Tag: entrepreneur

Anurag Parihar, Founder and Chief Executive officer, on providing an online e-learning platform for lawyers
Anurag Parihar graduated from MATS University in 2014. At present, he is the founder and chief executive officer of Rostrumlegal.com. RostrumLegal.Com is an online e-learning platform for lawyers, law students and anyone who wants to learn law. The company operates with a vision to deliver professional legal education to millions of people from around the world at affordable costs.

In this interview he talks to us about:
- Biggest challenges to start a business.
- How to protect a great idea.
- How to obtain a domain name.
- Online courses helpful in starting a business.
What are the biggest challenges to starting a business?

I think taking the first step is the biggest challenge. I always say this to people that every tom, dick or harry in this world has one or two business ideas which can be worth millions of dollars but no one dares to materialise those ideas. I think each one of us have experienced that moment in life when, after hearing a news about some cool startup, we say that “I had a similar business idea, I should have given it a try…” Taking the first step is a real big deal in starting any kind of business.

There are lot of other things, like commitment towards studies or the job, and pressure from family and friends, which prevent us from taking risks. If you think that your idea can create an impact in changing the way people live their lives, you should definitely give it a try.

How can I protect my great idea?

It might sound a bit hilarious but from my personal experience both as a law student and an entrepreneur I would say that ideas are the only form of intellectual property which cannot be afforded any legal protection. Also, you cannot sue anyone or claim a compensation for stealing your ‘great idea’. In fact, stopping someone from pursuing the same kind of business as yours can prove to be unlawful and anti-competitive.

If you have a great business idea in mind and you have fully convinced yourself to start your journey to become the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk of the industry, it would be a very good thing to share and discuss your idea with as many people as you can to take positive inputs to start. A suggestion from an unknown fellow passenger in a local train can also prove to be helpful in realising your billion-dollar dream!

Once you have started or when you are already in the business, you can utilise a lot of legal routes to protect the things which are important to your business. Those things can be your logo, the name of your business, software codes, designs or your secret fried chicken masala (it’s better not to spill such secret)!

How can I obtain the domain name I want?

I think choosing the right domain name for starting a website or a blog is really important to create a good online presence. Domain names can be very crucial if the business is targeting online users. To choose a domain name one should keep in mind that it should be a unique web address. Also, at the same point of time it should be very general to the industry you are doing your business in. Following this suggestion can help businesses or blogs to get organic traffic from search engines. This can be really helpful in contributing towards the growth of the business especially in early days. The perfect example for such type of domains can be housing.com or conferencealerts.com.

There are a lot of websites which sell domains and provide other web hosting services. It is advised to go with a big brand and since these service providers sometimes offer great deal on domains and hosting packages, one should do a proper research before buying to crack the best deal. Also, it should be noted that setting up an ecommerce store or a blog is very easy, there are several articles available on the web which can help you in learning to do so.

How much should I capitalize my business with at the beginning?

The amount of investment needed while starting the business completely depends on the type of business. Some types of businesses can be started at the cost of very small or zero investment. A YouTube channel or a Facebook page sharing funny posts to make people laugh can be turned into a profitable business, the cost of starting such things is practically nothing. A small e-commerce website or a blog, publishing articles on topics like 10 things to not, can be started at a cost of less than 5000 Rupees.

On the other hand, there are lot of capital intensive businesses, like a restraint or a manufacturing company, which can require a lot of investment at the beginning itself. A business can be started either with no money or with a lot of investment but it is very important to plan the budget and the source of income for a long run to manage some of necessary spending in future.

Where can I get money for my business?

Investment is a very important ingredient for growth or expansion of a business. There are a lot of options available for entrepreneurs to raise funds. Some of the important sources include an angel funding, or a funding from a venture capital fund. Two of these are can be simply differentiated by the amount of money they invest in your start up. The former is an investing company often managed by few people known as angel investors who invest significantly less amount of money when compared to venture capital funds which are usually giant corporations managing a huge pool of money. There are lot of schemes run by government and various public and private sector banks which offer collateral free loans to small and medium scale companies on a lucrative interest rates.

There are other creative options to raise money like crowd funding where a startup can raise money from general public by simply posting their business plan on crowdfunding website and offering exclusive launch benefits to the investors. There are a lot of competitions which select infant startups and provide them with mentorship and a small amount of initial funding. There are a lot of startup incubators which look for promising early stage startups.

The amount of money available as compared to the requirement of startups is very less. Only one in a 100 startup is able to attract investors to provide funding. Not only the business idea, but a lot of factors contribute in making a startup attractive to the investors. And, last but not the least, the revenue generated by the business is also an important source of funding.

How should equity be divided among co-founders of a startup?

I think that this is the toughest question in the interview and also one of the most confusing decision an entrepreneur has to take in his life.The equity can be divided by looking into various factors like the type of responsibilities each founder has. Such responsibilities can include the development of the product, investing initial capital, formulating and refining the business idea, marketing, business development etc. Sometimes it is good to take advice from a third party who is close to all the founders, knows the business and is not interested in the business of the company.

It is also important for the founders to enter into a founder’s agreement which decides the share of equity each founder gets and also enlists the responsibility of each of the founders. The agreement should also accommodate plans to include team members and investors who will join the company in future. There a lot of articles, blog posts and tutorial videos which can be referred to gain a clear understanding on this area.

What online resources are helpful for learning more about starting a business?

Several types of free resources are available, both online and offline, to learn about the ways of doing business. Just ask google if you are stuck on something and you will surely find the solution to your problem.

There are a lot of websites like Forbes, Tech Crunch and Entrepreneur who publish a lot of articles on important issues. Also, there are lot You Tube channels who publish videos to help entrepreneur. I would recommend following ‘Google for Entrepreneurs’. It is also advised to know about the life of entrepreneurs and other type of leaders. One can also watch movies and read books to get inspired!

I would recommend people to watch my latest favourite movies ‘Steve Jobs’ (2015) and ‘The Big Shorts’ (2015). Also,If you are looking for a step by step guide to start a business, you can read ‘The 100 Dollar Startup’ by Chris Guillebeau.
May 3, 2016
Pooja Terwad, Founder, Nivaran Online on LL.M from Jindal Global Law School and practicing law

Pooja Terwad graduated in B.L.S.LL.B from Mumbai University in 2012. Thereafter, she went for LL.M from Jindal Global Law School. She got an excellent opportunity to visit Maurer School of Law and work there as a Research Associate for a semester as a part of a fully paid scholarship programme from JGLS.

She is a legal practitioner with expertise in Consumer Law, recently she founded Nivaran Online, a platform which proposes to end all consumer disputes. Let’s talk with her today on National Consumers Rights Day find what drives her to such social initiatives.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a Mumbai girl, from an exceptionally well-educated family. Law is something I did not choose, but it happened by chance. It was only after working for a few years that I realised Law is my true calling. I have been associated with NGOs like Cheshire Home, Indian Development Foundation, and others since I joined Law. Working with the under-privileged made me stronger and determined as an Individual. The consistency I have seen amongst differently abled population has given me the courage to walk a little far and choose a way that is less travelled.

How do you recall your graduation and LL.B days?

I have been an average student throughout my schooling and LL.B days. It was only the desire to achieve something above average and to do something different than most of the law graduates, which got me into Nivaran. The experience of volunteering with Asia’s largest consumer organization, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, and exposure to intern at Consumer International, Malaysia was a boon. All this experiences further resulted in Nivaran.

Tell us about your professional qualifications.

I completed my B.L.S.LL.B from Mumbai University in 2012. After that, I went for my LL.M from O.P. Jindal Global University, New Delhi. I have been awarded a gold medal for my academic performance and another gold medal as an award for the Law Leadership programme.

I was fortunate to have got an opportunity to go to the United States of America on full scholarship, for pursuing my semester. After, I came back I worked with the Additional Solicitor General of India, Mr. Anil Singh at Bombay High Court. I also had the opportunity to work on serious matters like Adarsh Scam, Campa Cola, etc. under his guidance.

It was in January 2015 that I started my law firm and at the same time began volunteering for Mumbai Grahak Panchayat under the mentorship of renowned consumer activist and Lawyer, Mr. Shirish Deshpande. I am thankful to him for the opportunity to attend a 14-day internship programme at Consumers International, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The guidance of Ms. Indrani Thuraisingham, Head of CI, South Asian Region, has also been very helpful to me while setting up the process at Nivaran Online.

Please tell us about how you got the USA scholarship, and what all did it cover? What did you get to do in the States?

I should thank Jindal Global Law School for my USA scholarship. I was enrolled in the two years’ LL.M course and had a keen interest in Intellectual Property Laws. I was the topper of the first year LL.M at JGLS, and hence, our Director chose to send me to the US for a semester at Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, Indianapolis. Although not an Ivy League college, this is one of the best public universities in the States with the most renowned IPR professors teaching there.

There I got an opportunity to study Patent Law from Prof. Mark Janis, who is an immensely learned and globally renowned IPR attorney. My scholarship covered my entire tuition fees and a Monetary Scholarship of USD 4000. Apart from that, I also received a paid Research Associate position at the University.

Also, I always wanted to work while studying and experience the high of being financially independent. I got the chance to do so while in the States. I did end up doing small jobs in the US and also worked as a Research Associate to professors. It was quite exciting.

Did you think of pursuing your profession at the United States?

More than professional reasons, I had personal reasons to come back. I am the only child, and I was not very keen to leave my parents alone in India in their aging years. And, I am strongly of the belief that, Indians have an incredible potential to transform the country with their innovation. It’s just that we need to overlook the Dollars, and have a strong sense of belief in our potential.

What inspired you to start something like NIVARAN?

While working for Asia’s largest NGO for consumer issues, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, and working for their Consumer Guidance cell, I realised that NGOs in India work on a micro-economic platform. They do not have the expert resource to work for a single consumer, and get the dispute resolved as a matter of responsibility. Indian consumers needed an organization, where expert legal advice could be provided by lawyers. However, the same should be given at an affordable price. I wanted to establish an institution, where every “justifiably cheated consumer” gets a resolution without going to the courts.

Why do you think Society needs a platform like NIVARAN?

Most of the times, an Indian consumer is left with two choices. Either “GO TO THE COURT” or “GIVE UP ON HIS RIGHT”. I feel both of them are neither viable nor justified. When the loss is of Rs. 25,000 to 50,000, a consumer doesn’t want to go to the court, as he will end up spending much more than the loss amount on lawyers and the judicial system. And ultimately, he gives up on his rights silently. I wish to change this scenario. Every consumer should get a resolution under every circumstance.

What is your role in Nivaran Online?

I am a founder at Nivaran Online, and I look into the Operation and Legal Area.

What is Nivaran’s operational model? Where do you see Nivaran in five years down the line?

With the kind of pendency and delay in Consumer courts, I wish to make Nivaran Online, a centralised platform for resolution of disputes, where brands, as well as consumers, operate on amicable grounds. We have associated with several Consumer NGOs in India, especially the ones founded by people who believe in swift resolution and are open to trying something new, rather than going the monotonous way. They divert consumer complaints from their areas, and we in return, help them with Honorary Funds so that they can further consumer welfare. I wish to tie-up with Organizations, Governmental and Non-Governmental, and ultimately provide the best aid to consumers.

How difficult has it been as a litigator, have you ever faced any gender bias in the legal profession?

