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  • Namrata Chatterjee, Associate, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, on leaving law firm for FIFA masters, studying law at NLU Jodhpur and cracking job interview

    Namrata Chatterjee, Associate, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, on leaving law firm for FIFA masters, studying law at NLU Jodhpur and cracking job interview

    Namrata Chatterjee is a graduate from National Law University, Jodhpur (2013 batch). She worked with Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh Shroff & Co, Delhi (now Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas) for around two years and has just left the organization to pursue the FIFA Master Program; a masters in humanities, management and law of sports, on a full tuition fee waiver. We asked her to share her law school and work experiences, and reasons for leaving one of the best jobs in the country.

    In this interview, she talks about:

    • Law school experience at NLU Jodhpur and all about balancing Academics with co-curricular
    • Cracking AMSS interview, work experience at AMSS and the first year of graduation
    • Applying for the FIFA Masters programmer and qualifying for full tuition waiver

     

    How would you introduce yourself? Could you please share a little bit of what motivated you to pursue law as a career?

    Hi, I am Namrata Chatterjee, a graduate of the 2013 batch of National Law University, Jodhpur. I worked with Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh Shroff & Co, Delhi (now Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas) for around two years and have just left the organisation to pursue the FIFA Master Program; a master in humanities, management and law of sports, on a full scholarship (full tuition fee waiver).

    To be honest, Law was never my first choice career option. I had taken up the science stream and was preparing for the engineering entrance exams during my XIth and XIIth standard. Though a lack of passion in the subjects I was pursuing made me realize it would be a mistake to keep continuing down a path which wouldn’t give me work satisfaction. Hence, I then decided to pursue law. The fact that my father, who is in the Civil Services also has a law degree and my mother is also a lawyer, though she left practice a long while back had me interested in the legal profession. Though ultimately, the decision to take up law came after my elder sister, Amrita Chatterjee commenced her legal studies at NUJS, Kolkata. Therefore, while giving CLAT, my first choice was NUJS so that I could study in the same college as my sister, after studying in the same school, D.P.S R.K. Puram together.

    However, as luck would have it, I did not get through NUJS and made it to NLU, Jodhpur instead. Initially I was unhappy about the same, but in hindsight I feel it was a great thing to have happened to me as studying in a different college than my sister gave me a lot of different exposure and surely made me much more independent in life.

     

    How did you make the initial shift from a science background to law? Would you say it was difficult settling in?

    I had taken up the science stream as that was the most encouraged field to be taken up after securing over 90% in my class Xth Board exams. Though once I did take up science, I began to realize that a career in engineering wasn’t my real calling. Though when I made the shift to law, there again I got the option of taking up B.A/B.BA/B.SC (LL.B) in NLU, Jodhpur. However, this time around I decided to go with the pure social sciences and opted for B.A LL.B (Hons). Though there was one thing about the science stream that helped me in my legal studies and that was the enhanced logical reasoning skills and the propensity to question. So, I would say, it was never difficult for me to settle into legal studies.

     

    Tell us about your college life at NLUJ. What all activities did you partake in?

    In a sentence, College life at NLU, Jodhpur has given me memories of a lifetime. Though, I took a little time to settle down in Jodhpur initially having lived in Delhi for most part of my life. However, soon I became used to the quaint environment of Jodhpur. NLU, Jodhpur not only stressed on academics, wherein we had continuous assessments throughout the semester along with presentations and compulsory court room exercises in the law subjects, it also gave ample opportunities for interested students to take up mooting, debates, MUN’s, cultural activities and sports among other things. In fact, if likeminded students got together, they had the independence to start a lot of interesting activities etc. I participated in MUN’s and paper presentations and that helped us to travel along with getting a good exposure.

     

    Please tell us about the manner in which you approached academics while in college. Please share some highlights from your college days that shaped you as a lawyer.

