere mechanical work on what you are required to do may not be enough, you may need to try and do more than what is in your plate to convince the hierarchy that you’re ready for bigger challenges.

     

    Did you ever indulge in academic legal writing? Do you feel extra-curricular activities should be left to the discretion of students or something that students should partake in mandatorily as well? What, in your opinion, are the advantages of taking part in such activities?

    In the initial couple of years in law school, I used to be very interested in partaking in academic legal writing, and in that span of time I managed to contribute articles to 8 different journals on a variety of topics ranging from constitutional law to international law. However, as the years wore on I decided to focus mostly on other activities such as mooting, debating and such and did not particularly write anymore beyond the middle of the third year. However, since mooting particularly also involved drafting of moot memorandums, legal writing was always a huge part of the co-curricular work in which I was involved in.

    I personally believe that law school allows you to take part in a whole host of activities, and such opportunities shall come only once in a lifetime, because thereafter you end up being busy in work and family life. Therefore, every law student should take advantage of the various activities law school life has to offer, apart from the usual academic discourse, because it offers a different experience, a new way to apply and look at the law. Mooting especially teaches you how to conduct legal research and apply them to factual situations correctly, in diverse ways. You’re also given the opportunity to argue your case before various legal luminaries, even before your fledgling law career begins.

    Yes, it may not exactly replicate a courtroom scenario, but it comes close, and such experiences shall hold us in good stead in the long run. Similarly, debating teaches you how to construct logical coherent argumentation in the shortest spans of time. Every activity has some form of take-away on offer to the participant and I believe every law student should at least experience it once for sake of gaining experience, if not for anything else. In my opinion, it is the aggregate of experiences that make you the person you are today, and the more of them you have, the more diversified you are.

     

    How much time did you devote in preparation for the Jessup round moot and how difficult was it to manage it along with studies and other responsibilities? How did you balance mooting with other important stuff like college assignments?

    The Jessup moot was the single toughest assignment in my entire law school career. To this date, that moot remains an enigma of sorts, and yet it remained unconquered for me in January, 2011. It was simply a lot of work encapsulated in six months of preparation, and it was a huge handful for me in my fourth year. I have spent sleepless nights poring over articles and books on International Humanitarian Law, scratching my head trying to make sense of the sheer bulk of work required to achieve a semblance of respectability in the moot court competition. In my opinion, the Jessup is the toughest assignment in moot court competitions today simply because the best teams from each college participate in the World Cup of mooting and the competition is immense from the first rounds itself.

    Nothing is easy, and every year the Compromis/Moot Problem scales new heights of international legal discourse. The Compromis is drafted in such a way that the presence and/or absence of every word matters, and I believe that is what makes Jessup the single most difficult task facing any law student. It is also rewarding in some respects; personally, the Jessup has taught me a lot on international law, legal analysis, and precision in argumentation. Though, balancing mooting activities and other college activities along with academic discourse was not something that I found difficult in my five years, but the Jessup months were particularly difficult due to the sheer enormity of the work at hand. To this date, preparing for the Jessup itself remains the toughest assignment that I’ve had.

     

    You’ve had a wide variety of internships during your time as a college student. Do tell us about the places you’ve interned at and whether these were all planned or happened on the go?

    To be honest, I have not interned as much as my peers have, most of them have interned around 10-11 times. I have interned only 6 times in my entire law school career, however, each and every one of them has been enriching in different ways. My first internship was with a counsel, and I was expected to assist my senior in appearance before the High Court of Kolkata. My second couple of internships were in soliciting firms, and we were expected to read the brief and accompany our seniors to conferences and watch the matters. We were expected to draft opinions and writs on occasion as well. But, the internships in Khaitan & Co., AZB & Partners and finally Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan were the ones where I was first exposed to the nature of corporate and tax compliance work. We were expected to conduct legal research on various topics and sometimes also draft an opinion based on our research. We also assisted the associates in conducting due diligence.

    L&S was the first time I worked in tax law, and I was particularly impressed by the work ethos in the firm, which finally allowed me to make my choice. Most of my internships were planned well in advance to enable me to get the ones I wanted. These days it is particularly difficult to get a confirmed internship in a big law firm, and you need to apply much in advance to stand any chance of getting one. I did not want to burden my holidays in the initial years, as I was always engaged in various co-curricular activities in law school, however in the third and fourth years I planned well in advance before applying for any internship.

     

    Many law students strongly believes that getting a job at one of the top 3 law firms is mostly about securing a high GPA. Would you agree?

    I agree. However, securing a job at the top 3 law firms as a fresher is a mere first step. There are many ways to get there eventually through lateral transfers as an experienced professional. Personally, I was always a very average student in law school, and eventually I am at the place I want to be at the start of my legal career. Essentially, the Indian education system wants us to believe there is just one way to get where we want, which is very far away from the truth, because there are a multitude of ways to get where you want. Therefore, a high CGPA definitely helps initially, but it is not the be all and end all.

     

    How should one apply for an internship at LKS? What do you mainly look for in interns?

    L&S has a centralised internet portal at www.lakshmisri.com wherein interns can directly apply for their requisite period. L&S lays major emphasis on a strong educational background and eagerness to work in the specialisation areas of the firm, in selection of the interns. Discipline is also an important criterion in the selection of interns. L&S has an extremely streamlined process for intern selection, all centrally monitored by the Human Resource team at the Delhi office.

     

    What would be your advice to the law students aspiring to secure a job at top law firms? What do they need to do, how should they prepare in the last 2 years of law school?

    My advice to law students aspiring to secure a job in top law firms would be to gain as much working knowledge as possible, through internships, in sectors that they want to work in. A law firm will necessarily recruit you if, as a resource, they believe that you have the requisite interest in their work areas. Therefore, identification of work areas where the student wants to work in eventually has to be identified fairly early so that it reflects in their curriculum vitae through their work. No law firm expects you to know the law from day one, as that is an impossibility for a lawyer fresh out of college, but the propensity to work in a particular area and discipline in work ethics are certain criteria that are inherently required to succeed in top law firm jobs. Therefore, planning well in advance and building a CV around interest areas is essential in this day and age where competition for these jobs is immense.

     

    The opinions are of the interviewee alone and in no way the firm Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan is represented.

  • Rishabh Jogani on LL.M from Queen Mary, mooting and work in litigation

    Rishabh Jogani on LL.M from Queen Mary, mooting and work in litigation

    Rishabh Jogani graduated with a B.L.S.LL.B. degree from GLC, Mumbai in 2012. Soon after Graduation he worked at the Chambers of Senior Advocate Pradeep Sancheti, Bombay High Court for one year and then went on to pursue a Masters in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution from Queen Mary, University of London. Thereafter he returned back to India and again joined the Chambers of Senior Advocate Pradeep Sancheti, Bombay High Court.

    In this interview, he talks about:

    • Moot Court Competitions and acing them
    • Pursuing further studies and LL.M from Queen Mary
    • Choosing litigation over other opportunities

     

    Given that most of our readers are law students and lawyers, how would you introduce yourself to them?

    I would introduce myself as a young junior counsel practising before the High Court of Bombay with a keen interest in Intellectual Property Law & Arbitration. I am working with Senior Advocate Mr. Pradeep Sancheti as his junior.

     

    Though it’s one of the most asked questions but yet, why law?

    The answer to that is with another question, why not? Despite being from a business family I realised that business was not my calling in life. I preferred something more on the professional lines and law was certainly my best plausible choice.

     

    Tell us about your years in law school. What made your journey with Mumbai University worth it? What are the co-curricular activities you took part at Mumbai University?

    I studied at Government Law College, Mumbai (GLC) the oldest law school in the country. Being at GLC itself made my entire time at University worth it considering the opportunities made available to GLC students. I was greatly involved with college activities, the Rotaract Club in particular. I was President of the Club and responsible for numerous events and activites. The College in appreciation of my involvement also awarded me with the Jotimal Chuganee Trophy for leadership.

     

    rishabh-jogani-2What were your areas of interest during your graduation? How did you go about developing expertise and knowledge in these areas?

    My areas of interest were Intellectual Property and Arbitration.

    With regard to Intellectual Property, I did some courses from the World Intellectual Property Organisation and a Masters in Intellectual Property Law from IGNOU, New Delhi. However, the strongest addition to my knowledge in the field was an internship with Mr. Himanshu Kane of W.S.Kane & Co. who is probably one of the most knowledgable lawyers in the IP circles. Working with someone of Mr. Kane’s standing and expertise gave me great exposure to IP issues and provided me with a strong grounding with regard to IP law.

    As far as Arbitration is concerned, working with Mr. Sancheti had me learn about the various intricacies of arbitral law. I was involved with numerous arbitrations and matters arising out of them. Thereafter, I pursued an LL.M in Comparative  and International Dispute Resolution from the Queen Mary, University of London where I studied International Commercial Arbitration and Arbitration in relation to Energy Disputes. My LL.M thesis was also based on arbitration.

     

    Tell us a little about your internship at the Supreme Court of India.

