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  • Shohini Sengupta on work at BPCL, full scholarship to Oxford and choosing M.Sc in Law and Finance (MLF)

    Shohini Sengupta on work at BPCL, full scholarship to Oxford and choosing M.Sc in Law and Finance (MLF)

    shohini-sengupta-1Shohini Sengupta is a graduate of 2012 Batch from National Law Institute University, Bhopal. After graduation, she worked with BPCL and thereafter joined Directorate General of Hydrocarbons. She has also received full scholarship under the Louis Dreyfus Weidenfeld Leadership Programme to study at the Prestigious Oxford University and is currently pursuing MSc in Law and Finance there.

    We asked her to share with us:

    • Work experience at BPCL and Directorate General of Hydrocarbons
    • Choosing M.Sc. in Law and Finance
    • Getting full scholarship to study at Oxford

     

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

    This is always the most difficult part. I am a lawyer by profession, farcical writer by the day and comfort chef by night! I am a very curious person and willingly put myself in challenging positions, which may be good or bad. I am also a believer in knowledge, hard work and humour, though not necessarily in that order.

     

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

    I have always enjoyed the finer nuances of both written and spoken English. I heard a prolific speaker from one of India’s leading National law schools and got hooked. In addition to that, law seemed to be an excellent way to learn diverse subjects. Also, I was completely enthralled by the prospect of earning money by just speaking for hours.

     

    A lot of law students in their first and second year of law school plan to change the legal regime of India, work pro-bono on social issues, curb menaces and threats to the society. Have you ever felt that kind of thought crossing you?

    I think these law students are rare and a dying breed, and it is important for both institutions and people in the fraternity to nurture such thoughts. I do want to work pro-bono on social issues and my current Master’s course at Oxford is a step towards pursuing public policy in India one day. While I admit that these aspirations are in every way nobel and selfless, I want to do it purely because it interests me.

     

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

    I actually enjoyed all of my BA courses, including Economics, English and Sociology. I was particularly interested in ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) and commercial mediation. In pursuance of this, I did an internship at ONGC and worked on a commercial mediation paper and also competed at several mediaition tournaments, including the ICC Mediation Competition in Paris. After my graduation, I completed a course on dispute reoslution from the Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation, Kochi and am now a Grade ‘A’ mediator. I am not claiming to be an expert, but I hope I am taking a few concrete steps towards gaining more knowledge in this field.

     

    In your penultimate year at NLIU you interned with Anand and Anand, ONGC, Bharti Airtel Services etc. What kind of work was allotted to you during your internships? Are there remarkable experiences during your internships that shaped your career choices later?

    All of my three internships were fantastic. At Anand and Anand I learnt about design laws, something I hadnt been taught at law school. At ONGC, I looked at how commercial mediation was being effectively used in a government organisation in India and worked on a paper. At Bharti, I worked on investment laws in Africa and the procedures for setting up a business in the continent. In effect all these internships, particularly the last two, allowed me to view law in more than strict (law firm) commercial terms and offered me a glimpse into the social and business sides of the profession. For me, the interplay between business and law was arresting.

     

    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?

    Law school is a very special place to grow up in. So I guess it prepapred me socially and intellectually, to be able to handle any challenge in a mature fashion. However, law is too dynamic a subject to be learnt only in class. Thus, the more I worked, the more I learnt.

     

    After graduation, you joined BPCL as an Executive Legal Officer. How did you go about achieving this? Please tell us about the recruitment process at BPCL?

    BPCL came to our college campus for their recruitment. There was a group discussion and a very long and engaging interview before they recruited me. Since BPCL is a marketing company, more than company lawyers, they need effective legal managers who can commit to making the business more lucrative, while protecting the interests of the company, which means they prefer integration with people over just academic brilliance. Contrary to popular belief, the work at the company is extremely challenging (they have only 25 lawyers in the country) and rewarding. It made me understand business like nothing else could. However, the recruitment process can change every year, depending upon their requirement.

     

    How did you go about preparing for your interview?

    Firstly, I did a thorough research about the business of the company and its recent business acquisitions and investments. This gave me an idea as to which area of law they might question me on. However, for an overall revision, I went through my resume very carefully and read through the bar exam preparatory material for a week.

     

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

    My best friend, Hita Kumar, who recently featured in one of your stories, is actually an excellent CV drafter and I would just suggest everyone to befriend her! The other option is to be honest, and keep the CV as short and precise as possible. More than anything else, the CV and cover letter should be altered according to the organisation where one is applying.

     

    After BPCL, you have also worked for Directorate General of hydrocarbons as an Executive Legal Officer. How did you get it and what prompted you towards it? How was the experience?

    DGH only takes a couple of people from other public sector companies on deputation, to regulate the upstream petroleum sector of India. Being interested in policy making and regulation in general, I applied for the post on being notified of a vacancy, and I was selected through an interview.

    Working for the Ministry of Petroleum was a very rewarding and enriching experience, and as a young lawyer, I had the opportunity to work on some of the biggest commercial arbitrations with some of the finest legal minds of the country. Further, I got a firsthand look at the drafting process of India’s exploration licenses and policies. It was fantastic.

     

    Also, Congratulations on being selected for Oxford University. What was your motivation behind pursuing Masters? When did you finally decide to pursue higher studies?

    Thank you! I was always interested in pursuing higher studies, but a big credit should go to my friends and family who kept pushing me continuously towards it. Since I was interested in the interplay between law and economics, the MSc in Law and Finance seemed to be a tailor made course for me. I also want to work towards drafting more economically viable policies for the government and I believe this course will help me learn this craft better.

     

    How did you choose Oxford over other? How should one go about choosing a university?

    Oxford has always been a dream for me, so much so that I did not even think of applying to Cambridge. I have grown up reading about the legends of Oxford. My grandfather worked in England for some time and it was in some respects his dream too to see someone from the family here. However, a big reason was that a course like the MSc in Law and Finance, with its unique course structure was only available at Oxford.

    The second question of choosing a university is a highly subjective one. It could be because of comfort with a particular culture or because of the reputation of the college and its professors or because of the availability of a particular course or funding. I would suggest a healthy dose of soul searching.

     

    What are the scholarships Oxford provides for students from India? Are there any other institutions which provide scholarships for post-graduation from Oxford?

    I received full scholarship under the Louis Dreyfus Weidenfeld Leadership Scholarship Programme, and thus I can claim that Oxford is a very supportive and nurturing University. There are a lot of funding opportunities and the best thing to do is to research their massive website thoroughly. They have specific scholarships for specific courses and also University wide scholarships. So it depends upon which course you are applying to, more than just the fact that you are from a particular country (though that might make you eligible for some scholarships like the Indira Gandhi Sustainability Scholarship).

    Apart from the University, there are a number of places in India like the Ministry of HRD, Aga Khan, Narottam Sekhsaria, Tata AIG, Inlaks Shivdasani which provide post graduate scholarships. Also, the British Council and the Oxbridge Society provide limited scholarships.

     

    Oxford is well renowned for its brilliant faculty. How is your experience with the faculty so far?

    I am spellbound. The problem, if you can call it so, with Oxford is that you are spoit for choices here. Thus, it makes choosing electives and course supervisors all the more difficult. Most of the faculty is exceptional and surprisingly, relatively young. However, the best part is that the relationship between a tutor and a student here is much more informal and relaxed, and in ways more mature than anything I have ever felt in India. The learning opportunities are tremendous and you can elect to sit in on any lecture, in any subject, in the University.

     

    How difficult is studying abroad in terms of finding accommodation, finances and settling in?

    I have actually been incredibly fortunate. I was allotted a beautiful and lavish college accommodation even without formally applying for one. Since I am on a scholarship, the financial angle hasn’t bothered me yet. Moreover, Oxford and its entire team is one of the friendliest you will find in the world. They will continue to scour for funding and allied support for people who need them even once your course has started. They genuinely want their students to succeed. Since this is a University town, accommodation, food, student jobs for everyone are plentiful. Lastly, the fresher’s week and the overwhelming social scene is good enough to make you smile more than once.

     

    What difference did you find in the pedagogy of Oxford relative to an NLU?

    I think it is unfair to compare them since Oxford is apparently older than the Aztecs. The NLUs are doing a commendable job of creating a league of extraordinarily accomplished young professionals. Hence, the pedagogy is more attuned towards securing a job.  Oxford has its USP in attracting mostly those students who genuinely love the subject, though there is an excellent careers advisory cell here. The teaching system is a mix of lectures, seminars (student discussions) and tutorials, compared to an NLU, which is mostly lecture based.

     

    There has been a recent trend amongst Indian law graduates to pursue higher education abroad. Why do you think this is happening?

    Firstly, the world and the work that we are expected to do as lawyers is getting more globalised. Second, we are becoming more aware of our options. Third, as graduate students, we are more focussed on our preferred likes and dislikes. In my case, a higher education at Oxford seemed like the only chance of learning an inter-disciplinary branch of law. A year studying will only help you hone your skills, rather than take away from your knowledge.

     

    What plans do you have once you finish your Masters?

    This is the toughest question of all! I am looking at a variety of options. I might apply for the Masters in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford. Alternatively, I might apply for a job, preferably in India, which allows me to indulge in a little bit of law and a little bit of policy making.

     

    Last but not the least, what would be your message for law students?

    Intelligence is over rated. Consistent hard work and a near obsessive zeal will get you seemingly impossible results. Humour helps, and so do supportive friends. As someone very intelligent once pointed out to me, the power to dream is almost magical.

  • Nidhi Khare on pursuing LL.M from NLIU, work as an Assistant Professor at Jagran Univ

    Nidhi Khare on pursuing LL.M from NLIU, work as an Assistant Professor at Jagran Univ

    nidhi-khare-3Nidhi Khare completed her graduation and post-graduation from National Law Institute University, Bhopal in 2013 & 2014 respectively. She was an avid mooter during her B.A.LL.B. days and has multiple publications to her name. She had always planned to pursue a career in academics since her days in law school. Presently, she is working as an Assistant Professor at Jagran University, Bhopal.

    We asked her to share her experiences and strategies she used over the years.

    • In this interview, she talks about:
    • Pursuing B.A.LL.B. and LL.M. from NLIU, Bhopal
    • Importance of co-curricular activities for a law student
    • Opting for teaching

     

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

    Well as far as introducing myself is concerned, I am a law student from the last six years and I am working as an Assistant Professor at School of Law, Jagran University, Bhopal. I take pride in the fact that I continue to be a law student and I have chosen a field wherein I can share my knowledge of law with young legal minds and carry on with the process of learning of law.

     

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

    It wasn’t like I always wanted to do law. To be honest, initially I had a fear in mind about law and the heavy books that they are supposed to read. I got into law at my family’s advice but once I was into law, I found it is all just about logic and its practical application. I had no particular reason as to why not engineering or medical except the fact that I wasn’t good at physics and chemistry.

     

    How would you describe your five years of law school at NLIU?

    Five years at NLIU have changed me as an individual, as an intellectual to be precise. I believe the opportunities that a student can get at NLIU, or any national law school for that matter, are sufficient to develop the legal acumen that a law student needs. Also, I feel no shame in admitting the fact that before entering law school I used to have a tremendous public fear but by participating in competitions such as moot courts, client counselling, etc., I got rid of my public fear and I think I owe a lot to these opportunities that I could think of entering the profession of teaching.

     

    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 I entered the law school, I did not have a set frame of mind as to what I want to do after graduation. When you enter a law school, especially if it is a National law school, there is a lot of hype created about working in law firms and Corporates and it is not unusual for a student to get carried away with it. To clear the mist that had settled in my mind, I interned in Majmudar & Partners, a leading law firm, and Wipro Technologies to have my share of experience, both with firms and Corporates. I also interned with ONGC to know about the work culture in government set ups. It was during these internships only that I realised that I had no interest in working on company contracts or fighting cases in Courts.

     

    You have been a member of multiple committees while in law school. Do you think these enhanced your skill-sets? Please share a few of your memorable experience.

    Yes I have been a member as well as Convenor of the Cell, as we call it in NLIU, and it has definitely taught me a number of things which probably classroom experiences don’t teach you. As a member of the Environment Cell, I learned the usual qualities of team work and patience but when I was a Convenor of the Consumer Cell, I learned to work and manage while dealing with people of different attitudes and mind-sets. It taught me the quality of being a patient leader.

     

    You have participated in various moot court competitions. Tell us how important is mooting and what effect does it have on one’s CV?

    Mooting, I think, is one of the most important exercises that a law student must do because it greatly improves your communication and argumentation skills. It also makes you think from a different angle altogether towards legal problems. Then ofcourse mooting helps a lot in removing the fear of public speaking. It brings clarity to your thoughts since when you know that you can be grilled by the judges on any assumption you make, you certainly do an in-depth research to have an authority backing all your arguments. It thus also improves your research skills.

     

    Right after graduating, you went for LLM.  What was your motivation behind pursuing LL.M.? When did you finally decide that you need to do masters?

    When I decided I have to go into teaching that was the point I knew I had to have a masters degree to be able to teach in a Law University. Also, because my interest area has always been criminal law but graduation doesn’t offer you an in-depth study into any particular field of law, I opted for LLM in Criminal Law.

     

    Tell us something about your LLM year at NLIU. How did this influence your career?

