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Roma Das, law student, RMLNLU, on getting an offer from AMSS, her internship experience and plans for the future
Roma Das is a student at RMLNLU, batch of 2014. She has secured a pre-placement offer from Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co.

In this interview we speak to her about:
- The importance of mooting and of grades in law School.
- How to choose an internship.
- What it takes to get a call back
Why did you decide to study law?

I took commerce with math in my 12th, and had not thought of doing law. But that was more cause I didn’t know much about the profession. Career counselling workshops introduced it as an interesting and viable option.

Do you have any lawyers in your family?

I don’t have any lawyers in my family. And I do think that having relatives with legal backgrounds is invaluable for everyone who wants to litigate. It makes the process much easier.

What are the extracurricular activities you took part at RMLNLU?

I participated in moot court competitions, debates and other literary events.

Do you think mooting is beneficial for law students?

I would definitely recommend mooting for every law student. After all, law school is all about developing reasoning and researching skills. However, I don’t think mooting is the be-all and end-all of a law student’s college life. But having said that, I maintain that it is an invaluable part and reflects that one can manage extra-curricular activities as well as academics.

What are the law firms where you interned?

Apart from AMSS, I’ve interned at a couple of other firms specializing in corporate and media law.

What was the procedure you followed to apply to these law firms?

Since I was always interested in Corporate Law, I looked for firms that had that as a major practice area. Once I had zeroed in on the firms, I just sent my internship application and followed up.

What was the kind of work was allotted to you during your internships?

During the span of all of my internships, I was fortunate enough to get a wide variety of good work. So while I drafted agreements, legal opinions and notes, I also did a lot of standard research work.

You secured a job with AMSS as a ‘PPO’. How was the experience of that internship?

I interned at AMSS once before I secured my PPO. I interned with the General Corporate Team and got good work.

What do you think an intern should accomplish during an internship in order to get a “call back”?

You should give your best to every assignment and not merely focus on mechanically completing tasks.

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

I think it’s important that your CV reflect the kind of work you want to do. So for example, if you’re interested in corporate law, the work you’ve done at your previous internships should reflect that.

How did you go about preparing for your interview?

I brushed up my basics: Contracts, Business Laws, Property, IPR. I also kept up with the latest legal developments and prepared everything that I’d put on my CV.

Do the law firms usually provide the candidates with an option to work with the teams of their choice while recruiting?

A preference of practice area is usually provided.

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

I cannot negate the importance of grades, but at the same time would like to emphasize that ultimately it’s all about how you work, and whether your team is happy with your work.

Your advice to the law students aspiring to secure a job at top law firms?

It is absolutely essential to have a grasp on basic subjects like contracts, company law, property, Constitutional law, IPR, and arbitration. This list is not exhaustive, of course, and one needs to keep in mind their areas of interest, but the basics are essential. Apart from that, it is important to keep abreast of the legal developments taking place in the country and abroad. This is all about what one can do to build his knowledge base. The next important thing is that one should aim at internships at law firms that have the relevant practice areas. So for example, if you’re sure you want to practice Corporate Law, there is just no point in going on doing litigation internships. And good grades don’t hurt, of course. That’s the first thing recruiters see on your CV.
May 15, 2014
Divya Swamy on mooting, internship and Judicial Clerkship
Divya Swamy a student of 2014 batch of RMLNLU talks about mooting, internships and Judicial Clerkship. She elaborates on the details of doing a judicial clerkship and it’s importance for those who aspire to do an LL.M. from a foreign university.

Key takeaways:
- Mooting and its importance
- Law firm internships
- Judicial Clerkship
Why did you decide to study Law? What inspired you to do so?

Law is a field that ensures an over-all development of an individual. It makes us aware about our society so much more than any other field. As a student, just out of school, it seemed like the most rigorous form of personality building exercise to me, and this motivated me to study law.

Which stream did you study at School? Was that beneficial in preparing for CLAT?

I was a Commerce student at school. I wouldn’t say that it helped me much in preparing for CLAT but it left me with more options. In my opinion, the curriculum for CLAT is such that it requires only a couple of months of dedicated study in the right direction. There is no section in the CLAT paper that would make it more favorable for any stream. It tests only what ordinarily can be expected from any student who has passed Class 12.

Do you have any lawyers in your family? Do you think having family members with a legal background help in this profession?

No. I am a first-generation lawyer.

Yes of course, having some guidance from the family always helps. In fact, it makes it easier to make decisions as regards internships, moots and even about the future after law school. Also, it is easier to break through. But, surviving in the legal industry is only subject to merit. There are innumerable examples of people who have excelled in the field without having any law-oriented family background. The beginning may be tough but what matters is how you use your 5 years in law school. I think that developing a skill set is the key to surviving in the fraternity.

What are the extracurricular activities you took part at RML NLU?

I participated in Moots and debates. Besides participating as a Debater, I was also actively involved in adjudicating Debates. I engaged in free-lance researching and also assisting a Professor in research in the last 2 years of law school.

You have taken part in a lot of Moot Court Competitions in college, can you share a few mooting experiences?

My favourite mooting experience has been at Surana & Surana Trial Advocacy because I will be practicing law soon and the exposure in this format of mooting is immense. The structure of the moot is different from other Moot Court Competitions and here, one is supposed to train witnesses, solve legal issues and conduct a proper trial. It fascinated me and gave me an experience as close to real Court as possible, in a simulated environment. It was because we enjoyed it so much that our team went on to win the tournament.

Do you think mooting is beneficial for Law students or is it just to make your CV look fancy?

I think that mooting adds more value than just decorating your CV. In fact that is the area where it least contributes. The exposure that one receives in a Moot is unparalleled. It is a learning experience in terms of helping you with developing research skills and speaking skills. It grooms one for the real competition. In fact personally I think that the subjects that I learnt while mooting, are the areas that I am most confident about and this is because you learn the law in the most practical way possible.

What are the law firms and other places where you interned? Which internships will you consider to be right at the top and why?

Well, since I am a first generation lawyer, I preferred to intern at the most varied places so as to choose my area of interest. I interned at firms like Parekh & Co. in the corporate and litigation departments, with reputed Senior Advocates like Dr. M.N. Krishnamani and various other internships in the Supreme Court, Delhi and Calcutta High Courts and District Courts.

The most noteworthy experiences have been while I interned with Mr. Subhiksh Vasudev, Advocate at the Delhi High Court since I learnt the Court procedure. I learnt how to draft legal documents and most important, I attended Court proceedings. Also, my internship with Hon’ble Ms. Justice Hima Kohli as a Law Researcher has been the most enriching experience because I researched on fresh cases and had the opportunity to work on many briefs at a time while also becoming comfortable with the procedure.

What was the procedure you followed to apply for these law firm internships?

I applied about 3 months in advance by sending in my CV. It is very important to follow up by sending e-mails and making phone calls after applying at any place.

What was the kind of work was allotted to you during your internships?

There was research work on various points of law, preparation of legal documents, preparing briefs and so on based on the place I was interning at.

What do you plan to do for the next 1 year?

I will be doing a Clerkship at the Delhi High Court.

Why did you choose to do a Judicial Clerkship? What is the daily schedule of an Intern at a Judicial Clerkship?

I chose to do a Clerkship because it is the most convenient and efficient way of learning the Court procedure. In fact, for those who believe in learning by observing, working as a Law Researcher at High Court is a very good option. Further, the interaction with Judges is unparalleled since it they teach you how to look at the law from a different perspective. In fact, I think that the nature of work is apt for a fresh law graduate who wants to learn the law.

The nature of work for an intern working as a Law Researcher is different depending on the Court and the Judge. Generally one must reach Court by 10 a.m. and make all necessary corrections and proof read the orders that had been dictated the previous day. Then, attend all fresh matters for the briefs you prepared the previous day. You must then do all the necessary research as required and prepare briefs for the next day at Court. Besides this, research needs to be done on reserved judgments. Ordinarily the day ends at about 8 p.m.

Did you learn any skills while interning at the Court? What are these skills and how did you acquire them?

I observed that the nature of work for an Intern is the same as that of an Associate at a Law firm or a Law Researcher in Court. If one goes with an open mind and desire to learn, there is a lot to gain from internships. I think all skills of drafting and researching are best learnt at internships. In my opinion, while working as an intern, networking is also a necessity for any law student.

How did you obtain the Judicial Clerkship? What is the standard procedure to do so?

I had worked as an intern twice. This is when my application to work full-time got accepted. Generally, one must either intern with a judge or apply to the Registrar in the respective Courts. Annually, during this time of the year, posts are offered by High Courts and the Supreme Court. Interested students must keep checking the respective websites for the vacancies. There is an interview in the Supreme Court for the shortlisted candidates.