    I interned with Mr. Justice KS Radhakrishnan of the Supreme Court during one of my summer vacations at GLC. The experience was extremely enriching, I would read cases and appeals coming to the Court and then attend the proceedings in Court. In the evenings, along with the other intern, we would have some discussions with the judge about what transpired in Court and what we understood from the cases.

     

    After your graduation, you started working at the Chambers of Pradeep Sancheti. What influenced your decision of working with him?

    My interest in arbitration drew me to Mr. Sancheti’s practice and the learning experience was extremely wonderful. Working with a Senior Advocate like Mr. Sancheti makes one realise that there is always scope to learn more. He is a great senior who besides being extremely nice to his juniors is always willing to answer all queries that come up in our minds.

     

    What influenced your decision to work in litigation?

    As a student I had interned at the High Court of Bombay and the Supreme Court of India as well as a few law firms and eventually joined Mr. Sancheti’s Chamber as an intern. I realised that I was never interested in working in a corporate structured firm and hence chose the litigation sector.

     

    Thereafter, you joined Queen Mary, University of London for an LL.M. At what point did you decide to pursue your Masters? What was your motivation?

    I always wanted some exposure to law on a comparative level and an LL.M was probably the best way to get that experience. After a year into practice at the Bar I decided to go for my LL.M. The zest for learning has probably been my strongest motivator and probably what drove me to the LL.M.

     

    In addition to academics, what did you do during your LL.M year at Queen Mary?

    Whilst at Queen Mary I was involved with ‘qLegal’ a project of the Legal Advice Centre of the School of Law. The work I did was quite interesting, in the sense that I was involved in drafting toolkits on legal issues. I was put in a team which had to draft notes on ‘Company Structure in the UK’ and ‘Trademarks in the UK’ meant for a non-legal audience. It was quite a task to simplify and explain legal terms and concepts but in the end was a rewarding experience.

    I also wrote the Runner Up Prize winning paper of the Preiskel Prize Essay Competition 2013-2014 for an essay titled, “Big data and Marketing – has the law caught up with the new digital reality.”

    Shortly after my exams, I worked with Zaiwalla & Co. a law firm in London. I did some very interesting work at the firm which involved research on English law and drafting litigation proceedings.

     

    How did you choose Queen Mary over other colleges? What was the decisive factor?

    The School of International Arbitration at Queen Mary is one of the best in the world and lets students study and work with famous international arbitration experts like Profs. Loukas Mistelis, Dr. Julian Lew QC, Stavros Brekoulakis and Dr. Maxi Scherer. Coupled with the fact that I wanted to live in London, Queen Mary seemed a natural choice.

    While choosing a University one should look at the specific courses offered, the courses of interest, the faculty and its reputation. One should not choose a University wholly based on rankings because not all courses offered by the top universities would have the same kind of academicians.

    The Universities in the UK employed a more wholesome approach to studying. There was certainly less classroom teaching than India but however not less learning. There was always voluminous pre-class reading that made sure that students came to lecture sessions well aware of the basics of the subject of discussion. There was a free exchange of opinion in classes and students were encouraged to express their viewpoints.

     

    What is your view on the latest trend among law students to pursue Masters abroad? How much of a brain drain do you think this is?

    Having done an LL.M myself I would certainly encourage anyone who can do one to seize the opportunity. No amount of learning is ever wasted and knowledge is something that stays with you for life. Some however, believe that a Masters abroad is easy and nothing but an expensive vacation. I would strongly disagree with that opinion for the simple reason that a Master’s degree from a reputed college is certainly not an easy task. There is a large amount of studying involved to pass the exams and extensive research that one must undertake to be able to write a thesis. If a student spends his time well then the LL.M is certainly an added advantage to his career.

     

    A lot of law students prefer corporate jobs over a career in litigation. What is your take on this? Is it better to work in the corporate sector for a few years before starting litigation?

    Corporate jobs certainly offer more money than litigation in the start and the allure of money is most understandable. Litigation in its early stages certainly is difficult, especially where finances are concerned but one reaps the reward soon after. I think that those students, who choose corporate work over litigation or vice versa, should always make an informed and practical choice, take into consideration their long term career goals and then decide what side they wish to pick. Working at a firm before joining the litigation sector is certainly advisable as it helps you deal with all facets of the profession.

     

    How has your mooting experience been? How helpful has been mooting in litigation?

    I had a tremendous amount of experience mooting for Government Law College. I represented GLC at numerous national and international moots. Mooting gets a law student as close as possible to a real Court room. There is a great deal of research and drafting involved in preparing for a moot which certainly helps one in the future at the Bar. Arguing before a moot Court also helps instil confidence in a student who eventually gets called to the Bar.

    I also had the opportunity to be part of the Queen Mary team at the Oxford Price Media Law Moot Court Competition and successfully managed to reach all the way upto the semi finals. As part of our training for the Oxford Moot, our coach was kind enough to arrange for a practice round before a sitting judge of the Queen’s Bench Divison of the High Court of Justice. Having always seen the buildings of the Royal Courts of Justice as a tourist and read a catena of English decisions the lawyer inside me harboured a wish to be able to address that Court one day. Participating in the moot fulfilled an otherwise impossible wish.

     

    Do you think the law school curriculum at the University of Mumbai requires an overhaul?

    The curriculum certainly needs an overhaul at the University of Mumbai. Students are forced to study some redundant subjects to the extent of even studying some repealed statutes. There is a lot of room for improvement at the University of Mumbai. Also, internships or some sort of work experience should also be made part of the law curriculum.

  • Aditya Khandekar on work experience at ICICI Bank and starting out with litigation

    Aditya Khandekar on work experience at ICICI Bank and starting out with litigation

    Aditya Khandekar is a graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (Batch of 2012). Thereafter, he worked as an in-house counsel at ICICI Bank, Mumbai for two years. His interest in litigation led him to leave his lucrative job and start litigation. He has recently started litigating before Madhya Pradesh High Court (Jabalpur).

    In this interview, he talks about:

    • Work experience at ICICI Bank
    • Choosing litigation over corporate job

     

    Please introduce yourself to our readers. Please tell us a little bit about your childhood and your background?

    My name is Aditya Khandekar. As both my parents work are government servants, I spent my childhood living in Bhopal & Delhi and did my 10th and 12th from Sanskriti School, New Delhi. Having grown up in government colonies where there were a large number of kids of my age, I remember spending most evenings playing different sports such as basketball or cricket, therefore making me an outdoor person. I enjoy travelling, reading books and playing games whether on the computer or outside on the field.

     

    How did you gravitate towards law? Why law and not engineering or medical studies?

    By the time I passed out of school in 2007, law schools had just started becoming popular. If one sees the curriculum of a 5 year law school one would see that a law graduate studies various subjects such as economics, history, political science and of course the law subjects themselves. I was very keen to study economics but felt that law school might be interesting as there were several other subjects that could be potentially stimulating. However, the real clincher was the fact that a friend of mine recommended that I take a few trial classes at Universal coaching centre for the law admission tests. I attended the class and found it to be quite intriguing and thereafter appeared for the admission tests. I cleared the test for NLIU Bhopal and Amity University which was at that time located in Delhi and then joined NLIU Bhopal.

    Despite being a science student, I was never interested in pursuing science after class 12th, I had taken science only with the purpose of keeping my options open. I was fairly certain that engineering was not my cup of tea.

     

    Tell us about your years in law school. What made your journey with NLIU exciting?

    Law school was a roller coaster from the very beginning. I was an avid Mooter and Debater and took part in competitions such as the 3 on 3 Asians Debating Competition held at Bangkok, Thailand. I think I took part in almost every competition that took place in college whether it be client counselling, mooting or even dancing for that matter which I am really bad at. I also went for moots to NALSAR, NLU Delhi & GLC, Trivandrum. We won the moot at NALSAR and were the semi-finalists in a moot conducted in New Delhi. I was also involved in organising the 1st NLIU INADR mediation competition which was a great learning experience. I think what made NLIU really exciting, was the many outings that my friends and I had, whether it be to Goa where half my batch ended up going in my final year or the outings to national parks such as Kanha or Bandhavgarh. In the final holidays we criss-crossed the State of Rajasthan and two of my friends actually travelled all the way from Rajasthan to Assam.

     

    aditya-khandekar-2How did you fare in your academics at NLIU? Would you say a great CGPA is a necessity to kickstart a good career in the legal profession?

    I was fairly decent at academics, I ended up getting around 71% at the end of 5 years and was close to the top 10% in my batch. I think a great CGPA is necessary for applying to certain law firms such as AMSS. Other reputed firms give weightage to internships that a student may have done with them. Some places like ICICI recruit purely on the basis of a group discussion and interview. The CGPA does not guarantee a placement in such cases. Overall, I would say that to get a job from campus it is advisable to be in the top 15% of the batch. This would ensure that you get shortlisted for all the institutions visiting campus for interviews. Publications and good internships are also crucial.

     

    What were your areas of interest during your graduation? How did you go about developing expertise and knowledge in these areas?

    While I cannot say that I was particularly interested in any one area of law, I ended up doing 2-3 moots on constitutional law in particular dealing with the constitutional validity of certain provisions and therefore my interest gradually grew towards constitutional law. I think a person can develop interest in any field if he/ she spends sufficient time on it.

