Super Lawyer

Tag: Corporate

  • In Conversation with: Jenna Krishnan, Founder at The Daily Lawyer Podcast, Lawyer, Speaker, Podcast Host, Legal Trainer and Content Creator

    In Conversation with: Jenna Krishnan, Founder at The Daily Lawyer Podcast, Lawyer, Speaker, Podcast Host, Legal Trainer and Content Creator

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    Tell us about yourself-what motivated you to choose law as a career path.

    Hi everyone! I’m Jenna Krishnan, a lawyer and now, also a Founder of The Daily Lawyer – a platform to educate and empower people through relevant legal knowledge, that can protect them from the thunderstorms of business and life…so that when rainy day hits, one at least knows what to do next, how to respond, whom to contact etc.

    Honestly, I stumbled into law by the process of elimination. I had a strong academic background, so, as was natural at the time, I pursued science after my tenth standard.

    While evaluating options for undergraduate studies, my father suggested that we make a chart of my strengths and weaknesses and, based thereon, decide on the stream I should choose. So, we conducted that exercise and were left with three options – medicine, law and journalism.

    I thought journalism wouldn’t pay as much, so that was crossed off the list; I was keen to do medicine, but hesitant to study till I’m 29, and if I chose to study abroad, would have to redo my studies all over again; And therefore, was left with law.

    My mother had only one condition – I could study anything I wanted, so long as I didn’t move out of Bombay. So that closed the doors to any of the national law schools for me, because at the time, there were no national law schools in Bombay. That is how I ended up at Government Law College (GLC), which is the oldest, and among the most prestigious law institutions in the country.

    We notice that you have shown real interest in arbitration through your career. Could you share your experience with any case that spurred an interest in the field of arbitration for you, and which shaped your career?

    My first internship in law school was with [Retired] Hon’ble Mr. Justice B N Srikrishna, a celebrated Supreme Court judge. At the time, he was acting as an arbitrator in many matters, and as his intern, I was required to attend some of the arbitrations and help in arranging the documentation, conduct legal research and so on.

    This was my first taste of arbitration, and I was fascinated at its apparent procedural ease, the control it vests in the hands of parties and just the private nature of the entire proceeding (the fact that we could munch on biscuits and coffee during the proceeding didn’t hurt either!)

    I then got the opportunity to be on the ‘inside’ of arbitration, when, as a first-year associate, I was on the team that represented MSEB (Maharashtra State Electricity Board) in an extensive arbitration against another conglomerate. This gave me both hands-on experience and a practical understanding of how arbitration works in real time.

    I further solidified both my interest and my academic understanding of arbitration law during my masters (LLM) from Columbia Law School, New York, where I had the opportunity of studying under and being a ‘Research Assistant’ to Prof. George Bermann, one of the leading minds in international arbitration.

    Since you have been both a law firm associate and an in-house counsel, what differences can one notice while working in a typical law firm v/s as an in-house counsel?

    From my experience – as a law firm associate, we tend to look at any matter primarily from the perspective of the law and apply the law to the facts. We don’t typically factor in the perspective of any of the other stakeholders or the business.

    Whereas as a legal counsel, one must judge a matter not just from a legal angle, but also factor in the needs and impact on the business, on other stakeholders – be it the Board or the shareholders, or even other vendors who may be impacted by any decision or delay.

    As lawyers, we are trained to assess and mitigate risks. So, a Legal Counsel also acts as a strategic advisor to management, advising on various business decisions or initiatives, from a risk mitigation perspective. So as a Legal Counsel, one dons multiple hats and not just a lawyer hat. This is a big shift from being a law firm associate.

    As a litigation lawyer, what are some of the challenges one must face in the beginning of his/her career in the legal profession?

    Well, from my experience, there are two main challenges that one may face at the beginning, as a litigation lawyer –

    1. One is the pay disparity – typically, litigation juniors make lesser than their corporate law counterparts. There may be exceptions today, but this was at least the way things were when we started out.
    2. Second is the rigour that litigation demands. Unless you experience it yourself, it is easy to underestimate the rigour required in litigation practice. In litigation, everyday is a new day. You may have sudden surprises, very narrow deadlines, long wait times in courts, frustrations because of some procedural or bureaucratic red tapes that impede the progress of your matter and so on.  Litigation demands patience, a relentless commitment to work, and a keen willingness to keep learning and growing.

    Regardless, I believe that every law graduate must have litigation experience before branching out into whichever field of law they choose. It is the test of everything that you write in a contract, it will show you (if you choose to see it) the ground reality of the country and will give you an exposure and understanding that no amount of reading can give.

    Through my conversations with various lawyers on The Daily Lawyer Podcast, I can say with some confidence that a lot of lawyers I know echo is view!

    What were the activities, curricular and extra-curricular, that you undertook during your law school days which helped to shape your career? / What kind of internships did you undertake during your law school?

    I was fortunate to read law at GLC, which has unique advantages when it comes to extra-curricular activities and internships.

    When it comes to internships – GLC has a tremendous locational advantage – it is literally a five-minute walk from the Bombay High Court, and the City Civil/Sessions court. Many other Tribunals are also close by, or within easy travelling distance. Plus, GLC has a rich alumnus, many of whom have offices in the near vicinity of the college.

    This ecosystem makes it very conducive for a GLC student to attend classes and simultaneously pursue an internship, all around the year. Ditto for extracurricular activities – the GLC ecosystem encourages one to pursue a number of extra and co-curricular activities.

    So given this veritable bouquet of activities I could choose from, I chose to be in the Magazine Committee, in the Legal Aid and the Placement Committee. We were also among the lucky ones who were present to cover (as part of the Magazine Committee) and celebrate GLC’s 150th year of existence.

    As for internships, I pursued one with [Retd.] Hon’ble Mr. Justice B N Srikrishna, as I already mentioned before.

    Congratulations on starting your own Podcast, “The Daily Lawyer Podcast”, kindly briefly elaborate on this shift and how challenging it has been for you lately?

    Thank you!

    To be honest, unlike my entry into law, my entry into the podcast world was something I keenly desired. I am a huge consumer of podcasts, and have been, even when they were not very popular in India.

    My experience as a litigator, a legal counsel, and a litigant afforded a rounded view of the legal system, not just in India but globally. One striking feature was that people in general were woefully under informed about their rights or concessions.

    They also had a very negative view about lawyers and would come to lawyers only when something went wrong. It pained me to see people suffer drastic consequences in business and life, simply because they did not take well-informed decisions. This is what birthed the idea of The Daily Lawyer – a place where legal information can be given, in an easily comprehensible manner, to enable people make better decisions and mitigate risks in their business and life.

    Of course, it took me a long time to go from idea to execution, mainly because I was terrified of leaving the comfort & certainty of my Legal Counsel job. Luckily, Covid hit, and it showed me that if we could all survive that, then we can survive anything! With that in mind, I quit my job in March 2022, and took the plunge into founding the Daily Lawyer. As part of the platform, I launched the Daily Lawyer podcast (available on Apple, Google podcasts and on Spotify). The video versions of the podcast are also available on the Daily Lawyer YouTube channel, for all those who are interested! I’m happy to say that since it’s launch in June 2022, TDL podcast is now ranked among the top 100 podcasts in the world for Education!

    As for challenges – I would say that my biggest challenge is synthesizing the information in small but easily digestible format and adapting it to what the ‘algorithm gods’ would approve

    (!) The second challenge is of course to get my word out there, garner and nurture a following towards really changing the way people think of lawyers and the law. The connotation around lawyers today is fairly negative connotation, thanks to the general media and movie portrayal of lawyers over the years. My aim is to show people that we are here to help, to assess your risk and create an umbrella for you, so that if there is rain, you will be protected in some way.

    As content curation takes a lot of research navigating around social media, how do you manage this and what sort of preparations one must do for this?

    It is a LOT of work! I would be the first to admit that I completely underestimated the amount of work involved in content creation. Especially when we are speaking of legal information, a great deal of research is involved to get one topic ready.

    Although I am still refining my process and am far from set in it, here is what I typically do – I broadly plan content for a month in advance, undertake my research on each of the topics serially, write out the points, cross-check with current case-laws to see if there is any conflict, then refine my notes, pruning it down to what is relevant to be communicated.