    I did the one-year course. It was actually introduced in that very year only. As far as the experience is concerned, yes it does certainly increase your knowledge on particular areas of law and the dissertation makes you have a deeper understanding of a particular concept.

     

    What was your topic of research for LL.M? Why did you choose that subject for research?

    My interest has always been women-centric laws, and I have worked a lot on sexual offences against women. I have a number of publications on sex trafficking of women, I have presented a number of papers both at national and international level on anti-trafficking laws and owing to this interest of mine, I chose rape as my area of study. My topic for research was ‘Development of Rape Laws in India: a Critical Analysis.’

     

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    What do you like best about teaching? What is the best thing about being a Professor and what’s the worst?

    I get a lot of satisfaction from teaching. This I realised when I used to teach the poor children staying in the village nearby our university who we used to teach as part of PULER, an NGO of our University, and they used to understand and learn from me. That was the point I decided that I will go into teaching. I taught in a coaching institute in Bhopal in my 5th year and while I was doing my LLM and those two years made me clear that this is the only thing I want to do for my entire life. I think the best thing about teaching is that you constantly learn and this profession offers you an opportunity to share knowledge and learn from others as well, including students. As far as the worst thing is concerned, I will say it’s not worst but it is bad that in India we don’t realise the importance of teachers in a student’s life as well as for the nation-building. They are considered to be doing an easy job and people think that if someone wants an easy life, he should go for teaching which is an absolutely wrong notion. A teacher has to do a lot of preparation to even stand for 15 min before the students. It is not an easy job at all.

     

    What are your favorite subjects? What subjects are you currently teaching?

    My favorite subject is criminal law. As of now I am taking contract law for the undergraduate students and I teach Business laws to students doing MBA in finance stream.

    Do you think students should behave the professors like friends, or is it necessary to maintain a disciplined environment to create a good classroom environment?

    I think it should be a combination of both.

    Describe an outstanding teacher. What do you think makes this educator outstanding?

    I don’t know how to define an outstanding teacher but I think a good teacher is someone who can communicate his thoughts clearly to the students and who feels that he is there to discuss with the students rather than to tutor them.

     

    Any important things which law school didn’t teach you but ‘teaching’ did?

    Yes, it brought more clarity to my understanding of concepts because when you are teaching, you can’t be anything less than perfectly sure of your concepts.

     

    Where do you see yourself five years from now?

    I see myself interacting with students in a class, and on the verge of or already completed my Doctorate.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message to people who want to take up a career in teaching?

    I will just say do not take up teaching just because you don’t see any other better option because as a Professor you are responsible for the life and career of all those students you teach, which you definitely cannot put at stake. So teach only if you enjoy teaching.

  • Garima Tiwari on pursuing masters from UNICRI, doctorate from Univ of Camerino and legal research

    Garima Tiwari on pursuing masters from UNICRI, doctorate from Univ of Camerino and legal research

    garima-tiwari-2Garima Tiwari is an exceptionally meritorious student of 2009 batch of NLIU, Bhopal. After working at National Judicial Academy, Bhopal for two year, her interest in International Crime and Justice led her to pursue Masters from United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute in collaboration with University of Torino, Italy. She has been awarded the Justice Makers Fellowship by International Bridges to Justice, Geneva for project on awareness of HIV/AIDS amongst the criminal justice system as also legal aid for the under-trials. She has a number of publication and has authored various books. Currently, she is a Doctoral candidate at University of Camerino.

    In this interview, she talks about:

    • Course structure of Masters at UN Research Institute
    • Key ingredients of Statement of Purpose
    • Authoring books and publications
    • The best ways to do Legal Research

     

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

    I would first like to congratulate the whole team of SuperLawyer for concretising this innovative and stimulating idea of ‘inspiration dissemination’. I graduated from National Law Institute University, Bhopal in 2009. I worked at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal as Law Associate (Faculty) for 2 years. I have a Masters in International Crime and Justice from United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute in collaboration with University of Torino, Italy. In 2012, I was awarded the JusticeMakers Fellowship by International Bridges to Justice, Geneva for my project on awareness of HIV/AIDS amongst the criminal justice system as also legal aid for the undertrials.  Currently I am pursuing my Doctorate at the University of Camerino, Italy alongside my work as a Researcher in comparative law with Lexidale-International Policy Consulting, Cambridge MA. I am also co-founder and author at A Contrario ICL- an international think tank devoted to research and writings on International Criminal Law and senior editor with The Lex Warrier.

     

    How did you gravitate towards Law? Tell us about your college life at Bhopal. What all activities did you partake in?

    I remember reading the achievements of few of my seniors in the newspapers. Law always fascinated me, and when my father brought in the brochures of the law schools, I was all ready to get in. In 2004, there was no CLAT and all universities conducted their separate exams; I cleared the entrance and there I was at National Law Institute University, Bhopal. I concentrated more on my academics. When I joined law school, it was all about getting a corporate law job. I wouldn’t deny that I tried to fit in, but somehow I wavered from that path. I loved research and writing and I guess I made good use of the crazy amount of projects we were supposed to write. I could publish a lot of them subsequently. I was a part of the environment law cell and we conducted various activities including mock parliament, slum drives, awareness camps etc. I wasn’t into moot courts, was not my thing. I enjoyed my college life thoroughly, and it makes me nostalgic thinking that it’s been almost 10 years when I first stepped in there.

     

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

    I loved international law, comparative law and human rights. Internships for me were testing the water for what I wanted to do ahead. I interned in NGOs, Human Rights Commission, law firms and with lawyers.  During one of internships, I developed interest in international trade law and I decided to work further on it. In my fourth year itself, I started research and drafting work for an advocate practising in international trade law and on graduation, I went ahead and joined his law office, before joining NJA. My advice would be to use internships to understand what you like, and not as something to fret over. As for my interest in Public International Law, I knew I would someday do a specialisation in it and so I kept myself updated with its readings.

     

    You were one of the most exceptional students at NLIU. You bagged a silver medal during your B.A.LL.B. Please give us a few actionable tips on managing higher grades.

    Thank you for your kind words. For me nothing has replaced hard-work ever. It definitely helps to attend lectures but always make a point to read beyond them. That way, you develop an understanding for the subject that is not just exam oriented. It is easy to score high, if you are not stressed about it. Be regular in your studies. Don’t leave for later what you can finish today. Time management is a skill which one needs to develop gradually. Frankly, there is so much time that if one is disciplined and focussed, it is easy to manage academics, and extra-curricular.

     

    What made you pursue your LL.M from United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute after pursuing LL.M. in IPR from IGNOU?

    I did MIPL from IGNOU when I was working at NJA.  MIPL is not an LL.M. It is specialised master programme for 2 years. After two years of work at NJA, I wanted to further my academic profile, and I decided to get an LL.M. Gaining insight into Indian judicial system at NJA, I was very much interested in studying international organisations and implications of international dynamics on the domestic legal system. Masters from UNICRI was an apt course for this. Located in beautiful Italy, there was nothing better than combining my interest for studies and travel.

     

    Tell us about the course structure and specialization of Master of Laws at UN Research Institute?

    UNITO/UNICRI LL.M was a wonderful experience and it introduced me to international criminal law, international organisations and international humanitarian law The LL.M is set at the United Nations Campus in Torino Italy. It is highly specialised and tightly scheduled programme of 3 months online phase and 6 months on-campus phase. The classes started at 8/9 in morning and continued till 6 in the evening. We were a batch of 42 people from 28 countries. The programme is a perfect combination of theory and practice. We were exposed to various exercises – mock trials, moot court, seminars, prison visits, practical exercises with the Italian Army, defence seminars and witness psychology classes. The moot court itself involved participation is an army camp where we enacted half of the problem of the moot court. It was an amazing learning experience, which worked on group dynamics. The faculty was very experienced and included lawyers and judges from international courts and tribunals. It was one of the best decisions I took, as it exposed me to the international and varied nature of law; of multiple career opportunities and a chance to travel the world.

     

    What is the key ingredient of a well written SOP? Can you make it personal? Any tip to those making their SOPs? What might be the one mistake that the majority make?

    Incorporate your strong points. While many other applicants will have similar traits, your SOP should be written in such way that these points make you stand out.

    Show that you are different from the lot, but do not go overboard in doing so.

    Highlight the reasons for going back to academics after your work. Stress on how your work profile, makes you a better candidate. Be articulate yet precise.

    Exaggeration is a common mistake. After working with many professors and selection committees, I can definitely say that use of complex language and bragging, generally puts the committee off. Do not forget it is a formal statement, and as a law student you are supposed to have some drafting skills. Though one needs to make it personal, but it cannot be an informal statement showing your desperation to join the course. You may ask colleagues and professors, to read and see what they make of it. It should not read a negative trait for you.

     

    Do you think that having your recommendation letters written from distant acquaintances with influential position may backfire against you while making your application? What is the proper thing to do instead?

    Definitely, one should use recommendation letters only from people who know you academically and professionally. Universities, may make a call to the person recommending and discuss about you. A distant acquaintance, might be left without clear answers on such occasions.  This also holds true, when the universities directly contact the referee with online forms. Therefore, it is always advisable to take recommendation from professors or employers you trust and who would be able to speak accurately on your profile.

     

    You have publications in various renowned journals. How should one go about writing papers and getting the same published?  How do you identify and decide on a topic or area of law to write on? What is the process like?

    Selection of the topic depends on the medium you are going to publish, the audience and definitely, based on your interest. If you are writing for a blog, I would suggest write posts on current issues of your liking. That not only gives readers a chance to understand different views, but would also help you to develop critical understanding. Unlike blog, for journals and authoring a book, deadlines are important. For writing articles in different journals, you have to carefully follow the guidelines provided by the journals regarding the word count, formatting, referencing and language. They may accept your paper in the first go, or may send it back for editing, it is all a part of bringing out quality work and so patience and an open attitude to criticism is the key.

    For books, there are in general two situations. If you already have a manuscript which you would like to get published-you have to write to the publishers, have discussions and come to a common ground. The other situation is when the publisher approaches you with a project, in which case, you have to decide whether you are comfortable working on the format and idea. Usually, you submit a sample chapter, before proceeding. Once that is accepted, there is an agreement outlining all the copyright and payment issues, and you are all set to go.

     

    garima-tiwari-4You have published 6 books also. Tell us about the whole process. How did it all start? Please give us the highlights of your best work. When did you start writing your first book? How much time did it take?

    I read on Facebook that LexisNexis India was looking for academic writers, and I applied. After discussions with them, I started working on the Quick Reference Guide on Jurisprudence I and subsequently Jurisprudence II. QRGs are quick referencer cum revision books mapped to syllabus of all law universities, focussing on quick conceptual clarity. It contains notes, case materials and important questions.  This was very challenging as for my first book itself, I was writing on jurisprudence which students find really difficult. So I concentrated on simplifying the subject yet still not losing the essence and details. Soon after, I was contacted for an innovative project by LexisNexis, to work on Understanding Law Series which is a series of books aimed to make different laws accessible and understandable to people interested in studying law, lawyers and common man. Essentially it aims at legal awareness. I worked on four titles under this series – 1. Understanding Laws –A Legal Quotient Primer 2. Understanding Laws: Contracts 3. Understanding Laws: Consumer Rights 4. Understanding laws: Cyber Laws and cyber crimes.

    I wrote all the 6 books in the 2013-2014 and it has been a very enriching journey.

     

    How did publishing affect your legal career? Apart from academia, does it help one to secure jobs at all?

    Research is highly respected in many countries and I am glad, that slowly India is also moving towards accepting legal research as a possible career option. Publishing articles, writing blogs and authoring books, all has definitely helped me in obtaining more work. Apart from the academic benefit it offers, publications have helped me to gain independent research projects with various organisations and companies. For jobs in legal research, you need to show you can write on varied subjects with precision .There is immense opportunity to travel and be part of amazing discourses. Good research pays really well, unlike what is normally understood. It was because of my publications during university and internships that I secured the position of senior researcher with Lexidale-International Policy Consulting Cambridge, MA. So, yes, publishing does help secure jobs.

     

    Presently, you are a Senior-editor at The Lex Warrier. What are the top three things you consider as sine qua non for a great research work?

    Knowledge on the subject you are researching. You should know where to look for the right and authentic material. Research is not cut-copy-paste.

    Good command over language-this requires a lot of reading. A good researcher is not just born overnight. Be ready with your diligence and patience.

    Carelessness in research shows in the product. One should be very precise and write only what is essential. Be honest and avoid plagiarism.

     

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    At present, you are a Doctoral Candidate at University of Camerino? What is your motivation behind doing so much study? What made you to pursue Ph.D.?

    Yes, currently I am in the second year of my doctoral research at the University of Camerino, Italy with full fellowship. With the same objective of understanding the impact of international law on domestic jurisdictions, that I pursued my masters, I am carrying out my doctoral research. My research deals with understanding legal imperialism and cultural relativism, from the perspective of countries like India in the era of international law. Ph.D will help me to specialise further in the area of knowledge. I believe the fact that I made career out of what I love to do, essentially motivates to me to study.

     

    What are your long-term goals? What do you plan to accomplish in the coming five years?

    I would probably be writing, teaching, researching and travelling to new places. I am already working on many research projects, so maybe I will start my own research venture and A Contrario is also shaping up well.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message to law students interested in going for higher studies from India?