To secure a clerkship with a judge, there are 2 ways:

One applies to the Registrar in the High Court or Supreme Court, as the case may be, requesting for an opportunity by filling in the requisite form that is available on the website or you should have interned with a Judge, who MAY if impressed, permit you to work as a Law Clerk after graduation.

To secure an internship with a judge, one should:

Apply to the Registrar in the High Court or Supreme Court, as the case may be, requesting for an internship with a judge or apply to the office of the concerned judge, where you intend to intern.

Even if one secures the internship by applying to the office of the concerned judge, the final approval is by the Registrar.

How is it beneficial for further studies?

Generally, besides the skill development, the Recommendations of Hon’ble Judges is held in high regard by foreign Universities. However, one does not get a recommendation letter as a matter of right. It is based on the quality of work during the clerkship and the sincerity shown in the work.

What do you plan to do when the term of your clerkship expires?

I plan to pursue a Masters in Law.

Your advice to the law students aspiring to do an LL.M.? What do they need to do, how should they prepare in the last 3 years of law school?

For those who want to do a Masters abroad, immediately after law school, must start applying by their 4th year. For Indian Universities, one must prepare for the entrance examinations based on the format followed in the precious years. But irrespective of what one wants to do after Law school, it is most essential to love the law. So, read the law as much as possible because it helps you identify what you would want to do for the next 50 years of your life.
May 15, 2014
Smrithi Mariam on steps to getting good internships and a PPO
Smrithi Mariam a student of the 2014 batch at RMLNLU has secured a Pre Placement Offer from Lexygen. We asked her to share her experiences and strategies she used over the years. In this interview she speaks about:
- Mooting and its benefits for a law student
- Preparing a C.V. and interviews
- Getting good internships and a pre-placement offer
Why did you decide to study Law? What inspired you to do so?

It took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted to do after the 12^th and being a science student I wrote all the possible engineering entrance exams. At the back of my head I knew that this wasn’t my thing and I began coaching for the CLAT. That’s when I realized that I could see myself as a lawyer and that most of all studying law would make me happy.

Do you have any lawyers in your family? Do you think having family members with a legal background help in this profession?

I’m a first generation lawyer, but I do have a lot of friends who have lawyers in their families and yes, I do think that it helps to have a family member in the profession to guide you in the and show you the how things work. But, on the other hand NOT having such a person means that you need to stand up for yourself, take charge, be resourceful and figure out the ropes on your own.

What are the extracurricular activities you took part at RML NLU?

Sport has always been an important part of my life and I’ve been a member of the college basketball team throughout my law school life. I have also taken part in Parliamentary Debates, I enjoying ‘JAM’ing, traditional debating and other literary events.

You have taken part in a lot of Moot Court Competitions in college, can you share a few mooting experiences?

My first national moot was the Nani Palkhivala National Tax Law Moot, I was in my third year and we finished runners up at the competition. This moot holds a very special place in my heart and I vividly remember the finals, where we argued in front of Bombay HC Judges on a matter that was actually pending at the ITAT. The finalists at this moot are awarded internships a top tier tax law firms in the country which is a bonus. I also took part in the Stetson International Environmental Law Moot and our team finished semifinalists at the world rounds and we secured speaker and memorial citations. Arguing against law students from schools in Poland, USA, Ireland, etc was enriching and being able to connect with them and exchange stories from our home towns was an unforgettable experience. In my final year I took part in the North India rounds of the Phillip C Jessup International Moot and was part of the team placed third. That was a bitter sweet end to our mooting life, so close yet so far!

Do you think mooting is beneficial for Law students or is it just to make your CV look fancy?

I love mooting and everything that comes with it. The crazy workload, the compulsory reading, the brain storming sessions, the sudden burst of energy when someone comes up with an argument, the list goes on. In my opinion, mooting helps you learn how to work in a team, how to keep your head together and work on a single matter for months together, how to logically work your way out of situations and come up with novel arguments and most importantly it allows you the freedom to learn and explore a new subject at your own pace without a project or an exam deadline breathing down your neck. Yes, mooting may make your CV look good but that’s not why you should take it up.

What are the law firms at which you interned? Which internships will you consider to be right at the top and why?

I have interned at JSA, AZB, AMSS, ELP, Trilegal, Samvad Partners and Lexygen. I enjoyed all my internships, but my stints at Samvad, Lexygen and ELP would be the ones I consider most enjoyable. The work environment, quality of work and most importantly the unbiased nature towards students from ‘lower rung’ law schools in these places really impressed me.

What was the procedure you followed to apply to these law firms?

Continuous emails to the HR of the firms and then follow up phone calls. It’s easier said than done and one has to listen to a number of rejections but it is possible. My college RCC also helped out with one internship.

What was the kind of work was allotted to you during your internships?

Work given to interns depends largely on the firm you are working with and their policy towards interns. Some firms trust interns with meaty assignments and allow them be a part of an ongoing client matter, while other firms hand out a lot of due diligence work. I have had my fair share of both types of work.

You secured a job with ‘Lexygen’ as a ‘PPO’. How many times have you interned there before? How was the experience of that internship (if you did one) and how was it different from other internships?

I have worked with Lexygen on two occasions for a total of 12 weeks. After short listing your CV they conduct a telephonic interview based on which they offer you the internship. The firm offers internships only to 4^th and 5^th year students strictly for the purpose of assessing whether they can be absorbed into the firm after they graduate. Lexygen is a great place to intern at; the firm ensures that interns are a part of weekly training sessions where the latest law or judgment on a particular subject is discussed. The intern has to make a presentation at the end of the internship period and there is continuous assessment of the work done; the intern receives feedback on the completion of every assignment.

What do you think an intern should accomplish during an internship in order to get a “call back”?

Get people to notice your work! There are no two ways about it. Many people seem to think that it is the people you get work from that make the difference, be that as it may, it is important to note that even if you are given work from a junior associate and you manage to impress them and continue to do so, a recommendation may be in the pipeline. A ‘call back’ also depends on a little bit of luck- being in the right place at the right time, etc. For example, interning when there are a large group of interns considerably lowers your chances of getting noticed as the work load splits among all of you.

Did you learn any skills while interning? What are these skills and how did you acquire them?

One skill that most law students acquire while interning is time management. More often than not interns are given a strict deadline by which they need to submit their work and managing your time is very important.

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

I don’t think I should be an authority on the format of a CV but from what I have picked up, while applying for internships one must ensure that you change your CV as per the type of firm you are applying to. For example if you are applying to a Tax law firm highlight the tax work you have done at your internships or a paper you published in tax law journal, etc. Besides that, be clear, precise and to the point in your CV.

How did you go about preparing for your interview?

I was fortunate enough to secure the PPO without an official interview as I had been thoroughly assessed at both my internships. But in general for an interview be it for a job or for an internship knowing all the work that you have mentioned in your CV is the most important thing.

Do the law firms usually provide the candidates with an option to work with the teams of their choice while recruiting?

I understand that most law firms ask the candidate their area of interest, but there is no guarantee that you will be put in the team of your choice. It normally depends on the need of the firm and the vacancies available in their teams.

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

Having a high GPA is important, but it is not the be all and end all of securing a job at a tier 1 firm. I personally know of people who have been placed at these firms with just above average grades. Especially in the case of PPOs, it is the quality of the work that you do and that is more important than your GPA.

What would be your advice to the law students aspiring to secure a job at top law firms? What do they need to do, how should they prepare in the last 3 years of law school?

As someone who is fresh out of law school, I do not feel competent to answer this question, but I will do my best by telling you my personal experience. Being in a law school that is not considered a ‘top’ one and wishing to secure a job in a ‘top’ law firm is hard but it is possible and I have seen it happen. Ensuring that you intern at the right time and making a mark at your internships can do wonders to your morale as well as your chances of getting a job.

Follow her on LinkedIn: Smrithi Mariam Punnoose
May 14, 2014
Piya Bose on believing in dreams, leaving law firm & starting up Girls on the Go Club
Piya Bose is a corporate lawyer who left her job to follow her passion: Travelling. She now writes regularly for travel magazines and have also given presentations for TEDx events. Here, she discusses her decision to leave a safe, lucrative career and following her dreams. In this interview, she talks about:
- Discovering her passion for travelling.
- Her startup – Girls on the Go Club and it empowers woman.
- Difference between Legal Education and Legal Profession.
- Why is it important to follow your dreams.
Given that most of our readers are law students and lawyers, how would you introduce yourself to them?

Though I have chosen to take up tourism as a profession, it still does give me pride that I have a degree in BSc.LLB from the prestigious National University of Juridical Sciences(NUJS) and have worked with great legal minds.