    Once I have my notes ready, I think of the way it should be communicated, either through a video or a post and then proceed to action on that accordingly. Truly, I am working more hours today than I worked in my Legal Counsel job, and that is saying something (!), because that role was a comprehensive, global role as well.

    Lastly, any tips for our young legal commanders?

    Yes. First, congratulations for choosing law as your career. I truly believe that it is extremely flexible and allows for a plethora of career options. Most importantly, a career in law offers a real opportunity to create impact in the world and, like my friend & batchmate Mohini Priya said in her interview, and on the Daily Lawyer podcast, ‘be a voice for the voiceless’.

    My tips to young lawyers would be –

    1. Keep learning! Remember – In the legal field, your success is dependent upon YOU. So, the more skilled you are, the more knowledgeable you are, the more you can apply that knowledge to find effective solutions for your clients, the more successful you will be.
    2. Work hard – Do NOT shy away from working hard. I see this new trend among the young graduates today – they want the glamour & success but are not willing to put in the work. The work is not glamourous – it is monotonous, tedious, and sometimes downright frustrating. But each of that is a building block to your success – the more you know, the more you can apply, the better you will be.
    3. Be professional – Be punctual, make firm commitments and stick to them relentlessly. Do NOT ignore deadlines, be polite and friendly during any interaction with clients, seniors, co-workers, staff etc. and stick to your side of the table. This simple discipline – of valuing both yours and others time, in every way, will reap huge rewards and will strongly aid to your positive reputation.

    Get in touch with Jenna Krishnan-

  • In Conversation with- Sandeep Bhalothia, Head, Legal Affairs Section (Legal, Regulatory, Risk, Compliance & Contracts) at Augmented Era and Partner at Node.Law

    In Conversation with- Sandeep Bhalothia, Head, Legal Affairs Section (Legal, Regulatory, Risk, Compliance & Contracts) at Augmented Era and Partner at Node.Law

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    What is your current role? How exciting is it for you? How do you describe your legal career?

    Let me begin by appreciating the work that SuperLawyer has been doing for the past few years. I used to read the interviews on SuperLawyer when I was in law school, and it gave me immense inspiration, hope and guidance.

    I started as a Legal Manager and sole legal counsel of Augmented Era when it was a start-up. Now, I am Head of Legal Affairs, and the group does more than 100 million USD (B2B) with several business verticals like apparel manufacturing, software development, financial education platform, events and marketing.

    I have seen my role and the company grow significantly over the past three years, with now presence in more than ten jurisdictions.

    This role will always have a significant impact on my career, irrespective of where I work in future, as it has exposed me to high stake deals, cross-border negotiations, emerging technology transactions etc.

    I also had the opportunity to lead the regulatory hearing in 4 jurisdictions which ultimately resulted in administrative closure – a rare opportunity for young lawyers.

    Having said that, the role came with its unique challenges. I was new in UAE and graduated just one year ago from law school.

    When I was offered this role in 2019 after cracking the last interview round, I started having a second thought. I thought that I might be biting off more than I could chew! We all occasionally have self-doubts. But as William Shakespeare once said, “Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.” So, I went ahead with the opportunity, and it turned out to be the best decision of my career.

    Now I primarily work on technology, data protection and regulatory compliance issues, which I thoroughly enjoy.

    What struggles one has to be prepared for when practicing as a legal professional in the UAE? How can networking help in both corporate and litigation areas?

    It is not easy to provide a comprehensive answer to this question. The struggles an individual would face in UAE will vary depending on their past work experience, from which jurisdiction they graduated, what was their practice area, and whether they have a bar registration in India and other jurisdictions like the UK, USA, Canada etc., or not.

    The ability to draft and speak in Arabic, a law degree from the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, or some other prominent common law jurisdictions and a bar registration in those jurisdictions can ease your life when looking for a legal role in UAE. However, these requirements are not mandatory for all roles. I do not have any of these and am doing fine.

    Finding a corporate lawyer role in the UAE is easier than finding a litigation lawyer. UAE’s legal system is unique, and the court hearing before local courts are in Arabic with some exceptions like ADGM and DIFC, and that would be one of the biggest hurdles for someone who wants to be a litigation lawyer in UAE.

    Nevertheless, I don’t see any challenge in UAE that cannot be tackled for someone who wants to practice commercial and corporate law, whether in local law firms or in an in-house role. Every year I see dozens of lawyers in my network moving from India to UAE.

    Those who can break into this jurisdiction from India highly rely on transferable skills like contract drafting, regulatory compliance, outstanding legal research capabilities and networking.

    Networking, to some extent, is like preparing for war. You might not see the immediate benefit of it, but all the hard work and time invested in networking will ultimately be helpful when you plan to make that shift to a foreign jurisdiction. Networking takes time, so I would recommend that the readers start early.

    You were great in academics and was awarded with the Distinguished Alumni Award on graduation What impelled you towards your goal?

    I would disagree!

    I was never great at academics, or at least l do not believe so. I used to be above average and would score high in some subjects that sparked my curiosity. However, I never prioritised academics over other meaningful exposures.

    The Distinguished Alumni award was given to me not because I was great at academics. The selection committee’s decision was based on overall exposure to various activities.

    I participated in debates, negotiation and mediation competitions, client counselling competitions, publications, a variety of internships, semester exchange (Tsinghua University), was briefly active in sports, etc. I was doing everything that I can get my hands on while ensuring that I don’t blow a hole in my academics.

    I enjoyed all these different experiences that Jindal Global Law School provided rather than just “going through” law school. And I guess that is the reason why I received that award.

    How do you see the role of Virtual General Counsel emerging in coming years and what roles and responsibilities do they play?

    During the recent pandemic, we have seen that legal departments around the world have become more cost-conscious.

    Even big companies have started giving serious attention to outside counsel expenditures, and recent economic headwinds have further pressured the in-house legal department to cut costs.

    It is still manageable for MNCs, but it gets further difficult for start-ups or smaller organisations to get the best legal advice for their fast-growing operations. And that is where Virtual General Counsel come in. It is a relatively new concept, but we can see many tech companies and start-ups accepting this model.

    Virtual General Counsel is a lawyer who usually works full-time for a law firm or is an independent practitioner and is hired by a company to act as their General Counsel, but the twist is that such a person will not be a full-time employee of the company that has hired its services as “Virtual General Counsel”.

    Such lawyers would act as “Virtual General Counsel” for more than one company, depending on their time commitment. Companies prefer this because they can hire an expert from private practice to advise them on day-to-day legal issues and rely on their growing expertise; companies don’t have to bother about hiring an internal General Counsel and can avoid the cost associated with immigration, visa, insurance etc.

    Sometimes, in such an arrangement, the company gets the entire law firm team as their Virtual General Counsel giving the company on-demand specialist expertise at a low cost, where there will be a single point of contact from the firm, more like a Relationship Manager.

    I believe such arrangements will become more prominent in tech start-ups where in-depth legal advice is required at a competitive cost over the coming years.

    We are excited to hear the reason you opted for MSC in blockchain and digital currency, also what privacy issues does blockchain invite along with itself in coming times?

    I have always been fascinated by technology, especially how the law has to always catch up with it. I started reading about blockchain in my second year of law school (2014), and after coming to UAE, I got lucky to work on some blockchain and digital currency projects. This further increased my interest in exploring this domain in-depth academically.

    It was in 2020 when I first thought of doing this MSc from the University of Nicosia but pursuing it along with my current job seemed daunting, so I shelved the idea. However, at the beginning of 2022, we had some additional projects in the company where I was supposed to advise extensively on emerging technologies like blockchain and NFTs; therefore, it seemed a logical next step, and that is how I ended up being an MSc student (distance learning) along with the current full-time job.

    The University of Nicosia is arguably the first to provide a full-time degree course on Blockchain and Digital Currency. Their modules mix law, policy and technical aspects of blockchain and digital currency. I would recommend this MSc to someone who wants to dive deeply into blockchain and digital currency. It provides a comprehensive understanding of what is happening worldwide in this space from both legal and technical aspects and what we can anticipate.