Fortunately, I have never suffered any such bias till date. I have been lucky to have met people who judged me by my credentials, rather than my gender. I believe women have proved themselves beyond all doubts. It is true that we do not have many women entrepreneurs in the start-up world. But, male-dominated professions have never discouraged a woman from establishing her identity. So I am highly optimistic, that my gender will never be a hurdle in moving ahead.

Don’t you think starting up with Nivaran can affect your mainstream profession?

I have been in litigation for quite some time. I have my full-service law firm, in the name of Pooja Terwad & Associates. We were fortunate to have established ourselves pretty well without any previous legal background. However, I was always dissatisfied when I appeared in Consumer Courts.

Even in my individual capacity, I ensured that before we go to the court, we try to settle the matter. I also encouraged consumers to argue on their own, if they could not afford lawyers’ fees. But, the highly technical procedures were often discouraging. So, I thought of moving apart from the monotonous and commercialized structure of Courts, help consumers resolve their disputes and charge them nominal fees, which did not exceed 10 percent of the loss value at any cost. So, I chose to do what courts do, however, without going to the court.

What would be your message to our readers?

I feel Indian lawyers are bogged down by competition, all they care is about “packages”. Very few of them wish to experiment, innovate and come up with something exciting which will help the society as a whole.

Our youth I notice is pressurized to such an extent, with stereotypical opinions that he fears to try his hand at something new, something challenging. We are scared to get out of our comfort zone; we are afraid to struggle. We are afraid of failure, not because it would affect us, but because the society might not accept us with a failure tag. I feel we have taken the Society way too seriously. It’s time we do what we feel is going to make us happy and moreover do what we are meant to do.

I would only urge to all of my friends that we have the potential; we just need to be creative and an out-of-the-box thinker.

December 24, 2015
Amit Aggarwal, Co-Founder, Effectual Knowledge Services, on starting-up, business management and IPR Solutions
Amit Aggarwal is a co-founder of Effectual Knowledge Services which offers IPR related solutions. EKS provide services in patent search, patent drafting and other allied areas. Having graduated with B.Tech from Kurukshetra University in 2002 and later completed his LL.B from Chaudhary Charan Singh University he joined Reliance Industries Limited as an Assistant Manager. Prior to founding EKS in 2010, he worked with leading organizations such as CPA Global and Evalueserve.

In this interview he talks about:
- Studying law post his bachelor’s in engineering from Kurukshetra University
- His work experience at CPA Global and Evalueserve
- Responsibilities at Effectual Knowledge Services
How would you introduce yourself? Could you please share a little bit of what motivated you to pursue law as a career?

I graduated from Kurukshetra University and was privileged to be part of the academic institution. I was given an opportunity to represent the college in numerous competitions organized by the institution and received many awards. Apart from this, I also pursued LL.B from Chaudhary Charan Singh University which helped me to gain deep insights about the IP industry. Apart from the theoretical knowledge, the study of law had helped me to understand practical aspects of the legal industry. This further motivated me to embrace the challenging and exciting career in the field of Intellectual Property. I was an active participant in all the social and community engagements that took place at the university. Besides this, I consider the quest for learning more about IPR and develop skills as a journey that is rewarding and is still on.

How would you describe your typical day?

I spend most of the time interacting with clients both domestic as well as international and assist them to develop IP strategy in order to achieve business goals. Also, a typical day involves prioritizing work and allocating the same to the colleagues. I also interact with employees to impart IP knowledge, address their concerns and conduct training sessions. I intend to make the team self-reliant so that they can handle complex patent assignments, deliver superior quality work and build long term relations with clients. Majority of the day is consumed by taking informed decisions relating to internal management, business development, assisting technology firms and advising startups. I try and finish the work in time to be home and unwind with my family.

What diverted you to take this entrepreneurial plunge and start Effectual Knowledge Services in 2010? What prompted this move?

I was fortunate enough to gain insights about the IP space while working with esteemed organizations such as CPA global and Evalueserve. In the beginning of my entrepreneurial plunge, I was aware of the fact that entrepreneurship involves bigger risk and rewards. The idea of the firm stemmed from the possibilities and making fundamental change with respect to quality work, timelines, and other deliverables to the client that urged me to undertake my entrepreneurial journey. In addition to this, there is immense potential in the IP space that fuelled me to pursue my dreams and make a mark in the field of IP. The ability to identify, evaluate, and understand business has helped me to run the firm successfully. I also thank my peers and colleagues who shared the same passion and enthusiasm and I am obliged to them for being a part of Effectual’s journey.

What has been your experience in working with international clients since 2010?

The initial days of my entrepreneurial journey were demanding. They involved immense hard work, commitment and dedication to succeed and take the organization to newer heights. Till now, I had worked with thousands of international clients and helped them manage their IP portfolio and achieve business objectives. Since we are known for our quality of work and our search findings, a majority of the revenues is generated through repeat business from these clients.

What prompted you to start the IPSS division in 2014? Tell us a bit more about it.

The IPSS division was started with an objective to help clients in providing services such as patent proofreading, docketing, translation services, and patent illustrations and drawings. There was need to be fulfilled as most of the clients wanted to outsource their paralegal services apart from the regular work like prior art searches infringement searches, patent analysis, etc. The IPSS division is growing at an exponential rate due our superior quality work performed at a quick turnaround time.

What were the biggest hurdles and challenges in the first few months? How did you deal with them?

Every business has its own set of challenges to face with. These challenges include hiring the right people to build a brand. As there is intense competition in the IP space, every firm is looks to acquire clients and maximize its revenues. We had to overcome these challenges by providing superior trainings and mentoring employees to handle complex assignments at a quick turnaround time. Apart from this, we have developed a well structured HR program in order to retain best performing employees and rewarding them for their work. Through our quality work, we bagged the Red Hiring Top 100 Asia Award 2014 and Deloitte Tech Fast 50 in 2014and 2015.

While hiring for your company, what skills do you look for in a prospective employee?

In today’s fast-paced world, every employee should have an ideal mix of skills and competencies to achieve the desired results. In addition to this, leadership and strategic decision making that an employee should be equipped with. Following are the traits that an employee should have:
- Team Player
- Multi-tasking
- Excellent Communication Skills
- Organizational Awareness
- Problem Solver
- Ability to Prioritize
- Effective Decision Maker
- Learning Ability
- Proactive
What have been your successes?

Our success can be defined in terms of the revenue and global expansion. We have been growing at a rapid pace and expanding our team in the countries such as the US, Germany and the UK. Over the years, the business development team has gained client confidence and delivered quality services to clients.

Is there any other tip you would like to give to our budding entrepreneurs?

As mentioned in the earlier question, perseverance is the key to success in entrepreneurship. As India is not very startup friendly and entrepreneurs have to face many hurdles, it is critical for the entrepreneur to believe in his idea and results will follow.

What kind of work and responsibilities does a Manager at CPA Global deal with?

The role and responsibility at CPA global involve providing assistance to US attorneys and Fortune 500 companies in patent prosecution and infringement analysis. I also helped leading technology companies in conducting patentability searches, patent to product mapping, landscape analysis, directed prosecution, claim mapping, prosecution history review and technical analysis of cited prior art and proposing amendments for office action responses. Apart from this, I have worked on number of intellectual property projects related to varied domains such as computer science, telecommunication and information technology, etc. The experience was quite enriching and gave me an opportunity to work on various projects involving prior art search, patent search, etc.

What do you cherish most about the experience you’ve had over the past two years?

The experience at CPA global helped me to gained insights about the intellectual property. During my tenure at CPA, I was awarded every quarter for my dedication and hard work. I have also consistently participated in various competition organized by the company on month-on-month basis.

Elaborate on experience in working with EVS?

I got an opportunity to be a part of the EVS and was handling clients across the globe. The work profile of EVS was interesting and gave me ample opportunities to work on array of projects. Majority of the work included conducting prior art search, invalidation search, and landscape analysis.

You’re the Co-Founder and Director of Effectual Services. Please tell us about Effectual Services. What inspired you to embark on this entrepreneurial journey?

Since the beginning of my professional career, I wanted to become an entrepreneur and make a mark in the field of intellectual property (IP). Back in 2010, we founded Effectual Services – an idea that cropped up during my stint at EVS. I was very intrigued by the idea that there was immense potential in the IP space and building this company will be game changer in my life. During the first year, we realize that providing end-to-end solutions will be a differentiating factor and will lead to success of the company. That realization had led to the fifth year in 2015. Effectual got an amazing start as we were able to acquire international clients and solved complex assignments related to prior art search and invalidation searches. Every year, from 2010 to now, we have had the privilege of working with Fortune 500 companies and law firms.

Effectual Services is based in Noida and is one of leading IP advisor to Fortune 500 companies, law firms, venture capitalists, and PE firms. Out team comprise of multi-disciplinary experts with rich experience in handling complex patent assignments in various domains such as Alternative Energy, Automotive and Aerospace, Biomedical, Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, Chemical and Materials, Information Technology, Electrical and Computer, Life Sciences, Telecommunications, etc. We also provide Intellectual Property Support Services (IPSS) such as proofreading, docketing, information disclosure statement, and patent term adjustment (PTA).

What are your future plans?

Being an ambitious person, I always wanted to make it big in my professional career with a perfectionist attitude, which I feel I am endowed with. At the moment, the company is growing at an exponential rate. We are planning to expand in different geographies like the US, the UK, etc.

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

I believe that success can only be achieved through hard work and diligent effort. Reinvent yourself to stay relevant in the dynamic business environment. Successful people are aware that the knowledge is the backbone of success so they keep on learning new things and explore different avenues in life.
November 3, 2015
Hitesh Sablok, Founder, PackandShift.com, on entrepreneurship and quitting BigLaw to start-up
Hitesh Sablok studied law from Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (affiliated to IP University, New Delhi) in the Batch of 2003-08. A corporate lawyer by experience, now turned entrepreneur, he has worked at Vaish Associates and Amarchand & Mangaldas. Recently he has started his own business in logistics: PackandShift.com.

PackandShift is his new venture, it is an aggregation based platform which renders economical, reliable and hassle free transportation and relocation services.

In this interview he talks about:
- His experience in the corporate world, the responsibilities involved.
- Founding a startup, gathering the initial investment, finding a co-founder and other aspects regarding the same.
- PackandShift’s main business model and facilities provided.
- Advice for law students venturing into entrepreneurship.
Tell us a bit about your childhood and pre-college life as well as educational background. Did you have lawyers in your family?

I was born in Meerut and brought up in Delhi. My complete education has been from Delhi, so it won’t be wrong to call me a Delhi boy! I have been an average student throughout but always had a knack for connecting everything with logic, related concepts, application, techniques etc. My interests ranged from technology and science to nature to war history to superheroes. Major source of all this back then was the Discovery Channel, which started around the same time and till date is my favourite on TV.

My dad, who is also a lawyer, played a very vital role in shaping up my career. In fact, it was on his advice and guidance that I entered into a law school. In fact now we have another lawyer in our family – my better half!

You were till recently working at Vaish Associates as a Principle Associate. What constituted your work profile? What were your daily tasks and responsibilities?

At Vaish Associates I lead teams on transactional assignments; primarily relating to M&A and PE. I was responsible for every aspect of the deal i.e. from structuring of a transaction from a regulatory perspective, discussing and negotiating the commercial terms of the deal with the opposite party, drafting, reviewing and finalizing the agreements required in accordance with the deal structure and last but not the least – ensuring proper closing the transaction (including some post-closing activities/ filings). The day used to start early and revolved around con-calls, client meetings (be it for discussing an ongoing deal or for business development) and finalizing drafts of agreements/ documents for one or the other on-going transactions.