     

    You have worked at ICICI Bank as a Law Officer for two years. How was the experience?

    I had a great time working at ICICI Bank as a law officer. I initially began working in the Project Finance team and worked in that group for about a year and thereafter was shifted to the Structured Finance Group where I worked for about 4 months. Both these teams deal with large scale loans that are given to develop infrastructure. While project finance involves heavy documentation which at times can be very arduous, structured finance is relatively lighter in documentation and the stress is more on structuring/ shaping the deal which generally involves multiple entities and trans-boundary issues. ICICI is a place to work where one can have a good work life balance and at the same time can learn.

     

    Leaving a well paying corporate job must have been decisive. Were you in double minds before starting practice at Madhya Pradesh High Court? Why did you prefer Litigation over your corporate job?

    The dilemma is that a corporate job gives a handsome salary while litigation initially is not very rewarding. Since I enjoyed debating and mooting, I was very keen to at least give litigation a try. The idea of landing a corporate job after passing out of law school was that since the corporate job pays well, it would lead to savings which could be used during the first year of litigation where the pay would not be so good. I opted for litigation over my corporate job because every case is unique and poses new challenges. It is far more rewarding when a judge accepts your argument in comparison to say drafting a deed of hypothecation. Plus I was never happy with a desk job and therefore enjoy the running about which is necessary in litigation.

     

    Do you think your experience in mooting, debate, ADR and client counseling competitions shall help you in your litigation career?

    Yes, having done public speaking in the past, I have no hesitation while appearing before the Court and that has definitely been a great asset.

     

    What can the law schools do to encourage more people into litigation? Do you think the law school curriculum requires overhaul?

    Most law schools have a recruitment cell that mainly focuses on getting firms/ companies to campus for recruitment either at the end of fourth year or in the beginning of 5th year. However, these recruitment cells rarely contact Senior Advocates and Advocates on record for internships or recruitment. Many Lawyers these days have started offering competitive stipends which either match or are close to the retainer ships being offered by corporate firms. At times partners of law firms visit campuses to give lectures and conduct seminars, the same opportunity should also be given to Senior Advocates who I am sure would be able to encourage students to opt for litigation. I don’t think the law school curriculum requires a complete overhaul. What needs to be realized is that unlike engineering, law requires a much more hands on approach and therefore the curriculum needs to be aligned to the industry where both transactional work as well drafting/ litigation needs to be intertwined which can be easily done by giving more emphasis to moots, client counselling, adequate time for internships etc. I genuinely believe that internships and moots teach more than what a law student learns in class.

     

    How is your experience so far? What is your workday like? Are there new challenges every day or did work fall into a predictable pattern?

    My experience has been quite interesting so far. An average work day begins at 10 AM and goes on till about 4:30 when the court closes, thereafter there is drafting/ research/ preparation work in office from 8PM to about 10:30 PM. Therefore, the day is fairly long and at times even stretches well beyond midnight. There are new challenges every day, I on an average appear in 4 to 5 matters every day. These are for different public sector undertakings as well as for certain private clients. Each case requires preparation and has its own distinctive challenges.

     

    How necessary is it to have a mentor/guide to advise a young lawyer while still in the formative years of the profession?

    The role of a mentor/ guide is vital to a young lawyer. The courts have their own ways of doing things and tend to be very strict on procedure and it takes a while to understand the working as to how the matters are listed, the manner in which the court is addressed, how to pre-empt the questions that a judge may ask and most importantly how to dodge a tricky question/ situation.

     

    What were the difficulties you faced in the early days of your practice? How difficult would you say it is to build a reputed practice? How many years of hard work would it require to build a firm clientele?

    We have all seen movies where a court scene is shot and the protagonist addresses the court for several minutes trying to convince the Judge/ jury to accept his/ her argument. In realty however, the situation is very different, in the High Courts as well as the Supreme Court when a matter is listed for admission or for grant of stay/ vacation of stay, the decision whether to admit the matter or grant the stay is generally based on 2-3 quick questions which the Court asks. This process generally takes just one or two minutes. Therefore, the most difficult aspect in early days of practice is acquiring the art of giving the perfect one or two line answer which satisfies the court to grant whatever relief the advocate is praying for. This skill takes time to develop and completely depends upon the opportunity that one gets. I think it takes at least 3-4 years to build a reputed practice and a firm clientele.

     

    Lastly, what would be your parting message for our readers?

    Having enjoyed working in a corporate environment as well in litigation, I just want to say that neither one is perfect and every person is required to decide for himself or herself that which career suits them best. I do not wish to advocate for either of the two and believe that a lawyer must experience both and then decide whether it be through internships during college or thereafter.

  • Priyeta Chowdhury, Senior Executive Legal at Lanco on work at Corporate Bodies like Dell & Balaji Telefilms

    Priyeta Chowdhury, Senior Executive Legal at Lanco on work at Corporate Bodies like Dell & Balaji Telefilms

    Priyeta Chowhury graduated from M.S Ramaiah College of Law (Bangalore University) in 2012. Thereafter she worked as a Legal Administrative Associate at Dell International Services (Chennai) and at Balaji Telefilms Ltd. as Senior Executive-Legal. Currently, she works as Senior Executive-Legal at Lanco Infratech.

    In this interview, she talks about:

    • Law school experience
    • Work experience at Dell and Balaji
    • Appointment at Lanco Infratech

     

    Most of our readers are law students and young lawyers. How will you introduce yourself to them?

    Though I would prefer the day when I don’t need an introduction. But today I would like to introduce myself as a budding lawyer in the field of law or to be precise as an In-House counsel.

    My journey started in Kolkata, where my entire schooling and childhood was spent, After my completion of 12th in Commerce, and in-between all the hustle of Career decisions and determining which stream to go for, I somehow landed with the choice of studding law, Then the regular pre-law tuition classes for cracking any of the National Law schools entrance also came along. I was somehow unable to crack any of them though.

    So my last hope remained M.S Ramaiah College of Law were admissions were given on the basis of 12th Board Marks. And I somehow secured a place to be a part of the cult I belong today.

    And after my amazingly interesting 5 years of college I got opportunity to be a part of the world famous brand names in a very short span of time.

     

    priyeta-chowdhury-1How did you gravitate towards law? Why law and not engineering or medical studies?

    I call it a fate, being a daughter of an Engineer and also with a family history of government servants and moreover with a personal choice towards dramatics and art. I somehow landed with Law profession. It was my dad who suggested me the same and like my “parent’s obedient daughter” I thought it to be a good option among all the significant white collar jobs that were prevailing in the market.

    A reason to work for and the sheer power and the glittery gravity of the profession attracted me, though hardly there were people to guide me on this front as I have no family history of lawyers.

     

    First year of law school can be much challenging at times. What has been your experience?

    Agreed; but with a little personal twist, The first two years of law school decides about all the journey of next three years. My journey took off with the feeling of freedom and the power of the profession.

    Ramaiah was fun, sort of a celluloid movie that lasted for 5 years, friends, rivals, college regulations, teachers and seniors and all the law college legacy and rules.

    But among all these I found the lawyer Priyeta, the choice to pursue In-house opportunities; the choices of right internships and finally the choice of right job, which gave me the first step towards my dream carrier.

     

    How would you describe your time at M.S Ramaiah College of Law (Bangalore University)? What are the co-curricular activities you took part in?

    As earlier mentioned Ramaiah was like a celluloid movie which lasted for 5 years, I enjoyed my college life thoroughly, I was part of the Cultural Committee and also the sports club of my college, Being the “Miss Fresher” of my batch and part of Cultural committee member I took part in few of the inter college dance fests along with some inter college sports meets.

     

    What kind of internships did you do while you were a student? Any remarkable experiences during your internships that shaped your career choices later?

    I started my internship in 2nd year of my college with a law firm in Kolkata, the work was good, primarily research work and drafting, along with the opportunities to visit courts. The next few internships were with High Court advocates in the fields of Arbitration and Civil to understand the different facets and integrities of the Court culture, And then final internship with the corporate in-house team, that is Wipro Bangalore. The versatility of my internship gave me an insight as to which field of law I would like to pursue in future. As everyone I was also confused in the beginning of the law school as to which stream of law I shall chose,the major tiff was in between litigation practice and corporate practice. And then Law firms or In-House.

    But after my final internship with Wipro Bangalore I decided as to which side of the table I would prefer. Wipro also presented me with an opportunity to witness projects on Merger and Acquisition which fired my interest towards In-House practice.

     

    What do you have to say about mooting at law school and legal writing for journals? Are these helpful even after the student graduates?

    Personally I have no clue, how much mooting and legal writing helps us professionally. As I have never had much of keen interest on the same. In my entire law school I have attended only two moots out which one was compulsory. A lot of my friends showed a generous interest towards the moots but I somehow never got attracted towards it. On the contrary I focused on seminars and Discussions. It helped me to shape up my mind and also gave an insight about social legal issues and the thought process of our legal luminaries.