    I say- go for it. LL.M from abroad will open up many new ideas and expose you to different career options which you might not be considering now. You will learn about other cultures which will broaden your thinking process. It does not matter in the long run, where you studied from, what matters is the quality and dedication in your work. Do what you love, dream big, and work hard towards it. Goodluck and have fun!

  • Debolina Saha on work at AMSS, quitting it to join Ashurst LLP and work at Allen & Overy

    Debolina Saha on work at AMSS, quitting it to join Ashurst LLP and work at Allen & Overy

    debolina-saha-1Debolina Saha graduated from NUJS, Kolkata. She worked at AMSS before getting appointed to Ashurst LLP, London. Currently, she is an associate of Allen & Overy based out of Hong Kong.

    In this interview she talks about:

    • Work experience at the largest Indian law firm
    • Appointment at Ashurst LLP without the necessity of masters in law
    • Working on tight schedules and time management
    • Work experience at a Magic Circle firm, Allen & Overy

     

    What impressed upon you the idea to study law? Being fairly a new concept and a new university how did you decide to pursue law from NUJS?

    I chose law for very different reasons. I always aspired to join the civil services and so thought at my undergraduate level it would be best to take up subjects that would be closely linked to subjects that I would be dealing with on a daily basis as a civil servant—and of course then the natural choice was the study of law.

    The fact that Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon would be the vice-chancellor of the new law school in Kolkata, was enough to strike both a chord of trust and optimism that NUJS too would soon be in similar leagues with the National Law School of India University at Bangalore and joining NUJS would definitely turn out to be one of the best decisions of life.

    Also NUJS came with the added advantage of being just 10 minutes walking distance away from my home -so I guess it was hard to say “no” to NUJS and it was the best way of savouring a few more years within the comforts of home, before a job required me to move out of Kolkata.

     

    How did you fare in your academics at NUJS? Would you say a great CGPA is a necessity to kickstart a good career in the legal profession?

    I missed out being on the top 10 student rank list of my class but was jointly ranked 11, in a class of 66 students. Doing well in academics was personally imperative to me. I come from a very simple family and being a first time lawyer in my family with no big names to back me up or provide me with references-I felt the only way for me to put my best foot forward was by means of doing well in academics.

    CGPA, does not reflect your level of intelligence or capability but what it does reflect to a person who first examines your curriculum vitae is that you believe in excelling, putting your best, are a focussed individual and have a higher degree of perseverance than the rest—-all of which qualities are highly valued at the job front.

    Sadly it is the truth, but CGPAs (which show your grade for a five year period and not just one semester) often gives the interviewer (who is a total stranger) a first impression about a candidate. But CGPA alone does not determine everything. Your personality, extra-curricular achievements and other volunteering activities—in short a “consistent” track record of achievements all put together, add to giving you that much needed ‘kickstart’ at a good legal career.

    Once into the profession, your CGPA really does not make any difference. I know of some fantastic lawyers who are doing very well in their profession but cannot boast of high CGPAs at law school.

     

    Right after graduation you got appointed at AMSS. What had contributed towards this appointment? What did you take away from a year long work experience at the largest Indian law firm?

    Amarchand gave me the strongest platform to start my career with and a brand name to pride myself—–an opportunity for which I would always be grateful. A consistent track-record of achievements at law school, a good group discussion round and an interview, I guess all contributed to securing a place with India’s largest law firm.

    Amarchand taught me that here was no replacement for hard work and to be honest it laid the foundation for my years to come and develop as a lawyer. Even as a fresher since I was deeply involved in transactions, at a very early stage of my career I got a bird’s eye overview of what my future as a lawyer would be. So while making my next move to Ashurst LLP in London, I was well prepared for the ‘life of a lawyer’—a life involving a whole lot of travelling, application of law, multitasking, dealing with stress, client management, working long hours and of course when not at work learning to make the most of leisure.

     

    Soon after completing a year at AMSS you started work at Ashurst LLP, London. How did this transition happen? Did you get an offer or did you apply for Ashurst?

    I have always been a strong believer of the fact that during one’s initial stages in the legal career, once should try and meddle with as many areas of law as possible before finally deciding the area that one would like to focus on.

    Unfortunately, during my time, we did not have a “rotation system” to various departments that many Indian law firms now offer their fresh associates. Having already been placed in India’s leading law firm, the natural way forward for me was to branch out beyond India. That was when I applied to Ashurst LLP, in London for a position in their international finance team. I was fortunate to have an associate role offered to me as opposed to a training contract. Generally with merely a single jurisdiction qualification (in my case India), only a year’s work experience in an Indian law firm and no master degree in law, one should be fortunate to just secure a training contract with a city-law firm in the United Kingdom.

     

    How different or similar was your work profile at Ashurst? What did you take away from your experience at Ashurst? How did your stint at Ashurst help you in making an ideal work profile?

    My role at Ashurst was more tilted towards the banking side, while at Amarchand I was a capital markets lawyer and the then Disclosure and Investor Protection Guidelines earned me my bread and butter.

    At Ashurst I was grappling on a daily basis with a host of new laws, never-heard-before terms that the Loan Market Association was throwing at me with every new read of the know-how documents and generally getting up to speed with a silver circle firm’s manner of drafting, various United Kingdom’s legislation, and associates who were already more experienced in this particular area of law. At least while, at Amarchand, certain laws and terms looked familiar and were taught at law school.

    Looking back now- my first four months at Ashurst taught me how it was more important to know where to find the law than what the law is, it taught me to be calm even when being out of one’s comfort zone, be willing to learn new things and most importantly being eager to experience the unknown. Though it can be daunting at first, once you cross the initial jitters, you would want to give yourself a pat on your back.

    Working for any international law firm especially a magic or a silver circle law firm goes a long way in opening up many channels of great opportunities for you. It is not just the work that you do in such law firms that help you secure better opportunities-the soft skills that you inculcate while working in such an environment can do wonders for your career.

    Amongst others your prospective interviewer very well gauges that having worked in an international law firm previously, you are a candidate who quickly adjusts to new unfamiliar surroundings, naturally adapts to people from varied cultures, you are sensitive to the needs of international clients and know how to conduct yourself in a demeanour that befits an international law firm. Needless to say, all this helps in making an ideal work profile for oneself.

     

    Generally it’s a notion that magic circle and silver circle firms take associates only from among post-graduates having expertise in corporate law. How far would you say this is true? What would you say substituted such a necessity in your favour for your recruitment at Ashurst?

    As a general concept, this may be true but I now see quite trend amongst a few English law firms picking up students from their campus recruitments in India. Also, some even offer extended internship opportunities over summer breaks to pick up some promising students as prospective trainees.

    All said and done, I would still say that for those of you, who think you are good to be in any of the international law firms and have well-balanced curriculum vitae with a consistent track record of achievements, be confident enough to apply. Remember being qualified in the foreign jurisdiction that you would be applying to is a great bonus, so you may consider adding this feather to your hat before seriously considering an application attempt. Also be perseverant and do not get disheartened with any rejection. Always remember that competition to these positions is fierce, and seats are very few, so if not this time, you will surely make it around at some point.

    I was cautiously advised by many to gain a few more years of experience in India and then after completing a master degree from a university abroad, make my way to an international law firm. That route seemed too long a wait at that point of time and besides a master in law would cost me a fortune-a sum that was beyond my reach at that point. So I thought, of giving an honest attempt at my Ashurst interview.

    In my feedback I was told that my eagerness, coherent and clear manner of speaking, general replies to interview questions with calm and composure and my sheer willingness to try new things and move into a part of the world where I did not know many people-convinced them, that I would be a quick learner at the job and a well-fit in my team.

    Over the years, I have learnt that what most international law firm interviews are geared to know if you will be a “well-fit” into the team and be happy as a person in new surroundings. Of course, knowing the law is important, but what is more important is that you are able to “find” that law and perhaps even more important is that you have a pleasant personality.

     

    After Ashurst, you worked at a couple of Indian law firms before deciding to join Allen&Overy, Hong Kong. Would you say the work experience garnered at Ashurst helped in your recruitment at A&O?

    Yes, most definitely but what I think worked in my favour was my qualification as a Solicitor, England and Wales. Having a widely accepted qualification goes a long way in securing a position with any international law firm.

    Besides law firms abroad look for individuals, who do more than just practice law. With the little time that we as lawyers have, at the end of the day it really looks good if your profile shows you as a holistic individual. So any publications, attempts to pursue serious hobbies, voluntary work, teaching assignments, any post-law school-added qualifications and every participation towards promoting any event on law would be highly appreciated.

     

    How diverse is your current workplace at Hong Kong now? Where do the associates hail from?

    One of the main reasons, while I personally enjoy working in an international law firm is its sheer diversity-both in terms of work and people. Though we are based in Hong Kong, we have people from all over the world. I will not be exaggerating in the least when I say that the office feels like a hub of global citizens. To name just a few we have associates from Sydney, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Thailand, The United States of America, Manila, Beijing, Korea, India and the list just keeps growing, depending on who joins us on “international secondments” from our offices abroad.

     

    How has been your experience working on tight schedules, meeting deadlines and with work-life balance?

    It is all about managing time and client expectations. As you grow in the profession, you become better at both the tasks, which leaves you more time for your personal pursuits. Besides, you learn to live life on the mantra of working hard when required and making the most of your holidays.

    It is important though to learn how to “switch off” and just enjoy yourself when on holidays. I personally don’t think that working on tight schedules or meeting deadlines should bother any lawyer-if one “enjoys” working as a lawyer. Trust me, the days when you have lesser work you realise how much you miss drafting, being across the negotiation table, or in short the constant adrenaline rush.

    Having said that, I think I must emphasise that those of you who are serious about joining law firms please be prepared for long hours at work, demanding clients, work on weekends and graveyard shifts (in the literal sense of the term) and a very competitive environment which may often leave you with very little time for yourself and your family, at least during your initial years as a professional.

     

    You have had the opportunity to judge the 12th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot. What did you specifically look for in the mooters? How was the overall experience, being a general rounds judge at a prestigious moot?

    Well, I have always believed that if you are unable to put down complicated facts in a simple, coherent and clear manner, you really have not understood the moot problem. It is important that you understand the ‘facts’ clearly. So I was looking forward to see how mooters clearly explained me the facts and also applied the law to these facts.

    I was a little surprised when I saw how very well prepared the students were on the law but missed out on certain factual information, which perhaps cost them a few points but served them as a good reminder for their forthcoming rounds, to clearly brush up on facts which may seem insignificant at the first glance. Further a slow pace of talking, calm composure, clarity of voice and thought, and most importantly standing firm on arguments as opposed to readily conceding to the judge’s point of view helped me mark my score sheets for the team.

    Judging the top quality moot, with participants from all over the world was, needless to say, an exhilarating experience. I personally got to learn a lot from the students too and hopefully will get an invite again to hone my judging skills at the 13th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot too.

     

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    In between your schedules you have also managed to take not one but two clinical credit courses at NUJS. Tell us something about the courses and why you chose to do them? How has been your experience in teaching?

    I wanted students to make the most of their corporate internships and training contracts, starting day one itself. This was possible only if students were already familiar with certain integral, key, practical and basic terminologies used in day to day capital market, banking and finance and general corporate transactions. Most often what is taught in law schools is mostly theoretical law and students often fail to link this knowledge to their job.

    I wanted the students to be confident and know what they were doing while at their first job or during their internships. Sometimes it can take up to a couple of months or more for even a first year associate, to figure his or her way around a transaction and know exactly how and where his or her “piece” of work fits into the transaction. The aim of the courses I offered were to mainly provide the students with a chart of the various legs of a transaction, make them familiar with the manner in which due diligence was conducted and with certain terms used in loans transactions in the United Kingdom.

    As regards my teaching experience, I must admit I had my own set of apprehensions. I was forewarned as to how attendance would be low, students irregular and I might have to spend most of my time disciplining the students than teaching my proposed course.

    However, I was very pleasantly surprised with a class of regular attentive and enthusiastic students who left no stone unturned in getting the most out of the class and asking me some very intelligent and well thought out questions.

    What I personally understood from this experience is that if law teaching is coupled with practical anecdotes and the law itself is explained in simple, lucid and clear language with instances where such law may be applied, students are eager to learn and absorb such knowledge.

     

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    You have also traveled to the Philippines to help support the people affected Typhoon Haiyan for fundraising and other activities. How did you contribute? What other volunteering opportunities have you been involved with?

    A few of us from our law firm traveled to the city of Bacolod in Philippines earlier this year, to help build toilets for some families affected by the Typhoon Haiyan. I was most humbled by the three-day experience. Yes, you heard that correctly-we built “toilets”!

    At the end of the trip, I must confess I was more proud of my bricklaying, cement and sand mixing skills than I was of my “lawyering” skills.

    I witnessed “sheer determination” and “will” amongst people who had very little by our standards. The houses that went down because of the typhoon, now stand stronger than ever showing how faith and unity in times of adversity could help one surpass any hurdle.

    I returned back from the “Land of Sweet People” more determined to continue participating in such activities and am already looking forward to my next volunteering opportunity.