    I always took academics seriously. I maintained a good CGPA throughout the five years. Though I’ll be honest, I did not pay attention to everything that was taught in class always and rarely ever took notes. Rather, only subjects of my interest and especially the classes taught by some of the teachers who made the classes rather engaging caught my full attention. However, to prepare for the continuous tests and exams, I always studied in groups and studied from the notes taken by my friends and generally always fared well in the exams. I would not have specific highlights that shaped me as a lawyer, but it was more of a gradual process, being aware of your rights and trying to reason with the teachers and administration to convince them, debates and discussions with my friends and finding evidence to back my points amongst other things shaped me as a lawyer.

     

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

    Yes, I wouldn’t deny these thoughts having crossed my mind at several occasions. Not just during college but even when I worked at Amarchand. Sometimes a cab driver while dropping me to the High Court would seek my legal advice or my house maid would approach me with a legal dispute and at those moments, I kept feeling the need to give back to the society and help the under-privileged with whatever legal knowledge I have. However, to be able to do some pro-bono work, firstly I think it is important to gain more knowledge, work experience and the resources to truly be in a position to help others and yes, if possible someday if not full time, I would hope to assist in some way in taking up pro-bono matters in whatever field I am pursuing.

     

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

    I maintained a consistent CGPA in college and stood within the top ten percent of my batch. A good CGPA is not the only measure to secure a good career in the legal profession. Interest in what you pursue and working hard in internships and other extra-curricular activities help as well. However, as the recruitment scenario of the big law firms go, if you have a good CGPA, it helps you to get shortlisted for the interview comparatively easily. Though maintaining a good CGPA is hard work in itself. However, that gives you the leeway from the stress of securing a PPO through the internships. Further, moot courts, publications and such activities does help in building a good CV, but as I can say from my own example, these things are not necessary to secure a good job. I only participated in one moot late into my 4th year that too since it was a moot in IPR, a subject of my interest and I did not have any publications during law school. So, it is not necessary to participate in a lot of moots etc. However, if you are interested in them, taking them up would be an added benefit. However, a good CGPA and a good interview helped me to secure a job at Amarchand.

     

    Which subjects did you enjoy during your qualifying degree? How did you go about developing expertise and knowledge in these areas?

    I particularly enjoyed the Intellectual Property Rights and related law subjects the most in law school. I even took up IPR as my specialisation or honours subject. Though, even more than IPR, I was passionate about sports law. From my childhood, I have loved sports and this field of sports law gave me a chance to explore the interplay of sports and law. However, sports law as a subject was not taught in my college. Therefore, to pursue my interest in the field, I constantly kept reading websites like lawinsport and pursued internships in the field. I even mentored some of my juniors in sports law under the academic mentorship program initiated by some of the students in my college. In furtherance of this interest, I even took up sports law as my seminar paper in my final semester. Even in IPR, I was more interested in copyright and trademarks as opposed to patents and I constantly kept reading, writing and researching on the congruence of IPR and sports law. Even for the research paper/projects we had to develop in most of the subjects taught in college, I would try to write them on sports related topics.

     

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    How did you plan your internships? How relevant did you find your law school education with the kind of work you were required to do at law firms?

    I actively planned to take up at least one internship in a year. I never over burdened myself with internships as I always wanted to keep some time off to spend with my family and friends at home. However, I pursued internships keeping my interests in mind. In my first year, I interned at NHRC, subsequently I pursued litigation internships with advocates and law firms like Luthra & Luthra and Parekh & Co. Though from my third year onwards, I started streamlining my internships even further to explore and gain experience in areas I was most interested in, being IPR and sports law. Therefore, I interned at Law Offices of Nandan Kamath, a boutique sports law firm in Bangalore and Copyright Integrity International. I even interned with Retd. Justice Mukul Mudgal and gained firsthand experience of interesting work in sports law.

    Law school education is the foundation to develop how you interpret the laws and the approach towards legal thinking. Though from experience, I would say that we learn more on the job than we learn in law school.

     

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

    As I just said, law school education helps you to develop a legal thinking and good researching skills. Further, the subjects that one takes interest in law school, those subjects and certain landmark cases therein stays with us always. However, we learn most subjects and topics on the job when we are faced with a practical situation regarding the same. In a way, the curriculum at NLU, Jodhpur and the continuous tests, mid-terms, vivas, projects, presentations, moots throughout the semester prepared us to work late into the night when required and meet deadlines in any manner and these things surely help us to be prepared with the work life and expectations at your job.