The training I received at law school has helped me greatly in the work I do, starting from research methodology, to drafting a contract with people I do business with or being aware of my rights and liabilities as a service provider. So, to sum it up, I would not say I have totally left the profession as law is very integral to the work I do. Being from a legal background, gives greater credibility and respect to the work I do now.

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

Frankly, I never gave much thought to it at the time of applying for the course. I was fresh out of school and it was one of the many options I was exploring. I happened to get through NUJS first and decided to stick to it, as everyone advised me a professional course like this would be a good degree to pursue. So, in a sense I think I just let destiny lead me and I got great exposure to different thought processes and interesting subjects, which are valuable to me even today.

If you have to sum it up in a word, what would that be?

Intense.

You worked with a law firm before starting off with Girls on the Go Club. What made you make the jump?

Frankly, I could not see myself sitting at a desk for the larger part of the day and working graveyard shifts for the rest of my life. Even when you really like the work you do, there has to be a work – life balance that I found totally missing. My mind would wander off to exotic islands and snow capped mountains and I realised that given the kind of work timings I had I would probably never get to travel to even a fraction of places in my bucket list. So, I had to make a decision about whether I wanted to continue with my current lifestyle and of course earn a great salary or just risk it all, take a leap of faith and start living my bucket list. I chose the latter option and then there was no looking back at all.

Starting an all girls club is certainly a very interesting concept but why just an all girl club?

I have been travelling since I was 16 years of age. My first solo trip was to Brazil as a Rotary Exchange student. Little did I know then, but that experience did shape my views greatly and taught me that there is a world outside the box I live in, just waiting to be explored.

I continued of course with school and went on to get my LLB degree.

But something in me was begging to get out there and travel. Even while I was working at a law firm, I would get out of the city at every possible opportunity. I would research on interesting travel routes and places. I remember telling a colleague once that it is possible to travel from India to London by land and he thought I had completely lost it. Since I did not have the time for extensive travel, I hosted several travellers from various countries. I remember listening in awe to the tales of a 18 year old woman from Israel and how she had been backpacking for a year and I thought if women from other countries could do it, what was stopping Indian women to travel on their own?

When my wanderlust got the better of me, I decided to put in my papers one day and take off for a trip from Lucknow – Nepal – Tibet. Standing in front of the Mount Everest I got my calling to do something unique in the field of travel. In the weeks following the trip, I gave it some thought and decided I wanted to infect other women who were scared to travel on their own, with my travel bug. That is when I started ‘Girls On The Go’ in 2008 and since then more than 1,000 women have travelled with us from Nagaland to Bali and now we are braving it to Antarctica.

Leaving a cushy well paying job and taking the plunge requires good amount of guts, plus our society generally has this concept of being realistic. Keeping all this in mind, did you face any difficulty while starting up?

Yes, it was like sailing over very choppy waters. Parents and well wishers thought I would just move on to another law firm or do something else in the field of law. They were disturbed to see that I was quitting the legal profession and in their opinion throwing 5 years of legal education down the drain. I could not make them understand that though I would not be in the mainstream legal field, but my 5 years of legal training would come into maximum use now that I was starting a venture on my own.

Convincing family was really tough, so I had to really steel myself up to work very hard and prove myself. Once the first few trips took off and the media encouraged me by featuring GOTG in prominent newspapers, magazines and news channels, it was only then that they started seeing some sense in what I had set out to do.

Startup capital was a challenge. I had spent almost all my savings in travelling to Tibet. Everyone thought it was impossible for me to start a business without money. But I knew deep down that with the correct combination of passion, out of the box thinking and determination, I could start my venture on a zero cash model. This is what economists call ‘Human capital’ which we tend to not even consider when we talk about startup capital. I was not scared of failure, because frankly I had nothing in the first place to lose. So, I decided to fully use the potential of my creativity, my power of conviction (thanks to my legal training), research skills etc to get the first trip going. Once the trip took off, I knew I was on the path I was meant to be and there was no going back.

A roller coaster ride or a pleasant journey in woods, which describes your journey so far in a better way?

I would say a bit of both. The thrills of a roller coaster ride and the highs and lows and the challenges of coming out in broad day light from the woods unharmed.

How is a typical day for you like?

A typical day for me is full of exciting research on the next place to take women travelling to, attending travel conferences, meeting suppliers from various countries, meeting up clients (I really look forward to this, as I get a chance to meet phenomenal women from various backgrounds) or interacting with them on social media, catching up with travellers etc. I also love to write or blog once in a while. English Literature was always the subject I wanted to study, but destiny had different plans for me.

Most importantly I get to spend quality time with family and friends and have a healthy social life too.

You have written for publications like Outlook Traveller, Hindustan Times and websites like Makemytrip.com. Tell us something about that.

I love writing and I love travelling. So, it is but natural that I would do some amount of travel writing, describing the sights and sounds of every new place I visit.

Not intending to make it sound like a 5 year government plan, but yet, where do you see yourself five years down the line?

I definitely plan to expand GOTG, so I can get every woman in this country to travel like never before. My work will only be truly fulfilling, when every woman irrespective of her economic background can travel. To me, travel is empowerment and liberating and every woman travelling on her own would be absolute empowerment in my opinion.

Last but not the least, what would be your advice to law students and dreamers?

A dream is something that does not let you sleep. If there is a burning desire in you to do something, you really must do it. It could be a change within the profession or stepping outside it. Irrespective, your legal knowledge will never go wasted. In fact it will really push you to put all the skills you have learnt in law school and your legal acumen to the very best to survive.

Law as subjects of study and as a profession are two very different genres and one must remember the difference. You may leave the profession of law (i.e. not work in a law firm, court, in house legal team etc), but you can never really get out of studying law as a subject. Irrespective of the profession you choose, there will always be contracts, legal bindings, tax laws, intellectual property rights etc that one has to be familiar with. Everyone with a legal background is privileged that we have a basic understanding of this discipline and that puts us in a more favourable position. So, in that sense remember ‘you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave’.
May 14, 2014
Arjya Majumdar an NUJS grad on his LLM at the Tulane Univ Law School, work as senior associate at 2 major law firms and teaching at JGLS

Arjya traces his life from his unlikely admission to NUJS, his internships throughout and his growth as a person during his LLM. He makes most interesting observations on the fundamental similarity between the work at a law firm and academia as making different sets of people aware of the law with certain differences that were small but are all that matter at the end of the day.

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

I’m assuming you know my name. For a full description of my education and work life, please refer to my linkedin profile. What won’t be mentioned there is that I love singing and I crack bad jokes. Really bad jokes.

In a nutshell, former corporate lawyer- now turned professor, aging hippie and slightly intolerable.

Why did you decide to study law? Tell us about your college life.

In many ways, this decision was made for me. I originally wanted to be a journalist. My mother came home one day with an application form to a completely unheard of NUJS. I decided to give it a shot, just for a lark. Didn’t study at all. Landed up at the exam centre half an hour late. Managed to clear it. That was when I realized that the people who administer the entrance test must think of my answers as worthwhile enough to teach me to be a lawyer. These people had been (presumably) teaching law for many years and therefore knew better than I did. I gave up on my journo dreams. The rest is history.

College life was mostly fun. For the first couple of years, I learnt about stuff I didn’t know existed (coming from a science background in 11-12, studying Rousseau and Hobbes was scary). Getting into a groove in my latter years, I managed to devise a personal pattern of attending classes, studying and fun and games which allowed me to get by with regard to CGPA. Like many others, I fell in love and out of love- the standard ups and downs. Had my share of substances that shall not be named and fights with people who will also not be named.

NUJS, now and then. How would you describe the change?

Major changes. As one of the first few batches, we were instrumental in our own successes and relied less on teachers. As a new national law university we had a point to prove to NLSIU and make ourselves known. We won international moots without any mentoring or help whatsoever. This kind of enterprising behaviour has, in my opinion, died out over the years.

On the flipside, I know it’s become tougher to survive. With more national law colleges, the competition, and not just for jobs, has become fiercer.

I do wonder though, whether NUJS is still as chilled out a place as I remember it to be. I have made friendships which will last for life. I do hope the same applies to present students of NUJS.

Not going to comment on the recent developments concerning the NUJS administration.

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

I did the standard NGO, trial court, appellate court and law firm internships. Mind you, it was one internship a year and not two or three as I see happening presently. Two internships stand out. One was with the WWF where (along with dear friend Sagnik Ghose) I visited fish markets in Calcutta to find out if turtles (a Bengali delicacy) were being sold. Trading in turtles is generally illegal. We managed to rescue one turtle from certain death and released it in Alipore zoo. We also managed to tip off the local police regarding these illicit activities.