    As regards my other volunteering opportunities, while in India, I made candles and taught English, on Saturdays, to visually challenged students, at the “The Blind Relief Association” in New Delhi for around a year. In London, I volunteered for the “Food for Life” program of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and helped in the preparation and distribution of food in the cold winter nights and also worked as a law volunteer at the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality. While at NUJS, as part of the legal aid society for three consecutive years, we traveled to some of the most remote villages in West Bengal and conducted legal awareness camps and on weekends assisted in providing free legal advice to people who came to the clinic.

     

    Having seen from the perspective of a student and a teacher, how do you say a student can perform better in examinations?

    I personally feel it is important to structure your answers to questions clearly and coherently. Most often students read lengthy articles, because of which at the time of examination, their thoughts are spread all over.

    After completion of any chapter in class, it is important to sit back and think of what questions you would have asked, had you been the teacher and looked at past question papers. Identify around 5-6 essay type question for each chapter and then write out the answers in a clear manner, clearly timing yourself.

    If this is done regularly then just before the date of your exams, instead of cramming long articles and chapters of books-you are concentrating only on your well-written answers. Your answers should always have a clear introduction, body (dealing with the issues posed by the question) and a conclusion.

    I am not at all saying do not read the books in the library. All I am saying is that it is of little use if you ponder over thick books just a day before the exam. In the library, you should spend time, learning to take note of matters which you would like to highlight in your answers.

    Your task would be always to ensure that teacher’s job in correcting the paper is made as easy as possible, and a good neat handwriting goes a long way in ensuring this.

     

    What would be your tips and advice for someone who aspires to join a magic circle law firm?

    If you plan early on in your law school days that you want to make your way to a magic circle law firm, it helps if you start building your curriculum vitae in that direction. There is no one straight jacket formula to make it to an international law firm. However, if you take note of all the matters that I have highlighted in my answers to the various questions in this interview, you simply increase your chances of selection.

    Also, it is important that you prepare for the interview well. Prepare a list of probable questions and think through the answers. Make sure your answers are honest; you dress smartly for the interview and have a firm handshake.
    Be confident and most importantly have faith in your abilities.

  • Smrithi Ramesh on LL.M in ADR from Berkeley and arbitration work at KLRCA

    Smrithi Ramesh on LL.M in ADR from Berkeley and arbitration work at KLRCA

    Smrithi Ramesh graduated from The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai and thereafter went on to pursue an LL.M in Alternate Dispute Resolutions from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently with her assorted skills in arbitration, mediation and negotiations she has joined the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration.

    She shares with us:

    • Her reasons behind pursuing LL.M
    • Faculty, facilities and course structure at Berkeley
    • Building a career in Alternate Dispute Resolutions
    • Overall journey as a law student and post-law-school career

     

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    What impressed upon you the idea to study law? Did you have lawyers among your relatives?

    I consider myself a first generation lawyer. Growing up, no one in my immediate family practiced law. However, I did grow up listening to stories about my great grand-father being a lawyer and that had an amazing impact on me. A healthy dose of books like To Kill A Mocking Bird and John Grisham only cemented that desire. All my varied extra curricular activities in school also revolved around my fondness for interpersonal interaction, rationalization and in advocating my beliefs to people. Hence, choosing to study law was a logical consequence of my upbringing.

    Once I started law school, while my reasons to love the law became different and more coherent, the desire to become a lawyer stayed the same.

     

    How do you recall your law school journey? Did you partake in moots and extra-curricular activities?

    Law school was more of an adventure than a journey. I studied in the School of Excellence in Law and hence access to Courts and work on an everyday basis was a huge advantage. The timing of my college made it conducive for me to intern every day for the 5 years. Luckily for me I joined this leading law firm in Chennai called BFS Legal. The Partners were very encouraging and made sure that I was exposed to all kinds of work. It was lucky for me that I found mentors in my bosses who not only taught me the law but also channelized my interests in the right direction. Being avid mooters themselves, they encouraged me to take part in moots. There began a long relationship between me and mooting. I spent 5 years during various moots.

    Extra curricular activities were a huge part of what moulded my personality.

    A big turning point in all this was when my team won the Henry Durant Memorial Moot Court Competition. We went on to win the Asian Rounds in Bangladesh and then were placed Semi-Finalists in the International Rounds. This was a first for my institution and for us personally too. The exposure we got there meeting students and lawyers all over the world was phenomenal and that also prompted us to do the Willem C Vis Arbitration Moot. It was her that I first developed my interest towards International Arbitration.

    Apart from this, I was also a part of the Moot Court Association of my college. In the final year of college I was made President of the Moot Court Association. I was part of the team that successfully conducted four National Moot Court competitions in one year. We managed to pull off a successful event on a shoestring budget. I believe these experiences were crucial in learning valuable skills that continue to help me everyday at work and outside. In the final year, I also interned with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

     

    How did your appointment at Vichar Partners (now JSA) take place? What all constituted your work profile?

    Vichar Partners was one of the few firms in Chennai that was doing great transactional work. Towards the end of law school, I had begun to take a great interest in Arbitration and also Transactional Law. I applied to Vichar and went through the interview process successfully. My work profile primarily consisted of handling Dispute Resolution cases including Arbitration. I was also able to work on a few deals and was also a part of the team that conducted due diligence. VICHAR partners gave me hands on learning on the various aspects of Corporate Law. They also had a lot of cases relating to arbitration and electricity law. It was very interesting for me to work on this as it was new and challenging. Although I was no stranger to courts, it was here that for the first time I got to represent in various forums including the High Courts, Electricity Tribunal etc. None of the books you read or lawyers you watch prepares you for the sheer thrill you get when you appear before a bench in real life.

     

    After your work experience at Vichar you joined Mundkur Law Partners. What prompted you to make this shift?

    The shift was primarily owing to my relocation to Bangalore for personal reasons. However, once I joined Mundkur Law Partners, it was almost like a second tenure at law school. All my working life, I have been blessed with amazing bosses and Mr. Mundkur was no exception. My stint at MLP saw my drafting and research skills undergo a sea change. High standards of perfection was the norm at MLP. My exposure at MLP included Corporate Law, Dispute Resolution, Education and Foreign Investment.

    By now I had more or less understood the importance of an LL.M to bolster my CV and help me carve out a niche.

     

    What was your motivation behind pursuing LL.M.? When did you finally decide that you need to do masters?

    I was first considering doing a Masters immediately after my experience with mooting at an International forum. It made me realize the importance of learning in a multi cultural environment. By the time I was in MLP, I had pretty much decided that to really equip myself, with the skills and knowledge required to further my career, an LL.M was mandatory. It was also essential for me to understand and learn for myself how the different spheres of law worked and functioned.

     

    How did you choose the university/college? How should one go about choosing a university?

    A lot of research went into the schools I had decided to apply to. The one key thing while choosing an LL.M. is to look at it for the point of view of equipping oneself rather than finding a job out of the country. It is good to do some background research on the faculty and programs offered in your area of interest. I was interested in New Venture Law, Investment and Arbitration. To me California and Berkeley were a perfect fit. I was taught by the best lawyers in Silicon Valley and the arbitration faculty at Berkeley was also great.

    I was very keen on a multi-cultural university. The key thing to identify for yourself before applying for an LL.M is to decide what exactly one wants out of the program. Once those goals are established, applying to schools becomes easy.

     

    Does Berkeley provide students with scholarships? Are there other institutions which provide scholarships? How difficult was studying abroad in terms of finding accommodation, finances and settling in?

    Berkeley does provide some scholarships. There are also many institutions that provide scholarship both inside and outside of India. People looking to apply for an LL.M should get their research in order as regards scholarship applications. Most times, there is a separate procedure for applying for these scholarships including writing essays. The deadlines for scholarships also vary. So it is good to have a schedule before one even starts to apply to colleges.

    For anyone going from India, living in the USA is an expensive proposition. More so, if it is California or New York. The cost of real estate is fairly high. However thanks to social networking, it is easy to connect with former students and your own future classmates. It’s good to take their advice regarding places to stay, when to look for places etc. Settling in is not just easy but also fun. You make so many wonderful friends from all over the world that the entire process becomes such a joy. The only key here is to go with the flow.

     

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    Did you undergo a rigorous academic schedule? How was that different from your under-graduate course?

    My academic schedule was radically different from what I was used to in my under graduate course. My under graduate course was more flexible and most of my learning came from actually working. However, at Berkeley the academic schedule is pretty rigorous with some courses having continuous assessment. One is expected to be prepared with the readings before one heads to class. To me the most important thing that stood out was how much importance was given to practical application of concepts. For people who are used to the Indian method of examination, it’s quite a challenge to adapt to the new system. I was never before exposed to the concepts of open book examinations etc. However by the second semester, it became standard practice. The exams and the learning train you to think about application than mere learning by rote.

     

    Prof. Alexander Coward’s mail inspired thousands of students all over the world. How was your experience with faculty?

    Prof. Alexander Coward’s mail is a wonderful example how Berkeley gives you the freedom to be what you want to be, whether you are a student or a faculty. The faculty is extremely intelligent and it was a sheer delight to be a part of some classes which was interactive and stimulating. Most of the faculty members are also versatile and have a great experience. For eg, my New Venture Finance class was taught by a doyen in the Silicon Valley. Listening to his personal insights just made the class more interesting, relatable and real.

     

    How is the faculty & academic schedule (your typical day) over at Berkeley? Is there time enough for non-academic pursuits?

    The academic schedule primarily depends on the courses you elect to opt at the beginning of the semester. Some people had classes spread out over a week and for some it was clustered on a few days. Very early on you quickly learn to compromise on sleep for the one year that you are there. This leaves you with enough and more time for non-academic pursuits.

    The classes offered also provide for great variety. I also had the opportunity to audit a few classes in the South Asian Studies Department as I was very interested in those subjects. This gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with stalwarts such as Asma Jehangir, Gurcharan Das, Ramachandra Guha etc. I took a class called Negotiations ( on Saturdays) and this was literally the best decision of my life. I also managed to take a class from the HAAS , the B school at Berkeley called Power and Politics in Organizations. These classes are meant to develop your skills. To say that they changed my life would be an under-statement. There are so many skills that you pick up that aid you in my day to day work as a lawyer. For eg, in Negotiations class, our final grade mostly constituted of a simulated negotiation that was recorded. This helped us analyze and dissect every aspect of the negotiation including body language, effectiveness of skills, strengths and weaknesses of the negotiation tactic etc.

    On the other hand, Berkeley is literally the epitome of fun. Non-academic pursuits are just as integral as academic pursuits. I can safely say that I spent equal amounts of time if not more just having fun and trying or doing the things I loved.

     

    How did you go about your journey of job-hunting after graduation? How did Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration happen?

    My job hunting process began as early as January. By then, I had decided to focus my entire energy on finding a job in Arbitration or Negotiations. I was warned very early on that to get a break in the field of International Arbitration is nearly impossible. I spoke to a friend and mentor, Abhinav Bhushan who is with the ICC, Paris. His insights and experiences proved extremely useful as it was he who directed me to the possibility of applying to International Institutions. I learnt from his experiences and difficulties faced when applying. I took his advice to heart and set out to write to Institutions from the very beginning of January.

    I was forewarned about the multiple rejections that come your way. Persistence is the key to job hunting in a market like this. It is also important that while making these contacts, you make an effort to stay in touch with them even if they cannot at that moment give you a job.The job hunting process was in itself a learning experience.

     

    What does your work profile as a Case Counsel at KLRCA consist of?

    The Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA) was established in 1978 under the auspices of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO).

    My job at KLRCA primarily consists of case management. This involves from the commencement of an arbitration until the Award is rendered. As an International Case Counsel, I am in charge of monitoring every stage of the proceedings assuring that every step complies with the procedural rules that parties have agreed on. The cases varies in nature of the dispute, type of arbitration and whether it is an international or domestic arbitration. Case management involves many stages of the dispute resolution process, not only arbitration but mediation and recently adjudication as well.

    Apart from this, KLRCA offers Case Counsels the opportunity to lead and be involved in developmental projects both in Malaysia and in the International arena. Developmentally, KLRCA is a young Arbitration Centre. As such there is much room to be creative and come up with proposals to improve our services in arbitration and as a dispute resolution service provider generally. Since the appointment of the current Director, Professor Datuk Sundra Rajoo, KLRCA has increased the number of Cases drastically and has revamped itself as a complete ADR solution provider. KLRCA’s other ongoing projects are in diverse fields including Sports, Medico-Legal, Investment Arbitration, Domain Name Dispute Resolution amongst others. This proves to be not just challenging but also an extraordinary learning experience.

     

    When did you realise your calling for Arbitration? What would you advice budding arbitration enthusiasts?

    Arbitration is much of a keen interest. It was also not a sudden realization but that something that happened over time. The decision was made easier as I had previously the opportunity to experience various fields of law. From the time I was an intern, I worked on Litigation, Corporate and Transactional Law. Experiencing this first hand made it easier for me to narrow down on what interested me the most. Berkeley and my experience with studying Arbitration was the culminating point of an interest that grew gradually. I strongly believe that the Law is one field which is constantly adapting. After Berkeley and KLRCA, I realized the importance of not just arbitration, but also the necessity to focus on Alternate Dispute Resolution as a field in itself.

    As advice, I would pretty much say the same thing to budding Arbitration enthusiats. It makes the world of a difference when you keep an open mind. I would also suggest that you keep yourself update on the constant developments in the field of Arbitration. Speaking to people who are in the field is a definite advantage and necessary even.