    Regarding the privacy issues that blockchain brings with it, one can argue that it makes it difficult to regulate it. It is not a privacy issue but a regulation issue because of privacy. Like in the case of cryptocurrencies that are based on “Trustless”, “Decentralised”, and “Immutable” blockchain, it becomes challenging and unfeasible to fully regulate such cryptocurrencies.

    Firstly, there is a lack of one target as no single entity controls cryptocurrency like BTC.

    Secondly, the proliferation of pseudonyms makes it nearly impossible to identify the accused.

    And thirdly, it is difficult to establish the jurisdiction and governing law because the cryptocurrency network is not restricted to one specific jurisdiction; some jurisdictions treat cryptocurrency as property and others as currency.

    Even void or voidable crypto transactions can be entered on the blockchain, but a transaction entered on the blockchain is not legal by default, but it does, in most cases, make it irreversible.

    GDPR requires the identification of a “data controller”, and public keys used by natural persons for cryptocurrency transactions on blockchain may constitute “personal data” under GDPR rendering GDPR is applicable to “processing”, “collection”, “use” or “disclosure”.

    Recital 26 of GDPR states that data which has been “pseudonymised”, and could be attributed to a natural person by using additional information, is information on an identifiable person.

    And French data protection authority has observed that public keys constitute personal data if it is connected to a natural person.

    In the absence of an identifiable data controller, the GDPR cannot be enforced as data subjects enforce their rights against the data controller under GDPR.

    In cryptocurrency transactions, miners, developers, and users of the network determine the purpose of processing personal data.

    All these players might be hiding their real identities and located in separate jurisdictions, complicating the enforcement of GDPR.

    Such situations make it challenging to access who is the data controller, where they are located, how data subjects can enforce their rights and whether it is feasible to do the same.

    This is one challenge, but I am sure there is a way around it.

    You worked in multiple jurisdictions, how was that experience and being  a lawyer how tough it was for you to adjust according to different laws and regulations?

    Switching jurisdiction as a young and first-generation lawyer is challenging. I had to understand the new legal system, find opportunities, make new friends, get active in networking, read, understand new laws, adjust to a new culture etc. But eventually, one can manage all these challenges, and after a few years, when you look back to the time when you started, you develop a lot of respect for lawyers who have come before you.

    I will not say it was easy, but also it is not impossible. Many lawyers migrate from their home jurisdiction to a foreign one, and they were my inspiration. I silently looked up to them and focused on improving.

    I have been pursuing online courses since 2013. I am a big fan of virtual learning. Whenever I felt that I lacked academic and technical knowledge on a specific topic, I would look for an online course and devote myself to it until I was confident that I had some grasp over it.

    I continued this habit even after moving to UAE, and that has been of immense help.

    What made you start your own legal consulting company and how well is it going for you thus far?

    The Node.Law focuses on delivering legal consultancy services to start-ups working on Web3, NFT, Digital Currency, Metaverse, Blockchain, and FinTech space. It is a new venture, and I co-founded it with my friend from law school, Aman Garg, who is also working in Dubai.

    In the last few years, we have seen increasing demand for legal support in emerging technology, and since both of us are interested and have been working in this domain, we thought of extending our support.

    It has been an exciting journey so far. In such a short time, we have advised on several projects and our firm is retained as Virtual General Counsel on a 1-year contract by two fast-growing start-ups.

    How would you describe your career up till now? Where can we expect you in upcoming years?

    I am blessed with a supportive family, friends, mentors and professors from law school. They all have played a significant role in shaping my career. I am doing what I love to do, and this will continue in future.

    I plan to finish my MSc by next year and then focus on growing Node.Law.

    Would you like to give some advice to the law students?

    There are only two ways to be good at something. First, by in-depth reading and second, by working on it. If something excites you, then make sure you immerse yourself in extensive reading to have the required confidence when you get an opportunity to work on it.

    Reading and continuous learning are inalienable parts of a lawyer’s life.

    Get in touch with Sandeep Bhalothia-

  • In Conversation with: Ayesha Karim, Senior Legal Consultant at Mezzle Law, Enrolled with the Delhi Bar Council

    In Conversation with: Ayesha Karim, Senior Legal Consultant at Mezzle Law, Enrolled with the Delhi Bar Council

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    What prompted you to choose Law? Did you always want to take Law as a career? 

    Yes, since I was about 12 or 13 years old I wanted to study law; it is difficult to say exactly why I chose law, as it was before the age of the internet and we did not have access to the sources we had today, but reading was a passion and I never changed my mind about the profession I wanted to follow.

    Congratulations on being awarded as the DIFC Courts Law Specialist by the DIFC Academy, DIFC Dubai UAE, can you please enlighten our audience about this academy?

    For over a decade, the Dubai International Financial Centre has catered to the learning needs of the financial services industry by providing a platform for top-ranked educational institutes to deliver professional development and higher education courses. 

    The DIFC Academy continues this legacy by partnering with some of the world’s most reputable institutions to offer a variety of options ranging from short certificate workshops to multi-year executive MBA degree programmes.

    The Dubai International Financial  Centre is a free zone with  common law courts, though the UAE is a civil law jurisdiction. 


    Lexis Nexis published a series of books called the Laws of the DIFC. I co authored the section on the DIFC Law No 10 of 2004, the Court Law with Late Barrister Stephen Field of 1 Pump Court Chambers,  UK.  As a result I was recognised as a  DIFC Court Law specialist .

    What prompted you to choose banking and finance law as an LLM course, and how do you see this area bringing new opportunities for the young law professionals?

    Banks are  very important institutions in any economy as well as in corporate and individual lives. Certainly there are many professional opportunities with such degrees. 

    How crucial is it for the young legal professionals or even the experienced ones for taking Pro Bono work and is there any criteria for choosing the type of such work?

    Pro bono is a way of giving back to society. Everyone cannot afford lawyers. Access to justice is considered a fundamental right in our country and every civilized society and as lawyers we should be part of the larger picture if possible.

    Pro bono work gives lawyers exposure to different areas of law. For example, when working with a legal aid clinic, a firm receives a list of cases that need lawyers.


    A corporate lawyer may get an opportunity to work on a matrimonial matter or an employment case.

    Pro bono cases also give lawyers the chance to work with other lawyers in and build relationships and networks. Exchange of knowledge and ideas is extremely important and interaction with professional colleagues is an invaluable learning process.

    You have so many publications on various topics, what tips do you give to our audience for choosing journals and topics as per that specific journal?

    That would depend on the interest of the audience; there are specific journals for almost every aspect of law. However, it is important to do independent research, published articles can give an introduction to the topic but certainly do not replace self study.

    Insider trading has been there since ages in corporate, such as writing a newsletter on the same, what can be the root cause for the same and steps that can be taken to avoid it completely?

    That is a hard question; Strong regulatory and enforcement systems have to be put in place. Ethics and honesty are character traits imbibed from our families and society. Therefore strong laws can help reduce unlawful acts but cannot eradicate them totally.

    Being associated with a UAE law firm, how can one prepare himself to settle there as a law professional in different areas? What is the road map for the same?

    Look for a vacancy in a busy firm, learn about the new systems and law. At some levels different jurisdictions have challenges, but basically a lawyers work remains the same, wherever they may be.

    What would be your parting message to our young readers?

    Gain as much experience as you can, avoid any toxic offices that do not provide opportunities to learn and grow. Do not accept bullying and sexual harassment, good knowledge and hard work is the key to success.

    Get in touch with Ayesha Karim-

  • In Conversation with: Nikita Mamtani, Creativepreneur, Writer & Legal Professional

    In Conversation with: Nikita Mamtani, Creativepreneur, Writer & Legal Professional

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    It has been 8 years since we last took your interview, which we are sure has been an inspiration to many young lawyers and entrepreneurs. Can you please tell the readers how the journey has been so far?

    First of all, Thank You so much for doing this again. And yes, while answering, I too realise 8 years it has been; feels like “once upon a time”

    Well, past 8 years have been amazing, an extensive learning experience full of self-discovery & awareness.

    When I last interacted with SuperLawyer, it was just 2 years in the Legal Industry.