The second internship was with Mulla and Mulla in Bombay. Mr. Shardul Thacker was most encouraging and allowed me to work on matters that would usually be given to first or second year associates. Of particular note was an opinion on software technology parks which gave me the inspiration for an article “Taxation in BPOs” published by ELT and later on, a book titled “Special Economic Zones: Policy and Procedure” published by CCH India.

Both of these internships inspired two very important aspects of my career- one, a love for the environment and two, a love for legal academic writing.

Right after graduating, you worked for three months in a law firm and then went for LLM. Why did you decide to go for higher studies?

Somewhere down the line at NUJS, I got interested in Maritime Law (possibly because my father was a sailor). I must have written about 4 or 5 projects in maritime law and did maritime law based internships (including at Mulla). I wanted to learn more about the subject. Hence the choice to opt for higher studies.

Tell us something about your LLM year at Tulane University Law School. How did this influence your career?

As a lawyer, it didn’t influence my career at all. At least not professionally. A degree in maritime law has no place in a corporate law firm where you’re working on M&A and Capital Markets.

But it did influence me in many other ways which I found to be invaluable in my career. A foreign degree forces you to stay in a foreign land, to understand and appreciate customs other than yours. I was staying in a town steeped in conservative American and black culture and the university had possibly 10 students from India. You learnt something new every day. As a result, I became more open minded, I gained an ability to walk up to and talk to complete strangers. More importantly, it broadened my horizons and sociability.

It was also tough. Having to fend for yourself in a foreign land (where you might be misunderstood) is not easy. That, plus working part time and studying was a novel experience at the time.

I’d say everyone should live (and not visit) abroad for a year. It gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you learn things about other countries (and more importantly, yourself)

Any memorable experience you would like to share?

I was working part time as a cashier at the university grocery store. A lady customer, upon noticing that I wasn’t white, black or hispanic, asked me if I was from India. When I affirmed her assumption, she asked me if we all rode elephants to work and had charmed snakes as pets.

I still don’t know if she was joking or was for real.

You worked as a senior associate at two major law firms. Tell us something about that.

It takes a while to learn the ropes. You need to be able to put in the long hours and the constant attention to detail. Your boss also plays a huge role in your life. How he/she allocates work and how much you can learn from him/her will decide your bonuses and career in the firm. I am and will forever be grateful to Mr. Som Mandal, a number of former partners at FML, and some present partners at D&D.

I also realized along the way, how important it is to create an image of excellence for yourself. Like the saying goes “Justice must not only be done, it must also appear to have been done”. This plays a huge role in law firm politics which I have unfortunately been witness to from time to time.

How is a typical day for a senior associate in a law firm?

Depending upon whether you have a deadline that day, life in a law firm varies on a daily basis. You work on your transaction, consult with your partner on a point on which you are stuck, read up on it, revise your document accordingly. If you have been diligent in your work, it should pass your partner’s review and the client should be happy. If not, you do get screamed at (not necessarily literally) and its back to the drawing board. All this is fairly par for the course.

Sometimes a client will come back and express his appreciation for your work or will come to you (and not the partner) for a new mandate. Somedays you get to scream at an investment banker or a merchant banker. Those are the days which are worth recalling with a smile.

Currently, you are teaching at Jindal Global Law School as Assistant Professor. Why this switch?

About two years into FML, I realized that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life drafting and negotiating on the same standard agreements, chasing after new clients for mandates and old clients for pending invoices. I knew I loved teaching (ask any of my former interns or colleagues) and had a flair for academic writing.

Unfortunately, academia in India doesn’t pay as much as a law firm. Given the vast sums of money transferred to my bank account at the end of every month, it was difficult to tear myself away from the comfortable lifestyle I had built. However, JGLS salaries are at par with law firm standards and when the opportunity came, I took a leap of faith.

Life of a law firm associate and a professor, what do you think are the major differences between the two?

There aren’t too many differences. As an associate, your job is to make your clients aware of the law. As a professor, your job is to make your students aware of the law. As an associate you are expected to research and provide answers to questions of law in the form of a legal opinion. The same applies to being a professor, where instead of an opinion, you publish a paper.

The only difference is that as a professor, you get to choose what turns you on intellectually. You choose what you want to research on and not what the client wants. You develop your own understanding of the research questions and are not expected to adhere to the understanding of your partner. And this makes all the difference in the world.

Please describe a typical work day of yours at JGLS.

Since classes haven’t started yet (it’s been less than a month that I’ve joined), much of my work is preparatory in nature. Preparing course modules and lists of possible research topics which my students will write projects on, consulting with the administration on university policies, studying for my own course (which I remember very little of) takes up most of my time.

A lot of time is also spent in researching on ongoing projects which will hopefully be published or presented sometime soon.

When classes start in August, I suppose a lot of time will be devoted to teaching, mentoring and guiding students and reading up on the next day’s class.

How would you compare the JGLS of today with the NUJS of your time?

I have seen NUJS during its fledgling years and am seeing JGLS during its early years now. I’d say the infrastructure at JGLS is far better than that at NUJS at the time. The faculty is younger, and therefore a lot more attuned to the needs of students (I feel that as students, we didn’t always connect with old, but very respected teachers such as Prof Menon, Prof Konar and Prof Banerjea).

As I mentioned before, the competition has gone up. I see JGLS students applying for and presenting papers at conferences and publishing papers. While all this has happened during my time at NUJS too, I think the need to stand out in the crowd has become even more imperative now.

One interesting difference I see is the student demographic. While at NUJS, you had a fair cross section of society in terms of economic class. At JGLS, that demographic is slightly skewed upwards, although you do have a large number of very deserving scholarship holders.

What’s your take on work- life balance?

Extremely important. You need to have the courage to refuse work if you think you have too much on your plate. Either that, or devise a way where you can work quickly without sacrificing accuracy. I have personally followed this through my years and it has ensured my sanity for many years. Singing at a rehearsal for a Broadway musical or an opera after a bad day allows you to get back to work the next day with a smile on your face.

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

Don’t take law school too seriously. CGPA and class ranks, like old friends and enemies, will be forgotten. Learning the law isn’t important, anyone can learn the law. What is important is that you learn how to learn the law. Other than that, chill (while you still can).

May 11, 2014
Teslin Augustine, NUJS grad on interning with MP Naveen Jindal, the LAMP fellowship & life in the public policy sector

Teslin an NUJS graduate tells us about her inspiration for joining law and her internship with Naveen Jindal which set her on the course for a career in public policy. She talks about the transition from law school to the real world and how best to have a work life balance.

How will you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Teslin. I graduated from NUJS in 2012, after which I did the Legislative Assistant to Member of Parliament fellowship offered by PRS Legislative Research in association with the Constitution Club of India. I am currently working as a policy consultant in a law firm in Delhi.

Why did you decide to study law? Tell us about your college life?

Perry Mason – the oh-so-cool defence attorney who was the star of a series of Erle Stanley Gardener books which I was addicted to as a child, is the single biggest reason why I decided to do law. Of course, I found more logical-sounding reasons when I had to justify my choice of profession to my family but the truth is that I found the long-winding arguments Mason hashed out in Court too hard to resist.

College made me the person I am today – and for those who don’t know me, I am a pretty awesome person (modesty is probably not one of my traits though). Jokes apart, I made some amazing friends, who gave me the confidence to not be apologetic about myself – my choices, my likes & my dislikes and most of all it gave me the NUJS tag which meant instant “smart-alert” for my future employers.

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

I did the usual run of the mill corporate internships. The only internship that was of any real significance was my 6-week stint at the office of Naveen Jindal, MP. I stumbled upon this internship purely by chance and it was the only internship where I felt like what I did mattered – that I wasn’t just another person helping rich corporations get richer.

We often hear that more lawyers are getting into “policy work”. What does this actually involve? What is it that policy lawyers do?

Courts take years, sometimes decades, to correct a legislative mistake. As a lawyer working in the realm of public policy (I wouldn’t call it “policy lawyer”) I do what I can to influence what a piece of law ultimately looks like – be it through making standing committee representations or educating the political class about lesser known concepts. I make sure that our legislators have all the information they should have to make intelligent policy choices which will ultimately decide the trajectory which our country will take. To put it simply, as a policy worker, I try to make sure that the Bill that ultimately becomes a law is in its best possible format.

What made you interested to get into this area of work?

Be prepared to roll your eyes, some naive ideology coming your way – I have always believed that at the end of 20 years if I can think of one thing that I did to make things better for this country then I will have deserved my place in this world. To me, policy seemed like the most direct way to make a difference. Even if I don’t make any direct changes, as long as I can keep the dialogues happening I have done my job well.

When did you start thinking of going into such an offbeat career? What precipitated this decision? How difficult was it for you to make an out of the box career choice?