     

    Did you find that your law school education had prepared you sufficiently for the many tasks you were required to execute during your internships and later at your job?

    To be frank and honest law school knowledge and practical work exposure has hell and haven difference ,but yes I cannot completely deny the fact that knowledge of the law subjects are one of the essential keys to our profession. Thus I feel bookish knowledge along with the exposure’s during internships shapes ones future in our fraternity.

     

    After graduation, you joined Dell as Legal Administrative Associate. How did you secure your appointment? How would you describe your experience working there? What kind of challenges did you faced during this job?

    DELL INTERNATINNAL SERVICES (Chennai) was a dream come true for me, without any backing of National law school, clearing 8 rounds of interview in a span of 3 months was a challenge. Though I faced the challenge quite well, a little rigorous study over the company and its policies along with general legal knowledge, I cloud secure my position in the organisation. As a fresher the companies look into your drive to learn about the company and its business and your go-getter attitude to handle difficult corporate situations individually.

     

    Thereafter, you left Dell and had joined Balaji Telefilms Ltd. as Senior Executive Legal. What prompted this switchover? How did the appointment take place?

    After my span in Dell Chennai, I switched to Balaji Telefilms Limited Bombay. The professional networking sites helped me a lot. Coming from an IT company, which shaped my basics; Media was all together was and different industry, a different work culture. But as I had a very keen interest to have a flavour of the Media industry and was also getting an escape from Chennai, thus I made the choice. Though my choice couldn’t hold my interest that well. Alsocoping up with the demands of the fastest and expensive city of India for too long seemed difficult to me.

     

    Would you say that the work environment at Balaji Telefilms was significantly different from Dell?

    I completely agree with the difference of work culture in an U.S MNC and an Indian Company, that too especially a small production house. There’s a lot of difference in the transaction value and the policies of the companies. MNC’s are more of policy driven organisation whereas Small Indian companies are Individual driven.

     

    Currently, you are working as Senior Executive Legal at Lanco. What prompted you to make this choice and what made this shift possible? How has been your experience at Lanco so far?

    After Bombay, the next destination was Delhi, “Lawyers Paradise”. The city welcomed me along with my friends and a position in Lanco Infratech Limited. Again professional networking sites along with my knowledge and positive attitude towards exploring a new industry secured me the position in the infrastructure company.

    And my journey in Lanco has been remarkable; Amazing Seniors with a positive attitude of imparting the industry specific knowledge helped me to grow professionally. The company has given me exposure towards Litigations, Project Finance, Asset sale transactions and most importantly CDR process. CDR is a lifetime opportunity for an In-House Counsel to experience and along with the guidance of my seniors I handle the same.

     

    How different is the working environment of these three companies? How would you describe your experience?

    In my short span of career I have worked in three different Industries, brand name and cities, The work culture of all the three are quite different from each other as Dell being an U.S based MNC, Balaji Telefilms was an Indian production house and Lanco being an Indian MNC.

    But with all the experience till now I prefer to work for a policy driven organisation, where work culture is friendly and more sophisticated, and a lot of importance to the Ideas and innovations are given, thinking on one’s own feet is encouraged. And in the end the organisational culture inspires one to loyalty towards the organisation.

     

    What does your current work profile at Lanco consists of? How is a typical workday like?

    Being an In-house counsel for an infrastructure Company, my work profile has diverse work schedule. It includes Litigations, Transactions related to sale of Assets, Restructuring of Finances and finally CDR.

    My usual day at work start at 9 in the morning with a cup of tea, then loads of mails and lots of work for the entire day and at times the day prolongs till midnight as per the demands of the transaction. But working in the organisation is fun and the exposure that I gain with each transaction is remarkable.

     

    Does Lanco take interns? What is the process for same?

    We do take interns. The most important qualities that we look for in an intern is that he/she should be a leader, problem-solver, self-motivated and disciplined. A good knowledge of law is something that can be acquired over a period of time.

    An intern/College Committee shall get in touch with our Legal team or our HR team and send us an email along with a cover letter specifying the duration of the internship for the candidate that is being sought for. We encourage the applications at least 3-4 months in advance.

     

    Many people believe that working as an in-house counsel affords more work-life balance and is less demanding. What is your take on this?

    I personally feel that there is hardly much of difference in the work culture, yes though I have fix office hours. I do have late sittings, though may be its transaction specific but I do the same work as my external counsel would do. And to guide any external counsel I shall be well versed with the transaction first. And finally as I am the first point of contact for any Legal issues in my organisation I shall always be well aware about all the legal happening in my organisation.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message for all the law students reading this?

    The last few lines I would like to tell to my fellow friends who are yet to enter the fraternity, is please enjoy your college life which in our college days we used to call “Honeymoon Period”, but just maintain a balance with your internships and Studies as only fun would not fetch us what we have spent five years for.

    There is a lot of opportunities in the market for the right person with right attitude towards work. Learning is a continuous process and in our profession specifically learning never stops. So whatever it takes learn from all the rights and wrongs you do in your life.

  • Esha Chakravarty Rathod, Senior Manager-Legal at UPL Ltd. on leaving law firm and work of an in-house counsel

    Esha Chakravarty Rathod, Senior Manager-Legal at UPL Ltd. on leaving law firm and work of an in-house counsel

    Esha Chakravarty Rathod is currently a Senior Manager-Legal at UPL Ltd. a multinational Agro-chemical company. She graduated from University of Mumbai in 2008, and had thereafter worked in multiple law firms and also as in-house counsels of two large corporate houses.

    In this interview she tell us about:

    • Building up an illustrious career in corporate law
    • Work as an Associate at major law firms
    • Leaving law firms and joining as an in-house counsel

     

    Given that most of our readers belong to legal fraternity, how would you introduce yourself to them?

    Well, by way of an introduction, I am corporate lawyer, working in the corporate-commercial domain since the past seven (7) years, alternating between law firms and in-house roles. I have been born and bought up in Mumbai.  I completed my education, including the law degree from institutions affiliated to the Maharashtra Board and subsequently to the Mumbai University.  I took up science during my junior college year and subsequently enrolled for a five years law course in a college affiliated with the Mumbai University. I qualified as a lawyer in the year 2008 and enrolled with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in the same year.  During my undergraduate year, I had signed up articles in the year 2005 for my solicitor’s examination and started working as an articled clerk in a corporate law firm.  Therefore, right from the start of my professional life, I have always worked in non-lit general corporate-commercial domain!

     

    Legal studies are still only a backup option for quite a lot of students. What motivated you to choose law as a career?

    I understand that legal studies are still a backup option for a lot of students.  This, I believe, is highly unfortunate. Law, as a profession, is wrongly maligned and looked down upon because of certain misplaced conceptions. I would attribute this to a lack of professional counselling at the right age when students make important career decisions. Many of my friends in the non-legal streams regret not pursuing law when they look at the career graph of corporate lawyers and compare it with their respective professional growth. Nevertheless, it is not that I was aware of the corporate law domain when I decided to pursue law.  On the contrary, I was very keen to appear for the civil service exams after my graduation.  Right from the time when I was in class 5, I used to read Competition Success Review and other publications to understand the criteria’s necessary to clear the IAS examination. After reading series of interview of successful IAS candidates, I concluded that studying law would help me prepare for my preliminary IAS examination.  The real motivation to study law was the keen desire to appear for the IAS exams.  However, my thought process from the professional standpoint changed tremendously during my undergraduate years.  I realized I was not cut out for the bureaucratic role and chose to pursue corporate law instead.

     

    What were your areas of interest during your graduation? How did you go about developing expertise and knowledge in these areas?

    During the five years law course, we were taught a large number of law subjects out of which I enjoyed studying commercial and company laws the most.  I love reading and I am a voracious reader.  I firmly believe that the thumb rule to being a successful lawyer is that you have to love reading! If you do not like reading, you are not cut out for this profession! As my undergraduate years coincided with my article-ship, I used a lot of my article-ship time reading up commentaries on corporate and commercial laws.  I also use to conduct a lot of research on various corporate and commercial law issues by using the internet resources and legal websites like Manupatra and Legal Pundits on the basis of the assignments allotted to me during my article ship years.  My knowledge in the drafting of commercial contracts across various verticals and the various nuances associated with the corporate commercial negotiations started developing right from the time of my article ship years prior to graduation.  I learnt the application of law during this phase and I strongly believe that nothing substitutes the knowledge gained in practical experience.  You will gain real knowledge and expertise only when you start working on transactions and apply your reading to the challenges faced while working on such transactions.  This was the case with me.

     

    As a law student which activities did you participate in?  Tell us about your law school journey from the 1st year till your final year. Did you have any guidance on how to go about your academics, co-curricular activities and internships?

    I was very active during the first two years of my law college. I participated in a lot of inter-college debates and group discussions and won several prizes. I also participated in a lot of moots and other competitions.  It was a very good experience indeed!  Frankly, there was hardly any guidance and a lot of it was self learning!  We were just the second batch of my law college and hence we did not really have any seniors to look up to.  Therefore, we applied all possible permutations and combinations and relied on our own instincts and research rather than seeking external help!  But this was indeed a blessing in disguise as we went out of our way to set up various committees and putting things in place.  I was very active in all the committee work and it helped me gain a lot of confidence that I could apply to my professional life at a later stage.