    Since then, there has been a lot of transitions & yes, transformations.

    So along with Legal Hire India, i.e., my former Legal HR Consultancy & Litigation in one hand, I had also tried my hands on a Cloud Kitchen start-up in 2017.

    Thereon, from 2018, I was completely involved in Chamber Practice & Extensive Legal Drafting for our law firm, Legacy Law Associates.

    Meanwhile, I had also started writing a lot, just for my own-self.

    Amidst the Lock-down in 2020, I started putting up my writings on Social Media Platforms. The term ‘Life Coach’, had always fascinated me. That’s how I started my journey in Neuro Linguistic Programming after a lot of forethought’s.

    You have managed to build a very dynamic portfolio comprising of both legal and non-legal work, can you tell us how it has benefited you in your career

    Professionally yes, I have actually left no stone unturned till now.

    And that’s just to seek connectedness in whatever I do. ‘The work shouldn’t feel like work’ is what I strongly believe in.

    We are moving towards an era where work & passion can completely complement each other & be in absolute alignment.

    The dynamic working profiles have definitely enhanced my overall journey.

    For a major amount of time, I have been a solopreneur, and that makes one learn a lot about different segments of the business & industry, like marketing, accounts, HR, PR etc.

    One also gets to experience first-hand, the evolution & connectedness of different professional industries.

    Congratulations on your book publication- Modern Moral Science. What was your idea behind the book?

    Thank You so much, Modern Moral Science is a collection of my writings, precisely in the form of quotes & Musings. These are the projection of personal transformation, experiences & understandings in Life’s Journey till now. The idea behind this book was striking a balance between the feeling of overwhelm & underwhelm.

    The transitional times lately have been either overwhelming or underwhelming for most of us. This has resulted in lack of balance, & also delay in achieving one’s day to day outcomes.

    The quotes here, in Modern Moral Science, serve as shots of Self-Help.

    Open any page, and I am sure it will help you to move a step closer in becoming more self-aware & ultimately, self-transform.

    Do you think writing is an important skill in the legal profession?

    Absolutely! We all know that drafting is an integral part of the Legal Proceedings.

    A Lawyer needs to put up the Law, facts & client’s case not only verbally in the court, but also in the form of Pleadings.

    Having better writing skills is always an edge over others when practicing law.

    Writing is a form of expression and that’s what a Lawyer actually has to do, express the client’s case in a structured manner.

    Please share with us your experience as the founder of Legal Hire- an online recruitment consulting firm? Moving forward, what ventures do you plan on exploring?

    Legal Hire India was my first ever start-up. It was a thorough learning experience of more than 6 years. I got to understand Legal Recruitment in different segments of the industry more closely.

    There weren’t much of such firms involved exclusively in legal industry’s recruitment. The working model of Legal Hire India was more like headhunting.

    As I was managing most of it single-handed, it gave me a closer view of the perspective of employers in different tiers of law firms & independent practitioners.

    Also during the process, it was very interesting to know the aspirations of all the young aspirants in the Legal Industry. Moving forward, I have completely shifted to the Personal Development & Life Skills Education space now. Currently, majority of my focus is on creative writing & training in the NLP Industry. Contributing as an Inspirational Storyteller is also one of my major aspirations.

    It would also be exciting to work in the Legal Industry as a Coach & Trainer whenever & however the two spaces align.

    Law is all about communication. So combining the Linguistics from NLP with the communication skills required as a Legal Professional, shall definitely work wonders.

    To sum it all, my life’s purpose is just to make the life’s ride of whomsoever I cross paths with, a bit more smoother & easier by supporting them with clarity of thoughts.

    What according to you does it take to be a good entrepreneur? Any advice for Lawyers who wish to venture into entrepreneurship?

    With whatever experience I have, & summing up my learnings as an entrepreneur till now, I truly believe an entrepreneur must know the basics of all the segments involved in a business, like sales, accounting, HR, PR, marketing, etc.

    There are times initially when you start something of your own, the team isn’t that big. Even at times, you are just the one managing everything. Having the basic knowledge & capabilities to run a business really helps you to move forward a little more smoothly then. Also being receptive to new learning & feed forwards definitely gives an advantage.

    Being a Lawyer & having that attitude gives an upper hand when you wish to venture into entrepreneurship as most of the times, you are practicing independently.

    So handling the whole work alone is what Lawyers know & have done most of the times.

    I am sure just giving a little more structure & maintaining that attitude of managing things & being patient will definitely help someone who wishes to become an entrepreneur.

    You are an Internationally Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and are now an internationally certified NLP Trainer; please tell us more about it?

    It’s been more than 2 years now in the field of Life & Behavioural Skills Education.

    I truly believe that NLP is a New Living Perspective.

    This tool can enhance life’s experience, both personal and professional, of every human being.

    Neuro Linguistic Programming is one the most tangible and fantastic modalities which helps an individual to break certain behavioural patterns & beliefs. The most amazing part is that majority of this happens only through linguistics.

    If people can actually learn even the basics of NLP, their life’s ride can become much smoother. They can not only help themselves, but also people around them as communication is a major part of Human Beings, be it verbal or non-verbal.

    Humans are surrounded by fellow human beings right from the moment they get up in the morning to the moment they go off to sleep.

    NLP is all about what works for an individual to achieve the desired outcome. It’s all about eliciting the answers from within and not installing the solutions of a problem.

    You are an ardent believer in self-awareness and self-transformation which motivated you to venture into your start-up- ‘Unlock your Unique’. Please can you tell us more about it?

    One thing which I have experienced, learnt, felt, heard & seen is the Power of Self, the Authentic Self. 

    And to be an Empowered Authentic Self, You need to apply all the Jargons having Self as a prefix, to Your Own Self first.

    Love YourSelf to spread Love 

    Take Care of YourSelf to take the Best Care of People around You 

    Be Kind to YourSelf to actualise Kindness around 

    Be Self-Aware to have External Awareness

    Accept YourSelf to get the meaning & feeling of Acceptance 

    And last but not at all the least,

    Believe & Work on YourSelf to make things around Work 

    I truly believe whatever one is seeking outside is all within their own self. The creator has given all of us the same start, the same resources, internal & external. One just needs to look within, dig out & enhance them.

    That’s the reason Unlock your Unique, as you already have your Unique within.

    What would be your word of advice to young lawyers and law students looking to do something different?

    Two things:

    If this feeling is quite new, and in the initial phase of your career then hold on.

    To feel this way is sometimes natural as there has been a transition from being a student to stepping in the Industry as a professional.

    Specially, segments like Litigation in the Legal Industry require a lot of patience and hard work to set your mark, so it’s again natural to feel overwhelmed. But, if such thought process & feelings are frequent, there seems to be a disconnection in what you are doing regularly, then take a pause and ask yourself, if not law, then what?

    Because a lot of times, it’s actually not about the answers we want to get, but the kind of questions we ask ourselves.

    Get in touch with Nikita Mamtani-

  • In Conversation with:- Divyashree Suri, Founder and Managing Editor at WTO-Boutery: Talk Global Trade and Associate at Economic Laws Practice (ELP)

    In Conversation with:- Divyashree Suri, Founder and Managing Editor at WTO-Boutery: Talk Global Trade and Associate at Economic Laws Practice (ELP)

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    What does being an International Trade Lawyer in India entail?

    Broadly speaking, being an international trade lawyer in India consists of representing interested parties (including governments) in trade remedy investigation in and outside India, advising clients on Indian and foreign trade policies and taxation regimes, dispute settlement at local forums as well as international forums such as the World Trade Organization, and advising governments on the formulation of trade policy, including negotiations of free trade agreements. 

    This makes the subject an interdisciplinary one, and you end up wearing several hats on the same day. You are a lawyer for all intents and purposes, but you also need to:

    (i) be proficient with accountancy to be able to understand core business-costing concepts which are indispensable in trade remedy investigations,

    (ii) have sound knowledge of economic concepts and principles,

    (iii) be up to date with all foreign affairs and understand how global politics drives international trade, (iv) have a technical understanding of the products and services being traded. Needless to say, one needs the skills to research foreign laws and their practical implications extensively.