I wanted to be happy about the work I did and that’s all that mattered to me. Sure, at the beginning, I was filled with uncertainties and always wondered if I was making a big mistake. But I soon shed all my uncertainties and insecurities about my choice of profession, when I realized I was one of the few people to have a smile on their face at the end of every day.

How did LAMP Fellowship happen? What are the criteria to apply? How did you go about your application process?

I first heard about the fellowship during my internship at Naveen Jindal and I had thought to myself at that time that no matter what happens I would definitely give this a shot. The LAMP fellowship is open to everyone who has an undergraduate degree, is below the age of 25 and is an Indian citizen. There is an online application form which asks for a statement of purpose along with your CV and some other details. Once you get shortlisted based on the SOP, there is a telephonic/skype or walk-in interview. The panel who interviews is made of ex-LAMP fellows, PRS analysts and usually a third party policy expert. There is no secret mantra to the interview or the application. The most important thing they try and ascertain during the interview is your reasons for applying and how passionate you are about policy-making. I think, if you truly care, your sincerity shines through.

How was your typical day over there? What kind of work were you involved in?

I spend most of my time preparing questions that my MP could raise in the House, helping him with his Standing Committee responsibilities, doing issue-based research for him, prepping him for debates, preparing special mentions, zero hour submissions and private member bills.

Is the pay enough to sustain your life in a megacity like Delhi, especially if you are not living with your parents?

I am a very middle-class person with very middle-class needs. That said, as a LAMP fellow I lived in a constant state of poverty, my current job as a consultant allows me to lead a comfortable life.

Currently you are involved in policy related work in a law firm. What kind of work do you have to do? How is it different from your previous work profile?

As a LAMP fellow my work was mostly parliamentary in nature. This means that I helped my MP raise questions in parliament, introduce private member bills, raise special mentions, zero hour submissions and prepared his speeches for parliamentary debates and media appearances. The work I am doing right now uses a lot of the experience and knowledge I have gained over the past year as a fellow. I advise clients on implications of laws and policies passed by the Government, how it is likely to affect them and how to make representations to the Government so as to have a regulatory system in place that is favourable to clients.

Would you throw some light on your current job profile? Is this an emerging area that law students should keep an eye on?

I currently work as a Policy consultant in a law firm. We are in the business of providing policy-based advice to corporate clients.

Any memorable career experience you would like to share?

The highpoint of my fellowship was when a private member Bill I had drafted was introduced in the Rajya Sabha and was discussed and debated upon for 7-8 hours. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing Parliamentarians discuss, argue for or against a clause that you have yourself drafted.

Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?

I eventually want to work with the Government and do policy making at the most basic level. I want to directly be responsible for what a policy document or a Bill looks like when it is introduced in the Parliament.

What would be your advice to people interested in policy work? How should they prepare themselves for a career in policy? What are the essential qualities one should cultivate?

As simple as it sounds, read the newspaper – to begin with. Policy work is a lot about being up-to-date with everything – be it the latest consultation paper that TRAI has released or the Orissa High Court’s judgement about mining. Know what is happening around you and take an interest to keep yourself updated. Do internships with a couple of policy organizations – Rakshak Foundation or Observer Research Foundation for example are excellent organizations to get an idea what policy work is all about. Talk to people who work with policy and leave behind all your fantasies

How difficult or easy is the transition from being a law student to a lawyer?

It is difficult. Your first job always feels like an internship. You keep waiting for it to get over and when it finally hits you that there is no getting over and that you have to do this every single day – pay rent, bills, buy groceries, fight with the maid, sit at the same desk everyday – it can get difficult. But once you accept that, life is good. It’s good to not be bound by any rules and finally be an adult, it’s good to be outside the constant scrutiny and judgment that is such an essential part of college life and do what you really want to.

What’s your take on work- life balance?

I know plenty of workaholics who are perfectly happy working all day everyday. Fortunately or unfortunately that is not me. I have to have the time to meet my friends, once in a while, come back home before the sun is up and go for a holiday once in a while. I will probably be “lagging behind” my peers who work day and night but I choose not to measure my success based just on my professional life – it is a success for me if I have the time to explore every nook and corner of Delhi, it is a success for me if I have been able to take a dance class outside work and it is a success for me if I have gorged down 5 kgs of meat in a pigging competition. It is upto every person to decide what they want from life and there are no set rules.

Last but not the least, what would be your advice to law students?

I completely understand the glitz and glamour of corporate law and if that is what you really want to do then good for you. But if it is not, then there is no point fooling yourself. There is only so much happiness and satisfaction money and things can give you – true happiness is in finding something that you are truly passionate about and in waking up in the morning and actually being happy about going to work – that’s what matters in the end. Have the confidence to explore and find out what you love doing – don’t settle for anything lesser.

May 10, 2014
Sneha Ashtikar a GLC Grad on LL.M from Sciences Po, Paris and internship at Gide Loyrette Nouel, Paris

Sneha talks about the unparalleled flexibility available at GLC with regard to pursuing internships. She explains how her knowledge of the French language coupled with the ease of obtaining a French scholarship and lower living costs makes higher studies in France an attractive option. She clarifies on the application procedure and common misconceptions about the contents of an LLM degree in France.

Tell us something about yourself.

My name is Sneha and I am pursuing my Master’s degree in Law from Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences-Po) in Paris. Previously, I studied law in Government Law College in Mumbai. Currently, I am on a gap year to gain practical work experience as an Intern in Gide Loyrette Nouel, Paris.

Though it’s one of the most cliché question, but yet, why law?

Let me give you a candid answer to that question. Since school, my interest in languages motivated me to participate in essay competitions, elocutions and most importantly – debates. Math and sciences were never my strong subjects. Hence, narrowing down my career choices was easier. My love of languages and debates naturally drew my interest towards law and here I am.

What about your LLB years? What did you guys do for fun?

I started studying in GLC in 2007, I must say I had lot of fun; I met some of my best friends there. For fun, we participated in lot of different college committees, moot courts, Model United Nations conferences, etc. We represented GLC in Harvard Model United Nations in Boston and that trip was the most memorable!

GLC is located in sort of hub of all the law firms giving students ample opportunity to do running internship, yet a lot of people complain about irregular classes and infrastructure. What do you think are pros and cons of GLC?

GLC has consistently produced excellent legal talent in the country. No other institution can claim to have such an impressive number of outstanding lawyers. Recently, in light of the development of legal education in past few years, students require an all-round CV to get past a challenging interview process at the law firms or to be able to cope with the competition at the bar.

GLC curriculum is unique in this respect and provides for an all round development of a lawyer. Students typically intern for 4-5 years almost on a full times bases prior to graduation. This is a huge advantage for GLC students as opposed to students from other law schools in the country wherein students do limited internships during the 5-year programme. Additionally, the moots, other extra-curricular activities and the freedom that GLC provides to its students is incomparable to other institutions.

That said, one major complaint that students have at GLC is its lack of infrastructure and resources. Relatively speaking, Shortage of good faculty is another concern at GLC. At the same time, it is also remarkable to see that we have students from other colleges coming to attend Professor Pithawalla’s lectures. I think GLC’s rich library is also one of the impressive assets to mention, our library has the original copy of the Indian Penal Code drafted by Lord Macaulay in the year 1886 and also many rare books, which cannot be found in any other library in India. GLC’s physical location is on one hand a huge advantage to its students while on the other hand there is no space to expand in the most sought after area of Churchgate, Mumbai.

What made you go for higher studies so early in your career?

Initially, my plan was to stay and gain experience for a few years, however, one of the deal breakers was to get admitted to a good law school and I managed to do it along with a scholarship. So, here I am, studying in Paris.

Paris is a dream to-go-to place for many people and you happen to be studying there. How does it feel like?

It feels amazing! I always dreamed of visiting Paris but I must say I never thought that I would end up studying here and walking by the Eiffel and the Louvre every day. Paris is undoubtedly one of the best international cities and it has so much to offer you on many different levels. On each and every corner of Paris, there is a special monument with a remarkable history attached to it. I feel privileged to be able to live in Paris and at the same time I have the advantage of visiting neighboring European countries any time I want as everything is within two hours by flight!

Why did you choose to study in Paris?

I chose Paris for my love of the language French. I started learning French at Alliance Française de Bombay when I was in the first year of GLC. French is such an elegant language and you start feeling glamorous even while learning it. I had several opportunities to meet eminent French personalities, participate in activities related to France or their language, I remember we had a treasure hunt competition in South Bombay in which all clues given to us were in French!

So basically, I fell in love with the language first and then I decided to even take my main career along with me to France.

How did Sciences Po Paris happen? What other colleges did you apply for?