     

    What kind of internships did you do while you were a student? Any remarkable experiences during your internships that shaped your career choices later? When did you join DPA and how was your experience at DPA?

    During the second year of my law school, I worked with a research based website, namely Legal Pundits.  This was a relatively short stint as I worked with Legal Pundits only for four months.  Nevertheless, it was a very fruitful experience as I worked in a professional set up for the first time.  After my stint with legal pundits, I got an opportunity to meet a senior counsel, Mr. Naveen Parekh.  He explained to me the pros and cones of litigation versus corporate law practice. I also happen to meet a couple of solicitors during that phase. They helped me figure out the possible career options. However, getting an article ship was extremely difficult.

    After I left Legal Pundits, I was clear that I wanted to join a corporate law firm and pursue article ship. However, I did not have any backing or contacts that could help me get into a law firm at that stage. My college did not have any active placement committee that could help me with the internship application.  I went for a large number of walk-in interviews and literally went door to door dropping resumes in several law firms for an entire week along with a friend. I finally got a call for an interview from DPA.  It was started by Ms. Deval Patel, who was a partner at one of the oldest law firm, Crawford Bailey & Co.  I got selected in DPA and got to sign my articles after six months of joining DPA. DPA was a non-lit corporate law firm. I worked there for around 3 years, out of which 2 years coincided with my 4th and 5th year of graduation and one year post qualification as an advocate.  I learnt the basics of corporate/commercial transactions at DPA.  I got the opportunity to work on great variety of matters.  This is the best advantage of working for a small set up. You are given a lot of responsibilities right from the early years! It helps you grow tremendously! I worked for a large variety of clients across various industries including, but not limited to pharmaceutical, agro-chemical, power projects, shipping corporations, franchising, real estate etc. I worked on private equity transactions as well. I participated in negotiations and picked up a lot of negotiating skills while working in DPA.  DPA did strengthen the root of my knowledge base.

     

    What do you feel about the perception that students of certain ‘elite’ NLU’s have a much easier time in kick-starting their career as compared to law students from other colleges? Is this true at all?

    Yes I do agree with this perception.  This perception is not entirely misplaced.  In fact, the other college students are actively discriminated against in the Mumbai Law firms in terms of pay packages and growth prospects during the initial years.  We sarcastically referred ourselves as belonging to schedule caste and the ‘elite NLU’ students as belonging to the Brahmin community in the new found caste system of the legal fraternity.  There is a substantial difference in the pre-placement offer packages of an NLU pass out and other college pass out.  In fact, at times, within the same law firm, a 5 year experienced associate is paid lower than a fresher from NLU. This is unfortunate, to say the least.  Nevertheless, this discrimination does not hold ground in the long run and at the end of the day only your calibre counts when your career advances to the next level. To conclude, NLU kids do get a great launch pad, however, in the long run, it is only your legal acumen that helps you achieve a steady professional growth.

     

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    You left DPA and had joined Majmudar & Partners.  What led to this shift? How was your experience working there?

    Majmudar & Partner was a logical extension of DPA in terms of my career growth. I felt that I learnt what I could in DPA and had to move out in order to gain better exposure. I therefore applied in Majmudar & Partners and joined Majmudar in the year 2010. At Majmudar , I primarily worked with Mr. Neerav Merchant, who handled general corporate, real estate and litigation. As I came from a small proprietorship background, it was a task to adjust to the rigours and discipline of Majmudar in the first year.  I must admit that I owe a lot to Majmudar in terms of my professional growth and discipline.  The firm adhered to very strict principles in terms of quality and speed of response, accuracy of advice and general professional nuances. I inculcated all these values while working for Majmudar.  I worked on a lot of real estate transactions as well and developed the confidence of running the matter on my own.  It was indeed a very good experience and I believe that if you inculcate disciple in your initial years, it helps you tremendously all throughout your professional life. This is the biggest lesson that Majmudar has taught me.

     

    You thereafter left Majumdar & Partners to start working at Aegis Ltd (Essar Group) as Legal Manager. What prompted you to keep changing your job so frequently? What does Aegis do and what was the nature of your work there?

    I worked with Majmudar for 3 years. While working for Majmudar I use to come across various in-house legal counsels. At times, I failed to understand the rationale behind their decisions as it appeared legally unsound. However, I realized that their decision was driven by commercial considerations.  You cannot be a good corporate lawyer until and unless you are driven by sound commercial reasoning.  I realized that in order to develop a well rounded knowledge of the corporate/commercial principles, it was imperative to gain experience from in-house perspective.  I therefore applied and got into Aegis Ltd., which is an ITES arm of Essar Group.  Aegis is a multinational corporation and it handles back-office operations globally. I joined Aegis Ltd., as Manger-Legal to handle the international corporate-commercial profile.  While working for Aegis, I was assigned the UK and South African subsidiaries.  I handled all the legal issues arising out of those two jurisdictions.  It was a brilliant learning experience as I led and closed several negotiations and even got the opportunity to travel abroad for the purpose of negotiations with some of the top ranking UK law firms.  It helped me understand the commercial rationale behind various decisions. In-house role is a different ball game all together and I picked up the finer nuances of it.

     

    You’ve recently joined UPL Limited, a multinational agro chemical company as Senior Manager-Legal. How did the switch from Aegis Ltd. take place? Did you get an offer or did you apply for UPL Ltd.?

    I got a call from a consultant regarding a potential opening at UPL.  I researched about the company and found the profile very interesting. I therefore went for the interviews and got selected for the position of Senior-Manger-Legal.  It was a logical progression for my career. UPL is a highly reputed agro-chemical company with extensive operations nationally and internationally. It has done a lot of acquisitions in the past several years.

     

    What does your current work profile at UPL Ltd. consists of? How is a typical workday like?

    I am required to assist the general counsel in all his matters. The profile is very broad based. It entails M&A, commercial contracts and general corporate matters. A typical day would consist of working on different kind of matters. I may work on one M&A transaction and thereafter get into reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts and thereafter research on general corporate issues. It varies from day to day and is highly interesting!

     

    Many lawyers would say that the actual learning takes place in the years of practice. How far would you say it is true? What was the case in your situation?

    As stated above, there is no substitute to practical experience. You will not learn the application of law until and unless you come across the real practical challenges. As stated above, I attribute my knowledge to my practical experience thus far!

     

    Lastly, what would be your parting message for our readers?

    Hard work and patience is the key to being a good professional in any stream. As far as legal profession is concerned, those attributes become indispensible. If you aren’t patient and hardworking, please do not think of taking up this profession!  There is no short cut to success and you will have to burn your midnight oil. In law, you are married to your profession, literally and figuratively!  Be prepared to give the same kind of commitment if you really want to make it work for yourself!  Lastly, learn to manage stress! It is highly important that you do not allow the matters to stress you out! You have to be detached and keep your calm in order to manage your stress levels as transactions can be very taxing at times! To conclude, I feel that patience, hard work, commitment and stress management is the key to being a successful legal professional.

  • Vipin Puran Singh, Circle Legal Head of Tata Teleservices on appointment and work

    Vipin Puran Singh, Circle Legal Head of Tata Teleservices on appointment and work

    Vipin Puran Singh graduated from National Law Institute University in 2010. He has recently joined Tata Teleservices Ltd. as Circle Legal Head (MP-CG region). This in itself is a huge achievement at his age, given that his counterparts are having at least 16 to 17 years more experience than him. Prior to Tata, he has worked with different organizations including Mahindra & Mahindra and Viom Network Ltd.(Tata Group). Apart from this, he has also been associated with many educational institutes.

    In this interview, he talks about:

    • Importance of academics and internships
    • His journey from Legal Consultant to Circle Legal Head at Tata Teleservices Ltd.
    • Recruitment process at Tata Teleservices Ltd. for Circle Legal Head

     

    Given that most of our readers belong to legal fraternity, how would you introduce yourself to them?

    Dear Readers and the Super Lawyer team thank you so much for providing me with this opportunity to share my thoughts & experience. My journey as a Lawyer started from 2010 when I graduated from National Law Institute University –Bhopal. Presently I hold position of Circle Legal Head at Tata Teleservices Ltd (Docomo). My previous work associations were with Mahindra & Mahindra, Viom Networks Ltd (Tata Group) & office of Asst. Solicitor General of India.

    Apart from being professional works, I take time out for community/ social work with Utho-Jago (NGO). My leisure time is dedicated to my family and friends who I consider my life’s strongest pillars. It had been a great journey so far and I feel there is a lot to come to make it far more interesting, meaningful and worth as individual & professional.

     

    How did you gravitate towards law? Why law and not engineering or medical studies?