    What are some of your takeaways from appearing before a WTO panel at such an early stage of your career?

    First and foremost, working on a WTO dispute is, in and of itself, a dream come true. It is a splendid mix of public international law, international trade law, and domestic law. Moreover, I was fortunate enough to have worked on the dispute with an enormously supportive and motivated team – from top to bottom, which allowed me to have an enriching experience.

    The oral hearings in a WTO proceeding, also known as ‘substantive meetings’, are structured to allow the Panel to fully understand the domestic law or the measure at issue and also the manner in which such measure allegedly violates WTO law. The representatives of both parties are required to deliver an opening statement at the beginning of the meetings, wherein the key issues are summarily argued. Following this, the Panel poses certain questions to each party to understand the issues at hand better. Parties are permitted to comment on each other’s responses, and the meetings close with representatives delivering a closing statement.

    This makes for an interesting round of argumentation, which involves dialogue with representatives of the government of another country. Typically, parties to a dispute are important trading partners. This requires the lawyers to be well-versed with the required laws and adopt a line of argumentation that is delicate and in line with the country’s strategic interests. After all, diplomacy lies at the root of all trade relations. Being exposed to the various considerations which go into WTO dispute settlement at such an early stage of my career has helped me better understand trade policy. 

    What can be the real challenges while establishing a career in the field of International Trade Law?

    I speak strictly from the perspective of working in international trade at a law firm. International trade law is a niche area of law, and very few law firms specialize in the subject. Therefore, finding an open flow of internships and job opportunities in the market may be difficult.

    Describe an interesting matter you’ve worked on recently.

    Sustainable trade is finally becoming the talk of the town (well, the globe), and we are excited about it! Our team is doing a lot of work around trade and climate, labour, e-commerce, data, gender, and food security. Recently, we have worked extensively on carbon border adjustment mechanisms and other measures which help countries align their sustainability goals with trade.

    There are various considerations which go into formulating and implementing such instruments, and it is an interesting shift to witness.

    What personal qualities are beneficial to have as an international trade lawyer?

    As I mentioned, an international trade lawyer must wear several hats on any given workday. Being a jack of all trades makes you a master of international trade (no, having a corny sense of humour is not a prerequisite). I would go as far as to say that having an interest in foreign affairs and international relations is pivotal to the profession.

    As is the case for any lawyer, empathetic communication skills are extremely helpful. Our profession requires us to be in touch with various stakeholders – private clients, external counsels from different jurisdictions, government officials and agencies, trade bodies, etc. Interaction with each stakeholder requires us to be good listeners and have clarity in thought and speech.

    Would you like to give any career/life tips to the reader aspiring to be an international trade lawyer?

    I would recommend reading (or consuming content in whatever form is most palpable) as much as one can about international trade and its intersection with international affairs, economics, taxation, and most importantly, with day-to-day life. I find newspapers and news articles to be a great starting point to remain informed.

    I also recommend subscribing to this excellent newsletter named International Intrigue, which gives its readers bite-sized information every day of the week about what’s happening around the globe.

    How did you develop an interest in trade law? How did you ultimately decide to pursue it as a career?

    I was first exposed to international trade law in my fourth year of law school as a mandatory course. I was intrigued by the subject, and wanted to explore the practicalities of practising a subject like this in India. I interned with international trade law teams, and was enamoured by what the subject had to offer. It brought together my love for accountancy, economics, international relations and law – what could be better?

    As I interned with trade law teams and consumed content relating to the international trade, I was convinced about specializing in the subject. There were concerns about specializing in a niche area of law early in my career, but it was a risk I was happy to take. Now after a few years in the profession, I am glad I did!

    What drove you to start your international trade law blog? How do you think it has helped your career?

    I have often heard law students being intimidated by international trade, given the technical nature of the subject. I believe that international trade is a fascinating subject and should be more accessible for those who want to learn. The team at WTO-Boutery: Talk Global Trade attempts to make trade law updates and concepts more consumable with the help of simple language, tables, flow charts and graphics.

    Through my blog, I remain updated with the recent developments in international trade. In particular, simplifying these updates and concepts helps me revisit my core understanding of the subject and look at it from a different perspective each time.

    Get in touch with Divyashree Suri-

  • In Conversation with: Bhagyashree Pancholy, CoFounder at Avyana GmbH, Metalawyers India, Web3 Law and AI Law Specialist

    In Conversation with: Bhagyashree Pancholy, CoFounder at Avyana GmbH, Metalawyers India, Web3 Law and AI Law Specialist

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    Did you always want to become a Lawyer or was it something that you decided in the later part of your school life? What other career options would you have considered, if not particularly law?

    No, I had never wanted to become a lawyer, in fact, my dream was to become an astronaut after watching I dream of Genie as a child. But after graduating with Geography Honours from Miranda House, Delhi University, I filled Law faculty form, sat for the entrance exam, and cleared it. Since it was the first exam I cleared after graduation, and did not want to study anymore during the summer breaks, I just decided to join Campus Law Centre.

    I would have been an environmentalist or a vet if not for a lawyer.

    What can be the real challenges while establishing a career in the field of law?

    There could be many, but I will restrict myself to the two I experienced and get asked about a lot:

    (1) godfather or having mentors/family members in the legal field,

    (2) how can I work remotely or cross border as a lawyer.

    Definitely, in litigation, having a family member or a mentor that supports a novice lawyer helps. But let us come to the second challenge of working remotely and across borders.

    Covid changed the way the world worked and it pushed the Indian judiciary to adopt the technology. Many advocates pleaded from the comfort of their houses by using video communication platforms and many more parties to the lawsuit were given an opportunity to hear their cases in person.

    As COVID restrictions loosened up, many lawyers went back to the old way and yet many new ones want to work remotely. And some, also cross borders.

    What many lawyers do not understand is that with globalization and emerging technology, lawyers will have to be border-less.

    New tech and associated legal areas like data protection, privacy, web 3, cryptocurrency etc. are border-less and the system will have to move from litigation in a specific country to alternate dispute mechanisms like arbitration or mediation. 

    New lawyers will not have to appear in front of a district judge every day, they will be assisting legal counsels and judges outside of India and will need to know many other laws apart from Indian laws.

    This can be challenging as now lawyers will literally be competing with lawyers globally

    Where individuals are still struggling learning about GDPR and data protection, you had a control on it way more earlier, what was your preparation for the same and how professionals can take charge on such critical laws?

    I actually started working in data and privacy when GDPR didn’t exist and many were not aware of this right of theirs.

    At my first place of work in 2012, which was a tech/SaaS company that hosted websites globally, I was introduced to user privacy. The lack of laws and fewer judicial precedents meant every builder had their own way of assigning roles and responsibilities when it came to data privacy.

    The strict segregation of controller and processor came much later when GDPR came into effect, but back then, we were responsible for assigning such roles and interpreting local IT laws in a way that protected the rights of both, user and builder, across jurisdictions. 

    My seniors in the legal team were my guides who had a rich experience in such fields with big companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Google who taught me everything I know about data protection and privacy policies. 

    Even after GDPR came into effect, we did not have to re-do a lot, as GDPR is more about regulation than prohibition (many users believe that under GDPR, companies are prohibited from storing and processing their data which is incorrect).

    I am seeing a repeat of 2012 now in web3 and AI space. The laws are currently non-existed and are being drafted, and each user is interpreting and applying local laws to the best of their knowledge. 

    I would suggest the upcoming legal minds not focus on a lot of courses, but gain knowledge of such laws by experience. I never sat for any data protection and privacy exam, have no certification in this, and yet I know these laws because I learned from working in these sectors.

    Congratulations on being listed as Remote Influencer and Women Lawyer in the Legal Technology Sector, how would you describe your role as a leading lawyer in the technology sector?

    Not easy, in short. Tech is a male-dominated world and when I attend business meetings as a co-founder of my company that researches in the field of Artificial Intelligence, I do get an occasional look.

    Again, I started working remotely in 2012 for many personal reasons and it was very, very tough to break into the industry. Lawyers working remotely was unheard of, and to be in the tech sector, even a lawyer needed to understand the basics of it.