I was contemplating between doing a JD in the US or something as different as Sciences-Po Paris. In my final year, I studied to give the LSAT, by the end of the application process; I was comparing my career options between doing a JD against a Master’s degree from Sciences-Po. Sciences-Po definitely sounded like an out of the box kind of an idea and at the same time, it also carries a strong reputation of famous schools alike such as Harvard or Oxford University. It has traditionally educated France’s political and diplomatic elites including the current President Mr. Hollande. I was completely amused by the idea of studying at an institution that carries a strong worldwide reputation for specializing in social sciences.

Did you get any scholarship to study there?

Yes, I was given the French Government’s scholarship. The French government is very welcoming of its foreign students and there are many institutional scholarships as well as one other government scholarship that gives priority to law students.

How long is the LLM course over there? How is it different from LLM in popular countries such as US and UK?

It is a crisscross two year program between LLB and LLM, it is called ‘Master in Economic Law’ with a specialization of your choice in second year. It enables you to study more subjects than in LLM offered in other countries and you can still pursue a specialization, which is normally offered by an LLM course. So I think it is a fantastic course and also fits the expectations of law graduates coming from India. You also have an opportunity of participating in famous moot court competitions such as Willem C. Vis and Jessup. Sciences-Po has an excellent faculty of full time professors as well as a prominent visiting faculty including professors from foreign law schools, several partners, and lawyers from international law firms and so on. At this point, I would also like to mention that all classes are offered English and based on Common law in comparison with the basics of French/Civil law. A common perception is that I am studying only civil law of France which is not too useful for common-law lawyers but I hope this clears the cloud. I personally find it extremely useful to get to know the basics of this civil law system, especially when Indian law firms are starting to have many European clients. You can also take an year off from the school and pursue two internships over the period of ten months or apply for exchange programs to law schools including NYU, Harvard University to study one semester there and then pursue one internship of five months. Even if you decide not to take the year off, during your second year, there is Columbia law school exchange program in which, you spend a semester at Columbia and return to Paris to finish the last semester. This course also makes you eligible to pass the French bar exam which is in French (if you work hard on your French, you can take it!)

Would you tell our readers about the application procedure and other requirements?

I would suggest sending in the application on day 1 of starting date. Sciences Po doesn’t have a particular early decision system like American law schools but since it is rolling application process, earlier the better. No prior knowledge of French language is expected from the applicant student, which is very comforting to those who do not speak French at all. You can start learning the language with your law classes. I had many students in my class who did not speak French at all so it is common.

Of course, knowing French language can prove useful because you live in a francophone country so for day to day life it is easier if you speak French but I also know of many people who get by without speaking any French. It really is up to the person if he/she wants to embrace a new language. I remember how thankful I was to be able to speak French when I called a French plumber and explained him the leakage problem in my apartment! If you love challenges, this course and this place are for you!

Most importantly this course isn’t as expensive as the LLM in US or UK. In fact, the tuition fee of an LLM in the US or the UK is equivalent to 2 years of fees and cost of living of the course that I am pursuing. Also, being one amongst the rare 3000 (approx.) Indian students in France gives you a good chance to score a scholarship.

How would you describe your typical day?

Since I am working now, I wake up early in the morning, have a shot of espresso like a true French national to start my day and by the end of the day have dinner, sometimes with a glass of one of those special French wines and some good jazz music to overcome the exhaustion! I share my apartment with a French lady so we discuss random things happening around (oh yes, in French). I really think you have to integrate yourself in the local culture so you don’t feel home sick; instead you end up making a new home for yourself.

You are interning with Gide Loyrette Nouel which is one of the leading international law firm. How is your experience there so far? How is it different from an Indian law firm? Is there any specific requirement for working in law firms over there?

My experience so far has been extremely positive, I feel absolutely incredible to have an opportunity to work with them. I speak French with most of the associates and partners and they absolutely appreciate it! The team that I work with is so diverse and you have an immense scope of learning literally every day. The clients are so international that at times, I have found myself looking up the Company laws of African countries. I also got to learn the practicality behind French corporate laws. It is an extraordinary experience for a common law lawyer. I noticed the firms here are very well organized and very particular about their filings, billing hours etc. In addition, big firms like Gide Loyrette Nouel have intense training and a welcome program for interns to help them integrate well into their working style.
There is no specific requirement as such to apply, they even give opportunities to freshers but being a student of Sciences-Po definitely helps you to compete with other law students applying from other universities such as Sorbonne.

The firm is also sending me to Beijing to work for the summer so I have a chance to gain professional experience in Asia. I am very excited to discover China!

What are your future plans?

I would love to work in an international law firm like Gide after graduation but it is not so easy since it is a very competitive market for lawyers in Paris. Hence, after the completion of my postgraduate studies, I will aim at finding an associate’s position. Hopefully my current work experience will help me achieve it.

What would be your advice to law students who plan to go for higher studies or want to get into academics?
Since we all are still facing the post-recession consequences, it is extremely important to be innovative in your career options. If you pursue a Phd in law, you could also become a professor afterwards and it will be good to have some fresh, young faces into academics.

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

I would say that use your time to your advantage. Manage your academic scores well and at the same time, make your portfolio colorful and convincing with a wide range of internships and work experience. Use every experience to learn about yourself and make a decision about the future based on the lessons you learn. In the end, own up to your decision. Never keep any regrets. The most important thing is to make sure you have fun no matter what you do. Last but not the least, learn a new foreign language!

May 10, 2014
Arman Sood on starting up E-Shack from Jindal Global Law School and being an entrepreneur

Arman shares his inspirations for creating a startup that sells bar and party accessories. He tells us about funding for the startup and the supportive college environment which made this endeavour possible. Being an entrepreneur he also tells us how he managed highs and lows.

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

My partner and I are both 4th Year Law Students at Jindal Global Law School. We are from Kolkata and Jalandhar respectively and met at Jindal itself. From then on we have been best friends, roommates and now even business partners. We love the work we’re doing, we love law school and are keen sports enthusiasts and like all of you out there we love watching Suits and Game of Thrones and are heavily into TV Shows and Movies.

Why did you decide to study law?

Both of us had very different reasons to study the law, Ashwajeet felt it would be great to know the law from a business perspective and always had the entrepreneurial passion in him, I on the other hand love public speaking and if I were to do law it would surely be litigation.

Tell us about your college life? What do you guys do for fun?

Haha, that’s a controversial question, lots of things, most of them not allowed on our residential campus. On campus we spend time with friends, play a lot of sports and right next to Jindal there are two theka’s called “Chowki” and “Beeswameel” which we frequent even if it is in the middle of the day to grab a beer and brainstorm.

How do you think Jindal Global Law School is different than other law schools? Do you think that being there sort of helped in conceiving E- Shack?

I think Jindal Global Law School is awesome much to the contrary opinion many of my peers from the National Law Schools might have. We are bunch of young hardworking kids who really want to make it big and the institution guarantees that exposure. I don’t know if the institution necessarily helped us in coming up with the idea but it has been both an advantage and disadvantage. The attendance requirement has been a problem for us because we keep travelling out to Delhi and Jalandhar for work and of course the odd days when we just don’t wake up for class. Our friends and professors have been great so that has been an advantage.

Coming to E- Shack, how did that happen?

I don’t remember exactly because we were hammered and in Bangkok, just kidding we used Beer Bongs and played Beer Pong at my father’s 50th Birthday and realized that there was a void in India as far this segment was concerned. We came back skipped our internships and launched eShack after 4 months of hard work.

Why the name “E- Shack”?

It was a rather difficult decision. We asked people for help and suggestions and wanted to make it interactive. Finally we chose eShack even though it was Bar and Party Accessories it because it was broad enough to expand to other verticals which we have done now. We have launched a line of T-Shirts and want to expand to other verticals, which we can under this name.

A roller coaster ride or a pleasant journey in woods, what describes your journey so far in a better way?

A fine line between the two, there are days where we on a roller coaster and there are days we just sit back and relax enjoying the fruit of our labour.

Managing classes, projects etc. etc. and running a business. How do you guys manage that without having a clone?

As I said earlier our friends and professors have been extremely kind and supportive. We make plans, schedules and execute them well in advance. As partners we have an understanding of who does what, when and how and that makes it easy to balance everything. Since we say on campus most of the time we have two trusted employees who run the warehouse and extremely supportive courier agency that makes sure things are in flow while we aren’t around.

How is a typical day like for you guys?

A typical workday would be extremely hectic. We have to attend our classes and maintain a 75% attendance as well as do projects, take surprise tests and examinations and manage our law school studies, which are getting tougher by the year. In between classes we make calls, dispatch products, handle the warehouse. Post classes we handle invoices, marketing, PR and taxes and late in the evening we satisfy customer queries and plan the strategies for the next day and week. Since we divide our work well and meet timelines we are able to stay afloat. We usually brain storm late into the night so the only thing we really lose out on is sleep.