     

    How do you think your LL.M has benefitted you in your career prospects?

    My LL.M at Berkeley not only equipped me with the knowledge and skills required for a career in Alternate Dispute Resolution, but also opened my mind to avenues I did not know existed before. The Berkeley tag is a definite advantage and a welcome addition to my resume. The contacts that I made in Berkeley break across territories and has already come in handy in my career. I think an LL.M is essential for anyone interested in the field of International Arbitration and this was no different in my case too.

    More importantly, it has given me fresh perspective on everything including the law.

     

    What would be your parting message to our readers?

    While it is important to plan ahead and work towards a career of your choice, it is just as important to experience every moment of it. The people around you change you and teach you just as much as the curriculum does. It can be very easy to get caught up in this and forget the real reason behind why one chose the law. I am no one to give advice. However, everytime I find that the process overwhelms me, I remember what Atticus ( Finch) says in the book:

    “Delete the adjectives and you will have the facts.”

    It’s that simple.

     

  • Chetna Shrivastava on securing top-notch internships, bagging a PPO and managing academics

    Chetna Shrivastava on securing top-notch internships, bagging a PPO and managing academics

    chetna-shrivastava-2Chetna Shrivastava is one of the most diligent and illustrious scholars of the 2015 batch of NLIU, Bhopal. She has a noteworthy academic, mooting and debating record. She is a part of the Editorial Board of the NLIU Law Review and co-founder a student run newsletter in NLIU. Her diligence and mettle at work was recognized when she received a job offer from Khaitan & Co.  during campus placements. We asked her to share her experiences and strategies she used over the years.

    In this interview, she tells us about:

    • Securing top-notch law firm internships
    • Her journey from an intern to getting job offer from Khaitan & Co.
    • Importance of academics, internships, debates and moots

     

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

    To begin with I would like to applaud this venture of Superlawyer of creating a database for law students and young lawyers to make informed choices after coming across experiences of the old souls (no offence!).

    For this interview I will make a sincere effort to be as serious as the interview demands. While my grades so far portray me as a nerd, my friends will have a different story.

    Caution: Those reading this interview for a chalked out strategy at bagging a job might be disappointed to know that the interviewee is a clueless person who has solely focused on gaining varied experiences to finally make the most suitable choice.

     

     

    Tell us a bit about your childhood and pre-college life as well as educational background. Do you have lawyers in your family?

    I finished my schooling from Christ Church Girls’ School, Jabalpur, a reputed school with a rich cultural and educational heritage owing to its establishment dating back to 1870. My parenting and schooling ensured my proactive participation in extracurricular activities along with securing the top ranks in academics throughout school. To diversify my options I took up Mathematics and Biology (with Physics and Chemistry) after Class 10th.

    I am a first generation lawyer.

     

     

    In India there is still a bit of resistance towards legal education. What motivated you to choose law as a career?

    Yes, the resistance towards legal education persists however it is weakening with increasing awareness of the diversity of career choices offered by legal education. The instances have reduced where I face quizzical aunties on how I could possibly take “CAT” right after school.

    The two years that followed after Class 10th made me realise that performing well and having an inclination for the subject are not synonymous. Though I performed equally well in all the subjects, arts and humanities fascinated me more as compared to deciphering the molarity of salt solutions or calculating the net forces in a rope and pulley system. I had come across several school alumni who were already pursuing a successful career in the field of law. Hence it did not take me long to decide on law as a career. Though my parents are doctors and had the same career intended for me, they were very supportive when I expressed my wish to take CLAT.

     

     

    You have participated in various moot court competitions, tell us how important is mooting and what effect does it have on one’s CV?

    Being a lawyer involves the practical application of the concepts that we are taught in the law school. Moot court competitions provide an opportunity to hone the argumentative skills along with understanding the practical nuances of the law concerned. It definitely adds a positive aspect to the CV because it evidences one’s thorough understanding of the principles with a practical experience.

     

     

    Apart from mooting and academics what other co-curricular activities did you engage yourself in?

    As a first year student I had a brief stint as an adjudicator, representing my college in various debates. A major part of my co-curricular activities has been attributed to being a part of the Editorial Board of the NLIU Law Review, CSIPR Journal and the Literary Society. In my third year I co-founded a student run newsletter.

     

     

    All your internships have been at top notch law firms. Tell us what all places you interned and how did you procure your internships?

    Apart from NGOs and Chambers of Senior Advocates, I have interned in DSK Legal, Bombay, Khaitan and Co., Bombay and AMSS, Bombay. The latter two internships were procured with the help of the PCC in my third and fourth year respectively. While the earlier ones were procured by numerous individual applications sent well in time before the intended internship duration.

     

     

    Did you plan your internships throughout law school deliberately or did it all just happen by chance? How relevant did you find your law school education with the kind of work you were required to do at law firms?

    Honestly, the four years in the law school so far have been a journey of trying to accumulate varied experiences. Therefore my internships were an attempt to assess the pros and cons of the various options available to me after law school. Apart from merit “chance” was definitely an assisting factor as being a first generation lawyer it is not easy to secure the intended internship in the earlier years of law school.

    The law school curriculum made me adept in understanding the assignments in the internships. However in the process of working on those assignments I gained a deeper understanding of the specific concepts which form a part of the subject taught in the law school. The internship was perfectly complementary to the curriculum in aiding a holistic understanding of the subjects of the curriculum.

     

     

    These days there are many law students rushing forth to intern at law firms from their first year itself throughout till their fifth year. What do you have to say about the advisability of law students pursuing such a course of action?

    Like I already mentioned, my internships were aimed at accumulating varied experiences of the options available after law school. I began with NGOs and Chambers of Senior Advocates and interned at a law firm for the first time by the end of the second year. In hindsight this helped in developing a legal aptitude to execute the assignments with a better understanding of my work. I would advise students to intern in law firms around the time when corporate laws are introduced in the curriculum as the internship and academics mutually benefit the understanding of the subject.

     

     

    Recently, you bagged a job offer at Khaitan & CO. How did you go about achieving this?

    At the end of my third year I secured an internship with Khaitan & Co. after being screened by an interview process arranged by the PCC. I was diligent in the internship which was facilitated by the inclusive atmosphere offered by the firm to its interns. By the end of my fourth years I was shortlisted for a PPO interview by the firm which was kind enough to consider me a worthy candidate for the job.

     

    There is a phenomenal obsession amongst law students with maintaining a very high CGPA. How important according to you is this in securing a job?

    As being one with the “obsession” and being decently successful at it, I believe that it plays a determining factor in securing a job. A consistent, more crucially than high, CGPA projects one as a diligent and sincere student to the recruiters. Most of the screening process by the recruiters has short listing of the candidates on the basis of their ranks in the first phase. However grades are not the sole reflection of one’s knowledge. Averagely good grades complemented by co-curricular activities make the student come across as one who can balance both in a rigorous academic routine and hence a better candidate for a job which involves simultaneous assignments.

     

     

    What should one law student aspiring for a job at top law firms do? How would you recommend they prepare in their last 2 years at law school?

    In the last two years the students should strategically apply for internships in the firms they aspire to work in. The internship is a perfect opportunity for making a mark as a prospective candidate for the job. A thorough knowledge of the corporate laws and efficient application in the internship contributes majorly towards securing the job complemented by a good performance in the recruitment procedure.

     

     

    Where do you see yourself five years from now? Would you consider going for an LL.M. abroad?

    As a person who goes with the flow, this is a difficult question to answer. Currently I’m looking forward to working in Khaitan & Co. and gaining the most out of my experience. LL.M. is not an option I am considering.

     

     

    What message would you like to give to our readers?

    Being a student of a field with such diverse career options you should explore and make the most of your experiences to make an informed choice. Remember the closing scene of Kung Fu Panda where Mr. Ping discloses to Po that there is no secret ingredient? That realisation helps in working towards achieving your goal knowing that the only indispensable ingredient is well directed hard work and sincerity.

  • Sanyukta Banerjie on LL.M in IPR from NUS and building a career in academics

    Sanyukta Banerjie on LL.M in IPR from NUS and building a career in academics

    sanyukta-banerjie-1Sanyukta Banerjie is a 2014 Batch graduate of Gujarat National Law University, currently pursuing her LL.M from NUS, Singapore. She has been one of the brightest students at GNLU and has actively participated in theatre and music during her college life. In this interview with Superlawyer, she shares her passion for IPR and teaching and the various considerations one should keep in mind while applying for a Masters Degree.

     

    How would you introduce yourself to our readers who are mostly young students of law and lawyers?

    I would introduce myself as a student of law as I believe what we study in law school, or learn over internships or even on the job is really just a fraction of the expertise that is required. As cliché as it sounds, the study of law really is a life-long journey.

     

    Please tell us a little bit about your childhood and your background? Why did you decide to pursue law and what affected your decision?

    My childhood was spent more among books than people. In fact I remember my Mum would send me off to play with the neighbourhood kids and I would instead sidle into their rooms and pore over their collection of Pinkie, Chacha Chaudhary, Enid Blyton, etc. Come to think of it, I might have come across as a bit of a prig! Reading led to writing and coupled with the fact that I usually had an opinion on almost everything, law seemed the inevitable choice. I can’t exactly pinpoint when I had that moment of epiphany so to say, but I do think my fascination with law started because at that stage of my life, and being part of the education system that I was in, law was the only medium which permitted me and in fact encouraged me to question all that I saw around me.

     

    Tell us a bit about your life in law school. What activities were you involved in apart from the regular academic curriculum?

    Oh law school! Well, I think I tried my hand at almost everything once (Except sports. Everlasting anathema). I think that’s the best part of law school, or perhaps the times we live in. Every activity is so democratically organized that even if you have a fledgling of an interest in anything, there would a club for it and people as enthusiastic as you, if not more, to share that interest with you. I was part of the Theatre Club, the Music Club and the Quizzing Club. I enjoyed mooting and writing. (Even if it be just academic papers, as nerdy as that sounds.)

     

    Any fond memories which you would want to share with our readers related to your days in law school?

    Haha! This question makes me feel so old. I don’t know if it’s just me but law school has you living this strange dichotomous life where your superiority complex is matched only by your self-loathing. Anyway, 2012 for me was the year of a particularly high degree of self-directed hate. But in March we stood runners up at a moot court competition and I was adjudged the best oralist which helped me put things in perspective and calmed me down immensely (only for it to start all over again next year!)

     

    As a law school student you have done a number of internships. Please tell us a bit about them and how they helped shaping up your future career prospects.

    As depressing as it might sound to certain people depending upon their private beliefs, most fundas about law school internships are actually quite accurate. Yes, interning at a place does spike your chances of securing a job there. No, it does not matter how you secured that internship or what your grades were. And yes, the nature of the beast demands a fair amount of hobnobbing and that includes both corporate and litigation sectors.  Since I was still finding my feet career-wise when I came to law school, I went step by step. So I interned with NGOs, litigation practises and law firms and I am really glad for having sampled each of these avenues. I think they helped me define my ideas about a career vis-à-vis work culture, office environment and quality of work in a manner that reading about them or asking my seniors never would have.

    Even though my ultimate aim is to teach in India, I will always be glad to have picked up such work experience along the way because when I was pursuing undergraduate studies, I remember that those teachers who had prior experiences working in legal institutions had a sounder understanding of their subject.

     

    When and why did you decide to pursue an LL.M and what were the considerations you had in mind while looking at various universities? What was your motivation behind doing an LL.M. abroad? Why not an LL.M. in India?

    My wish to teach lay at the core of my intention to pursue an LL.M. I was in my last year, had vetted almost every avenue of law through internships and quite exasperatingly, I had enjoyed all of them. As you can imagine this did not particularly ease decision-making with respect to picking a career. My college conducts an ASP (Academic Support Program) program where seniors provide remedial classes on any subject of their choice/expertise. I used to volunteer for that program and would occasionally take classes. Apart from that sometimes our curricular assignments required us to conduct presentations on a particular topic in class. And I remember all along…how do I put this? I remember just being very happy doing it. Standing before a class of forty odd students and attempting to tell them about a topic in a way that would make them engage and learn; to me was a tremendously exciting proposition. I don’t know about all that found-my-calling business but I know that teaching, in any capacity, makes me happy.

    Like any other Indian kid, I wanted my decision to receive the blessings of my parents. They were onboard with it, but my Mum insisted I pursue an LL.M outside India. What I had not completely grasped at that point, but do realize now, is that an LL.M abroad really is an educational sea-change. I have not had the opportunity of pursuing an LL.M in India but I can certify to this that an LL.M abroad (from a reputed institution albeit) really does put the ‘masters’ in the Master of Laws degree.

     

    Given the Rupee-Dollar exchange rate, it is quite costly to do masters from a foreign country. How did this factor influence your decision?

    For me, pursuing an LL.M abroad (in the absence of a scholarship) was treading a tightrope between pursuing economy and checking college credentials. So that necessarily ruled out an education in America even though some of the IPR courses there are really good. Ultimately it came down to UK or Singapore. But at that point of time UK with its immigration policy post 2010 and the more theoretical tone of its IP course, fell short. Additionally factoring in the comparative cost benefit analysis, I opted for Singapore.

     

    What were your areas of interest while you were an undergraduate student and how have they helped in choosing your subjects/courses for the LL.M programme?