     

    Soon after graduation, you joined AMSS as an Associate. How did your appointment take place? What worked for you in securing the job?

    I got placed at AMSS at day zero of our placements that year. I had never interned at AMSS before so did not know what to really expect there. However, I was shortlisted for the interview based on my CV and my good CGPA I believe. I think my interview happened very comfortably and I was confident throughout the interview and that helped me secure the job. As also, as I have previously mentioned, a good CGPA, some varied and good internship experiences and participation in paper presentations and such activities helped my case.

     

    How was the job interview? Do you remember any of the questions asked to you? Please give our readers some tips to nail a law firm interview.

    The first round of my job interview was the group discussion round and we got to discuss and debate on the Indian Premier League, since I am very passionate about sports, the topic put me at complete ease. Post the GD, we had a personal interview round which was a mix of HR and technical questions. Though, I would really like to mention that staying calm and comfortable in an interview really helps. Even if you are unsure about a particular question, put it across to them that this is what you think and tell them that on this particular point you may not be completely sure. However, the subjects you are interested in and things mentioned in your CV about projects or internships, those things one should be aware of while preparing for the interview. Know your CV well and what you tell them you are interested in and at least show that you have taken some steps towards your interest. Further, for the HR questions don’t make up answers or take long to think and answer rather use your wit and give appropriate answers, it would surely help.

     

    How was your first year after graduation? What do you think were the biggest hurdles and challenges in the early days of your career? How did you deal with them?

    The first year, more so the first six months in your job are the most difficult. If one can mentally survive through the challenges that come up in the initial phase of your job, it becomes easier to handle pressure further. Since, in AMSS they had a policy of rotation for the fresh graduates who joined them; I was placed in a corporate team for the first phase post joining AMSS before being ultimately placed in the litigation/dispute resolution department. However, since I was always interested in pursuing litigation in AMSS and having never really interned in a corporate law team in any of my previous internships, I was not very comfortable in starting my career doing corporate law. Therefore, initially I took time to settle down, took more time to complete assignments, though some of the seniors understanding my position really guided me well. So, it is very important to get good seniors to guide you initially and one should not hesitate to ask questions and soon one figures out the expectations of their seniors and how to handle timelines without compromising quality.

     

    What kind of work and responsibilities does an Associate at AMSS deal with?

    In the first year of my time at AMSS, being in the corporate department, my work responsibilities included research, assisting in drafting responses and opinions and assisting in drafting due diligence reports, though once I shifted to the litigation department, my work responsibilities increased due to shorter deadlines before court hearings. Most of my work responsibilities included research, drafting the first draft of some of the pleadings and counsel briefing notes as well as providing assistance in counsel briefings and court hearings. Also, we are expected to know the files well and be adept at paper management in briefings and hearings to aptly assist our seniors. Due to large number of matters across various judicial forums, in a lot of matters I got the chance to go to courts by myself for filing as well as minor appearances.

     

    Tell us about a case that you are particularly proud of. What steps do you take to prepare for a difficult case?

    There have been one or two high profile cases I have been involved in and due to the high stakes of those matters, it has been very interesting to work in them. The biggest advantage I felt of working in Amarchand was the diversity of matters and especially the big matters that we got involved in. These matters involved various complex questions of law and gave us a chance to closely work with senior counsels and adopt their good practices as well.

    Difficult cases require extensive research and thinking out of the box. One should always keep thinking of innovative arguments and put forth their views to their seniors.

     

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    What has been your strategy to deal with errors and mistakes?

    It is only human to err. Even I have made some errors and mistakes in my time at the firm, but dealing with them and finding quick fixes is one more thing this job has taught me. In fact, I would say along with work experience, this job has taught me more of life experiences. In terms of mistakes, I can give an example, say, if at all I would forget to bring copies of an important case law to the court, I would go to the court library and secure copies of the same before the damage is done. Therefore, it is important to reach for conferences and court a little before time and know your bags and papers well, so that these kinds of errors can be fixed within time. However, if you have made mistakes which you cannot easily fix, always bring it to the notice of your seniors so that they can use their experience for crisis management rather than hiding it from your seniors.