Initial investment is a big issue for any start- up, how did you guys manage that? Are you guys bootstrapping?

We weren’t born with a silver spoon in our mouths but we had it a little easier than most entrepreneurs. Our start up funding came from our parents. It’s not like we asked them and they said here you go, it was a fun process. We pitched our ideas to them, heard their criticisms, revised our plans and went back with projections and made them believe in the idea and us more than we even did before taking the funding. After that we have been bootstrapping and haven’t taken a penny more.

Every business has a target market, how would you define the ambit of E- Shack’s market? Do you think students form a major market segment for E- Shack?

With our product range we have been able to cater to varied preferences and tastes. Even though we showcase only 14 products we have manage to have a little something for beer lovers as well as tequila and vodka aficionados. Also some of our products such as beer bongs and beer helmets cater to the younger generation and crowd whereas whiskey stones and alcohol dispensers have found a slightly older clientele thus covering a wide audience.

How has been the profit/loss ratio of E- Shack so far?

I won’t answer that because I don’t think a figure can define either the work we’ve put in or the results till now or what we can achieve. We’re happy where we are and have a long way to go.

Not intending to make it sound like a 5 year government plan, but yet, where do you guys see yourself five years down the line?

Retired!

Last but not the least, what would be your advice to your fellow students and dreamers?

There is no right time to start up. It’s a gut feeling an instinct that tells you to take the plunge and when you feel that its best to jump right in. Even if things don’t go your way remember that as an entrepreneur one needs to adapt and innovate and things do always fall into place. Do things the right way, always and it will get you farthest. There are no short cuts in life.

May 9, 2014
Esha Shekhar on being a legal correspondent for Bloomberg TV & moving back to the world of corporate law

Esha graduated from WBNUJS, Kolkata in 2012, instead of applying for mainstream corporate jobs, or pursuing a career in litigation, she applied for jobs in the legal journalism. She worked at Bloomberg as an anchor for quite a span of time, and is currently an associate at Dua Associates. Let’s talk with her about her experience in the legal journalism sector.

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

An apt introduction would be law student turned journalist turned advocate.

Please tell us something about your college life. Why did you want to study law?

I was preparing for medical entrances, but a lack of interest in science made me give that up. I saw the law school entrance question papers and an aptitude based test seemed like an interesting option 🙂 Law is very logical, and that was the first thing which drew me towards it.

I graduated from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. The five years spent in NUJS and Kolkata was truly an experience. Apart from academics, which of course is the staple of any college life, a good circle of friends, and gaining the independence to do what I wanted to do is what I give the college credit for.

When you were in college, what were your thoughts on career? What kind of internships did you do?

When I first came to college, becoming a corporate lawyer was the thing everyone aspired for, and naturally, I believed in the same. Gradually, I started questioning whethercorporate law was what I wanted to do. The bad thing was I had very little idea about the other options I had. The good thing was lot of seniors from NUJS, even current students had started exploring new career options, which took off some pressure from me.

My internships were varied. It was a conscious decision to work with as many diverse organizations as I could manage, to gain perspective on my career options. I interned with Down to Earth magazine (the flagship bi monthly magazine by Centre of Science and Environment) where I wrote for them for two months, litigating lawyers, a multinational company, Jharkhand State Electricity Board (to gain some experience with a government body), a boutique IP firm and of course the customary top corporate law firms.

You worked with Bloomberg TV India after graduation. Don’t you think this is an unusual career choice for a law graduate?

I would say it is not the usual career choice for a graduate from a five year law school. Legal journalism is an option many students from 3 year law colleges, especially CLC opt for. A major chunk of journalists who report from Supreme Court and High Courts are law graduates since they are supposed to be equipped to understand the legal jargons and give a clear understanding of what the Court said in a particular matter. Also, a court accredited journalist needs to have a law degree. So it is not an unusual choice per se. I was interested in journalism from the beginning because of my interest in writing. I worked with and ran the in house NUJS magazine, Writer’s Block for some time. Working with Down to Earth magazine gave me an understanding of print media. But yes, working with a TV channel was entirely a different ball game altogether.

What motivated or encouraged you to join Bloomberg? Was this a campus placement? Did you consider other media companies at that time?

Bloomberg was a classic case of being at the right place at the right time. When I didn’t get through the top law firms’ interviews, I was very dejected initially, but a bit of thinking made me realize that it was more because of peer pressure rather than the actual loss of a coveted job. I stopped applying for such jobs, started applying to print media houses and I was getting favourable replies from some of them. However, I didn’t know that TV channels were an option.

Bloomberg was not a campus placement. I happened to be in Delhi at the time when a college professor sent a batch mail saying his friend was working with a business news channel, who were looking for law graduates to work for a new legal show. I applied, got a call for interview and was really skeptical about it. But it was the first interview where I actually meant whatever I said, vastly in contrast with my other numerous ‘lost attention in 5 minutes’ law firm interviews. That was something which encouraged me to join Bloomberg.

What were your primary responsibilities in Bloomberg?

My responsibilities were two fold – daily news reporting and working for the weekly legal show. As a legal correspondent of a business news channel, my responsibility was to report all the corporate related legal news from the courts. Since I was the only person assigned to the legal beat, I ended up covering corporate legal news coming from all courts in Delhi. This includes Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, District Courts, Company Law Board, Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, Competition Commission of India, National Green Tribunal, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal among others. So a major part of my job was to be in Courts from 10 to 4, report the news, talk to various lawyers and figure out their next step of action in all such high profile matters.

You worked on their show The Courtroom. What did you do for the show?

The Courtroom was launched last June, when I joined. The entire idea behind it was to make a half hour news show of important corporate legal news of the week. We at Bloomberg discussed how there were so many important legal stories/judgments coming from the courts, specially High Courts which either didn’t get noticed, or were given a ‘five line space’ in newspapers. The judgments had a much bigger impact if analysed properly.

My job was to identify such judgments/ stories which had a bigger impact, and provide an analysis of the same explaining the larger picture. This involved writing the script for the segments, talking to lawyers and taking their opinion and putting up a segment together for the show.

You were involved with content analysis and editing of the show, The Courtroom. What does that exactly mean?

The format of the half hour show was top legal news headlines followed by three short segments on analysis of the top judgments of the week. Content analysis involved brainstorming about the headlines, and the content of the three short segments. Identification of the story/judgment is just the first step. Writing the script was the toughest bit. The script was for a layman’s understanding, so I had to forget being a lawyer, and focus on explaining legal jargons in the simplest way possible, without losing the essence of the story. It was initially very difficult, but my boss, who is the Associate Editor in Bloomberg was a good teacher who taught me how to do the scripting.

So the script for one segment was ready on paper. Two or three lawyers’ opinion was taken on record to give an expert insight. To make it a seamless story for TV viewership, editing came in. I worked along with the editing team. I would record some part of my script (Voice over),figure out the videos which would come along with voice over, edit/shorten the comments of the lawyers (bytes), put it in place, record a small bit where I would conclude the analysis (reporter’s link) and place it all together to make one segment of the show.

How is the place to work at? Were there other lawyers?

It is a great place to work at. I really enjoyed my work experience there. The USP of the place was that being a young news channel, it gave a lot of space to its reporters to identify their beat (the area which they would cover), build their contacts and identify a story. There is intense pressure on the reporters in other news channels, specially other business news channels to break one news story every day. That was not there in Bloomberg, and they pay a lot of attention on the news content. One thing which I learnt was that breaking the news was not priority, breaking the correct news was. So if I heard something in court which I knew was important but was not sure of, even though every other reporter was rushing to report the same, I was taught to get a confirmation before I reported on the story.

No there were no other lawyers. I was the only lawyer reporting legal news among the business news channels.

What was the work environment like?

The Delhi Bureau of Bloomberg TV India has around 8- 9 reporters. The news content is policy based because of Delhi being the centre of power. I learnt a lot about policy because the news reported from Delhi were mainly from Finance, Aviation, Telecom, Commerce, Coal Ministries among others. Being a part of the newsroom is interesting, as it is not only about a reporter’s knowledge but how he/she handles the pressure of getting confirmation about an important news from a source, verifying it, putting on make up to appear presentable onscreen and then reporting the news live as calmly as possible. It’s about knowing your topic well, in case the teleprompter stops working. Bloomberg’s work environment is good. There is constant pressure to report news, but the bosses didn’t make life hell for losing out on a story, and that’s saying a lot for a news channel.

Young professionals almost inevitably hit rough patches in the career. How do you think they should handle such situations?

I think it’s all about understanding what would work for you. A lot of us end up looking at a situation from another person’s view point, rather than looking it from one’s own. What would work for your friend may not work for you. It may sound straight from a self help book but it helped when I was going through a lot of stress with my law firm interview rejections – keep faith in yourself.