    Owing perhaps to the dynamic nature of the subject and the excellence of the teacher (Dr. William Nunes), my areas of interest had been Political Science and International Relations. Then the moot happened and I found the love of my academic life – IPR.   It’s worked perfectly for me, because IPR with its WIPO origins is a subject that requires an international perspective for a comprehensive interpretation and an LL.M with a specialization in IPR provides me with that.

     

    Tell us about your days at NUS? How rigorous is the academic schedule?

    Rigorous! You can say that again and then underscore it. Whoever refers to an LL.M degree abroad as a one-year vacation is either a crazy genius or needs to get his or her head examined! A compact one year course means a year of continuous information overload and there is no way you can cheat the system. There really isn’t. On the other hand if you pick a subject that you like (and that’s usually an option with LL.M) then NUS is the best place to be. The professors really push you but all in a really clever underhand way that makes you feel like crap anytime you slack.

     

    How is the Indian fraternity over there? Were there many Indian students?

    Well I have met some really friendly, intelligent and fun people. But the way I see, if you go in with an open mind, then you are bound to meet all kinds of interesting people which I am lucky to say I have. The majority students are naturally Singaporean, followed by Chinese and then Indian. Although in terms of diaspora, depending upon the electives, the class composition completely changes.

     

    How does one go about the scholarships? Does the institute offer any scholarship? What are the key scholarships one should look for?

    Depending upon the specialization that one’s opting for, the university does offer scholarships. For example, in case of IPR there is the Ella Cheong Intellectual Property Scholarship which is merit based and all LL.M applications are automatically vetted for it at the stage of admission. Apart from that the NUS official website has a page entirely dedicated to listing scholarships that a prospective student can look into before applying, as and when something comes up. My humble two cents on procuring a scholarship – plan ahead and have obscenely good academic records because it is quite competitive.

     

    What about extra-curricular activities and your hobbies at NUS?

    Postgrad for me is a complete volte face; which is code for zero extra-curricular activities. Although, as dorky as it might make me sound I love attending conferences! I really do. Mostly they are on topics that have nothing to do with my electives. It’s such a welcome break from the routine sometimes! For one, I don’t have to do any preparatory reading, so I just pop in, listen to these really amazing experts and come away with a way more nuanced understanding of a topic than the standard Wikipedia entry on it. It’s like trivia surfing but for the non-virtual world – time flies and it gets addictive real quick!

     

    Tell us a bit about the difference in studying at NUS and at GNLU.

    Well the most observable difference for me was in terms of the student-teacher equation. Partly due to the culture and perhaps owing to a certain amount of independence that pursing a postgraduate degree permits, the structure is a lot less hierarchical. The lack of any obvious duress on part of teachers makes students feel more in control and thereby more liable for their academic result. So naturally they apply themselves more.

     

    Going forward, how do you expect the LL.M experience to influence your career?

    For someone who plans on teaching law in the future, I can already sense the way this course has changed my perspective on law as well as on teaching. In spite of the wide-ranging content of this course, I constantly feel like I have so much more to learn. I think that’s always a good takeaway for anyone who plans on imparting education in such a dynamic field as law.

     

    Any suggestions which you would want to give for students wanting to pursue higher studies abroad?

    I would suggest them to start REALLY early. So whether it is gathering material, researching on prospective colleges, preparing their statements of motivation, arranging for scholarships or procuring letters of recommendation, just start already. You won’t even realize but just getting into the process gives you such clarity of vision with respect to what you want out of an LL.M degree or if you want one at all.

  • Subhashree Sundararaman on LL.B from Kent, being 3rd at New York Bar Scholarships and authoring a book

    Subhashree Sundararaman on LL.B from Kent, being 3rd at New York Bar Scholarships and authoring a book

    subhashree-sundaraman-2Subhashree Sundaraman graduated in BSL from ILS, Pune in 2011, thereafter she left it to pursue LL.B from University of Kent. She has had the opportunity to co-author a book on Keshavnanda Bharati, take up a course in IPR from WIPO and amazingly get ranked 3rd at the New York Bar Scholarships. She shares with us her experience in taking up a lesser known path.

     

    At the outset please share with us what brought you into legal studies? Did you have friends or family members to impress upon you the idea of law?

    My great grandfather and my grandfather have both influenced me in some ways to take up law as my career choice. I was very thrilled to hear about various judgements and legal matters that my grandfather dealt with, while he was assisting the then famous lawyers from my hometown. Also, as I did not particularly enjoy the idea of taking up computer science or medicine as my career options, Law was the perfect path for me to take and it has continued to prove to be so.

     

    How was your experience at ILS, Pune? What are the best memories of your student life? What would you suggest those law aspirants who are faced with a choice of taking up ILS?

    ILS Pune was a new experience for me as I was moving out of my home town and my comfort zone for the first time, in pursuance of my higher education. In addition to producing top class lawyers, who have held and are holding high positions in the Indian judiciary, the college has a reputation of holding some of the best collections of legal books. The college timings were tabled in such a way that students had the opportunity to self-learn by making use of these resources. Apart from academics, I engaged myself in writing short stories and poems, which eventually led to me starting my own blog. I won several prizes for my blog posts. Thus, my undergraduate experience at ILS was just not about developing myself academically but exploring various things that I liked and pushing my boundaries to develop holistically. Further, the limited college timings, gave me an opportunity to explore Pune and network with diverse group of people coming from various parts of the country.

    ILS gives preference to meritorious students, who are tutored by experienced teachers as well as practising lawyers. The high calibre of the students as well the teaching quality is witnessed by students taking part in various competitions and winning laurels to the institution, which makes me proud as an alumnus.

     

    You were one of the ten students selected from the University of Pune, India to research and help in the publication of the book, which discusses the Basic Structure of the Indian Constitution. Please tell us about your experience you gathered from such an exercise.

    It was an enriching as well as a challenging experience for me to research a whole judgement along with my team members. The task involved paragraph by paragraph analysis of the 11 opinions in the Kesavananda Bharati case and prepare a summary on them. In addition, our team of researchers was assigned the task of reviewing the literature. This particular exercise helped me in improvising my drafting skills, alongside understanding the complexities in the reasoning of the judges. Further, it also enabled me to identify core reasoning in the judgments made by the judges, which sharpened by logical and analytical skills. In addition to the serious research work, I also had fun working in a team along with others during this exercise. My contribution to this work was duly recognized and acknowledged by the University and I was also given a copy of the book.

     

    How was your experience with extra-curriculars? Did you partake in moots and conferences?

    Right from my first year, I was involved in mooting at ILS. I took part in couple of on campus moots within the college, where I developed my mooting skills such as application of appropriate laws to the problems, correlating various legal issues and developing my negotiation skills. I was the lead college researcher for the runners up team that participated in a National Moot that was held in Nagpur in 2011. In addition, I took part in conferences that were conducted within ILS, they were interesting for discussion and also broadening my knowledge base on various legal matters outside academia.

     

    When did you decide to pursue an LL.B from University of Kent? How did you settle upon Kent?

    I decided to do my LL.B from the UK immediately after my 3 years at ILS, which gave me a BSL degree [Bachelors in Social Legal Science]. I settled upon Kent, after thorough research along with my parents as well my relatives in the UK, who had colleagues from Kent. From my research, Kent University and Kent Law School [KLS] impressed me a lot. Kent Law School provides a critical approach to the studying of law as opposed to studying merely the black letter law. After having spoken to couple of final year students as well as professors, who visited India from the University, I made an informed choice of joining Kent.

     

    People generally go for LL.M from reputed universities to build up a profile in a certain section of law. Why did you decide to study further Bachelors in Law? Any specific reasons?

    I have always dreamt of exploring opportunities outside India and UK was of particular interest, given its common law. Hence, I decided to do my Bachelors, instead of an LLM, because I wanted to master the law of the country as opposed to mastering in a certain section of law.

     

    How has been your experience at Kent? How was the selection procedure? How are the faculty and facilities?

    My experience at Kent is by far the best experiences that I could ask for both in terms of academics as well as social. I have been able to participate and contribute on various topics within the University and outside it. The faculty at Kent Uni are extremely inspiring, kind and supportive. Being an international student, I had apprehensions before I left India, but Kent only disproved all the apprehensions and made me feel at home. At Kent Law School, I was selected as the Course Representative in my 1st and 2nd year, and eventually became the Law School Representative in my final year. This gave me a lot of opportunity to network with fellow law students and faculty within law school and from other departments.

    As for the facilities, the University has a huge library that hosts books ranging on all topics under the sun and not just law. Further, the University encompasses other departments along with the Kent Law school, which facilitated inter departmental communication. The Kent Law School has its own Kent Law Clinic, which provides pro bono work and has received various awards including the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize. In addition, the Kent Law School has student led societies, which conduct various guest lectures and career fairs, helping students to network with barristers and solicitors.

    I was selected after being screened on multiple aspects including the reasons to pursue law in the UK and in particular Kent, my contributions in the field of law and other fields, which were all summarised by me in the form of an SOP, and of course, my grades.

     

    How different would you say is the bachelor course at Kent from a typical law school of India? What are the things which these two systems can learn from each other?

    The Bachelor degree at Kent, as mentioned earlier, provides a critical approach to the study of law.  It provides a very application based study as opposed to theoretical learning. In addition to just reading the books, we were made to read and analyse different journal articles and newspaper articles in order to correlate with the laws that we studied. Further, all our modules were not 100% exam based and were divided between exams and course works. The course works entail writing essays ranging between 1000- 3500 words on certain topics, which helped me sharpen my research and writing skills by miles. This also gave me confidence to write a 10000 word optional dissertation in my final year on consumer law.

    In addition to classroom teaching, we also had seminars, where we were divided in to groups of 20 and assigned a professor with whom we discussed various questions on the topics we learnt in the classroom. This helped me to get more clarification on the subjects from the student discussions in the seminars. The most impressive element that is different from a typical law school in India is the system of recorded lectures. Thus, even if a student is unable to attend lectures due to personal reasons, he/she could listen to the lectures that were recorded live by the professor and uploaded to individual student portals. This also helped students to make lecture notes and prepare for the exams by listening to it multiple times.

     

    What is the importance of mooting and writing research papers in the LL.B programme of Kent?

    Although, students actively participated in moots at KLS, it was not compulsory or imposed. In my first year, I saw various students participate in moots to acquire experience on mooting or sharpen their advocacy skills. However, from my observation, moots were undertaken by those students, who wanted to become barristers. I was not particularly interested in mooting, so instead I channeled my interest in participating in in-house negotiation and mediation activities.

    The LLB programme at Kent was very tight and hectic. Therefore, aside from academics and extra-curricular activities, writing research papers were not undertaken by many. This could also be because most of our course work involved researching on our own and writing essays of a minimum of 3000 words, which was a research paper by itself. The law school also published in its law school journal those course works, which secured a first. Therefore, writing a separate research paper was not considered as a necessity.

     

    You also took up a course in IPR from WIPO. Please share with us the experience of this course? How would you rate the course? Were you thinking of gaining expertise in IPR law?

    I took the IPR course from WIPO during my first year summer break, while I was in England. The course gave me an in depth view of the fundamental elements of IP. I would recommend the course for anyone who wants to get an insight in to the IP Law. The course is well structured and provides a good basis before one takes up IP Law as full-fledged module. The course helped me make a choice before I took IP as one of my final year modules. I enjoy IP Law and I aim to have it as one of my practice areas.

     

    You had earlier cleared the New York Bar Scholarship with an astounding third rank! Please share a few tips and strategies to crack the scholarship.

    The New York Bar Scholarship was facilitated by BARBRI International, a leading provider of post qualification training for legal professionals. I am not sure if this scholarship is a recurring one. I came to know through couple of legal agencies that I had signed up to. The Scholarship entailed the applicants to write an essay by critically reviewing the recent “Right to be forgotten” judgement given by the ECJ involving Google and discuss the legal ramifications in applying the ruling to other cases. A simple tip to crack any scholarship is to keep abreast of the current legal activities, as one of the aims of scholarships is to test the commercial awareness of the applicants alongside other elements and how legal decisions affect businesses. Currently, I plan to work for couple of years and then I plan to sit the New York Bar exam availing my scholarship.

     

    Which are the other scholarships you would suggest applying for?

    There are so many scholarships that are available, which are interest and need based. Therefore, students who wish to pursue their interests should keep their ears and eyes open and look for opportunities to gain advantage.

     

    What are your long-term goals? Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

    My short to medium term goal is, in 3 to 5 years become a leading in-house corporate lawyer with a sound expertise in the fields of Mergers and Acquisitions and Intellectual Property law. I intend to continue building my key skills in these areas by handling a variety of challenging and knowledge enriching work assignments. My long term goal is, in 10 years acquire necessary leadership skills that will help me lead legal functions of large corporate organizations.

     

    What is your message to your juniors at Law School? Any career advice you would like to share?

    I have always believed in the saying, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”, a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. Therefore, my message to my juniors at law school would be to dream big, explore all the opportunities that come their way, acquire as much knowledge and experience as possible, for it would help along the way in building their career. It is understandable that law school is a five year commitment and sometimes, it might feel monotonous and tedious. However, having crossed that bridge, I would advise not to give up for it is totally worth it.