    I am answering this question from my entrance exam days. Well this is most probable question indeed an interesting one to answer. Decision to pursue law, was one of the most difficult decision of that time. During my last few days of school, I had decided to do engineering like every maths-science student plan to do.  To be modest, pursuing  law was my dad’s advice, he always used to discuss about Law Universities  like NLS, NALSAR and NLIU but then, I could not imagine anything else but boring lawyers, Court’s Buildings and life time obligation of reading and studying. So, I did not take any interest in it until the day I read an article in newspaper regarding 100% placement and beautiful Library of NLIU!!! It struck my eyes! I did R&D on these universities and asked few of my seniors and the response was overwhelming. So here I am giving an interview as a Lawyer.

     

    As a law student which activities did you participate in?  Tell us about your law school journey from the 1st year till your final year. Did you have any guidance on how to go about your academics, co-curricular activities and internships?

    Five years at law school are the most valuable years of life for every law student for the purpose of personal and professional development; it makes you a mature professional from a immature teenager. Like every law student, my journey of five years at law school was very topsy-turvy and consist of highs and lows, friendship, love, drama, emotion everything you call feeling   If I start from my first year, it was the most difficult year of my law school life, I have studied from M.P Board where seldom you find English speaking friends even teachers never interacts in English and then I reached to law school where everyone was so fluent with their language and speaking skills. To be honest I used to be very scared of public speaking and I did not like giving  presentations before the class but this is what Law School teaches you by putting you in to the situation where either you will drown or you will learn to swim an survive. And I had no choice but to improve myself and overcome the weakness. It took me two years to come to the so called main stream!

    Where I can consider myself confident enough to handle the law school pressure. I was the students who have gone through every kind of excitement of law school from Repeats, Re-repeats and debarring from exams due to short of attendance. I have enjoyed my law school life at uttermost and have no regrets because today I am doing well in my own way. My advice to every law student that there is no harm in bunking the classes or may be exams because these would be the moments you would be cherishing for lifetime not your class room lectures. I was also involved in many co-curricular activities, I was the General Secretary of Environmental Research centre at NLIU, which has conducted National and International Environmental meets, Also made a documentary on global warming, I used to be amongst the few dancers of college. So my suggestion to aspiring lawyers is make the most of your law school days to groom themselves  and never give up to your past and do everything at your best from legal studies to loving your girlfriend. Face the current standing being head strong and don’t miss the fun of being a law student, that life never comes back live it every moment.

     

    What kind of internships did you do while you were a student? Any remarkable experiences during your internships that shaped your career choices later?

    Internships are the most important part of our curriculum,  I was always focused on my internships; I had got an opportunity to work with good organisations, law firms and corporate like Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI), Minerals and Metals Trade Corporation(MMTC), Bharti –Airtel , M.V. Kini and Co.and few NGOs. My advice to every law student is that last two and half  years of internship works for you in placements because recruiter is always interested in your last 2 years of intern/work and first two and half years interns/trainings should be at places where you wish to visit (trust me!).  My most remarkable internship was with IFCI Ltd. I had worked with them for almost 3 months, where I had really learned the meaning of responsibility you possess being a legal advisor of the company, which relies on your opinions and decision, which would be of rupees more than thousands of Corers and Yes!! That is the reason you draw hefty salaries.

    All my internships had taught me something or the other but one thing I suppose I have learnt is to be honest and professional with your organisation and clients. It is the most important thing in this profession. My advice to every law student that do anything you wish to do in college life but be diligent and fair while going through internships because your work and appearance reflects your college reputation and your casual approach towards work may close the doors for your other batch-mates, juniors and for your university. Be passionate to work while going through internships which will open the doors for you in future and remember it’s a small world whose reference may take you to heights or land you in trouble.

     

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    Did you find that your law school education had prepared you sufficiently for the many tasks you were required to execute during your internships and later at your job?

    Absolutely yes! Law school taught me many things from my intellectual skills to appearance. Researching and drafting was the most imperative skills which made my internships successful. When I say successful, that means I had come up with desired result which was expected from me during all the internships, secondly law school developed and polished my presentation skills, a prerequisite for any internship because at the end you are always required to justify internship and there your presentation skills works for you, I have always managed to present more than I worked because that’s the lesson I learned from law school studies, present anything at its best!!  One of the most important skill which, later on became a key for my success was drafting skills, from any mail communication to any legal notice reply or any litigation document, all you need, is perfect drafting of matter/issues. I think, its one area, where you always have a scope of improving and I am still working on it!

     

    You practiced for one year before joining Tata Tele Services Ltd., Bhopal. What made you to choose litigation and what prompted you to leave it?

    Well a bit painful question Corporate was never my dream though I am proud to be associated with Tata Group, I have started my from the office of Asst. Solicitor General of India, who was father of my senior and gave me this opportunity to work in his office. I have practiced almost one year, learned many finest arts of being an advocate and started practicing alone with two offices at Bhopal and Indore. But my experience as private practitioner had very mixed feedback it appeared to me – that weightage in our profession is not given to learning and knowledge alone but more to the number of years of practice. So I thought its wise enough to move on something which can justify my learning, experience and intellect hence I quit litigation. And I am happy very happy with my decision of making my career in corporate as the learning here has no limits.

     

    After that, you left TTSL and had worked with VIOM Network Ltd (Tata group) & Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. What prompted you to keep changing your job very frequently?

    I have worked with TTSL as a legal Consultant and started my first in-house corporate job with VIOM Networks, which is an Passive Telecom infra company of Tata Group as a circle legal executive which was comparatively a very small position but everyone was impressed with my work and got appreciation from everyone, all credit for appreciation goes to my boss Mr. Prashant Chauhan who happened to be my immediate senior at NLIU, I have learned many tactics on how to manage work, people and pressures in Corporate where you are suppose to deliver the work within a blink of eye.  At same time I have started getting call from other corporate houses and one fine day I got a call from Mahindra, though there was no specific reason to choose Mahindra over any other company except change in monotonous work. Best part of private corporate sector is that you can explore many opportunities, if you have guts to prove yourself to other company that if they don’t choose you it would be their mistake.

     

    vipin-singh-2You’ve recently joined TTSL as Circle Legal Head (MP-CG region). How did the switch from Mahindra take place?

    From Mahindra to Tata as legal Head was the most dramatic switch! Mahindra never wanted to leave me and I feel proud that my superiors were so much happy with my work, but I could not bear to leave the opportunity which was knocking my door and I grabbed it, In the age of 27 years, it was really a gigantic opportunity for any law graduate, my every counterpart -legal heads of other states in Tata are approximately 16 to 17 years more experienced than me , though it is very challenging because when you work on higher position you have very few people whom you can seek help and you are suppose to be ready with instant legal opinion in any critical situation. Before joining TATA as legal Head, I had gone through many rounds and interviewed very comprehensively, I had been asked and interviewed on various parameters which were mainly including of H.R rounds then legal rounds and finally intense Business rounds.

    Oh my god! That business round digged me to extreme. Sharing few questions with you like, How your presence can improve the business of company? (My thought was, am I supposed to be your marketing head?). When law expressly barred to carry out business at any place how would provide way to do business without breaking laws? (Now what is that?), well well! but after all I am a lawyer! How can I fail to impress you with my prompt answers! and yes today I am Circle Legal Head !

     

    Many young lawyers at corporate firms complain about the work being too exhausting, and that maintaining a work-life balance is just not possible. Could you share any advice on this?

    Generally every corporate sector’s official working hours are 8-Hrs 8.5- Hrs, and there could be no work which cannot be finished in specified timing, if we work diligently (may not apply to law firms) and every work is not meant to be finished in one day. I follow very unique strategy; I always streamline my work in different parameters like a work which can be completed on next working day. We should not sit back in office to finish that task, because remember one thing, work in corporate sector is never ending process and that is what you are being paid for. I never stretch my team to work after official hours, if something can be done on next working day it should be done accordingly.  Always keep one thing in mind, we work to make our life prosperous and if we fail to take out time for family and friends, our exhaustive working is of no use. Always try to prioritize work according to its timeline and work accordingly, once in a week if you are sitting late in office, it is justifiable but if you are sitting back in office every day after working hours than it is not work pressure it is a failure of your managerial skills.

     

    If you could re-live your 5 years in Law school, is there something you would do differently?

    Well, there could be hundreds of things which I would want to do! But I think whatever I did in those five years was my conscious decisions or decisions I made for myself after knowing the aftermaths of that situations. As I said earlier also, I have no regrets!

     

    Where do you see yourself five years from now?

    That’s a tough one, though everyone has aspiration so do I. Down the line five years I see myself more experienced and professional law personnel. I am confident that where ever I would be working I will grow with my Organization and would try to set new benchmark for aspiring lawyers.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message for our readers?

    My Message to aspiring law graduate is to live law school life fullest Learn! Learn! Learn. Learn to the extent that it becomes your habit, your routine and then your necessity. If we can do so world is all yours nothing can stop you from growing. I try my best to support aspiring graduates and I would say – If you think I can add some value in your learning I am just a call away.

     

    The views expressed on this site/article/interview are my own and not those of Tata Teleservices – Vipin Singh

  • Niyati Jigyasi on bagging a job from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

    Niyati Jigyasi on bagging a job from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

    Niyati Jigyasi is a graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (Batch of 2014). Her diligence paid off when she received a job offer from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) in her 5th year of law school. Currently, she is working as an Associate there. We asked her to share her experiences and strategies she used over the years.