    After working hard for ten years, I am now in a much more comfortable situation where I work on new technology, overseas labour compliance, artificial intelligence and law, remote work and law, and lecture at universities.

    Though it may appear as if I have settled, I can assure you that every month, I end up reading and learning about new tech, digging some judgments on them, and interpreting laws (even though I don’t speak many European languages or am qualified to practice there.

    I have interpreted German, French, Swedish, Swiss, Australian, Canadian, etc laws for my clients in the tech industry or as my role as the GC at Lano Software GmbH), aiding courts and litigators in lawsuits around web3 and AI law across the globe and going back to studying some more.

    At my first workplace, I ended up learning PHP as it was needed for me to understand the tech before writing user rights documentation for it. Now, for my company, I am learning Python to be able to understand our projects, write accurate legal documents for the products and aid my co-founders.

    What are the challenges that HR’s in their work life face with emerging technologies like Meta Verse and Web 3? And how can they overcome those?

    Let us first understand that when employees work in metaverse or any other virtual platform, it is deemed to be a workplace. Employment and workplace health and safety laws will be applicable in these workplaces as well.

    In 2 years since I have been working in this tech, I have seen the following challenges that HRs have faced and I was consulted:

    1. Establishing the identities of avatars that employees use in the metaverse

    2. Checking if the employees are using a VPN or not

    3. VR headsets that are available in the market are bulky and may cause temporary disorientation, watery eyes, headaches, or other nerve-related issues if used for longer periods of time. Injuries from the usage of VR headsets may amount to workplace injuries for which employers will be liable.

    4. Cases of cyberbullying, harassment, or discrimination in the virtual workplace will also be the liability of the employers.

    5. HRs will need to remember that employment contracts signed in the metaverse may not be legally binding, hence, such contracts should be signed as per the local laws in the non-virtual world.
    6. Salaries, remittances, perks, and benefits to the employees must be done in legal tenders only. There is a trend of accepting crypto payments as salaries or to contractors for their services rendered, which is illegal. However, there are a few apps that facilitate this and can be used as they deduct the mandatory taxes from the gross amount, turn the net amount into cryptocurrency and transfer it to the beneficiary.

    What HRs can do to overcome such issues:

    1. Draft workplace policies that take into account the metaverse workplace.
    2. Include cyber bullying, online harassment, discrimination and other forms of online safety norms in the company policies

    3. Prohibit the use of VPNs by employees

    4. Maintain and update a list of avatars that employees use and ensure that they are not copyrighted and are available for commercial and non-commercial use 

    5. Draft an extensive and clear-cut workplace safety policy

    6. Conduct company-wide training for the usage and code of conduct of the VR workplace

    7. Set salaries and compensation expectations right. Will these be made in cryptocurrencies, if yes, how and if no, why should be mentioned in the employment contracts.

    8. Draft a VR workplace policy, in addition to the regular workplace policy, that should contain all the issues related to VR.

    You have a decade of experience in dealing with employment laws, at a similar pace, how crucial is it for the employees to strike a balance between work-life balance and are there any laws that we should be aware of significantly?

    Since I work for a German company, I can tell you that the laws in the EU are very strict and employee-friendly. As per German laws, I cannot be disturbed during my non-working hours and cannot work overtime, unless mutually consented.

    In India, the concept of work-life balance is unheard of at many companies. Toxic work culture, unnecessary work pressure, office politics and favoritism, and lack of knowledge of the employee’s part of their rights are duties are major challenges.

    I have to admit that these challenges also exist in the EU, but there are regulations that prohibit employers from doing certain actions that result in a toxic workplace environment.

    The laws also exist in India, but the question is always of implementation and the lengthy process of getting justice. Labour courts in India are slow and definitely have a lot of work, but then employers do manage to get out with little to no repercussions. 

    The HRs and the in-house legal team at companies should continuously educate the employees about their rights so that friction is easily mitigated.

    In the EU, employees enjoy protection to a very large extent and the onus is on the employer for many issues, thereby, making it easier for the employee who has been wronged to get justice.

    One must always remember, you are replaceable at the workplace, but not at home.

    Will AI be the future of law?

    Legal tech is to a lawyer what a tractor is to a farmer. A recent report I read mentioned that AI was more accurate at reviewing a contract than a team of very experienced lawyers (96% to 81%). And then there was a very interesting discussion on if AI will replace lawyers.

    Having worked in deep AI for a little less than three years now, I can tell you that legal tech powered by AI will be a boon and not a bane.

    Currently, AI is not 100% accurate and there will always be a need for a human to counter-review as AI has its own limitations. AI will be an aide and not the controller.

    In a few courts in the Netherlands, for a test project, AI was also deployed to aid the judges in delivering judgments, researching case laws, and suggesting legal theories which actually helped the judges a lot. 

    Of course, lawyers in the future will intervene to eliminate AI bias and that I think will be a major game changer, combining the accuracy of AI along with the rationality of humans.

    Can an Advocate be soft-spoken yet established; what do you think about how the legal profession takes this quality?

    Yes, absolutely. It is very wrong for people to think that a loud or aggressive individual will be a good lawyer. To be a good lawyer, one needs to have sound reasoning, analysis, logic, and effective communication skills along with strong professional skills and ethics. 

    Get in touch with Bhagyashree Pancholy-

  • In Conversation with: Paul J. Campson, Managing Partner at Campson & Campson, Personal Injury Attorney and Seasoned Litigator

    In Conversation with: Paul J. Campson, Managing Partner at Campson & Campson, Personal Injury Attorney and Seasoned Litigator

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    How would you describe your job and yourself to a 10 year old?

    I am a lawyer who helps people who were hurt in an accident get money for their pain.

    Paul, as we read about you, being a member of the carpenters’ union (United Brotherhood of Carpenters) , how did it help you in your law career?

    Being a member of the Carpenter’s Union taught me the value of hard work and the importance of an education. Being a carpenter is a physically challenging occupation and often very dangerous, so the importance of following rules, particularly safety rules, is very important.

    Appearing before various law tribunals and forums needs extra effort, how do you plan your work to be super-efficient? 

    Planning is the secret ingredient to success and efficiency. Even if I handle a case many times, I always write an outline and emphasize the points I need to make.

    This keeps me focused because it is very easy to become distracted and be thrown off track by a smart adversary, so thinking how I might lose a case is the best preparation for victory.

    You have been actively taking up Pro-Bono cases and have done a lot of free service in your career trajectory? How important is it for Law Students and professionals to take up Pro-Bono cases and help the needy? 

    Pro-Bono cases are very rewarding. Volunteering time and expertise to those who cannot afford top legal representation is the hallmark of our justice system.

    Pro bono cases provide attorneys with the chance to work with other lawyers in their firms who they would not otherwise know, as well as practice in areas outside of their day-to-day work. This fosters collaboration and increases future cross-firm prospects. It also assists attorneys in forming networks with other lawyers who work for legal assistance foundations. Networking leads to business development, which helps the firm as well.

    As we all are aware of the 9/11 incident, how was your experience wrt getting justice for the victims? Please elaborate it

    9/11 was a very difficult time for the entire nation. Being able to represent victims pro-bono was very special. At the time, no one understood the long term health ramifications connected to 9/11.

    To delve into the medical records of these victims and come up with creative ideas to get them the maximum compensation, was a stand out moment in my legal career.

    How hard is the bar exam to be passed in New York and how can one prepare with a well curated road map?

    The NY State Bar Exam is one of the hardest in the country. To pass it, you have to prepare for it as a full time job. Get on a schedule, study 9-5 and take lunch everyday at the same time, just like a job.

    Again, preparation is the key to passing the bar. Do the hard work in the morning and the rest of the day will fall into place.

    Lastly Paul, what tips are you likely to give to students willing to practice as a Personal Injury lawyer in the US?

    Personal injury is a very competitive field. tell everyone you meet and family and friends that you are a personal injury lawyer. To be successful you need cases. A great trial lawyer is useless without cases to try. 

    Get in touch with Paul J. Campson-

  • In Conversation with: Rashmita Roy Chowdhury, Commercial Disputes Solicitor at Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP, Dual Qualified (India and England & Wales)

    In Conversation with: Rashmita Roy Chowdhury, Commercial Disputes Solicitor at Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP, Dual Qualified (India and England & Wales)

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    Let us begin with the most important question, did you always dream of becoming a lawyer or, did it  happen by chance?