Also, I think one should not postpone something they want to do for later. In college, my plan was to work with a law firm for a year and then try my hand at journalism. Exactly the opposite happened, and in retrospect it was better that way, andnowI am much more confident about my decisions.

You recently shifted and started working for Dua Associates. What made you change jobs?

Yes, I shifted recently to the litigation team in Dua Associates. After college, I knew I didn’t want to quit law altogether, but I also knew that I did not want to be on the corporate side. In law school, litigation is seen to be pursued by someone who has a lawyer in the family, or as a poor cousin of the corporate side. But in reality, it’s a much more satisfying experience for a lawyer. When I started reporting for Bloomberg, I was in courts from 10- 4 everyday, and it was fascinating. I interacted with many lawyers, including senior advocates across all courts because of my work and that made me learn a lot how litigation works- in both good and bad ways. I covered many high profile court proceedings, including SEBI- Sahara dispute, Presidential Reference (of 2G spectrum issue), Uninor dispute, Bellary mining, Novartis patent dispute in Supreme Court. Hearing the senior advocates argue the matters was quite exciting. One prominent lawyer told me that even if there are hundreds of adjournments you face, one chance to argue a matter in court is worth the hassle.

How does working at Dua Associates compare with Bloomberg TV India?

They are different in a lot of ways. There was a constant pressure in Bloomberg to report news/break news or constantly be in touch with lawyers to get information. Plus there was the additional pressure of brainstorming for each episode of the show every week. Dua is more relaxed that way. I don’t get to see all the high profile litigation matters in court. But now the pressure and priority is about either researching or reading for drafting petitions, applications, and written submissions for the matters you are handling or preparing for filing the same in court. It seems like I am back in college, except that I am studying much more than I did there 🙂

The working environment of a legal firm must be different than working with network television. What does it take to make a shift like that?

For me, it was not much about the shift, as it was about figuring out what would work for me. I trained to become a lawyer, and I knew I wanted to be one. Litigation is what I have realised would work for me for now. The experience with network television made me get out of my comfort zone, and experience something which was very new. I have become more confident in my interactions with people, and once you start doing live news, everything seems easy in comparison. Bloomberg experience helped me get familiarized with courts, court jargons, proceedings etc. I could make a more informed decision about my current job. So if you are working somewhere, and get a new opportunity, you need to make weigh the pros/cons and understand what kind of learning curve you’ll get.

Lastly, where do you see yourself in the future, in say another 5 years? Any chance that you may get back to journalism?

I will be litigating hopefully. I don’t see myself getting back into journalism per se, but I plan to start writing for newspapers or magazines soon. As much fun as my TV stint was, with the thrill of appearing on TV and talking to the camera, I don’t see myself returning to news channels as a journalist.

May 9, 2014
Anumita Sarkar on litigation in income tax and being an associate at Lexplosion

Anumita is currently Legal Associate – Tax compliance, Regulatory Research & Risk Management at Lexplosion. Let’s talk to her about being fluent in tax and her career trajectory.

Hello Anumita! First of all, we’d like to thank you for agreeing to talk to us. Most of our subscribers hail from law schools in India and abroad. How will you introduce yourself to them?

I am a lawyer, expertise in the area of Income Tax Litigation.

You graduated from Miranda House, University of Delhi with B.A. (Hons) in Sociology and then went on to get a post-graduate diploma in Mass Communication from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi simultaneously managing to completean LL.B. from Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi. That’s like a lot of studying! Tell us about your experiences at each of these places.

Studying in Miranda House was a dream-come-true. Those 3 years were simply unforgettable, more so because I was a resident of Miranda House Hostel. After completing my grads, I successfully cracked two entrances (M.A. Sociology at JNU and Delhi University Law Faculty). Although, it was a tough call, but my ambition was always to join the league of legal professionals. Hence, CLC, DU.

I have always been very energetic and firmly believe in multi-tasking. My very good friend in college inspired me to pursue Mass Communication from BVB, New Delhi. She is an Assistant producer now with CNN-IBN. Pursuing law and journalism required lot of studying, but it was worth it! I successfully completed my LL.B. and journalism and felt confident with both the degrees. I was into dual profession (practicing as a lawyer as well as a content/ copy writer with a travel agency). I was never afraid to venture out new career opportunities.

Okay, coming to the very clichéd question- Why Law?

The subject Law always fascinated me extensively. As I grew up, I realized that law is something which intrigued me deeply. The constitutional changes, legal developments in law brought in the society, etc. It was all over the newspaper daily. I was a voracious reader of various types of magazines and editorials in newspaper (The Hindu). I realized that, I am at my best when I’m challenged and nothing could convince me, until it satisfied me with logic and reasons. Law is something where I relish the opportunity of lateral thinking. There’s nothing better than learning from the supreme master, as in the case of Eklavya!

You took up a course on Intellectual Property from World Intellectual Property Organization. How was the experience?

It was a fairly good experience. The course covers all the general IP concepts. One can study and read the modules at one’s own pace and time.

I’m sure you were a brilliant student – it won’t be out of place to mention that you have numerous publications and internships! How was the practical aspect of law?

Internship as a law student and an experience as an Advocate are completely different. My main area of practice was Income Tax Law. I practiced for 3 years before various statutory authorities and income tax appellate tribunal in Kolkata. I have handled independently several types of income tax appeal cases and I feel good to share that I have successfully disposed off many cases (reported judgments). My publications are about my experience in tax litigation. My publications are my in-depth legal research in the study of income tax law and practice.

In India, despite all the hue and cry about female equality, there are numerous families that don’t support female education. How supportive has your family been?

My parents have been extremely encouraging and ambitious with me and my sisters. My elder sister is a Doctorate from J.N.U and an Assistant professor in Miranda House, Delhi University and my younger sister is a fresh law graduate from N.U.J.S., now pursuing her Judicial Clerkship under a Supreme Court Judge. We have been raised with the best of education and I am proud that my parents are encouraging and extremely supportive. They are liberal and forward looking. They feel proud in our every little success.

You’ve worked as a content writer for a holiday tour company, as a practicing lawyer, and are currently working as a legal associate at Lexplosion Solutions Private Limited. How has the whole journey been like? What were the major hurdles that you faced in your journey so far?

The legal profession is very challenging and full of struggle, especially when one does not have a god father to support. My interest for litigation put me into professional struggle after passing out from law school. But I was confident that I would succeed in anything that I loved to do. At this time my dad, once being the officer in the Revenue Department, supported and encouraged me to specialize in one of the areas of law. It was not a very difficult decision; Tax was in my blood and it was one of my subject interests of study. I joined a Chartered Accountant firm and I started tax litigation in full swing. Here my competition/ colleagues were mostly Chartered Accountants. Hailing from a non-accountancy background, I initially suffered a low confidence and found it extremely difficult in understanding the jugglery of accounts in income tax practice, especially at the times of scrutiny assessments. But with the help of my boss (F.C.A.) and supportive colleagues/ accountants, tax practice gradually turned out to be smooth. I researched more and more and with the help of itatonline.org and taxmann, I always kept myself updated with the latest changes in income tax law/ litigation. The only thing I did continuously for 3 years was tax litigation and I loved it and I was good at it.

Lexplosion happened by chance. I felt it was the time for me to explore something more challenging and diversified. I grasped the opportunity to work for Lexplosion, the moment I got selected. Lexplosion Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a statutory compliance management firm providing compliance solutions to various corporate sectors. My areas of work comprises of providing tax/fiscal compliance solutions to the corporate clients.

You don’t only have a lot of degrees and work hard- in addition, you blog and also volunteer for causes like teaching under privileged children, helping needy children, raising funds for a cancer research institute! You truly are an inspiration to many of us. Tell us something about your volunteering experiences.

I have been volunteering since I was in school. I was very active when it came to support a social cause, hence I volunteered as a fund raiser for Help Care Society and Cancer Center Welfare home and research institute. While pursuing graduation from Miranda House, I was an active member of MH NSS society. I volunteered as a teacher and taught the under-privileged students.

In addition, you have completed a 4 year course in Art from Sarbabharatiya Sangeet, recognized by the West Bengal State Academy of Dance Drama, Music and Fine Art. Do you still pursue your hobbies and interests? How do you manage your time?

No, I don’t pursue Art anymore. I regret that I couldn’t complete my diploma in Art. Study took away most of the time. Now, my interest is to blog and providing solutions to the readers as and when I receive any query in my mailbox.

Finally, what would you like to say to our law school students and graduates? Your words will surely inspire to be not just a good lawyer, but a good human being as well.

Best motivation is self-motivation. Always follow your head and never give up the struggle in the profession. You never know what’s knocking at your door.

May 8, 2014