     

    How do you keep yourself abreast with latest industry news and trends?

    It is indeed important to be abreast with latest news in our profession. Reading the newspaper daily helps in this regard. So many times while researching for a case, I can remember reading about similar cases in the newspaper and then that helps with finding relevant and recent cases. It is also important to keep reading articles and SCC Online etc for the latest cases especially the landmark ones that come up. It is also very important to check the current position of law regarding every proposition one has to argue for their case.

     

    There is a considerable attrition rate at the top law firms, what do you think contributes to this? What has been your personal experience?

    The attrition rate is considerably high at the top law firms because the work pressure is surely a lot. Also, it more so depends on the reason one enters the law firm. Some people come to gain some good work experience before proceeding for their masters, which is somewhat my own case as well. While some people cannot deal with the daily demands and stringent deadlines, some people after joining realize this is not their interest area and move towards what they are really interested in. However, this is true that if one wants a less hectic life and most of their weekends free and finds it difficult to maintain the quality of work in extremely short deadlines, then it is difficult to continue in a big law firm.

    Personally also, after working here for around two years, I am now moving on to pursue my masters in a field which I have always been keenly interested in, i.e sports law. I applied to colleges and courses specifically providing for masters in IPR or sports law and applied and secured admission to University of Zurich, ISDE Madrid, George Washington University and the FIFA Master program and even secured a scholarship everywhere. So once I received the full scholarship (full tuition fee waiver) at the FIFA Master program, I knew it was time for me to pursue a field I am more interested in and the experience at Amarchand would definitely help me everywhere ahead. So, my reason for leaving the organisation was that though I was doing good litigation work, it did not involve a lot of sports related disputes and I wanted to always pursue my masters post getting a couple of years work experience.

     

    Life for lawfirmites can be very hectic at times. What is your take on work-life balance? How do you unwind?

    Yes, life at a law firm is hectic but during court vacations, things are less hectic and most people take their leaves at that time. I feel it is very important to have a work life balance; otherwise one tends to lose interest in their work and is busy dealing with deadlines and stress rather than enjoying what they do. So, as much as possible one should relax as well as go out with their family and friends on the weekends and try and avoid getting work back home, unless the situation really demands for it. Even in office, one should take small breaks to interact with their friends and walk around a bit to avoid sitting at their desk at a stretch for long hours.

     

    How did you decide to leave a cushy law firm job for the FIFA Masters programme? Please tell us about the programme and how you got gravitated towards it.

    I agree, it isn`t an easy decision to make when it comes to leaving a secured and well paying job for an uncertain path. However, I did what I feel will give me the right platform to pursue my field of interest.

    I have been a sports buff since my childhood. My father always found a partner in me to watch matches with him and then engage in endless discussions about various players and game strategies! Therefore, once I took law, it was only natural that sports law caught my attention the most. Now, to try and succeed in a sports related field, it is important that I obtain the right exposure and specialised knowledge. In that regard, the FIFA master fit my requirements perfectly.

    The FIFA master program is an international M.A teaching three different aspects which form the core of working in a sports related field, being humanities of sports, management of sports and law in sports.

    The first module is the humanities module which takes place in DeMontfort University, Leicester and covers aspects relating to the history and development of sports and sports organizations. The second module is the management module and is held at SDA Bocconi school of Management, Milan and the last module of the 10 months program is the law module dealing with the legal aspects of sports, dispute resolution, ethical issues in sports etc, to be held at University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. The final degree is awarded by all the three partner universities in association with CIES and FIFA.

    Along with the classroom teaching and guest lectures, the program also includes field visits to various sports clubs and organizations like FIFA, UEFA etc in order to learn about their fuctioning, marketing, governing regulations etc from the relevant experts.

    I have decided to undertake this program as along with sports law, this also widens my arena to cover management of sports which are upcoming fields in India and post completion of this masters, hopefully I would be able to contribute to further developments in these fields.