    First of all, I would like to thank the team for featuring me in this editorial. I think it is so important for other people reading this editorial to understand that they are not alone in this journey and that many other people have either gone through or are going through similar journeys.

    To answer your question in short – No. I come from a family full of doctors and wanted to be one myself till my ICSE. However, during my ICSE preparation I realised that I was not interested in Physics and Chemistry at all and to be honest Maths wasn’t my strongest suit.

    This led to me choosing Humanities (Arts stream) in grade 11 and 12. However, the desire to become a lawyer all started when I was exposed to and witnessed the difficulties shared by the underprivileged through the woman who was employed to be my caregiver since birth. 

    In today’s world, it is clear that legal professionals can significantly help mobilize otherwise muted populations by representing their cases, providing them with the knowledge of the welfare schemes they are entitled to and help them receive the same. While I was India, I always tried to provide free legal advice and draft pleadings pro bono for them.

    This was my little way of giving back to the community.

    Students often go numb about LL.M options from abroad,  is it really worth it? Are most of the students able to leverage such opportunities, of you were an exception?

    There are two essential questions to answer here:

    (i) Whether it is important or relevant to pursue an LL.M at all?

    (ii) Whether one needs to pursue an LL.M abroad and whether they are able to leverage such opportunities?

    It is not a strait jacket formula that fits all. Deciding to pursue an LL.M takes months maybe years of planning. Many students decide to pursue their LL.M right after their undergraduate degree. This might work for many students if they are certain that they want to practice a niche area of the law or they want to finish their LL.M before they start their professional career.

    However, in my case I was sure I wanted to pursue litigation but I decided to gain some practical experience before deciding what I wanted to specialize in.

    It took me a whole year to plan my colleges and decide what I wanted to pursue. I decided to pursue my LL.M after three years of working and I cannot express how grateful I am for that exposure. It not only allowed me to take my time to choose the LL.M I wanted to pursue but also helped me gain more in terms of how I would be able to utilise that knowledge practically.

    The second question of whether to pursue an LL.M abroad is also a very personal choice. However, one should never make the mistake of incurring huge debts just to pursue an LL.M abroad in the hope of getting a job right after their LL.M.  

    An LL.M is not a gateway or the answer for securing a job abroad. It is only a platform that helps you network and provides you with a truly multicultural cohort for cross-learning. Furthermore, I am no exception to securing a job in the UK after my LL.M.

    There are a lot of opportunities provided by the college and London as a city. But to ensure one makes the most of their LL.M abroad, they should be willing to think out of the box and network as much as possible.

    Can you give our readers a brief idea of what they need to prepare for if they want to climb the corporate ladder based on your experience representing international commercial arbitration in a variety of matters?

    They say preparation is key. However, in my experience I thought being persistent and consistent was the key to success. Cases will differ and you will be faced with multiple obstacles in your career some bigger than others but if you are consistent in learning from your mistakes and persistent in overcoming them, then, no matter what, you will always end up succeeding. 

    The other thing which is extremely important is inculcating the habit of asking questions. As junior lawyers, we tend to be shy of asking questions thinking we may come across as being less bright or not equipped enough to execute the task. Most often I have found that no matter how banal the question is it has helped me understand the task better and in return provide a better outcome of the task given to me.

    What was the one learning experience throughout your entire career that you’d credit to have shaped your career and brought you to this point?

    I do not think I can pinpoint one learning experience, but I guess always being curious has helped shape my career a lot. I am a curious person in general and I guess that always leads to asking all the when’s, how’s and what’s in the world. This inadvertently helps you broaden your horizon not just in the legal field but also your surroundings. Being aware of your surroundings allows you to be abreast of the worldly affairs which in turn helps you to hold a better conversation with any given person.

    Whether it be with the client or your own team. It is also key in networking. Basically, what I am trying to say is that it is all a chain reaction and curiosity has definitely been my guiding factor.

    How tough is to qualify the bars for enrolling as a solicitor? And what can be the right methodology or road map for the same?

    First let me mention that there is no right or wrong way to qualify as a Solicitor. Some foreign lawyers take years to finish while some complete it within a year. It really depends on that individual’s capacity to study and understand the study material. No two people can have the exact same bandwidth. Therefore, I will explain what worked for me. I qualified as a Solicitor through the Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme (QLTS) which has now been replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying exam (SQE).

    I feel both the systems test the same practical and theoretical knowledge, but the two main differences are that the SQE is universal i.e. it applies to UK as well as foreign lawyers and that it requires 2 years qualifying work experience.

    For my case, the first part of the QLTS was multiple choice questions and I had to study 11 modules to name a few Constitutional Law & Judicial Review, Professional Conduct & Solicitors’  Accounts, Financial Services, Money Laundering & Taxation, Property Law, Contract Law, Torts, Criminal Law etc. I studied for 6 months, two hours after work and 4-5 hours over the weekend.

    For the second part of the exam, which is more hands on as it includes advocacy, client interviewing, legal drafting, research  and writing, I studied for three months 2-3 hours after work and 6-7 hours over the weekend. It is important to mention that there are great service providers to help you prepare for the exam and boost your confidence.

    Having said that, I just wanted to highlight that it really takes commitment to complete this exam. It challenged me multiple times and it is a very tedious process. However, it is also one of the few foreign qualifying exams that do not require you to first pursue a legal degree in the country to be eligible to take the exam. 

    At last, I would mention that one can get all the opinions and advice from other people who have taken the exam but don’t compare yourself to them. Make yourself a road map if you do wish to pursue it.

    Are there any preparations prior to pursuing LL.M from the UK and how students can make themselves ready for the same?

    As I have mentioned earlier that pursuing an LL.M should be a personal and planned decision. There are many factors in play before you take the decision. A few questions you should ask yourself before making that decision are:

    Why are you really pursuing the LL.M?

    Are you sure you want to pursue that specialisation?

    Are you ready to pursue more academia in the UK?

    Will it help you professionally to achieve your goals?

    Will you be able to utilise the benefits of an LL.M in your career?

    Having asked few of these questions and many other that you may alternatively have, make a planned choice to pursue an LL.M. Now if you are absolutely sure about the LL.M, the next thing you need to chalk out is the niche area of law and the colleges that offer that specific LL.M.

    There will be multiple colleges offering the LL.M you want to pursue therefore, your next step should be to check the modules offered and the professors teaching them. There are well-known professors in many colleges therefore, I would say choose the course that is tailor fit for you. Having the ability to mix and match the modules you think will help you grow is a big advantage. Always re-check whether the modules are being taught the year you are planning to join as sometimes the modules do not run for a few years. After having made that choice, go and have the best year of your life.

    Finally, would you mind offering some advice to our readers?

    I do not think I am that far experienced in my career to give great advice. However, I can definitely help you with the do’s and don’ts so that you do not make the same mistakes I did. I graduated from a non-national law school and I always thought that was my biggest disadvantage and I allowed it to make the decisions for me. If someone told me earlier that I would be dual qualified and practicing law in the UK, I would laugh at that person.

    But here I am! Therefore, I think most often than not our thoughts are the main impediments in our path of success.

    We tend to see the smaller picture and cannot sometimes fathom the idea of what or how our life can change. So always think you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

    I would like to end by saying practice:

    • Resilience – No matter how many rejections you receive, always learn to pick yourself up and fight back. Rejection is a part and parcel of this journey and it allows you to recognise and rectify the mistakes you have made previously.
    • Patience – You will need lots and lots of it. Ensure you do your bit to the best of your abilities and be patient for the rewards to follow. Don’t worry, they will come to you.
    • Kindness – Always make sure you are kind to others and help anyone you can in the process. Kindness goes a long way and you will never know how much your kind words will help another person.

    In the end,  we are all part of a long game and the only thing that truly matters is the journey.

  • In Conversation with: Neeraj Vyas, Principal Associate at Samvad Partners specialized in M&A and PE/VC Transactions

    In Conversation with: Neeraj Vyas, Principal Associate at Samvad Partners specialized in M&A and PE/VC Transactions

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    Let us start from the beginning, what drove you to choose law? What other career options would you have considered, if not law?