Earlier you were working at Amarchand Mangaldas, what was the work that you dealt with?

At Amarchand Mangaldas I was directly reporting to my Partner and was responsible for any corporate matter that came to our team (be it a transactional matter or an opinion or general corporate advisory); however, even then my work majorly revolved around transactional assignments. It was a short but a beautiful experience working at Amarchand Mangaldas and taught me so many fine things that a professional should practice.

Share the biggest challenges that you faced in the early days of your career. How did you address them?

I entered as an intern and gradually became an associate… Ours was a populated team of about 20 people. Each and everyone wanted to outshine the other and get the best work. Every senior wanted the best junior to work with him, which is a very fair need. That was my initial challenge…to prove my worth! To be the best one out of the lot… I knew that the only way was to prove my ability and that’s what I went after; BUT, how do you do that when you do not have any work? I started taking up assignments which no one was probably wanting to take (cause of whatever reasons) and I also started picking up small researches from my seniors and even from my colleagues and used to give more than my 100% to the minutest aspect possible. It was from one of such researches that I got involved in my first major and full time assignment. To my surprise I was the only junior on that matter and then there was no looking back. However, this was not an easy road – there was endless brainstorming (so as to think out of the box and come up with workable, effective and legally tenable solutions), great deal of hard work (in successfully capturing the understanding in the document) and flawless execution (which used to be the icing on the cake).

The point that I am trying to make here is that till you get an opportunity keep preparing yourself and keep finding ways to generate an opportunity; when you get it – make the best of it.

What are the skills you banked upon to successfully carve out a niche in the corporate world?

A focus on three important skills:

1 – understanding the situation/ facts (UNDERSTAND);

2 – analysing all the pros and cons and regulatory hurdles revolving around the situation (ANALYZE); and

3 – following a problem solving approach and providing a solution basis the first two steps (SOLVE). With one’s experience and knowledge increasing every day, the inputs in the above steps shall keep on increasing; however the outcome remain constant – coming out with a best possible solution!

The above approach coupled with discipline, dedication, hard work and ownership of work will definitely take you a long way!!

Recently you left your job at Vaish Associates, to co-found a start-up. Do tell us a little more about packandshift.com, the business model and the idea behind it?

🙂 After around 6 years in the profession and having experienced everything that a transactional lawyer can imagine, I wanted to take on a bigger challenge and also had this feeling of doing something of my own. After discussing with my family and a few close friends I decided to go for it and give it my best short. But this was only one third of the road to the start point.

The second important thing was to find someone trustworthy to start-up with and on this front I was lucky to have one of my close friends Sougata (my co-founder at www.packandshift.com) to agree on taking this road with me. The last and the most difficult thing for us was to identify the sector. PackandShift’s idea originated from one of our personal experiences wherein my family and I were relocating from Delhi to Gurgaon and it was a pain for us to identify and appoint an economical and a reliable relocation service provider. Very soon we realized that finding both these qualities in one person and that too in this sector was next to impossible. Therefore, we let go of the economical part and moved forward with the reliable part and zeroed in on one of the best relocation companies in India.

This became the starting point of our research into the completely disorganized sector and after months of research and discussion we finalised on transportation/ logistics as the sector where we would operate in and PackandShift was born.

Currently we offer three kinds of services:

1 – Relocation Services – Under this head we arrange for hassle-free, economical and reliable services to the customers so that they can completely sit back and relax throughout the entire relocation process. Being economical and that too along with hassle-free and reliable services is the hardest part of the game as the current players in the market who are reliable and provide hassle-free solutions are definitely not economical from a common man’s perspective.

2 – Intra-City Transportation Services – Under this head we arrange for small trucks for anyone who requires to transport within Delhi NCR. We provide very attractive and transparent prices and the customer is also saved from the hassle of calling multiple transporters and negotiating to get the best price. This segment is very helpful for distributors, retailers, individuals buying items which can’t be transported in their personal vehicle.

3 – Inter-City Transportation Services – Under this head we currently arrange for trucks of any size (basis the requirement) for anyone who requires to transport anything from one city to another.

In how many cities is your business operational?

It is impossible to start all the above segments in multiple cities at the same time. Its only been around 3 months that we have commenced operations. Currently, the focus of our Relocation Services and Intra-City Transportation Services is Delhi NCR; however, for the Inter-City Transportation Services we are currently focusing on any requirement moving to/ from Delhi NCR.

We operate on an aggregation model and for all the above services we have identified and verified transportation partners who actually render the services to the client; however, PackandShift monitors and controls the quality and the prices (in the capacity of a third party) so that the customer can get the best possible user experience.

Is this a new venture and concept in today’s market?

It would be incorrect if I say that this is a new concept in today’s market; however, the approach and the mindset is different. Being transactional lawyers and being in the service industry since long, both Sougata (my co-founder) and I

(i) understand and appreciate the importance of customer satisfaction; and

(ii) are able to understand nuances of any sector quickly and adapt accordingly (as we have been trained to do that while advising our earlier set of clients who were operational in various sectors).

I personally believe the above skills and approach will make the entire difference in developing an economical and a hassle free experience for any client.

Was it a big jump from being a corporate lawyer to being an entrepreneur? Could you elaborate on why you opted out of the legal scenario?

Throughout my legal career I was blessed to have brilliant people around me (which is a luxury today) who taught me and who have guided me always towards the right direction. My seniors always trusted my capabilities and gave me all the room and independence to handle my assignments from a very early stage. Everything was in the right place and I very much enjoyed every bit of it; however, as they say, it lacked soul! There was always an impending feeling of something missing. I always wanted to do something of my own, my own brainchild, and my very own venture! And this feeling became stronger and stronger with every passing day (especially in the last year of my legal career). This feeling coupled with the idea of PackandShift was the time I decided that now was time to take the plunge. It was definitely a very big decision as the switch was from a white collar job and corporate lifestyle (which revolved around AC offices, corner workstation with a beautiful view, client meetings and negotiations, teams and support staff to manage all your requirements etc. etc.) to a blue collar job and complete field job (having no practical office, complete day spends in the field, managing all tasks – from that of a peon to that of a CEO).

How much market research did you conduct before going ahead with the start up? What were the odds that were not in your favour, what all obstacles did you have to overcome?

Once we had identified the problem areas, we undertook a mammoth research to understand whether the solution would qualify as a business case or not. After we had satisfied ourselves with the business viability, we discussed and researched for about 5-6 months to understand the prevailing scenario in the sector followed by competition analysis. Once we had a grip on all this information, we started developing our model and eventually it was time to hang our boots! Honestly speaking we never went into discussing the odds in our favour or against us as we believed that the solution and the service which we aim at rendering shall only make life easy for people and therefore, there was no reason for not liking it.

During all stages of our venture (starting from the conceptualization stage to the operations stage), the greatest obstacle was to understand this highly unorganised sector. Further, acting as an effective medium between the operators/ service providers and the customers also emerged as a herculean task considering that the demands and expectations at both the ends completely differ. However, for every problem we have always had only one solution “Customer Satisfaction” and what differs in every situation is the path to reach that solution.

Since then it has been a continuous learning process and every day new challenges surprise us & we surprise them back! 🙂

How did you find a co-founder? Was it an easy task?

In my case finding a co-founder was easy. Sougata is a very close friend of mine and we have known each other and worked together for around 4 years now. We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses and are able to make up for each other’s short comings.

For a start-up, probably the most important factor is investment. In this regard, how did you manage the initial investment in your new business?

Very true!! Money is a key ingredient for any start-up recipe and same was the case with us. The only thing which differs from case to case is the quantum of the monetary requirement.

In our case, both Sougata and I have been corporate lawyers and since graduating from college, we have worked with leading law firms of the country. Thanks to our previous jobs and help from our family and friends, we were able to raises the initial investment amount and commence operations of our business.

You have worked at larger law firms earlier and then after starting your own venture do you feel the work/life balance has changed? Is it more comfortable being your own boss or is the pressure of work almost similar?

“Being your own boss” does not make a difference for me. If you are responsible and dedicated to your work then it actually does not matter whether you work for yourself or you work for anyone else. In both the cases you will put in your best to deliver timely results. So practically for me there has been no change in terms of work pressure. The bottom line has always and still remains “complete everything within the deadline and move to the next task”.

Coming to work/ life balance – I definitely feel work/ life balance has changed; work takes more time now 🙂 when you decide to become an entrepreneur, it’s your job to lay down the foundation and set-up the business. At the initial stage one works for the whole office but it’s all futile if you don’t get the desired support from your family. I must say I am lucky and blessed to have a supportive family who always encourage me and stand by me. I try to spend as much time I can with my family…

What advise will you give to young lawyers who aspire to become entrepreneurs?

I only have two pieces of advice.

First – always have a logical reason and a rationale for what you want to do.

Second – understand what you wish to deliver and only then the path would be clear.

Following these two steps have helped me throughout both my careers as they bring clarity to the entire situation and one is able to systematically approach towards the required things.

What skills and qualities do you think have helped you achieve your current position and stature?

I think the journey has just started for me and it’s a bit early to answer this question 🙂

However, the basic skill set comprising of dedication, responsibility, timely delivery, result oriented approach, is useful irrespective profession and therefore, one should aim at developing and mastering them; and the only way to do that is by completely imbibing it in your routine.

Education definitely plays an important role in shaping one’s career, but more importantly, the experience one gathers while working first hand on something, i.e. on the job training, and hard work has NO substitute. One should aim at practical experience as it plays a vital role in developing the overall thought process and the ability to take right decisions. It’s simple – the more you see, the more you understand and better you deliver.

All of these are very small things and have been very critical in shaping my career…

What is your long term plan, with regard to the start up? Do you plan on expanding?

Our current and top most priority is to strengthen and stabilise PackandShift’s operations in the Delhi NCR region and thereafter, we shall plan to expand in different geographies basis the respective market and dynamics.
October 22, 2015
Rohan Mahajan, Founder, LawRato.com, on starting up and pursuing legal entrepreneurship
Rohan Mahajan started out as a Bachelor of Science from Hans Raj College, Delhi University in 1997, but destiny had other plans for him. Right after in 2000, he opted for law from Campus Law Center, DU, which in turn lead him to his first employment, that with Bharti Airtel Limited. After 4 more job changes from 2002 till 2013, he finally found his niche in the wonderful world of entrepreneurship – beginning his own startup LawRato.com to reach impeccable success and job satisfaction.

In this interview, he talks to us about:
- The conflict between the head and the heart in choosing a career;
- The journey of establishing LawRato.com;
- The attractive aspects of legal entrepreneurship; and
- The necessity to choose a career that truly fulfils you.
How would you introduce yourself to our readers? Please tell us about your pre-college days. As a young adult, what plans did you have for your future?

A warm hug to all the SuperLawyer readers here. I come from a family of scholars, and I have two elder sisters who were quite meritorious themselves. While it certainly is a blessing, it turned out to be a tough one, as I had to not only compete with my classmates to get grades better than them, but the competitive environment was equally tough at home as well. So yes, I have been brought up with a sense of competition, and winning is in my genes – a trait quite important in the startup world, where we strive to be the best each day.

You are a B.Sc. (Hons) graduate from Hans Raj College, New Delhi. What was the motivation behind your decision to pursue law? Are there any lawyers in your family?