     

    How did you manage to get a full tuition fee waiver? Could you please detail the procedure in details?

    The option to apply for the scholarship is present in the main application itself and the selection procedure for the course takes place in two stages. If one is shortlisted based on the application, they then have to give an interview to be finally selected. So, during my interview I was told that they generally do not give the full tuition fee waiver scholarship to one person rather look towards dividing it amongst a few students. However, post the interview which wasn`t really a technical one, when I was finally informed of my selection, I was also informed that I have been awarded the full tuition fee waiver. The scholarship is given on the basis of need as well as merit.

     

    The question that whether one should specialise in a particular area of law or be more of a general lawyer often comes up before law students. What is your opinion on the same?

    I am going to pursue the FIFA Master program which in itself is a very specialised and unique course. This is a program organised by CIES and FIFA and taught by three partner universities being De Montfort University, SDA Bocconi School of Management and University of Neuchatel across England, Italy and Switzerland respectively. This program teaches the most relevant inter-disciplinary fields related to sports-humanities, management and law of sports. This program would surely enhance my knowledge and interest of sports law and along with it would also open the ambit of sports management if I choose to pursue the same. I agree, leaving a secure job and going to do something so niche might be a bit of a risk. However, I believe one should at least try to pursue what they love rather than keep regrets in life. So, particularly I feel if one has figured that they are interested in a specific field over the others and performs their best while dealing with work in that area then they would always enjoy what they do and get appropriate outcomes too. Working on laws that one does not find interesting, like I never enjoyed corporate laws doesn’t help in one’s growth and development as a lawyer. So, it is important to start as a general lawyer but if you feel there are some areas you enjoy more than the others, I would suggest and encourage one to pursue them further.

     

    What would be your parting message to law students?

    Work hard, enjoy what you do and don’t be afraid to take risks and explore options.

     

  • Prem Jumani, Associate, Banking & Finance, ALMT Legal on being a Company Secretary and Lawyer and on law school experience at GLC Bombay

    Prem Jumani, Associate, Banking & Finance, ALMT Legal on being a Company Secretary and Lawyer and on law school experience at GLC Bombay

    Prem Jumani graduated with B.Com. degree from Mumbai University before joining GLC, Mumbai in 2008. Meanwhile he also managed to pursue CS degree. While pursuing law, he worked at Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Limited as an Assistant Company Secretary.Soon after graduation, he started working at Batliboi Ltd as an Executive – Legal & Secretarial. Thereafter, he also worked at Kamal & Co. Advocates, Solicitors & Notary and Solomon & Co. Advocates & Solicitors. In 2014, he joined ALMT Legal as an Associate in their Banking & Finance and General Corporate team. In the same year, he was awarded with  the title of Rising Star of the 2014 Corporate Intl Magazine Global Award as ‘Corporate Compliance Lawyer of the Year in India’.

     

    Why did you decide to study Law? What inspired you to do so? How did you get through to GLC, Mumbai?

    My dad was a biggest inspiration for me, who made choose law as my career. Initially I took up law as a supportive degree to Company Secretary (CS). A law with CS is a very good combination for a corporate lawyer. Luckily my score on the board after my commerce graduation in 2008 was good enough to make my place in the merit list of GLC. Since GLC is the oldest law school of Mumbai and holds a huge reputation of building good lawyers it was my first preference in Mumbai.

     

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

    My interest was always corporate and commercial laws as I was pursuing CS during my graduation. I was interning with one of the leading infrastructure listed company which gave me a good base of corporate secretarial and capital market practice. Later on, as and when I moved ahead the attitude of ‘never say never’ helped me to get opportunities to do good amount of matters like private equity, acquisitions, banking finance and litigation.

     

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

    Yes, it matters quite alot from which college one has done a graduation, but at the same time it may not possible for everyone to get into NLSIU or NLU. For getting a good start it is preferable that law students must do internships from second year onwards or even sign solicitors, if they wish to do so.

     

    After graduation, you joined Batliboi Ltd. as an Executive – Legal & Secretarial and later switched to assist Mr. Bulchandani – Counsel at High Court. What was the nature of your work at both these places? How would you describe your work experience as?