    A legal career happened to me by chance. I had not thought about becoming a lawyer till the time I passed the 12th standard. During that time, CLAT had just started and it seemed interesting to me as I didn’t want to go for a conventional job.

    I come from a non-lawyer family but my parents supported me fully in my decision and hence, I ended up where I am today. If not for the law, I might have tried my hand at being a chartered accountant.

    From Bangalore to Mumbai to Hyderabad, how do you adjust with this Job Relocation and did it work well for you in the legal journey? Please tell our audience in brief!

    All these locations are hubs of law firms and there is a big legal fraternity in all these places. I don’t think I faced any professional issues due to these relocations. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by awesome colleagues and friends who always made my life easier. More than different cities, I think the place of work determines your legal journey.

    Initially, I was in ICICI Bank as an in-house counsel, and later on, I moved to law firms (Samvad Partners and Indus Law), this has helped me in getting great exposure to different kind of work style, work expectations etc. The learning at these places have helped me immensely in moving forward.

    Recently a huge bunch of cases in Mergers and other related deals were shared, do you think this area will keep on growing while creating opportunities for lawyers as well?

    India is a huge market and that’s why we are seeing an increase in investments in India. This is just a start, the market is going to expand further in the years to come and therefore, we will see a lot more M&A deals, PE/VC deals, etc.

    At present, I don’t think, students in India are taught enough about M&A or PE/VC investments and therefore, my advice to all the students would be to read up more about this area or do certification courses in this aspect, especially, if they are interested in a corporate law career.

    Can you tell us a bit about your current role and responsibilities as a M & A and PE/VC lawyer

    As a transactional lawyer who works quite a bit on M&A and PE/VC transactions, my job is to ensure that the deal is successfully concluded while keeping the interest of my client in mind.

    Being a senior team member, it is my job to draft, negotiate, and review the transaction documents on behalf of my client and also oversee my team’s work.

    Before you moved into Samvad again, you worked at Indus Law as well, kindly tell our audience about your experience at both these places.

    Samvad Partners is like a home to me. I have spent almost 5 years with the firm in aggregate and I think it is one of the best firms in the market to work at. A lot of my professional growth is because of the amazing partners and seniors that I have worked with during these years at Samvad Partners.

    Indus Law, Bangalore was a good learning experience. Even though most of my time at Indus Law was during Covid and we worked from home most of the time, I met some hard-working and driven colleagues who made my whole experience enriching.

    It is said that getting a mentor is the first step towards attaining success. How true do you think the saying is? Do you think a mentor plays a crucial role in the growth of a person? What type of mentor would you suggest for a law student?

    Absolutely. A good mentor can make a huge difference in your career. I have been fortunate enough to have some amazing mentors during my professional career who took out time from their busy schedules to advise me whenever I needed their advice. I have had mentors who guided me on specific tasks and also taught me skills that have helped me a lot. A good mentor helps you in achieving your career goals by guiding you correctly.

    What are your views on the work life balance and mental health issues that off late lawyers have been raising?

    A good mentor will always give you honest feedback and thereby help you in improving yourself.

    I think it is high time that we, as an industry, start taking cognisance of the mental health issues that lawyers are facing. There is a great scope in our industry for improvement of work life balance.

    As more and more lawyers are speaking about these issues, we can see lot of firms taking note of these issues and undertaking actions to improve the situation for its lawyers. In my opinion, that’s a good start but we still have a long way to go.

    What would be your parting message to our young readers?

    Use your time during your internships wisely. Try and figure out what areas of law you like and you don’t like. It will help you in carving your career path.

    Get in touch with Neeraj Vyas-

  • In Conversation with: Ryan Mendonca – A startup legal counsel who left his job at a tech startup to start an innovative concept of being Your Virtual Legal Counsel, under his Virtual Law Firm

    In Conversation with: Ryan Mendonca – A startup legal counsel who left his job at a tech startup to start an innovative concept of being Your Virtual Legal Counsel, under his Virtual Law Firm

    This interview has been published by Prabhjot Singh, Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team

    Tell us about yourself-what motivated you to choose law as a career path?

    I was interested in law early on in my childhood as would watch legal dramas like “Boston Legal”, “Law & Order” and ofcourse my all-time favourite legal show “Suits”. What interested me was how the lawyers helped their clients, fought for them in & out of court and delivered justice in some way shape or form.

    Its ironic how back then I saw these lawyers as superheroes and fast-forward a decade or so, and I am being interviewed as a Super Lawyer, its funny how life comes full-circle.

    However, besides the legal dramas, I also realised, very early on, that there were laws for everything and at every milestone in one’s life, right from birth certificates, to school rules, to employment law once you start a job, to corporate law if and when you start a business, to when you get married and buy a house, until you’re “dead and gone” or “6 feet under”.

    The Law is interwoven into the fabric of life and I felt that learning the law and my knowledge in the legal domain would give me that edge in life and would always be advantageous.

    Ryan, you worked as a remote lawyer during covid, how was that experience and what type of difficulties did you faced?

    Yes, I did work remotely in Dubai, as an in-house counsel for a high-powered, VC-backed Indian based startup, it was an eye-opening experience to say the least, whilst it was one of the most testing and unsure time for me, career-wise, mentally and physically. It was not easy doing and getting what I needed to get done.

    I do feel that it was an absolute privilege and once-in-a-lifetime experience to be the Sole Legal Counsel, setting up the legal operations, running it for a good 6 months, and then shutting it all down post-lock-down.

    On the bright side it did give me the confidence to open my own shop and accelerated my career into the natural progression of being a lawyer and starting my own virtual law firm, in this new-remote-friendly world we live in.

    What was and is the main USP behind your firm “YVLC”, and how do you manage your work since you have clients with different time zones? Do you believe the remote work model is going to stay in the future?

    Offering the service of an experienced in-house legal counsel on a fractional basis for multiple startups allowed startups to operate with the mental freedom that their legal is being taken care off, this was YVLC’s USP starting out.

    Now that we are on-boarding multiple Virtual Legal Counsels who are subject matter experts in their respective tech niche, such as E-commerce, Food-tech, Blockchain, Ed-tech and Prop-tech, we are creating a “Justice League” (pun intended) of Super Lawyers that will advise clients in their field of tech with relative ease and offer a more specialized legal advisory.

    All while being fully-remote, fully-autonomous and with the necessary tech infrastructure in place to do what we legal counsels do best. Provide legal solutions that are commercially viable.

    What is the biggest hurdle most attorneys face in bringing in new business at present times?

    This is a tough question for me to answer as I dont feel there’s just one main challenge, it is a mix of the following in no particular order and may not apply to all attorneys: Building a strong online presence, having a healthy pipeline of new client meetings, being very personable and impressive to new clients such that they close with you, pricing their services or hourly rates and lastly doing all of this successfully through a screen or on audio only meetings or at times without even speaking to the client at all.

    What’s the biggest threat to a solo or small law firm’s survival over the next 10 years? What should they be doing now to prepare?

    Investing in Tech, Building a Brand, Not getting caught up in the day to day wins and losses and instead having a long term goal, vision and plan to make it a reality. Most solo lawyers or small law firms start for the sake of starting and making something for their own selfish intentions of having a bigger slice of the pie or more like having their cake and eating it too.

    What are your future plans with YVLC academy and how can professionals be benefited with this initiative?

    We are planning to provide legal professionals the tools and teach them the tricks of the trade of how to be a solo digital lawyer. We want to help them reach their potential and achieve their goals no matter how small or gargantuan they may be.

    We want to empower lawyers and give them the tech infrastructure, a starting platform and the motivation and inspiration to have a successful legal career.

    Law students often get confused between these big tech platforms such as Fintech, agritech and other startups, what advice would you give to them for having a better sense of clarity wrt same?

    Read about them from credible sources, watch interesting you tube videos, listen to popular niche tech startup podcasts and last but not least work in those tech spaces that interest them and that they want to learn more about. There is no better way to learn something than by doing it.

    Get in touch with Ryan Mendonca–