    In this interview, Niyati talks about:

    • Trimester system at NLIU
    • Importance of Internships and other co-curricular activities
    • Preparing for job interviews and securing a job at LKS

     

    Tell us about your pre-college life as well as educational background. Why did you decide to study law?

    My decision to pursue law is a result of my conversations with my Grandfather who himself was a law graduate. He is one of the main reasons I choose law.

    Being a commerce student, law appeared to me as the best career option. I started preparing for CLAT since 12th itself but was able to clear it only in my 2nd attempt and  was proud to be a part of India’s premier law institute National Law Institute University, Bhopal.

     

    niyati-j-1How was your first year of law school?

    It definitely has an impact on your coming years but according to me it definitely does not determine your coming four years. Every year in law school has its own importance and each year teaches you how can you improve your performance in the next year.

    I’ll say 1st year of college not just in law school but in every field can be a bit challenging for every student. Adjusting in new city, hostel, eating mess food, completely new subjects etc seems to be a bit challenging but eventually you get adjusted in the environment.

    For me, first year was one of the best years of my college life. Probably, because that was the only year when I was a hosteller. I had full on hostel masti in my 1st year and it set the tone for the fun filled rest of 4 years.

     

    One can find it difficult to manage continuous evaluation through trimester exams, projects, submissions, etc. in a law school. How did you manage your studies?

    In trimester system managing studies along with other co-curricular activities seems a bit a difficult in starting but within 2-3 trimesters you get used to the routine and its no more difficult. Every student comes out with his/her own way to manage the studies in the trimester system.

    I tried to make the maximum use of the first month of the trimester which used to be comparatively free. I also tried by best to complete my submissions and presentations on time so that I don’t have to rush during the time of exams to make by presentations.

     

    How much time does it take to manage academics properly in a law school like NLIU, especially in light of the trimester system?

    First year is a pretty good time to get a fair idea about the trimester system & decide the way one wants to approach the studies in the trimester system. In a law school there are a lot of co curricular activities going on round the year so one needs to plan in a manner that he/she can manage academics along with other activities. This can be a bit hectic at times, but taking part in co curricular activities is also equally important. I remember the trimesters when I took some moots, I was either working for moots or was studying for exams or submissions. But that was also a good experience. Managing studies along with other activities in a trimester system teaches you a lot.

     

    How would you describe your time at NLIU-Bhopal? What are the co-curricular activities you took part at NLIU?

    Being from Bhopal & getting NLIU, Bhopal through CLAT was one the best thing that could have happened. I had a great time at NLIU, Bhopal. These 5 years have transformed me from a law aspirant to a law student and now an Advocate finally. NLIU has helped me to fulfil my dream of being an Advocate. These 5 years have taught me a lot and if I start discussing each of those things it will be a long list. NLIU, Bhopal gave me friends for life, I’ll cherish each and every moment spent at this place.

    I took part as a Researcher in three moots, was a member of Managerial Board of NLIU Law Review since its inception and worked a lot to get the Law Review issues published. I was also a part of CARES-the environment cell of our college for a short span of time. As a member of CARES I edited the 1st NLIU Environment Newsletter which was released eve of Inter College Environment Meet organized by CARES.I was also the co-ordinator for getting this Newsletter published. I also participated in 2-3 essay writing competitions, paper presentation and got a paper published in one of the e-journals.

     

    Which internships that you have pursued will you consider to be right at the top and why? Tell us about some interesting internship experiences.

    My internship experience at Phoenix Legal, Delhi and at FICCI, Delhi are the best. The internship at Phoenix Legal was the best law firm internship experience I had. The variety of work which was given to me, the way the seniors treated me in that organization and the way my work was appreciated made my internship at Phoenix Legal right at the top. The internship at FICCI was altogether a different experience. The work at FICCI was more of comparative analysis of Indian laws and foreign laws based on which FICCI had to take a stand as to whether the Indian law is correct or not and what amendment is required to made to make it the more beneficial or how beneficial the amendment proposed is. The kind of work I did at FICCI made it one of the best internships.

    At one of my internships I was given a chance to interact with the client directly in a client meeting regarding the case I was working on with the senior. Obviously the questions which I am going to ask to the client were discussed thoroughly before the meeting, but the experience to question the client about the case and a senior sitting next to you quietly, speaking only when client is not able to understand your question or when you are going wrong is an amazing experience that too being just an intern.

    Also once when I was researching on an issue and internet and books were not able to solve that issue completely I was asked my senior to go and meet the officers in the Ministry to solve the issue. The interaction with the officers in ministry and the trust that the seniors at the firm showed on me by sending me alone to talk to the officers was also a great experience.

     

    What are the skills you learned from internships? How did you ensure that you get noticed during internships for the work you do?

    Internships helped me to enhance my research skills and gave me a fair idea as to the work life after law school. It helps you to decide the place where you want to see yourself in future. Internships taught me that its ok if you don’t know a particular law, but having an ability to learn & apply that law to the given case in the limited time you have is what is required.

    According to me, only good work can make you get noticed during internships and nothing else. If you work hard and do your work on time, you will definitely get noticed at internships. I always made sure to complete the work given to me on time without compromising on the quality. Giving quality work on time is the mantra to get notice at the internships according to me.

     

    You have participated in various moot court competitions. Do you think mooting is beneficial for Law students or is it just to make your CV look fancy?

    According to me Mooting is very beneficial for Law Students. Mooting gives you a chance to do in depth research on a specific issue. It enhances your research skills, your speaking abilities, it teaches you to think from your opponents’ side also, it teaches you to work & coordinate with others as a team. I’ll say a law student should atleast once do Mooting in the law school, its a really a good experience. No doubt it looks good in CV and adds value to your CV, but it is definitely not just a line item to add to your CV, it is very beneficial for a law student.

     

    What brought you towards Tax Law?

    When we came to know that L&S is going to come to our campus I started studying indirect tax and I realised that tax is also not a bad option, I can give it a try. L&S also organized Lecture series at our campus before the recruitment, these lecture series cleared all my doubts about choosing tax law as a career option. Before this I never thought about going into tax law. And I can say today that I took a right decision.

     

    You secured a job at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) in your 5th year of law school. How did you go about achieving this?

    We were told that for any interview you need to know each and every word which you have written in your CV. So I made sure that I knew everything written in my CV. Apart from CV I studied the basics of the important subjects like contracts, sale of goods, companies, property law etc. And I studied the basics of tax laws specifically for L&S interview. For L&S interview I also studied all that was discussed in the lecture series properly.

     

    How many times did you intern at LKS before you bagged the job offer? Please tell us about the recruitment application process at LKS?

    I have never interned at L&S before. I was recruited through campus recruitments. The recruitment process at our college involved sending our CV to Placement Committee.  Students were shortlisted on the basis of CV and after that shortlisted candidates had to go through the interview round.

     

    What kind of questions were you asked during the interview with LKS?

    In my interview fortunately I was not asked a single question on tax. Maximum part of my interview was based on my CV.  I was asked about my experience at the various firms I have interned earlier and based on my experience they asked about the work which I did in that internship. I was also asked certain questions on contract law apart from my CV. Other than that questions like why you are choosing tax, do you have any problem in relocating, will you be able to work in this organization for a long time etc were also asked. I was also asked about my experience at lecture series, was it beneficial or not and why was it beneficial.

     

    How do you think one should go about writing a CV when one is applying for a job?

    There is a saying first impression is the last impression and in case of applying for jobs, your CV is the thing that will create your first impression on the recruiters. Therefore, one should take utmost care while writing the CV. You can’t take a chance to mess up your CV. At the time of writing the CV you should keep in your mind that you have to answer the questions based on your CV so you should write only what you can answer. You should be aware of all the possible questions based on the things you have written in your CV. And if at the time of writing the CV you don’t know something properly then write that only if you are confident that you will be able to study that. Never write anything in your CV which you don’t know. You are bound to know everything written in the CV. So the most important thing for writing CV is write only those things which you know properly. Apart from this CV should not have any formatting or grammatical mistakes.

     

    Many law school students aspire to secure a job. What do you think most are doing wrong, from your observations?

    Every person has his/her own point of view and priorities in life. By God’s grace I have never faced such a situation. So sitting here and saying what wrong they are doing will not be appropriate. Everyone who is struggling is trying their best to secure a good job. What I can probably say is that may be going behind only a big shot corporate firm job and a good salary can be a problem. According to me, starting with even a new or small firm is no harm, may be if I would not have been lucky enough to get a job at L&S, I might also have taken a small law firm job. But as I said, I am no one to say that those law school students are doing something wrong. I firmly believe that each one of them will be trying their best to secure a job to suit their requirements.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message to our readers?

    To all the law school students I’ll say just enjoy your five years of law school as much as you can. You’ll never get that experience ever again in your life. Having said that, I’ll also say that take your studies, projects, internships, co-curricular activities seriously. You’ll realise its important when you start working. So party hard, work hard & just enjoy your law school life. You’ll miss it when you’ll start working.