    My role at Batliboi Limited was more of corporate secretarial than legal. I felt that a job of company secretary was more of monotonous than a challenging work, I always enjoyed the legal assignments I use to get, but the scope of work was very limited in Batliboi for me. It was then a point of realisation for me that I want be a lawyer and take up the challenging assignments.

    Thus the hunt for finding a place in a law firm law started for me, but it was never easy for me to get in the law firms initially. I had never interned with any of the law firms earlier. After getting rejected by almost all the top tier law firms, I got a chance to assist Mr. Bulchandani in litigation matters at Hon’ble High Court of Mumbai and that’s how I did litigation.

    At the chambers of Mr. Bulchandani my work profile was to support him in each and every matter that was handled by him. I was given an opportunity to work on various matters with a wide scope. I generally use to assist him for High Court and Arbitration matters or even SEBI matter. At times I was pushed for appearing independently in small matters and I was developing a confidence in handling matters at trial courts. The work experience was undoubtedly fantastic with Mr. Bulchandani, but a pinch of moving from a handsome salary of Batliboi to a stipend was really big for me.

     

    You also had the opportunity to work as an Associate- Corporate Lawyer at Solomon & Co. Advocates & Solicitors. What kind of work you were entrusted with at Solomon and Co.?

    The work profile at Solomon & Co. was again very enormous for me. I had an opportunity to do vide range of matters like acquisitions, Indian Entry, corporate compliance, litigation, capital markets, private equity, etc. Above all Mr. Aaron Solomon is a very sharp lawyer and gem person to work with and I really admire him as a lawyer.

     

    Currently you work as an Associate in the General Corporate and Banking Finance team of ALMT Legal, Mumbai. How did you appointment take place? What do they look for in their prospective employees?

    My appointment in ALMT was by way of a chance, there was a panel of 4 partners who interviewed me and subsequently within a week I got selected and was asked to join the firm.  ALMT is a good growing law firm and gives a chance to lot of young lawyers a good platform to build their base. One needs to be honest, sincere and hard working for a good future and ALMT expects the same from its associates.

     

    What kind of work and responsibilities generally an associate at ALMT Legal deals with? What is a typical workday like?

    We generally deal with end to end responsibility in a transaction so right from a stage one to the closing of transaction everything is been handled by an associate. As far as what work a associate handles depends upon his or her expertise and interest.

    At times it’s hectic and we don’t even get a breathing space as any other law firm, but sometimes when we are light on work we make lots of news flash and update ourselves.

     

    What is the current scenario of studying corporate law as a career option in India? What are the key qualities one should posses for becoming a corporate lawyer?

    Corporate law has a very scope and includes various verticals of practice like private equity, capital markets, M&A, banking finance, corporate secretarial, tax practice, etc. In order to be a corporate lawyer one needs to have an interest and willingness of doing this subjects and it is better to have an additional qualification of a CA or CS or even MBL (Masters of Business Laws) which can give a good base.

     

    What have been the highlights of your job so far? What does it take to be a good corporate lawyer?

    I believe the diversity of matters is the major highlight of my career so far, as I have worked as a litigator, company secretary, private equity lawyer, capital markets lawyer and at time banking lawyer.

    Corporate law is not a rocket science but it takes smart and hard work plus a handy knowledge of subjects like contact law, CPC, companies act, SEBI, banking laws, etc. to be a good corporate lawyer.

     

    What has been your strategy to deal with errors and mistakes? How would you suggest a young associate to deal with them?

    Errors and mistakes are the part and parcels of your life, you can’t avoid them and that’s the only way to gain experience. The strategy is to overcome the mistakes by analysing and understanding them and not running away from a situation.

     

    How do you think a CS degree can prove to be useful in a lawyer’s career in the current as well as future market?

    Undoubtedly, CS qualifications help alot in understanding and dealing the situation.

    CS syllabus helps you to learn subjects of capital market and general corporate in-depth plus a qualification which gives you some accounting and finance knowledge. Though we lawyers do not concentrate on figures much, it helps me to understand better in client meetings at times.