     

  • Anirudh Krishnan on graduating from Oxford, leaving Clifford Chance to establish a career in litigation arbitration

    Anirudh Krishnan on graduating from Oxford, leaving Clifford Chance to establish a career in litigation arbitration

    Mr. Anirudh Krishnan graduated from NALSAR, Hyderabad and did his LL.M from Oxford University. He is the founder of AK Law Chambers, Chennai and has previously worked as a trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance, London. He specializes in the area of arbitration, commercial and constitutional litigation. He has authored the book “The Law of Reservation and Anti-discrimination, LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur (2008)” and has edited “Justice Bachawat’s Law of Arbitration and Conciliation, LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur (2010)”.

    We asked him to share his deep insights on:

    • Taking up arbitration as a career.
    • The importance of moot and other co-curricular activities.
    • Pursuing LL.M from Oxford University.
    • Being the author of a leading book on Arbitration and Conciliation.

     

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

    I am an advocate, an academician, a family man and a travel enthusiast.

    I have spent all my childhood in Chennai. I come from a fairly conservative Tamilian family. My parents are both lawyers. My father is today a senior counsel and like most successful lawyers, has put in the hard work to come up as a litigator. My mother, though busy at work, has ensured that she was there for me at all points of time in my life. The attention that one gets during his/ her childhood largely shapes one’s character and I can say I have been lucky on this count. I have also been greatly influenced by my grandfathers, who have been role models for me.

    My schooling has had a considerable impact on my life. My school- Vidya Mandir is known for focusing on developing the right kind of value system in its students. Vidya Mandir does not expose its students to an ultra-competitive atmosphere till the 11th and 12th standards, the objective being to encourage students to take up activities other than purely academics. In school I used to play state level chess, a fair amount of tennis and also participated in numerous debates and public speaking activities. The public speaking comes in handy today.

    I must say that I was lucky to have had the kind of childhood that I did. While it was a shielded childhood I can say for a fact that the values instilled in me at that point of time ensured that I stood grounded during more challenging times ahead when I faced the real competitive world.

     

    What impressed upon you to take up law as a career?

    My entry into law was fairly dramatic. I had been focussed only on engineering despite the fact that my parents were both practising lawyers and had their own law firm. So when the prestigious National University of Singapore offered me a seat, I was off to Singapore only to realise that I wanted to pursue my under grad studies in India. I, then, joined a leading engineering college in Tamil Nadu which was affiliated to Anna University. In a funny turn of events, I ended up failing my first semester Physics (a subject about which I was passionate and in which I had always topped), by one mark. I was certain there had been mistake in the corrections/evaluation. I was completely disillusioned by the system and decided that I would attend law entrance classes and take the law entrance the following year. I found the legal reasoning course (taught by Mrs Hema Raman) so interesting that despite clearing the physics paper by 32 marks after applying for re-evaluation (I got 81 on 100 as against the 49 marks initially given), I stuck to my decision of changing over to law.

    When I look back at this incident, I relate very well to the philosophical statement that whatever happens, happens only for the good.

     

    How was your experience at NALSAR, Hyderabad? What activities were you involved in apart from the regular academic curriculum?

    Perhaps due to the hunger created by the waste of a year in Engineering College, right from day one at NALSAR, I was focused on achieving as much as I could academically. Most of my activities therefore were co-curricular activities such as moot court competitions, attending conferences, writing papers for publication, etc. I was keen to get  overseas exposure and I was among the first few students to represent my university in conferences in London and Australia. I was extremely interested in writing and published numerous articles in various journals, both Indian and International. In my 5th year, I also managed to convert my research on reservation and anti-discrimination into a book which was published by Lexis Nexis Butterworth Wadhwa, Nagpur. I used to play the odd game of cricket but during my 5 years in NALSAR my focus was primarily academic.

    I fondly remember my NALSAR days both from a personal and professional front. I made some very close friends at NALSAR- friends who will be there for me when I need them. Professionally, NALSAR provides a highly competitive academic atmosphere where you push yourself continuously to achieve more and more. This was the first time I was being exposed to such an atmosphere. The NALSAR experience (which in a way is similar to the real life experience) made me aware that to be amongst the top, you need to constantly update yourself and be on the move. You do not have time to celebrate what you have achieved- you constantly look at what is next. However, it gives you a high to be the first to do something and NALSAR provides you every opportunity to achieve this high.

    NALSAR also provided me the great privilege of being taught by the best of Professors- the late Professor Vepa Sarathi was a living legend- at the age of 95 he could still cite case laws far better than anybody I have ever seen. Professor Errabbi’s lectures on powers of the Parliament still reverberate in my ears. I also thoroughly enjoyed Professor Unni’s classes on IPR.

     

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

    There were a lot of areas that interested me- Contract Law, Intellectual Property Law, Arbitration, etc. If I were to pick my favorites during my stint at NALSAR, it had to be Constitutional Law and WTO Dispute Resolution. At one point in time, I was thinking about a career in WTO Law very seriously. That would have meant sacrificing all other areas of interest. I liked most areas of law and I did not really want to sacrifice all other areas to become a WTO expert.

    More than any specific area, I just like interpretation of law. I like the fact that as lawyer you would have to look at the same provision of law in two or three different ways based on the fact scenario and which side you are on. This is what fascinated me. It is these interpretational issues which created controversies. So what I would do was for our mandatory projects at NALSAR, I would look up some area in that subject which had caused a lot of controversy and I would request my professors that I be permitted to write on that controversial area. Not only will it make my project interesting but it would give me every opportunity of publishing my paper. Ultimately it is only when you write and research on controversial areas, do you hone your interpretational skills.

    Therefore while I did have my favorites, I have not been an area specific person. Yes, today I do a lot of commercial work, arbitration and company law work but that by itself is a fairly wide range. I am open to most of the other areas and I think if you want to be a litigation lawyer, you cannot say I want to be a person who super specializes in an area.

     

    What was your motivation behind doing an LL.M. from Oxford? Why not an LL.M. in India?

    I had taken a decision that I would identify 4 to 5 top universities and apply to them and if I did not get into those universities, I would not pursue my LL.M- I would come back to India and practice straight away. My choice was ultimately between Oxford and Stanford- Stanford had a fantastic arbitration course and Oxford was known for its common law centric courses. I preferred the latter. While today arbitration is one of my favorite areas and it is an area where I do a fair amount of work, my intention was always to come back to India and ultimately to become a senior counsel and for that an overall grounding is more important. Oxford is unparalleled when it comes to its common law training- common law originated in Oxford. It is for this reason that I chose to do my masters at Oxford. Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard have run the LL.M programmes for decades. Most of the Indian LL.Ms are comparatively new but are soon catching up.

     

    Please tell us how one should write a SOP for Oxford and other Ivy League Universities?

    Writing an SOP is like preparing a short marketing flyer of yourself. You need to see which of your achievements is likely to attract a University and package your SOP in such a manner that you link that achievement with your reasons for pursuing a LL.M and ultimately link the two up with your future goals. I was told by a senior who guided me through the LL.M application process, that an SOP was a 1 minute advertisement about yourself and that you had to catch the reader’s attention immediately so as to keep them interested. He was right.

    In addition to the above, I would also look at the areas that each university specialized in- for instance Oxford is known for its common law. I would also bring that into my reasons for application.

     

    Could you please tell us about your experience at Oxford University? How rigorous is the academic schedule?

    Oxford provides the best possible academic atmosphere in the world. I took a good mix of subjects- some purely theoretical and some case law heavy courses. My focus was on commercial law, international dispute resolution and aspects of constitutional law.

    The course was extremely hectic. There is a common belief that one “takes a break” while pursuing his/ her Masters in Law. While no doubt a person can choose to have it easy by taking easy courses, in my view adopting such a route would only be a huge waste of time and money. My course involved atleast 14 hours of reading every day.

    While the tangible benefits from the unjust enrichment and international dispute resolution courses are palpable, the intangible benefits are extraordinary. You start looking at the logic behind the law rather than only the letter of the law. It was an exhilarating experience to interact with legends such as Professors Gardner, Honore, Swadling, Edleman et al. Some of them used to interpret case laws in manners you did not think were even possible. A one to one with such persons has definitely helped me add to my skill sets. Ultimately, education is only about building skill sets.

    Even on the personal front, Oxford was good- that is the year I met my wife, Goda who was then pursuing her LL.M at London School of Economics.

     

    You have edited Justice R.S. Bachawat’s ‘Law of Arbitration and Conciliation’ and authored ‘The Law of Reservation & Anti-discrimination’. How was your experience authoring such scholarly books?

    In my 4th year at NALSAR, I wanted to write a book on the Law of Reservation. I got in touch with Mr KK Wadhwa of Wadhwa Publications- frankly I did not expect him to take me seriously as I was after all an unknown 4th year law student and he was India’s leading law book publisher. However, the encouragement he gave me was something I could never have imagined. Another person who made the book possible was my Vice Chancellor, Dr Ranbir Singh, because of whom the book was released by Mr P. Chidambaram, the then Finance Minister at my convocation. The book was published by LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa Nagpur. The book had the distinction of being placed in the libraries of various High Courts, the Supreme Court and the Parliament.

    The same publishers approached my good friend and then colleague at Clifford Chance, Anirudh Wadhwa and me to be the Chief-editors of the 5th edition of Justice R.S. Bachawat’s Law of Arbitration and Conciliation, which we took up. I am happy to say that the book has got wonderful reviews internationally including from leading Queen’s Counsel and academicians such as Mr David Joseph QC and Professor Rob Merkins. The book has also been cited by many Indian Courts.

    Book writing is a very exacting yet enjoyable experience. An author has to read every single case law on the point- for the arbitration book there were approximately 5000 cases which we had to read between the two of us. While there were a team of research assistants helping out with both books, it was ultimately for the authors to read each case and ensure that the ratio is extracted accurately.

    I can say that all the effort was worth it. Book writing helps improve your clarity of thought- you look at how best you can simplify a proposition for a reader and how best you can categorize propositions to keep a reader interested. Ultimately, what you do as an author is what you need to do as a litigating lawyer.

    The books have also got me a lot of recognition and today I can say a number of opportunities have opened up because of it. I have got invitations to speak at numerous conferences- Indian and international (including at places such as 39 Essex Street Chambers, London and Kuala Lampur Regional Centre for Arbitration), have had the distinction of being part of an elite panel constituted by the Chairman of the Law Commission (Justice A.P Shah) to deliberate upon proposed reforms to arbitration law, have had the chance to depose as an expert witness on Indian law in an ICC arbitration in London, have been appointed as an arbitrator, have been included as part of the panel of arbitrators of Nani Palkhiwala Arbitration Centre and have built a very good professional network owing to this recognition.

     

    You have worked at Clifford Chance as a trainee solicitor for a while before establishing your own law firm, AK Law Chambers. What made you come to India and start your own firm?

    I was of the view that work experience in a foreign jurisdiction would always come in handy. Therefore, even though I always wanted to litigate, when Clifford Chance, for the first time, wanted to recruit from India and called for applications, I thought that it was my best chance to get some foreign exposure. After a detailed screening process, I got the job. I decided that I would take up the job atleast for a period of two years and then take a call.

    I enjoyed my stint at CC especially the time I spent in the international arbitration department. More than even the law, CC taught me professionalism and client management. As a lawyer in India, unlike at CC, we often do not pay enough importance to deadlines and minor typographical faux pas in communication. My experience at CC holds me in good stead especially when I deal with foreign firms and MNCs.

    However, my stint at CC made it even more clear to me that I wanted to do contentious work (litigation and arbitration) and if that were so, it made sense to return to India as India provides far more opportunities to young lawyers than any foreign country. The salary to me was never a major factor since I was confident that hard work and focus would get me enough money someday.

     

    Tell us something about your firm, core areas of practice?

    A.K Law Chambers is a boutique practice primarily focusing on commercial and company litigation, arbitration and public law litigation. I have a team of four very sincere lawyers under me.

    Over a short period we have had the occasion to deal with a fair number of complex and high profile disputes. We have handled numerous arbitrations including the arbitrations relating to construction of the highest rail bridge in the world, to a huge hotel in Bangalore and the digitization of Government services in Tamil Nadu . We have also had the occasion to work on a number of Company law matters- shareholder disputes (including rectification preceding and oppression and mismanagement proceeding), winding up and insolvency matters, scheme of amalgamations and demerger etc. We also have a fair number of general commercial litigation and public law work including Writ Petitions pertaining to constitutional challenges, land acquisition matters etc. One especially interesting dispute which we handled was Writ Petition against the Competition Commission proceedings which had been initiated against all the car manufacturers. The matter involved numerous interesting issues of Competition law as well as Constitution law. We have also represented leading airlines, leading newspaper dailies in insolvency and related proceedings.

    We not only handle work at the High Court level, but also at the tribunal level such as the Company Law Board, National Green Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, etc. It has been a journey every minute of which I have enjoyed so far.

     

    How different is the scenario of Arbitration in India than abroad?

    The scenario of arbitration in India is very different from the scenario abroad. In India arbitrations are mostly adhoc whereas international arbitrations are almost always institutional and hence by and large more orderly. In India, arbitration suffers from a “Court system hangover” with frequent adjournments and very short sittings. In most international arbitration, a time is fixed and the parties mostly do not deviate from the timeline and deviating has its own cost implications.