Those were the last few days of my graduation days at Hans Raj College, and I remember I was sitting quite confused in the college lawns. While my heart was pushing me to pursue an MBA and get a cushy corporate job, my mind was fighting my heart to go ahead and get into a Law college, as I was always fascinated by the authority that the legal profession enjoys, and was always annoyed by people who did not abide the laws. With my father being a practicing lawyer, I suppose I was a little biased, and ended up deciding to pursue law post my graduation.

Was Campus Law Center, New Delhi always your choice for law school, or did you apply to other colleges as well? What was the procedure to secure admission back then in the year 2000? Was there a lot of competition?

Well, with the heart and mind in sync, after their tussle ended up in the mind winning over the heart, the next step was to figure out where to head to in order to get my legal robes. Being a North Campus guy for 3 years, Law Fac, DU was the obvious and only choice, as the thought of continuing coming to the north campus for another 3 years was too exciting to even consider any other law college. You know, once you are sure what you are looking for, achieving it is just a few steps away. I studied hard for the entrance, and came out with flying colors to join the Campus Law Center, Law Faculty, Delhi University as a law student.

Our readers would love to know about your law school days. Tell us a bit about it.

Honestly, the only memories I have from my law school days are those of gorging on food (especially the mutton kebabs at Delhi School of Economics), shopping at the Bunglow Road (North Campus, DU), and helping friends contest the Law Fac elections. As far as studies go, I have always applied logics in everything I have studied, and this ensured that there were no difficulties whatsoever in moving from my science background to the legal studies.

Your marketing career spans an impressive 15 years across various industries. How has the journey been?

It’s said that in the end, the heart wins over the mind. Back then in my 3^rd year of Law college, mobile phones were still a big deal, and were a privilege to only a few. I desperately wanted to own one, and my desire became so bad that I even started dreaming of owning one. I suppose the Almighty saw my desperation, and one of my close friends told me about a job offer with Airtel. One of the best days of my life were scripted when the HR offered me a meagre salary, but a Nokia Handset and an Airtel SIM with unlimited calls as part of my remuneration. I cannot describe in words the happiness one gets when one’s dreams come true, quite literally. This first corporate job was followed by another, and then another when I joined this Marketing agency which not only taught me the A to Z of marketing, but also made me travel half the world. This was another dream come true, when your passion becomes your profession and you don’t even know how a decade passed by.

You’re the Founder and CEO of LawRato.com. Please tell us about LawRato. What inspired you to embark on this entrepreneurial journey?

Back in 2009, I was working in Singapore & Jakarta, Indonesia. A legal issue cropped up during my stint, and surprisingly, I was left dangling for help. Even in the age of internet and globalization, I had no platform to seek a verified and a reliable solution to my problem. It occurred to me how there would be many more stranded like me. And hence, the seeds of LawRato were sown.

There is no way whatsoever by which a common man can evaluate and identify the right lawyer for their legal situation. With no data available on the lawyers’ performance and track record, its next to impossible to tell which lawyer would be the right one for your need. It becomes more difficult, as unlike healthcare, where there are clear specialists for different healthcare problems (cardiologist, neurologist, etc.), lawyers take up matters across multiple practice areas and there are no defined specialists for each practice area like property matters, matrimonial matters and others.

With 3 Crore pending matters and 17 Lac new cases filed each month in various courts in the country, there was no transparent way to get access to the right lawyer so far. This becomes graver as 1 in 5 clients seeking legal consultation files a case. This makes it a whopping 1 crore consultations each month. With most of us not knowing where and how to find the right lawyer, we end up either reaching out to someone through a close reference or finding one through local directory listings. Either of these routes have no way to promise the credibility and quality of the lawyer as references are mostly based on 1 or 2 past experiences and local listings have no control over who is listing themselves as professionals.

A lot of clients end up in legal issues where they need a counsel to represent them in a faraway city. Be it a property situated in another city where relatives are having an illegal possession or a cheque bounce matter where the other party has filed a case in another city or matrimonial matters where one of the spouse has gone to his / her parental home thousands of miles away and pressed criminal charges in the local police station, the need to a local counsel in that city is of utmost importance to ensure the matter is handled in the most appropriate manner.

We have top rated verified lawyers in 110+ cities in India, and one can consult with them with a click of a button at the platform. Clients needing lawyers in faraway cities have actually called us as life-savers as we not only save them the time needed to physically travel to another city to find the right lawyer, but as mentioned earlier, even if they would have travelled to the city, there was no way to evaluate and identity the right lawyer so far. In today’s world where everything is so connected and transparent, having access to top level legal support is certainly the need of the hour.

LawRato.com ensures that this need of having access to transparent & guided legal support system is covered with their highly curated and verified lawyer listings and ratings and reviews for each lawyer on the platform. The team conducts in depth online and offline verification of each lawyer before getting them onboard which includes verification through referral. Each user consulting a lawyer on the platform gets to rate and review them once the consultation is received.

Please explain to our readers how LawRato.com functions. How do you manage your extensive database of lawyers across cities and varying fields of law?

LawRato.com works as an introduction-cum-Service partner for the clients and also Top Rated Verified Lawyers across any city and any court in India.

It handholds the user right from the initial consultation with the lawyer to the final outcome of the case. The portal offers multiple modes of engagement in the form of email, phone, video calling, meeting & their home/office meetings to avail the services of the listed lawyers. The aim is to set transparency and trust in a highly cluttered and disorganized Legal Industry in India.

Could you also introduce us to your team?

The Team:

Rohan Mahajan (Founder & CEO)
- A law graduate from Law Faculty (DU), obsessed with helping solve people’s problems
- Operations specialist with 14 years’ experience in BTL marketing across APAC.
- Spearhead of Wizcraft’s BTL operations. Expanded Digitas’ operations in Indonesia as Country head – Handled field sales & telesales teams.
Nikhil Sarup (Co-Founder & CTO)
- A software engineer by education, still putting his B.Tech(CSE) degree to good use, coding open source apps.
- 16 years’ experience in Digital & Direct marketing. Previously headed digital strategy for Razorfish & Digitas India. Deep expertise in E-commerce platforms, CRM systems, and social communities.
The crazy duo are supported by a team comprising of 4 law graduates who handle all incoming client requirements, and 2 marketing and relationship managers who take care of lawyer onboarding, management and other PR activities.

How do you plan to expand LawRato.com, in terms of operations, infrastructure, as well as attracting more investments? Can we expect a mobile app soon?

We have received angel funding a few months ago, and are chasing tough targets which are reviewed on a weekly basis, since the aim is to achieve a sizeable traction before raising the next round of funding. We currently have 500+ top lawyers on-board, across 100+ cities and are targeting to take this number to 3000+ lawyers across 200 cities in 6 months from now. We are happy growing a little slow, since our process of bringing new lawyers on-board involves online and offline verification of the lawyer’s credentials, as the quality of lawyers we offer is the best in the business and that’s what sets us apart from any competition. On the User traction, we are currently getting 1500 daily site visitors and 100 client requirements per day, out of which we are able to help 5-10 clients hire a lawyer through the portal. We have been reaching a measurement of growth at @ 10-15% on a weekly basis, and are now aiming to handle 10,000 visitors and 1000 client requirements per day in 6 months from now. A user app and a separate lawyer app that enables onboard lawyers to answer client queries and manage their client appointments, are under development and are expected to be launched in October / November 2015.

Will you be practicing law in the near future? Do you aim to do pro bono work?

Honestly, practicing law is on my mind, but not for another 4-5 years, atleast. I really want to get involved in pro bono practice to take up matters of public interest. The idea is to grow LawRato.com to a level where we are able to take up CSR projects and offer free legal aid to the needy. I would love to do this in association with the Government’s legal aid program.

What would be your message for our readers, particularly young lawyers and law students, who wish to foray into entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is for people who want to see a change in the way they lead their daily lives. If you feel that you can, in some way, impact the life of a few people, give your idea a shot and see how it works. If your prototype is able to impact even one person’s life, go ahead and get involved in full time entrepreneurship. However, also remember that there is nothing such as work-life balance if you are looking into starting up on your own.

One of my favourite quotes is – In entrepreneurship, you live a few years of your life like no one else does, so that you can live the rest of your life like no one else can!
September 28, 2015
Kanan Dhru, Founder, RFGI, LawToons, LawForMe, on being a Social Entrepreneur and work experience in Policy Research
Kanan Dhru graduated in B.Com from Gujarat University in 2003, thereafter she pursued Bachelor of Laws from the prestigious London School of Economics and graduated by 2006.

With her qualification in law, she started her versatile work life full of enviable achievements like being a member of a Prime Minister’s advisory body, consultant for Members of Parliament, and, interestingly, practising advocate at the Gujarat High Court.

Finally, the social entrepreneur in her motivated her to found the Research Foundation for Governance in India (RFGI) in 2009. RFGI is a think-tank that is working on legal and political reforms in India. Kanan is dealing with issues like backlog of cases, education for lawyers as well as engaging youth in governance through her work in RFGI.

Recently, she has founded LawForMe (an app that guides people to the answers to their legal queries with the help of flowcharts) and Lawtoons (a cartoon series on the basic laws of India). LawForMe has won the Innovating Justice award of the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Laws, 2014.

A successful woman social entrepreneur with a string of achievements at a very young age, Kanan talks about her thoughts, ideas, experiences and advice to young social entrepreneurs and law students.

Please introduce yourself to the readers telling us a little bit about your childhood and your background.

I come from a traditional Gujarati family. Our family is one of the old families of Ahmedabad. My grandmother’s grandfather has been instrumental in starting the Gujarat Law Society. The importance of arts and culture has been instilled in me since my childhood. My parents made a conscious decision to put me in C N Vidyalaya, a Gujarati-medium Gandhian school which stressed on simplicity, self-reliance and authenticity as the way of life. Children are taught to spin the wheel (and make Khadi cloth by themselves), agriculture, carpentry. In fact, our uniform was also made of Khadi!

A certain percentage of students came from nearby villages and their parents were farmers, daily labourers and the like. At the same time, there were students who came from well-to-do families and I grew up seeing inequalities all around me.

You studied Law after B.Com from Gujarat University. Was studying law an event of chance or an effect of a deliberate plan? What inclined you to choose law?

I always wanted to be a lawyer. Since I grew up questioning our unequal society, I wondered where did the answers lie and where does the buck stop? I saw that all our leaders were lawyers and that by getting the education in justice delivery, I can help create a fairer society.

You have completed your Bachelor of Laws from the prestigious London School of Economics. How different is the style of teaching at LSE? Do they focus more on the practical aspects of law as compared to the NLUs?

My exposure to the education system at NLUs has come from my younger sister, who studied at one of them. At LSE, the teaching methodology is highly analytical. Emphasis is put on the nature and need of law in the society and the ingredients of rule of law. The black letter law becomes the focus only after graduation – just before the graduate decides to take up the path of becoming a solicitor or a barrister.

Why did you choose a foreign university to pursue Law instead of an Indian law school?

While I was very clear about pursuing law, my parents wanted me to study law from a good university. I did apply for NLUs after my 12^th standard, but at that time, the application system was different. Every university had a different application system. I only applied to NLSIU and NALSAR and frankly, did not make it to either.

Tell us about your time at LSE. How was the academic pressure? Tell us about campus life at LSE. How difficult was it for you to adjust to a U.K. based education system?