     

    How do you manage to strike a balance between your personal and professional life?

    Its quiet simple for me because me and my wife both are in the same field and understand each other quiet well. We generally spend good weekends together which help us to manage our personal life better.

     

    What do you feel makes an intern stand out and is very important for him to do to have a chance of getting a call back or even a PPO?

    Internship in ALMT depends upon the requirements from time to time. A hard work is very important, one needs to ask alot of questions and analyse each and everything in the manner to understand why the things are done in particular way.

     

    Given a chance to turn back the clock would you have done anything differently from what you’ve done?

    I realised lot of things late in my life. I wasted lots of initial days, which I feel could have turned around my career a bit.

     

    What would be your message to a law student who is yet to decide his/her career?

    Internships and hard work are the key to success for future.

     

  • Amrapali Satpathy on studying LL.M from Cornell University, being a Summer Associate at Clifford Chance and experience in litigation

    Amrapali Satpathy on studying LL.M from Cornell University, being a Summer Associate at Clifford Chance and experience in litigation

    Amrapali Satpathy graduated from Delhi University with an LL.B degree before practising at the Supreme Court. She was awarded with the “Scroll of Honour” for “Promising New Advocate of the Year” by the Hon’ble President of India at the International Conference of Jurists. She then worked at United Lex, Gurgaon, followed by the Law Offices of Ireneo A Reus, Los Angeles and Clifford Chance LLP, New York. She is currently studying for her LL.M from Cornell University.

    In this interview she talks about:

    • Studying law at Delhi University.
    • Being a Senior Associate at CPA Global.
    • LL.M from Cornell University.

     

    How would you like to introduce yourself? Tell us a bit about your childhood and pre-college life as well as educational background.

    I am a simple girl who believes in traditional values while possessing a modern outlook. I am from Cuttack, Odisha. As a child I travelled quite a bit, and got to visit a lot of countries since my father is a Merchant Navy Captain. Travelling all over the world from such an early age helped me to develop a very wide and tolerant perspective about life and people in general.

    During the course of such travels I also made many friends globally and understood different cultures and way of life. At the same time my values as imparted by my parents, helped me to be very grounded and from a very early age I learnt to take deep pride in the diversity and magnitude of our Indian culture and traditions while respecting every other culture in the world. Part of my primary schooling was in Singapore from the Siglap Education Centre. When I was seven, we shifted back to Bhubaneswar, Odisha where I completed my higher secondary studies and was the state topper.

    Later my family shifted to Delhi. My inherent love for English made me complete my higher studies in English Literature with Honors and distinction and my childhood desire to be a lawyer made me study LL.B, which I passed with good grades and high merit. Currently I am completing my Masters in Laws (LL.M) from Cornell University in New York, USA.

     

    How did your interest gravitate towards law?

    My family has always encouraged me to be a lawyer. Two of my uncles are lawyers, and so was my grandfather. Books have always been my greatest influence after my parents. The subject of law and imparting justice has always fascinated me through my readings of various books on the subject. As a child I was absolutely caught up with Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Perry Mason while as a teenager I enjoyed reading Catherine Barnard’s ‘What About Law’ and Amartya Sen’s ‘The Idea of Justice’. Back then I perceived the law as an indestructible, infallible weapon which had the power of liberating the society from all kinds of misdeeds. Although as a teenager I did get a little cynical about the judicial system, nevertheless I always had this belief, which was strengthened as an adult, that no matter what, the law when used by the right people in the right manner has tremendous potential to bring forth the right result and guide society in the right direction. I could join my father’s business, I could be an astronaut, an actress, a model, an engineer etc. In short I could do anything and be anybody. But if there was any profession which allowed me to be in control of my life and at the same time possess the power to help people and society, it was the legal profession. As a lawyer I could have the freedom of interpreting the law in the manner I wanted and then implement it for the betterment of society. And that’s the very reason why I chose this profession.

     

    You have completed your law graduation from Delhi University. Tell us about your law school experience and the co-curricular activities you took part in?