    However, there are some arbitrators in India who ensure that arbitration before them is thoroughly professional and that the parties do not deviate from the timelines. These arbitrators also come well prepared and ask the right questions. I am hopeful that this trend will spread quickly and this scenario will improve.

    However for the scenario to improve, there are 2 other factors that need to be addressed- the culture of the arbitration bar and judicial interference in arbitrations. In so far as judicial interference is concerned in India, today arbitration proceedings are not only before the arbitrator . It is also about what happens before and after the proceeding before the arbitrator. There is a culture of excess judicial interference and as a lawyer unless you are aware of how to utilize the interference to your benefit, you are not in the position to offer the best possible solution to the client. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I was fortunate to be part of an elite panel consisting of among others, Justice Rohiton Nariman, Mr. Arvind Datar, Mr Shishir Dholakia, Mr Darius Khambata etc constituted by Justice A.P. Shah, the Chairman of the Law Commission to deliberate upon the reforms to be made in arbitrations in India. After numerous deliberations, the Law commission has come with a very detailed report which has been submitted to the law minister. If the changes in this report are implemented, the judicial interference would decrease a great deal and the arbitration scenario in India would vastly improve.

    In addition, the culture of arbitration has to improve. Today, most lawyers look at arbitration as an evening activity. Unless this changes and we have full day arbitrations, arbitration is not going to become the effective “Out of Court” dispute resolution it was expected to become.

     

    What should law schools introduce to generate interest for arbitration among law students?

    There is already a fair amount of interest in arbitration among law students .The undergraduate curriculum at least at NALSAR is excellent and I don’t think anything further needs to be done. Perhaps a module on investment treaty arbitration would be helpful.

     

    What advice would you have for law students who wish to take up Arbitration as a career option and what kind of skills according to you suits best in this arena?

    Arbitration is a fantastic area to pursue. However, it is very demanding and since it often involves  a trial including cross examination of technical experts, attention to detail is most important. Unless, you are on top of the factual matrix, you will never be able to apply the law that you learn. It is easy to get into the tendency of glossing over facts but in an arbitration and in any trial that can prove fatal. Therefore my advice to law students who wish to take up arbitration would be to ensure that they pay enough attention to detail and this skill can be developed by paying enough importance to a factual matrix in a case when you read it. If you read a number of complicated judgments arising out of Section 34 and Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, you will broadly get an idea of the regular issues that come up in arbitrations.

    I would also say that you must be ready to think out of the box. For this you must first need to know the law inside out as you need to know the legal basis when you come up with a new argument. Once that is strong you can experiment on new proposition. I think the ability to think out of the box is a necessary skill one needs to have to become a successful arbitration practitioner and more generally a commercial law practitioner as very often you have faced with cases where your backs are against the wall. This is what makes commercial litigation so fascinating.

     

    What are the career options for a person who wants to pursue commercial arbitration for higher studies?

    A person, after his/her higher studies in commercial arbitration, can join a leading firm which does commercial arbitration work or at some point of time branch out and start his/ her own practice. The other allied areas are WTO dispute resolution- however this is highly specialized and it would be very difficult to be a general arbitration practitioner who also practices WTO law. The next allied field is investment treaty arbitration which is a fascinating area and picking up fast in India. Investment treaty arbitration would involve disputes between States and investors relating to breach of Bilateral Investment Treaties entered into between the home State of the investor and the State in which investment is made. In India, today there is tremendous scope for this area especially after the investment treaty arbitral tribunal’s decision in White industries v. Republic of India.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message for the readers who want to pursue career in arbitration in India?

    This is the right time to catch the bus- do not miss it.

  • Ashish Arun on being the founder of Offshore Research Partners, leading Expert Witness Profiler and entrepreneurship

    Ashish Arun on being the founder of Offshore Research Partners, leading Expert Witness Profiler and entrepreneurship

    Ashish Arun graduated from NUJS, Kolkata in 2010. As a student he started working on his entrepreneurial skills while starting up with Offshore Research Partners. He didn’t have to sit for placements as ORP had already taken off. Currently he is a Partner, Principal and Director at Expert Witness Profiling.

    In this interview we ask him about:

    • Starting up and managing multiple ventures
    • Journey of being an entrepreneur
    • Importance of a co-founder

     

    How would you like to introduce yourself to our readers? Please share your academic and professional background.

    I graduated from NUJS in 2010 and currently run Offshore Research Partners, a legal research and outsourcing firm based in Calcutta. I am also a partner in Expert Witness Profiler, LLC, which is a legal research product oriented company, based in the United States. Originally from Patna, I am based out of Kolkata at the moment.

     

    Tell us a bit about your childhood, your hometown and your pre-graduate life as well.

    The first few years of my life were spent in a small town of Bihar. When I was 5, my father moved to Patna, primarily to get me a better education. Many who know me from NUJS wouldn’t believe this, but I was actually pretty good at studies as a kid.

     

    The career of a lawyer in India is still just a backup option for most students. What motivated you to choose law as a career? Did your family and friends not suggest you to go for Engineering or Medical Studies?

    As a kid, I never wanted to be a lawyer. My father is a practicing lawyer at the Patna High Court and I had seen the struggles that a lawyer has to go through during the first few years and law as a career became a strict no. After getting a decent score in boards, the natural choice was either medical or engineering and I picked medical because I didn’t want to study math.

    As fate would have it, I couldn’t clear the medical entrance exams and ended up wasting a few years after my 12th. I still wasn’t thinking of law till my cousin (a successful practicing lawyer at the Supreme Court) convinced me that I should consider studying law. If not for him and the easy competition back in 2005, I wouldn’t have studied law.

     

    Kindly acquaint us with your college life and your aspirations in college. What activities were you involved in apart from the regular academic curriculum?

    College life was the best thing that ever happened to me. I made some of my best friends, right in the first few weeks of college and the next five years were beyond imagination! I was involved in student activities right from the first year and tried my hand at almost everything; even singing – something my friends still make fun of. I used to actively participate in organizing Outlawed, the NUJS cultural fest and would also volunteer for almost every other event that took place. Student representation was something that I really enjoyed and eventually served as the President of the SJA (the NUJS student body) in my fourth year. That was a great experience as it taught me many organizational and leadership skills which still help me in running my businesses.

     

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

    Like most law students, I was clueless about what I wanted to do after law school. So I tried all kinds of internships. Some of the memorable ones were from the first year when we actually spent days sitting on Jantar Mantar with the team of Justice for Bhopal, helping them with research and whatever little legal help we could offer as first year law students. Another great stint was at the offices of Siddharth Luthra, who personally taught us the basics of legal research. That internship made me understand how the right approach to research can save a lot of time and help you develop a clear understanding of the existing legal position on any issue; something that helps me today as well in serving our clients.

     

    How did you fare in your academics at NUJS? How was the academic pressure? Do you believe that excellent CGPA is the key to all success?

    If you make CGPA the benchmark, I didn’t do very well at NUJS. A good CGPA shows you are hardworking and dedicated to what is needed even if you don’t really like it. A not-so-good CGPA, on the other hand, doesn’t establish that you are good for nothing. I don’t think most of us felt any academic pressure. I may be wrong but the semesters used to be pretty easy going and everyone studied just a few days before the exams. Obviously, there were exceptions but not many.

     

    ashish-arun-2

    You started a business while you were at NUJS related to the LPO industry. Tell us the background story a bit.

    Quite a few of us used to do research for Daubert Tracker, an American legal database, to earn some extra pocket money. I had managed a few third party research projects for them in my third year and realized that there was potential in academic and commercial legal research outsourcing. In March 2009, I was helping them conceptualize a new research product and that is when I realized that I wanted to work in the area of legal research and publication. It was a good opportunity as they were willing to outsource all their research operations to me if I could set up a team of lawyers in India. One thing led to another and by the time we started the Calcutta office in December 2009; we already had 3 clients sending us work on a regular basis.

     

    A big stumbling block for student entrepreneurs is arranging capital for the business. How did you handle this? How did you find your initial team for the business?

    Capital requirements are different for product and services related companies. Since mine was the latter, we needed very little capital to get started – just enough to rent a space with 2-3 computers, a working internet connection and some basic furniture.

    The initial team came from friends and their references. That is something I would change if I had to do it again, as friends seldom make great co-workers.

     

    Did you look for a co-founder? Is this important to start a business?

    Since I started ORP after working as a researcher for Daubert Tracker for a few years, Myles Levin (Daubert Tracker’s owner) was an automatic choice for a co-founder. He funded the start-up expenses and I had been working with him for several years to feel comfortable about it.

    Having said that, I am not a huge believer in the “must-find-a-co-founder” theory. Many people start businesses with friends without truly understanding what the other person is really bringing to the table. No matter who your co-founder is, it is really important to decide the expectations and responsibilities of each person before you decide to sail together.

     

    What did you do after your graduation? Were you looking for placements at all?

    One big reason to go ahead with ORP with six months of law school left was placement options. I wanted to give six months to ORP which would have given me a fair idea if it was going to work or not. If not, sitting for placements was always an option. Thankfully, it worked fine and I didn’t have to go look for a job.

     

    Can you tell us something about the Expert Witness Profiler and Offshore Research Partners as your businesses and how did you conceive the idea for these business ventures?

    Expert Witness Profiler (EWP) was a company that was our (ORP’s) client. When one of the founders of EWP decided to leave to focus on his original business, I was presented with an opportunity to co-own the company. We were already handling their operations, from research to delivery and even post-delivery customer support – so it seemed like a good option to pick a stake and co-own the company and I went for it. It was one of the best decisions I made as the business has been growing and it is always more rewarding to be a co-owner than a vendor.

     

    You won the Star Youth Achiever Award for the Year 2010-11. Tell us something about this. How does it feel to reach these heights at such an early stage in career? And how has your journey as an entrepreneur been so far?

    Yes, the recognition and the awards came knocking very soon – but they are a mere reaffirmation of the fact that you are moving in the right direction and doing the right things. If anything, it motivated me to work harder and make sure that the growth momentum is maintained and the companies keep outperforming themselves on a regular basis.

    My journey as an entrepreneur has been like most others, I believe – I have seen good times as well as bad. Business slowdowns and a sudden upsurge in the order books have both happened and we have learned as a team, every day, how to tackle problems better and keep moving forward.

     

    How difficult would you say the first few years were of your own business? Tell us about the highs and lows.

    ORP has been profitable since the very first month – so, thankfully, we never had any financial issues. Most of the problems that we have had are what I would call a “good-quality-problem”. For example, we found ourselves overwhelmed with work and several of us would spend more than 24 hours in the office on certain days. This may sound normal to someone working in a law firm but it doesn’t really happen in the outsourcing. We have seen slowdowns and plateaued growth for a few months here and there – something that very few businesses can avoid, but other than that, it has been a pretty smooth ride till now.

     

    Did you at any point of time doubt your career choice of being an entrepreneur? If yes, how did you cope up with that?

    Never. I know it is easier to say this now with 20-20 hindsight, but I am thankful that I never really doubted it as a career choice.

     

    How do you think knowing law benefits an entrepreneur? What are the prime hurdles that a non-lawyer entrepreneur is likely to come across?

    Everyone needs to know the law – it has its own benefits and entrepreneurs are no different. However, there is a huge difference in knowing the law and being a lawyer. Because of being a lawyer, I could draft my own Agreements and I understood the legal as well as the commercial aspects of it. Or, I could incorporate a company without using another lawyer to draft my AoAs and MoAs. But then, an entrepreneur can always seek legal advice for these issues. I do not believe that a non-lawyer entrepreneur would face any specific difficulties or hurdles just because he is not a lawyer.

     

    You are a businessman more than a lawyer now. Do you feel that doing a business related course like MBA would have been better than studying law?

    Most of the projects and businesses that I have undertaken till now and plan to take up in the future are related to law. And I would not have been able to do any of this if I didn’t study law. An MBA may have helped but not as much as studying law did.

     

    Would you like to pursue higher study some day? Why or why not?

    Absolutely – but just to be able to go back to campus as a student! There is nothing better than that.

     

    Do you take interns? If yes, what qualifies one for an internship at Offshore Research Partners and how should one apply for the same?

    We do take interns and the only real qualification is that you need to be a law student. We have an internship application form on our Careers page (www.orp-india.com/careers) and one can apply using that.

    Interns are selected based on the cover letter, the accuracy and attention to detail in their CVs and a little weight is given to the year in which the student is – the higher, the better.

     

    Many law students consider working at an LPO to be an inferior choice. Why is this? What are your thoughts on the same?

    The industry is still new and the general perception is that you do not get to do any cutting edge work – the work can be mundane and repetitive. However, nothing can be farther than the truth. Yes, a lot of work that LPOs do is repetitive but if you are bright, you can move up the chain quickly and participate in the decision making process – develop new solutions, work with clients directly and do things in a few years that would take you decades in a law firm. Expert Witness Profiler prepares background reports for attorneys not only because it is cheaper to use us (ORP does all the research), but also because many attorneys do not have the same resources or the research skills that our lawyers have developed through the years.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message to law students and young lawyers who want to pursue entrepreneurship?

    Just because one thinks that an idea is great and has a lot of potential should not be the only factor in deciding whether you want to go ahead with something. Most startups fail because there is no demand for the products or services they create. Therefore, it is really important to assess the market and make sure that you are either fulfilling a need that already exists or you would be able to educate your target market and create a need for your product or service.