My time at LSE was fabulous – my horizons were expanded manifolds. Of course, the delivery of lectures and communication during the classes was very different and I had to adjust to the change in the teaching methodology.

Along with studies, I slowly started involving myself in the extra-curricular activities on campus. I became the editor of the law society’s legal journal, started SPICE (Society for the Promotion of Indian Culture and Ethos) and also founded India Week – one of the prominent celebrations on the LSE campus – where we hosted Professor Amartya Sen and involved the Indian Embassy in the founding year. I was awarded the ‘Honorary Studentship’ by the LSE Student Union – which is awarded to 20 students in the graduating batch every year.

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

In the first year, I interned at Nishith Desai Associates in India and in the second year, I interned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva.

Honestly, the WHO experience was quite significant since I was able to meet and interact with a very different set of people, mainly health professionals, and I was able to have very in-depth conversations with them. There were many people from the USA, whom I found really open and friendly.

At WHO, I was able to see how an international organisation functions and how it is able to create dialogue across stakeholders. I also saw how different countries could get themselves represented at the international platforms. This fascinated me and made me start thinking about policy work in India.

How did you secure your appointment at the NKC? What was the nature of your work at the NKC?

(After graduating from LSE, Kanan came back to India and worked at the National Knowledge Commission for a year. The NKC is one of the Prime Minister’s Advisory body.)

After coming back to India, I was still looking at different options. My father encouraged me to apply for the National Knowledge Commission. However, I wondered how could I secure a place at such a prestigious institution? I wrote an email directly to Sam Pitroda (then head of the NKC) with my CV and to my surprise, he replied positively the very next day!

Working at the NKC was an extremely enriching experience. I was able to travel across the country and work with a team of highly accomplished individuals driven towards the development of the nation. I worked on issues such as library development, entrepreneurship and traditional knowledge. It was at the NKC that I realised that in order to create a sustainable impact through any policy, law played a crucial role. I decided to start practicing law then.

You left NKC and started your independent practice as an Advocate at the Gujarat High Court. Do you think that was the perfect time for you to go independent?

Practicing law fascinated me. I believed that by gaining exposure to litigation, I would be able to see how law was actually implemented in the society. This became clearer after my NKC stint.

I did not strategise the timing. It just felt like the right thing to do!

How did you overcome your initial jitters in a courtroom full of experienced lawyers and judges? Tell us about the highs and the lows.

The atmosphere in the court is indeed quite overwhelming and intimidating for any youngster. However, people around me constantly kept on asking me why I joined litigation after a law degree from LSE! There were also those who asked me whether I was actually serious about litigation or whether I was there to find a suitable partner for marriage.

As a junior, I was lifting files and running around the courtrooms, keeping time for my senior lawyers lest their case comes up. I was quite disappointed at the fact tht this was how I had to start gaining the exposure.

I was even more disappointed to see that ‘justice’ was so slow to attain – the entire machinery to deliver justice seemed quite inefficient and I saw how so many people had to wait for years to obtain justice. It was a question of their lives and they were going from pillar to post, and still they did not know what their rights were!

There were so many different kinds of lawyers! I met lawyers who were part-time tailors or rickshaw-drivers and then there were those who owned a Mercedes or a BMW and had really fancy offices. Were their clients equally represented?

I kept wondering why things were not moving faster. Did we really need all these difficult jargons and procedures for fairness to prevail?

My experience in the court made me realise that something drastic had to be done to change the way the legal machinery operated and that’s how RFGI was born.

Please tell us about your experience with your first few sessions in court. Has it become more difficult for a fresher to achieve success nowadays?

How and when you get a chance to appear in the court depends on a lot of things. It depends on who is your senior lawyer – is he/she your relative? – if that’s the case or if you have good relations with your senior, then your chances to appear would be higher. Else, you might have to push the files for quite a while before you are actually entrusted with a matter. Usually the judges are quite encouraging to youngsters.

The first case I got to argue was a case of the year 1982 where a bus conductor had sued the state bus company, because of whose negligence he had to get his leg amputated. The amount claimed was around Rs. 14,000 plus interest. I put forward my argument and got the judgment in the favour of the bus conductor, but when I tried to inform him about the outcome, I realised that he had passed away a few years ago.

All these factors led me to start taking my work at RFGI seriously.

Tell us about your “Management Matters Project’’. What was your role and responsibilities in this Project?

(Kanan undertook this Project at London School of Economics, McKinsey & Co. [New Delhi] and also at Stanford University)

When I was at LSE, I got through a project between LSE and McKinsey & Co. to assess the management practices of manufacturing companies across different countries. It was a fascinating project and I learnt a lot about management and what factors contributed to better management practices across geographies. I also saw how the national regulatory and physical infrastructure had an important part to play.

When McKinsey wanted to roll out this project in India, I got involved and spent time in their Gurgaon office to help set up the initial team. Similarly, even at Stanford, I was invited to help train the first batch of analysts.

Tell us about the story behind RFGI. What challenges did you face to establish an institution like RFGI? What does RFGI do and what is your job profile in the think-tank?

(Kanan went on to establish and head a think-tank called “Research Foundation for Governance In India’’. RFGI today consists of 3000 members, working on legal and political reforms in India.)

As I mentioned before, it was my experience at the High Court that led me to create a platform to raise a voice about needing a change within the legal systems, which took form in the shape of RFGI.

However, initially the idea was to bring together youngsters who wanted to create a change within the governance systems in India and the mandate was quite open ended. Youngsters from different backgrounds started getting involved on a variety of issues. We started organising public debates and conducting research studies on issues such as entry barriers to litigation (which was to understand what are the barriers junior lawyers face to establish themselves in litigation), understanding the status and need for inner party democracy in political parties, analysing the status of legal education among others. We started collaborating on projects with Accountability Initiative (at Centre for Policy Research), with some of the professors at IIM-A, Government agencies and also started to work with a large number of young political party representatives across party lines. Along with this, we started hosting interns from different parts of the world.

RFGI became a hub of different thought processes and discussions on governance in the city of Ahmedabad and we started gaining accolades from various corners. We started going to different schools and interacting with children on laws and rights.

Our work profile was to work on research, awareness and consultancy on legal and political reforms related areas in India and to involve youngsters in the process of governance. The entire organisation was working in the spirit of volunteerism.

Besides working on RFGI, you have contributed your knowledge set as a consultant for members of Parliament of India. Please tell us about your time as their consultant.

Our work at RFGI and our profile as lawyers wanting a change in the society got us to work with a Member of Parliament on drafting of a legislation. In fact, after my work at the NKC, I was involved with the Education Department of Gujarat in drafting of several bills and ordinances. Our work with the Member of Parliament was to draft a couple of private members bills. It was fascinating work and the impact that we could create with drafting of laws was far reaching.

What prompted you to take an offer of teaching in spite of working full time for RFGI? What was your teaching methodology there?

(Kanan taught Ethics in Business and Business Law as a Visiting Faculty to final year Business students in Ahmedabad University.)

When I was approached specifically to teach ‘Ethics’, I was intrigued. The subject sounded fascinating and I thought it might be a great chance to learn something. Teaching Ethics really changed me. As a teacher, I have always believed in encouraging class participation instead of preaching. The boundaries of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ that Ethics forces us to delve upon makes you start questioning many of your pre-conceived notions. I challenged the thought premises of my students and tried making them better in tune with themselves.

In between, you have also pursued Masters in Public Administration from IGNOU. What was the reason behind pursuing this course? Tell us about the course structure and the utility of this course.

Since I was working in the field of governance, I wanted to have knowledge of the theoretical aspects of policy making and administration. Masters in Public Administration felt like the most relevant degree for me.

Honestly, I was dabbling between an MBA (to understand how to grow a social enterprise) and an MPA. I also got the Fulbright Fellowship to pursue an MBA in USA but could not take up that offer due to unfavourable circumstances.

Our readers would be keen to know about your recently started websites “LawForMe’’ and ‘’LAWTOONS’’. What led to the foundation of these two websites? What advantage can law students get from these two websites?

I can’t express it in fewer words. I would request the readers to read: https://www.facebook.com/notes/579275265508546/ and here’s a brief about Lawtoons: http://www.hindustantimes.com/art/lawtoons-a-comic-series-to-teach-children-their-rights/article1-1281611.aspx

How does it feel to be well recognised at such an early stage in career? And how has your journey as a Social Entrepreneur and Legal Innovator been so far?

(Apart from being an Acumen India Fellow, Kanan has won the Innovating Justice Award, (2014) and was also selected as an ‘Indian of Tomorrow’ by India Today (2012))

Acumen’s India Fellows Program is addressing the country’s most pressing social issues by supporting a new generation of Indian leaders willing to challenge broken systems and develop new, inclusive solutions to create impact. Each year, the India Fellows Program brings together up to 20 emerging leaders from different regions, sectors, and socio-economic backgrounds in India. I am honoured to be selected as one of the 20 fellows this year.

My journey as a social entrepreneur and legal innovator has been quite fascinating and often introspective. As they say, when you are on a journey to create a better society, it may also be a pathway towards your internal journey and vice versa.

Starting RFGI and winning the Innovating Justice Prize are some of the milestones in your career. Tell us about your success mantra.

Perhaps what has worked for me is that I focus on what work is to be done and not what I will get out of it. ‘Focusing on work as an end in itself’ is my mantra.

Please tell us about your two books and how do you get time to pen for the daily newspapers and blogs?

(Kanan is a regular blogger and columnist for The Huffington Post, Femina Gujarat, Daily News & Analysis and were a former columnist with Times of India (Gujarat). Kanan has also authored two books ‘Kanan Chan in Japan – Diary of an exchange student’ (2003) and authored a book of poems ‘Amara Manma’.)

Since childhood, I have always loved reading and writing. Writing is a very introspective process and it makes me really happy when I write. It is easy to find time for something that you love! Plus, Ahmedabad being a less happening city, it leaves one with a lot of time to pursue their hobbies and interests!

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

Being an entrepreneur is all about the will and the aptitude. Being a lawyer or a non-lawyer has little role to play. Of course, a lawyer is more attuned to understanding the regulatory process or has in-built analytical thinking. After that, it is the business acumen and the communication skills that create wonders. Introspection is also an important trait for any self-starter.

What are your thoughts about raising capital for RFGI? Have you approached any Foundations?

We believe that our work has potential to make significant impact. While money isn’t really a great motivator, we believe that through social entrepreneurial ideas such as Lawtoons and LawForMe, we will be able to sustain our work.

When you hire people under you, what kind of skills and profile do you look for? How can law students or marketing students go about developing these skills?

At RFGI, we usually invite anyone who has his/her heart in the right place. It is a platform to do good work and everyone is welcome! However, over time we have realised that most interns join because they want a certificate, which is such a shame. Now we have become far stricter in looking for the right fit.

For legal interns, we look for interns who know the law and who respect deadlines. What is fundamentally important is that the person should have a belief about bringing a change in the legal system and creating innovations in law – to have his/her heart in the right place. Rest all can be taken care of.

What does it take to be a Social Entrepreneur and Legal Innovator? What are the three great skills of an entrepreneur according to you? What differentiates the best from the rest?

Honestly, I have always followed my heart and did what I thought was the right thing to do. It has not always been easy – but it has been worth it. Three great skills of an entrepreneur according to me are:
- Knowing one’s self well (knowing what you stand for, your likes and dislikes and the non-negotiables as well as your limitations)
- Knowing that you can be wrong too (humility)
- Knowing that your dreams will come true
How has the journey been for you as a woman entrepreneur?