  • Robin David, Equity Partner at Dua Associates on career in corporate litigation

    Robin David, Equity Partner at Dua Associates on career in corporate litigation

    Robin David is currently a Partner at Dua Associates, Delhi. He graduated in B.Sc from Loyola College and thereafter completed his LL.B from Bharathiar University in 1989. Right after his graduation he joined the Bar and had been independently litigating. His practice areas included Contracts, Company Law, Competition Law and other corporate matters.

    With an in-depth expertise in various corporate matters and prior experience of 12 years in litigation, Robin joined Dua in 2002 and had since been working there. With his formidable experience in litigation he was quickly elevated to the rank of a partner in 2004. In 2013, he was made an equity partner.

    We took this opportunity and requested him to share:

    • His experience of litigation as a fresh law graduate
    • Building reputation and clientele in litigation
    • The role of higher education in building an illustrious career
    • The journey from a law student to becoming a partner at one of the leading law firms in India

     

    How would you introduce yourself to our readers who are primarily budding lawyers? Did you belong to a family of lawyers?

    I am a practicing lawyer for about 25 years. Legal practice is a great and exciting challenge. The legal profession gives one the opportunity to learn and to adapt. Most importantly lawyers have a great opportunity to do justice. I believe that lawyers have a significant role to play in the justice delivery system. I am the first lawyer in my family.

     

    You are a B. Sc. (Physics) graduate from Loyola College. Could share with us any specific incident which motivated you to pursue law as a career?

    I initially wanted to study engineering or science. However, since my childhood my mother told me that I would make a good lawyer. She implanted and reinforced confidence in me. So I applied for law more out of [sociallocker]my faith in her belief. I qualified the entrance examination. After few years of practice I realised how right she was because this profession is definitely for me.

     

    Being a science graduate, did you face any difficulties in law school? A lot of students from science stream pursue law after their 12th and face a lot of difficulties in studying subjects related to law. Can you share with us certain tips to overcome this issue?

    I do not believe being a science graduate is a disadvantage to pursue legal studies. Nor do I think that students from arts/humanities will have a considerable edge over science students while studying law. The study of science encourages analytical thinking, which in my opinion is one of the vital ingredients for legal studies and practice. The most important phase of learning for a litigation lawyer is during the first few years in practice.

     

    robin-david-1Did you do any internship during the course of your studies? What kind of work did you come across during your internships?

    I did not have an opportunity to intern as a student. This was probably because there was no mandatory requirement to intern at that time.

    However, I believe internships today are important. Internships provide an opportunity for students to learn about the application of law and get insights into the legal profession. Interns will be well advised to take their internships seriously. Ideally, interns should be willing and open to learn and know more about legal practice.

     

    You were also in the cricket and hockey team of your college. How important is it for one to engage in other activities apart from academics and professional interests?

    I started paying cricket from the age of 2. I have always been interested in sports and sporting activities. I played a bit of cricket, hockey and table tennis during school and college. Now I play cricket for my firm. I play golf as well. I believe it is necessary to engage in sporting activities and activities apart from academics and professional work. Being physically fit is crucial. Lawyers would do well to invest time on fitness and physical well being.

     

    Did you ever think of joining the civil services after graduating? Which career options were available to a law graduate in 90s?

    Civil services did cross my mind albeit not seriously. As far as I can remember the openings/options available to young lawyers were mainly to:

    • work as a junior lawyer (with little or no pay)
    • to join as law officer in any organisation/bank
    • join civil services
    • go abroad for LLM or to study LLM in India

     

    When you started your practice in 1990, how was the court atmosphere? How did the judges respond to young and new lawyers like you? What were the major challenges faced by you in the initial years of your practice?

    The courts are much more crowded now. The first challenge was to decide where to start work. Another challenge was learning the court procedures and practical aspects of legal practice. I was fortunate to commence work in the Delhi High Court. All seniors and judges were generally encouraging and helpful. However, the process of learning procedural law and how to face the Court is something every practicing lawyer will have to figure out on their own. The legal community is based on the seniors wanting to teach and the younger members of the Bar being open to learn. The junior lawyers were always respectful to the seniors and the institution. I also faced financial challenges because I was initially given a small stipend but I believe that such hardships actually help and motivate aspiring lawyers to work harder and be better advocates.

     

    How did you build up your clientele? How many years of practice do you say it would require to build a firm clientele?

    I am not aware of a formula to build a clientele nor can you stipulate a time line. I do not believe there is a formula to build up clientele. However, I have learnt that building clientele requires hard work, honesty, time, result oriented thinking and several other factors. In my experience I have found that the clients trust honest and sincere counsel. Knowledgeable lawyers do have an edge, however they are expected to be sincere to the cause and be honest. Lawyers should build up a good reputation for themselves.

     

    You have experience in litigation of around 25 years. Can you share with us your experience as a practising lawyer?

    Lawyers are trustees of the legal system. A lawyer is responsible to act with integrity and maintain public confidence in the judicial system. To be a successful litigation lawyer one must belong to a court in addition to knowing the basics of law. Counsel must be aware about their court and keep themselves abreast of the changes and developments. Counsel must be involved in Bar Association and participate in the court and association activities. Counsel should contribute to court related activities such as legal aid, arbitration, mediation, etc. I have had the good fortune of working with some great lawyers. I have also been a lawyer for the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee since 2008. Learning from watching and observing court proceedings is an essential part of being a good lawyer.

     

    As a practising lawyer how did you manage to learn the basics of court room practice? Did you have anyone to guide and mentor you during the initial days of your practise?

    No doubt one learns from the seniors and colleagues whom you work with. I leant a great deal from observing others and noticing the reactions from the judges.

    I believe a lawyer requires to have a mentor not only during the initial years of practice but also later on. Initially mentoring is done by seniors but later you have to become your own mentor. A very important aspect of legal practice is the ability to evaluate yourself. Even the Bar Council of India recommends mentoring and training by lawyers.

     

    If someone does not go to a top law school, would you say he still has a shot at a great career in law? What should such a person do to develop necessary skills and profile?

    Going to a top school per se does not make you a good lawyer. Honest effort and hard work make a good lawyer regardless of the school.

     

    How did you get an opportunity to work with Dua Associates? How is your work at Dua Associates different from your independent practice?

    I began my association with Dua Associates in 2002. At that time I put in about 12 years of hard work as a legal practitioner and was already known for my work as a litigating counsel.

     

    Having been at Dua Associates since 2002 as a manager in the litigation team, you were promoted into the equity partnership; what qualities do you think helped you to achieve this status?

    Though I joined as manager in 2002, I was made partner in 2004. I was made equity partner in 2013. It involved sincere hard work and time.

     

    When you hire interns under you, what kind of qualities do you look for? What should an intern do to get noticed in a positive way?

    Honesty, hard work and commitment to work are important qualities in interns. I see interns who are there only for the sake of putting it on their CV.

     

    What changes has being a partner brought into your life, do you ever feel that there is excess of work load on you? How do you manage to strike a balance between your personal and professional life?

    Ever since I have started work as an advocate I have put in many hours of work every day. Becoming partner did not have any significant change to my professional working style. Have realised the importance of team work and have the need to contribute to the larger cause. Law is a calling and not a job.

     

    Do you feel that great lawyering skills are sufficient for a person to become a partner? What separates the people who become partner from those who don’t?

    Partners’ skills should complement one another. Ideally, if one is good at business development then the other partner would be good in other set of skills. Further skills can be learnt. Though, in my opinion a law firm needs persons having different sets of skills. Partners are those with great sets of skills and also those who show commitment to the growth and development of the firm.

     

    Do you feel that higher education helps a person to have a successful legal career? What would be your word of advice to students who wish to go for higher studies?

    It would depend on what you are looking for. For an advocate, LL.B is sufficient because practical knowledge can only be gained on the ground.

     

    How is the work culture at Dua Associates? If an associate commits a mistake or an error what course of action do you follow as a partner?

    A partner is responsible. In Dua Associates the Partners are the team leaders and oversee the work of the team. For example, if a plaint is drafted for a client the draft would be carefully seen by a Partner before it is sent to the client.

    Associates who repeat mistakes or stop learning will at least be talked to.

     

    What qualities do you think one should possess to carve out a niche for himself in this field?

    I believe hard work, honesty and sincerity are important qualities. Always be ready and willing to learn. Additionally one must be aware of the system and surroundings.

     

    What would be your message to our readers who are budding lawyers and law students?

    • Justice is important. Lawyers have a great opportunity to play a role in the justice delivery system. Many prominent lawyers have played important roles and contributed to the Indian freedom struggle. Lawyers can have significant involvement in society and can set the standards. Legal practice is a calling and not a job.
    • Honesty and sincerity in counsel are traits that are always respected by the judges, clients, briefing counsel and even opposing counsel. A lawyer must conduct himself with dignity.
    • Building a good reputation is necessary. A lawyer should carefully guard his reputation.
    • A lawyer should always be conscious of his/her role as officers of the court.
    • Young court lawyers should read the briefs and be well prepared. Know your facts. I have seen many young lawyers who are in a hurry to go up the ladder and look for shortcuts to grow. There are no shortcuts.

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