Somebody once told me that the value of RFGI is also because it represents the voice of a young female on governance and legal system. I consider this an honour. I think my journey has been exciting and full of interesting ups and downs. Being a woman entrepreneur has been both positive and negative.

At times, I wonder what my journey would have been if I were a guy? Perhaps I would have been taken more seriously in our society, perhaps I would not have so many social pressures to fit into a specific box, perhaps I would have been a lot more aggressive in my work, perhaps my life would have been easier.

But then, I feel that it is because I am a woman, I need to do what I do – even with more enthusiasm and self-belief.

Your main object is to work towards legal reforms in India through Research Foundation for Governance in India, Lawtoons and LawForMe. Where do you want to see yourself five years down the line?

5 years down the line, I see Lawtoons and LawForMe as flourishing entities, making laws and legal processes simple and easily understood. RFGI would of course be the umbrella organisation facilitating dialogue and discussion on access to justice.

I also aim to see many more legal start-ups in India and a thriving ecosystem providing access to justice in India.

I don’t know much about myself but about the legal system in India, I have so many dreams! I want to see a legal culture in India where justice is a primary value, respected and enforced fairly and efficiently. I want to see a culture of legal aid actively provided to those in need and where efforts are being made to make people aware about laws and rights. I visualise the legal climate where with the help of technology, access to justice has become easy, process faster and transparency is taken for granted. I don’t know if 5 years is too short a time for this dream to materialise but my efforts will continue in this direction for sure.

Is there scope for legal internships in RFGI? If so, what is the process of application?

We are highly selective about the interns we take. Please email info@rfgindia.org for internship opportunities.

Tell us a bit about mountaineering. Did you take any hard-core training before climbing? Why have you chosen this hobby which needs maximum tenacity and mental strength?

(Kanan has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in 2012 and has travelled over 30 different countries.)

While I am very passionate about my work, I am also thoroughly interested in traveling, sports (yes, I love playing tennis!) reading, knowing about different cultures and outdoor adventures. Being with nature is so important! Work is important but it is equally important, if not more, to grow as a person. The extra-curricular activities do make you a stronger and more composed person. Over time, I have also grown very curious about understanding human nature and I keep reading about it every now and then.

I have travelled over 30 countries and have gathered so many interesting experiences. In fact, on my Japan trip alone, I have written a book called ‘Kanan Chan in Japan’! Perhaps Super Lawyer should do another interview with me to capture those insights! J

What is your message for law students who aspire to be Social Entrepreneurs one day?

“Follow your heart and take risks. You only live once.”
September 6, 2015
Sidhartha Peddinti, Startup Lawyer & Business Consultant at GlobalQuest Ventures LLC, on being a business lawyer and strategy adviser
Sidhartha Peddinti graduated in Law from University of London through an unique programme through London School of Economics, in 2011. A graduate of Business & Economics from University of Toronto, he is currently a Startup Lawyer & Business Consultant at GlobalQuest Ventures LLC.

He started working in the Immigration Law Offices of RAK at USA. Thereafter he went on to become partner at California Law Services where he handled immigration and bankruptcy work. He describes himself to be a lawyer with an entrepreneurial mindset.

In this interview he talks about:
- His choice to become a lawyer even after specialising in economics;
- The options for a lawyer to become an entrepreneur;
- How he joined LSE and his experience at the institution; and
- His journey as an entrepreneur.
Tell us about yourself. Since when are you living in US? Where did you get your primary education from?

I am a real international citizen, in that I was born in Dubai, raised all over the Middle East, then spent three years during middle school at an international boarding school called Rishi Valley in India, moved to Toronto with my family in high school, obtained a bachelors degree from Toronto, a law degree from London, and then another advanced law degree from Los Angeles. So, my varied experiences and vastly different background has shaped my mentality, my attitudes, and my interests to be a hybrid of an Indo-Canadian-Middle Eastern, rounded up with an outdoor Californian lifestyle. I have been in the US since 2011, and have been an attorney since the past year and a half, i.e. January 2014.

You did your bachelors in Business & Economics from the prestigious University of Toronto, tell us something about the course, the school and why you choose business & Economics?

A pivotal moment shaped the way I thought about business and my career was in high school. I read a book called ‘Rich Dad – Poor Dad’ which I bought at a garage sale for $5. It explained the difference between (what the author referred to as the 4 quadrants) employees and self employed persons who fall in quadrants one and two, business owners and investors fell into 3 and 4. 1 & 2 work for their money – they don’t show up to work – they don’t get paid (even most lawyers fall in here – no client, no money). 3 and 4 found a way to be involved in multiple avenues and still accumulate wealth, while they are busy doing other things with their time or managing multiple assets they own.

I wanted to understand more about how I could end up in the sectors 3 and 4 – where I can get my money to work for me, a state where, through my acquired and vested interests in companies, homes, stocks, and other assets, I could receive multiple sources of income. This was the start of my interest into economics, and business – I simply had to understand the way different business models worked, how the market worked, and how to operate a business. After getting accepted into the best University of Toronto – the number 1 University in Canada, it was a real no-brainer that I had to pick this school. It was over 175 years old, and in the top 25 best universities in the world. The courses were very challenging, but it was rewarding to complete the degree and understand how market cycles worked, and how each industry was affected by these cycles.

A degree in Business and Economics is often enough to land anyone lucrative job at a big company. Why did you choose to do Restructuring through CAIRP, and then choose law after that, rather than accounting, finance, investments – the natural course for business majors?

Good question. Following from the previous question, after I understood the way the different models worked, I knew that there was a recession that was going to affect North America, atleast thats what our Economics Professors were predicting around 2005/2006. I researched this theory and found the bubble was about to burst since everyone had their credit over-extended. Virtually all my friends ended up choosing a big firm for either accounting, audit, strategy, or some for an MBA. I wanted to prove my theory of the recession and be involved in that game of using the market to my advantage I hunted for a boutique law firm that specialized in Bankruptcy law and restructuring law, and choose to join their practice as an Estate Administrator – a job that gave me a brief overview of the process involved. The pay was less than half of what my friends were accepting immediately after graduating, but almost immediately after joining the firm, I started a course, sponsored by the lawyer, in Bankruptcy & Restructuring law & consulting, through the association that monitored Restructuring Professionals in Canada called CAIRP – Canadian Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Professionals. I received my certification to consult in a very short time since I was lucky to finish all my courses and pass the state exam in one sitting. As soon I completed all my practical training, within 6 months of initially joining this industry, I started a firm called Clear Debt Solutions. From 2007 – 2012, I had over 1000 cases that I personally handled, close to 500 being business bankruptcies. The firm still exists and is controlled by partners who I hired when I joined law school in 2009.

You did your law from London Scool of Economics, through the International Law Program from University of London from 2009-2011. Tell us about your time there, and why you choose that program over Canadian or US schools?

After being exposed to many lawyers in my restructuring practice, I wanted to add law school to complete my quest to understand more about business and the legality of doing business. I started law school from the UK, rather than in North America, because I wanted to have a unique edge to my portfolio, that separates me from the normal law applicant. I choose the International Law Program specifically, because it was flexible in its timings, its lectures delivery methods, and its study methodology. During these years, my consulting firm was booming, as the recession got worse, my revenue got better, and by mid-2010, I operated 5 locations throughout Toronto. I had a partner, few employees and hundreds of clients every year. I could not leave all this to complete a full time law program, which most Canadian law schools offered (Only 8 in Canada by the way), and which was also required by Immigration for me to attend law school in the US.

By choosing to study in an International Program, based out of London, yet not being required to physically be present one hundred percent of the time, allowed me to work and study simultaneously – something that enhanced my understanding of the subject matter, while being able to practically utilize and gain ‘lawyerly skills’ through my practice in Toronto. Sure, it was hectic, since I flew back and forth, balancing school and work in two continents. I simply could not let either of them go. Of course, the fact that it was University of London, one of the best schools in world had a lot to do with it, and when they offered me an entire law degree in under $20,000 (plus still able to work) compared to $150,000 in the US – I could not pass up that offer, and in the end did not rack up a single dollar of student debt as compared to an average law student who has over $150k debt in the US.

Did you interact with Indian students there, given that UK law schools are a popular choice among Indian law students?

I met some incredible students who were also part of the international program. In fact, it allowed me to network with students from almost 50 countries directly through a portal system, something I checked out before I started the program, and many of those people are still my close friends to this day, in Canada, India, Pakistan, and even from Brasil and other countries. The pass rate at the International Law Program was roughly 25% after the 3^rd year, so unfortunately many of the Indian students I met did not manage to complete the program, or moved on from law into other areas.

With your LLM from Southwestern University, USA, you have received legal training from three countries. In what ways has this versatile academic environment helped you?

To remain true to my original quest of being in quadrant 3 and 4 – business owner and an investor, I knew that the opportunity for this dream truly existed in the US, compared to Canada or the UK (from a global standpoint). So, while finishing law school from London in 2010, I applied to LLM programs all over Canada and the US for the 2011 Fall start session. I knew that the market was slowly starting to pick up now, and in a few years the market would be in the re-building stages again. I wanted to be in the center of this movement, and by being in California – the world’s hub for innovation and technology, I could not go wrong being a lawyer and entrepreneur in California. I was lucky enough to be accepted into all the schools I applied to, and they even allowed me to start the LLM program before my final grades were released from University of London. It was a miracle, since the administrators office at Southwestern made this exception for the first time for a foreign student in over 100 years. In two weeks of starting, I received my grades, and another miracle happened where I was in the 15% of students who passed all the courses that year, thus getting my degree after I had already started working towards a LLM degree.

I picked Southwestern in Los Angeles because it was a school that had a flexible course options, and one that allowed me to complete the courses that I wanted to take. My eventual strategy was to attempt the dreadful California bar exam with 15% pass rate for foreign lawyers, and I knew I had to be prepared for it, since I am competing with local students with 3 years or legal training, compared to only 1 year for me.

You never took a job at BIGLAW while you do have an impressive lawyerly profile. Why so?

My interests, skills, and passion lies in entrepreneurship. I choose to do law to become a lawyer, but more importantly to become a good businessman. I believe that it has allowed me to think in a manner that is different from the lay person. I did not take up any positions at large firms because I believed that I have a unique skill set that would be wasted at a large firm, doing routine work, albeit they pay a lot for it. Many of my friends work a large firms, and making large paychecks, but the very thought of a desk job never appealed to me, and I have rejected some very lucrative offers in the last year, since I prefer to be out and about, running around making things happen. I am a very high energy individual who needs to constantly be in motion, and although for some of my friends BIGLAW has worked out great, it was never my cup of tea.

The California Bar is said to be the hardest law exam in North America with less than 15% pass rates for foreign trained lawyers over the past 30 years. Explain why you choose to do this crazy step, given these statistics?

I knew the statistics and I knew the high chances of failure. No one thought I could make this happen, since there are horror stories all over the web of people failing the California Bar 5 or 6 times. I thoroughly researched about every course I was expected to take, and by carefully selecting only Bar Courses, and some international law (my interest) courses in my LL.M, I was able to complete all core courses required by Californian law students that were going to be tested on the Bar. This allowed me to get the local training I needed for those courses, plus having international exposure. I nevertheless decided to take the bar and give it a shot, and luckily I was among the 22% of LL.M students that passed the Bar in my round of the California Bar Exam for July 2013.

Before we go into your entrepreneurship ventures, tell us about your legal consultancy work. How did you establish such a vibrant consultancy practice?

In my quest to be in quadrant 3 and 4, I engraved in my personal charter that I would understand different business models, so that I would eventually have various companies in my own portfolio. This is still my mission, and every time I meet an entrepreneur in a different industry, one unknown to me, I gladly take on the case to understand the industry better.

I had this mentality since I started my first business, and I have enjoyed every business I have consulted with. Thus, my present consulting practice is one that can cater to clients from many industries, and clients from all stages of the business cycle. I now understand how these different models work, and am easily able to put myself in the shoes of my client, the entrepreneur, and advice, strategize, and legalize – all in one chain of thought. It is a lot of work, since I spend the time to research about different industries, but I suppose I am hooked to it. This has left me at the crossroads of law and entrepreneur.

How is Canada or US as a career choice for Indian law students?

Canada is a great place for Indian lawyers – especially those in the midst of their careers. The process of qualification and the exams are easier, with almost a 80% pass rate. In my opinion, it is great for an entrepreneurial lawyer, especially one who wants to serve the Indian community – especially in Criminal, Real Estate, or Divorces. Litigation is primarily taken up by local law students – Indian or otherwise, and largely dominated by those who received local training.

US is a different beast altogether. The laws are also similar to British, but the legal ecosystem is very different. The bar is tougher, longer, and more intense. There are a lot of restrictions and qualifications the applicant has to go through. That said, a US lawyer is valued globally, and opens far more international doors than I would had as a Canadian lawyer in the international and startup up space. There are a lot of jobs in the US, especially for litigators, since the laws are geared towards solving grievances in court. There is also a lot more work for lawyers in the US, in terms of the types of law, the types of cases, and the truly unique legal system they have created here (I find a vast contrast from the Canadian and British legal culture). So, be ready to get comfortable knowing about the local culture, if you want to be a successful American lawyer in the US.

Why did you make the shift from Canada to the US?

My move was primarily because of two reasons: (i) large opportunity to be involved in the upswing of the economy in terms of products, startups, and opportunities; (ii) great weather compared to the bitter Canadian winters.

I have always wanted to be involved in the globalization of economies, and being in California was more suited to my needs than to accomplish that from Toronto. However, since I have a consulting practice in Toronto, I still fly there often and work there.

In the US you started working at Immigration Law Offices of the RAK. How is the work culture there and did the local reference help you understand the culture better?

In my attempt to find out the local work culture and integrate into local legal scene, I decided to work for a solo lawyer, plus he knew immigration laws, so I did not really have to pay a hefty price for an immigration lawyer to figure out my visa. To understand immigration laws in the US is very important, it is the most complex system in the world, and a simple violation can be disastrous. I figured by working for an Immigration lawyer, I could hit three birds with one stone – (a) local work experience, training, and integration; (b) learning about immigration laws; and (c) did not have to pay for an immigration lawyer since he mentored me to fill my own paperwork which I wanted to get a grip on anyway.

You were a partner California Law Services and worked there for a year. Where are you currently working, what kind of work do you do there?

I worked as an Immigration and Bankruptcy lawyer with my previous employer, RAK, turned partner at the new firm. We mainly handled immigration and bankruptcy work, both which were areas I had some comfort with. I found both areas to be very competitive, and faced fierce competition. Meanwhile, my personal interests in entrepreneurship were not being fulfilled, so post my return from India last December to explore the startup scene, I joined as a partner at a boutique firm which was focused on law, entrepreneurship and startups.

I currently work as a partner at GlobeQuest Ventures, LLC – as the name indicates, we travel the world looking for startups and companies to help them in their entrepreneurial journeys – legally, strategically, and practically. I absolutely love it – and finally have been able to combine my passion of law and entrepreneurship in one.

Please tell our readers something about your entrepreneurship journey, and how you lived your 20’s working and studying?

As I mentioned earlier, reading that book changed my career path. I was getting the education and theory side of it, but I also wanted to work on the practical side of it. I started my first business as soon as I finished the book in high school, aged around 18 or so. I have never looked back, and have been fortunate enough to have made that step at such an early age. I had some sacrifices along the way, but I see those as opportunity costs, and have not regretted any missed vacations, or parties (missed many of them). I made sure to have a very vibrant social when I could and led an active lifestyle to compensate from the stress from my business and school. Sports was my way of balancing myself, and I enjoyed playing 5 different competitive sports in my 20’s.

How many companies in total have you founded?

I have been fortunate to be part of 8 different companies to date. I have recently acquired equity portions in 3 new companies, and hope to be part of another 100 companies in the next 20 years or so.

How do you define yourself, as a Lawyer or as an entrepreneur?

A lawyer with an entrepreneurial mindset. My dream of combining both my passions has led to work in a dual capacity – working as a lawyer when needed, or as a founder, partner, strategic advisor, or in-house lawyer. I value flexibility and adaptability greatly, and my past experiences that allowed me to transition into role with relative ease.

Tell us something about your latest startup venture.

Through GlobalQuest Ventures, LLC, my recent clients have primarily been disruptive technologies that are in the mobile app space. One is a disruptive journalism app, another is a Uber for private planes, and another is a revolutionary dating site for a selected and elite customer.

Another venture I started is called LLMbartutoring.com, a tutoring school that is dedicated to helping foreign trained lawyers integrate into the California system by assisting in local cultural transition, job training, course assistance, Application help and California Bar Exam training. This information can also be found in my personal ventures section on my webpage.

On the other side, I started working on some revolutionary product lines with some very famous scientists, who specialize in holistic medical formulations. I have approached some celebrities and famous television personalities to team up with us, and can possibly secure a very large deal in the next 2 months that can help us potentially move millions of units every year. That would satisfy my itch to be a co-founder in a truly non-legal business – a turmeric infused skin care line, scientifically backed and tested by the foremost expert in turmeric infusions.

Your website sidharthapeddinti.com seems to be offering a complete ecosystem of service for startups. How did you manage to that?

By finding a way to incorporate all my interests in one way through GlobalQuest Ventures, LLC, I decided to put all my thoughts on one site, that describes me as a person, as a lawyer, an entrepreneur and eventually as an investor (with my portfolio). Thank you for mentioning my page, since I built that page myself in less than a day. I have no previous computer training, programming or coding or any other backend experience, but I knew that by watching the right videos and reading the right articles, I could do it myself. I have since created 5 webpages, and even got some people asking me for a referral for the company who created my site. In short, I want to prove and inspire people to understand that anything can be done, with the right mindset, and if a non-tech person like myself can make wesites in a day, others can live their dreams and make it happen over night as well. That was the real motivation for the site – inspiring people to live their dreams by quitting their boring jobs as a first step.

Are you also working with any Indian companies who are looking to expand internationally?

I have started to form many strategic partnerships with corporate lawyers, startups consultants, and other individuals who are involved in the Indian startup scene. I am eager to enter the Indian startup space and help take those companies international – US, Canada or other countries. We look to form strategic alliances, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, and even where lucky, take it public.

I am looking to team up with key individuals in India who can help me in this quest. That is the reason my company is called GlobalQuest Ventures, LLC – where law meets entreprenrurship and strategy.

What advise will you give to young lawyers who want to become an entrepreneur?

I find the practice of law requires a different set of entrepreneurial skills than a mobile app company or a revolutionary product. Being part of an elite subset of society, one that is highly regulated and controlled (worldwide), lawyers have to follow certain protocols that other entrepreneurs may not necessarily face, especially relating to contacting potential clients, or advertising standards, or types of deals that one can take one.

Thus, solo lawyers who want to hang their own shingles should think like a lawyer first, and only after taking all the protective measures, one should engage in their targeted marketing campaigns. So, it’s a unique type of an entrepreneur who should expect 3-5 years, at a minimum, to start realizing the resulting they imagine. I know a lot of lawyers, and virtually every single highly successful lawyer that I know, has been practicing for at least 5 years. So, there is no way to get around patience.
August 16, 2015
Abhishek Singh on why he decided to join the test prep industry and not a law firm
Abhishek Singh graduated from Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University in 2014. He was an avid mooter during law school and has represented at the Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington in 2013. After graduation, he joined CLAT Possible as VP, Academics and Operations. In this interview he talks about:
- Law school experience at RMLNLU
- Representing India at Jessup
- CLAT Possible and the ‘test prep’ industry
Where did you grow up and attend school? Why did you decide to take up law?

My hometown is Lucknow and I spent my entire childhood there. I studied at Seth M.R. Jaipuria School and graduated in the year 2008 from my school. I took up science with maths after class tenth, which is one decision I regret till date. I was into public speaking and writing all through my school days which is why I wanted to take up humanities after my tenth boards, but finally I gave in to peer pressure and the whole stigma and social perception attached with boys studying art subjects. After writing twelfth boards, I had decided to drop science for good.

The elitist NLU’s had become quite a rage already and being a public speaker, I thought law is surely my cup of tea.

You graduated with a degree in law from RMLNLU, Lucknow in 2014. What was your law school experience like?

My law school experience has been quite exciting and inspiring. My college was three years old when I joined. From being a nascent place which was not very well perceived by the law school fraternity to a point where my college became a respectable and sought after place, the efforts we put in to achieve this milestone is worth a mention. The initial 3-4 batches were the founding stones of my college and we ensured that our juniors reaped the benefits of our endeavours.

What activities were you involved in, in law school? What were your main interest areas?

I was an avid mooter. I participated in various intra and inter-law school moots. My area of interest has primarily been International Law. At this point, I’d like to thank my mentor and senior from college, Siddhartha Singh and my batch mate and moot partner Mohith Pasham, who were instrumental in brushing my concepts in International Law and have been my pillars of support all throughout law school.

You represented India at the Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington in 2013. Please describe your experience of doing an international moot.

It was my second shot at Jessup in 2013, Previously, I had participated in 2012 where we ended up as quarter finalists. The second attempt did wonders for us and I realized my long standing dream of representing the college at the US rounds.

Preparation for a moot like Jessup requires utmost dedication and is very taxing. From our first attempt, we learnt a lot vis-a-vis the strategy that best suits a moot of such magnanimity. Right from the written submissions to the podium, we learnt from our mistakes and worked day in and day out to achieve this milestone.

Please tell us about the internships you completed while in law school.

My last internship before graduating and taking up a job with CLAT Possible, was with Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan. It was my second stint with the taxation giants and I must say it was a great learning experience.

Upon graduating you joined CLAT Possible as VP, Academics and Operations. Why did you decide to get into the test prep industry? How did you secure your position at CLAT Possible?

A few months before graduating, my good friend Mr. Debajyoti Das, who was serving as the CEO of CLAT Possible after spending two years at Amarchand Mangaldass, asked me to join him on a part time basis. With nothing much to do in my fifth year, I gave him a nod. Surprisingly, I loved the experience, much more than a desk job stint at all the firms I had previously interned with. My work was appreciated and applauded and I was offered a PPO from Possible Education Ltd., the mother company. The remuneration was lucrative, future prospects seemed promising and I could foresee great growth both in the terms of learning, exposure and monetarily as well.

What does an average day look like in the life of a person in the Test Prep Industry? What does your work profile include?

Well the job is taxing, but comes along with immense satisfaction. My organisation is the second largest institute in the field of CLAT Test Prep.

My work profile at CLAT Possible is varied. I take classes for legal aptitude, take workshops branding my institute, propagate aspects of law as a career option in schools across the country. I am also into anchoring and facilitating tie ups with different law schools across the country. So, to cut a long story short, I am into Education Marketing and Academics. We have establishments in over 15 cities and hence travelling is frequent. I love the travelling part, where one gets to meet and observe different people from all corners of the country.

Please tell us the essential skills a law student must possess to work in the test prep industry?

Well one should have a good command over inter-personal communication and possess the ability to convince and connect with people, especially school students since this industry caters to them.

What advice would you give to law students wishing to take up an alternative career path?

I wish to spread awareness regarding a very viable career option for law graduates- the Test Prep Industry. Just like leading MBA and engineering Test Prep institutes are run by ex-IITians and IIMites, the law test prep domain can be a great option for law graduates. The field is rewarding with great prospects and one should definitely think of it as a great career option.
March 21, 2015
Hrishikesh Datar, Founder CEO, Vakilsearch.com, on entrepreneurship and starting up
Hrishikesh Datar is a graduate of the 2010 batch of National Law School of India University, Bangalore. He is an entrepreneur and the Founder CEO of Vakilsearch.com, the leading online legal services facilitator in India. Vakilsearch.com provides online legal services 24/7 and gets about 10,000 clients a year.

In this interview, Hrishikesh talks about:
- Being an entrepreneur
- Starting Vakilsearch.com and its progress so far
- Internships at Vakilsearch.com
Almost all our readers know you and your endeavour Vakilsearch. What else would you want us to know about you as an introduction?

I’m a graduate of the 2010 batch of the National Law School, Bangalore. I opted out of the recruitment process for law firms and spent a year playing with ideas before starting Vakilsearch in 2011.

Did you have lawyers in your family? What motivated you to choose law as a career?

Yes, absolutely. My father is a reputed lawyer in the Madras High Court and Supreme Court. My great-grand father was a lawyer in Pune and some of my grand-uncles were lawyers and judges in different courts in Maharashtra.

I loved debating and I found grey a far more interesting colour than black or white. So the precise sciences were never really my cup of tea. I found the opportunity to be creative and try different approaches interesting about a career in the law.

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

I was a keen debater and mooter. In my fourth year, I started visiting IIM, Bangalore where my love affair with entrepreneurship began. I started a T-Shirt business in college which convinced me that entrepreneurship was going to be my life.

What kind of internships did you do while you were a student? How were you at academics?

I interned at the law offices of P.S. Raman, then the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu. I had a memorable stint with Arun Jaitley, who was then a full time practising advocate. I also worked with a criminal lawyer in New Delhi, a matrimonial lawyer in Chennai as well as on research and book writing assignments.

I did reasonably well throughout. To start with, yes, there was a pressure and a drive to succeed academically. But once you get used to the ‘system’, things become easier.

You are an Entrepreneur and the Founder CEO of Vakilsearch.com, the leading online legal services facilitator in India. What motivated you to start Vakilsearch.com?

I just feel that the opportunity in India is so immense that we need a hundred companies like us to meet the needs of a billion people.

And I was deeply motivated by the sheer amount of pain and suffering people face because of not having reliable, affordable and friendly professional support. I saw this in abundance when I worked with different lawyers and firms across India.

This problem is not limited to the core legal space, it includes CAs and Company Secretaries as well.

With so much of competition existing in the online legal service field, what makes Vakilsearch different from its peers?

I would say relentless focus on customer satisfaction, a wide range of offerings and a technology focus.

Did you visit entrepreneur meetings during the formative years of Vakilsearch? How would you compare the Indian start-up scenario with the rest of the world?

The Indian scenario is in its early years, even now. And we have a long way to go. Yes, I did visit a lot of meetings at the IIM Bangalore and they were very inspirational.

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

No, I don’t think an MBA would have helped. Business is about life and people, and managing both. You can’t learn this in a college. You have to learn it by doing. But yes, spending time with people who have succeeded in the business world, and learning from them is important. You can leapfrog some steps and avoid many mistakes.

Please tell us more about Vakilsearch.com

Vakilsearch.com, India’s fastest growing professional services platform on the Internet with offices in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Our goal is to disrupt the delivery of legal, accounting and compliance services for every individual and every enterprise in India by harnessing cutting edge technological tools – and in the process, introduce transparency, efficiency and reliability. You’ll agree with me that these are huge pain points in India today.

We get about 10,000 clients a year right now, and they are primarily small businesses and individuals looking for reliable professional support.

We help them with a wide range of things, ranging from incorporating their companies to getting their trademarks, copyrights and patents, preparing legal documentation and contracts, offering them advice and support and also tax related work. We are very comprehensive.

You are also in charge of building Vakilsearch.com’s lawyer network, brand building and marketing and alliances. How do you manage all these by yourself?

We have a dedicated team for that now, so I have plenty of help. I just act as a catalyst, ensuring that problems are smoothened out and that difficulties are handled. That sums up my role today.

How are you financing the business? How do you plan to finance future expansion?

We raised finance through internal sources before raising a round of Series A funding with Kalaari Capital this year.

Who all are associated with Vakilsearch?

We’ve been funded by Kalaari Capital in a Series A round. We have a great team of mentors and advisors, including Shri Madhava Menon who consented to be an external mentor.

Are you planning to hire? What do you look for in a prospective applicant?

We’re looking for the most aggressive, tenacious and determined minds to join our team. If you think you have it in you, write to us and we’ll take it forward.

Where do you see yourself five years down the line?

We will be a billion dollar business serving more than a million clients each year.

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

Be willing to be ‘unsure’ about what lies ahead. Try different things and keep on looking for what moves you. And to quote Steve Jobs, “never settle”.
March 11, 2015
Nikita Mamtani, Founder LegalHire talks about being an entreprenuer and the Legal Industry

Nikita Mamtani graduated in 2012 from UPES, Dehradun. She grooms lawyers for a foothold in the legal industry. She had started working at Thomson Reuters months before graduating. The work profile of Academic Specialist for more than a year in Reuters Legal Education business, bestowed on her the opportunity of interacting with plethora of law students, law college authorities and legal professionals of different segments of the industry. A professional with skills in marketing, networking and building relationships, client management with a flair for sales moving to helping students and professionals grow was a natural progression for her.

When and how did you decide to study law? Which universities did you consider for your legal studies?

I still remember it was in the year 2006, just a month before my 12th board exams when my father got furious and asked, “what have you thought about your career ahead? What do you want to do in life?” And my sudden answer was, “I want to pursue law, just like you.” So, without even giving it a thought, my unexpected answer made me study law.

I gave entrance exam for almost all the NLU’s that time and some of the private universities, like Symbiosis. UPES College of Legal Studies was established in 2007, when I gave entrance exams for the second time. I had already decided to switch my field from law to mass media, but then results of UPES were out and I went ahead with pursuing law.

Do you think being from a non-NLU has ever proved to be a hindrance for you? Many non-NLU students complain that they feel being discriminated against during career opportunities. What has been your experience?

No, not at all. Never did I think I felt discriminated in the industry where opportunities were concerned. The biggest example of which is getting a PPO. I started working before having a law degree in my hand. What I feel is Law colleges do play a crucial role in your overall career growth, but it’s ultimately the individual, who makes his career path. There are extensive and equivalent resources available, one needs to grab the most and achieve the best of them.

Tell us about your internships. Did you get any institutional support for internships from your college?

I had a varied experience during my internships, from Corporate to Law Firms to NGO’s and last but not the least, Courts. I intentionally chose to intern in different segments of the industry to understand & decide, where I see myself after graduating. Internships made me witness the actual career in law. It was much more than and very different from what we used to learn in law school.

Although there was a Placement & Internship Cell in the college, of which, I was a part for almost four years, I preferred getting all my Internships personally.

You have done a Judicial Clerkship at High Court of Madhya Pradesh during your graduation. Tell us about your experience as a Judicial Clerk of Justice Rajendra Menon.

Interning as a Judicial Clerk was a unified experience of both, Bar & the Bench. It was this internship, which clarified the real picture of Indian Courts to me, be it the top lawyers, govt. Advocates or a struggling law graduate. Justice Menon was a great mentor, down to earth, explaining extensively every time I had some query.

Tell us about your work at Thomson Reuters as an Academic Specialist. What were the key responsibilities which you undertook as an Academic Specialist?

As an Academic Specialist at Thomson Reuters Professional Skills Training business, my experience ranged from handling the Academics of online courses to managing law firms and law colleges. I was also involved in the development & expansion of Professional Skills Training for those legal professionals with work experience who were interested in upgrading their skills. My role required not only sound administration and management skills but also brought to the forefront my skills in sales and marketing activities.

You started up as a Legal Education Consultant at a very young age. What motivated you to choose this career? Did you aspire to become a Legal Education Consultant?

I am a PR person. I liked networking, meeting new people, sharing experiences and then bringing out a change, some transformation. At Thomson Reuters, I got it all, but wanted to explore more, which I felt can be done only once I work independently. The decision of becoming a Legal Education Consultant went stronger over the period, with my experiences in the Industry, as and when I used to meet more and more law students.

You have also started your own independent legal practice at High Court of Madhya Pradesh besides your job as a Legal Educational Consultant. How do you manage both at the same time?

I take up selective cases in High Court. My consulting activities take more of my time than the Courts. So it becomes easy as I prioritise my core working area. At the High Court, I focus on PIL’s and civil matters, mostly arbitration cases. As a consultant, I focus on law students and students who aspire to have a career in law. Outlining their journey from entering a Law School to stepping in the Legal Industry as a professional is my forte. I get to meet all such students in Law Schools and CLAT coaching centres. Consulting becomes much easier through various online platforms where I stay connected with students.

Why did you decide upon opening a Legal Consultancy Firm? What motivated you to start Legal Hire India? What is the story of your start-up?

Law happened by chance and not by choice to me.

In my earlier days of preparing for entrance exams and then in my initial years of law school, I always wanted to do something out of the box. Young entrepreneurs in the Legal Education industry always enthralled me. My career objective was then to not only get into the Legal Industry, but to have a diversified profile too.

Thereon, I wanted all my skills like marketing, networking, building relationships, helping students and professionals grow, to materialize.

My driving force was the ever stride of doing something different from what is expected of a law graduate, and hence Legal Hire India…

Your consultancy firm also conducts Career Counselling. Have you had students who had great profile but still couldn’t make to any Top tier Law Firms after graduation?

I appreciate the passion of a law student wanting to get into Top tier law firm and to have that tag.

But it’s all the game of skill set. You can always play with that and mould the direction of your career path.

As from my professional experience, I firmly believe it’s always better to be a big fry in a small company, rather than being a small fry in a big company.

Five years from now, where do you see Legal Hire India?

My short term goal as to Legal Hire India is making it instrumental in the HR and recruitment process of Indian Legal Industry. Every law student should get the best & the most from this industry, be it an NLU graduate or a non-NLU. Our mission also quotes, “Redefining the Legal HR Industry.”

What would be your message to law students who dream of having their legal consultancy firm one day?

If you have flair of different professional skills and want to get out of the traditional segments after graduating, go for it..!!!

And in the end, I would say, follow your Heart. Although it’s an old saying, but I feel this is what works well always. One should end up doing what one loves to do as soon as it is discovered, and the path to success automatically becomes easier.

December 20, 2014