    Studying law at Delhi University was one of the best and most memorable experiences of my life. More than anything else, it brought me in contact with people from extremely diverse ages, economic backgrounds and social beliefs. One of my classmates at the Faculty of Law was a 69 year old gentleman who was a doctor by profession, but wanted to study and understand the Indian law since he was going through some property dispute with his brothers. Then there was this lady who was a teacher at a primary school but wanted to study law so as to get a better paying job as a lawyer in order to support her family, who were entirely dependent on her. My educational experience at Delhi University was truly an eye opener for me, in the sense that I got to see and understand different people, all belonging to the Indian society yet each was so different from the other.  Their differences added colour and variety to the atmosphere at Delhi University, which I don’t think can be found at any other educational campus. I was the convenor for the legal aid society and also headed the dramatic club. Both these roles were extremely enriching. As the convenor of the legal aid society I arranged legal aid camps for the slum dwellers at Yamuna Pushta and as the head of the dramatic society I arranged street plays addressing sensitive, yet less talked about issues in our society like female infanticide, domestic violence and incest. I love debating and was in charge of the debating society for some time where I participated in and arranged college and inter-college debate competitions.

     

    What skills did you get to hone as the Secretary of the Student’s Debating Association and Dramatic Society and also as a   Convener of the Legal Aid Society?

    More than anything else my involvement in these societies made me a people’s person and a team player. Today these are the two skills which have helped me forge lasting friendships and be a good listener while being able to work effectively as a lawyer amongst different kinds of people.

     

    After your graduation, you worked in the Supreme Court. What has been your perspective of litigation in India? Have you found in overrated in any way?

    Sadly the field of litigation in India is quite gender biased and dynasty based. Gender biased in the sense that even today while the courts give judgments for empowering women, yet the very same lawyers at these courts look down on practising female advocates and belittle their talent and knowledge. Unless you are a woman belonging to a very reputed legal based family, it is almost extremely difficult to make a decent entry into the field of litigation. Which reminds me of the admiration, adulation and work opportunities which are bestowed on some freshers, only because of their connection to such reputed legal families, while there are lawyers who slog away their entire life finding clients willing to pay them a decent amount in exchange for their services. Still, I don’t think litigation is an overrated career option. There are always exceptions to the rule and I also firmly believe in hard work paying off sooner or later. Like I said earlier that no matter what, the law when used by the right people in the right manner has the tremendous potential to bring forth the right result and guide society in the right direction. What matters is that the right people should not give up.

     

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

    There is an immense sense of responsibility, pride and self satisfaction when you are standing in front of a judge to a packed courtroom and fighting for your client’s rights. In the current scenario, yes it is definitely becoming more and more difficult for freshers to achieve immediate success in this field, unless you are extremely well connected. However, hard work, patience and perseverance coupled with ambition always bears fruition in the long run, if not immediately.

     

    What was the role of a mentor in your case? How important do you think a mentor is in the field of litigation?

    Frankly, I had no mentor, except my parents who have always been my greatest source of motivation and support. Since I had no mentor, I personally cannot speak about it, since I personally don’t know about it. But yes, speaking pragmatically, a good word of recommendation always helps in advancing your career in any field and the field of litigation is no exception to this rule. But then again, if you are talented, ambitious and hard working you can still make a mark without any mentor.

     

    What motivated you to leave your litigation practice and join United Lex an LPO?

    Although my family is extremely well connected both politically and many of my family members hold reputed positions in the legal field, yet my parents were absolutely clear from the day I joined the legal profession, that no matter what, they would never ask any of their connections for any professional assistance for my career. I agreed with my parents and respected them for this decision. At the same time it was extremely difficult for me to get interesting cases in order to further my career, because without having anybody to vouch for my credentials it was extremely difficult to get important cases. Also, truthfully speaking I was getting bored with the simple quality of the cases I was asked to deal with, while my seniors took charge of the more challenging ones. It was at this point that I got an offer from United Lex asking me to join their corporate department and provide legal services to their overseas client British Telecom. Apart from being extremely interesting, the job profile was something which I had not done before. Hence I took the bait and joined United Lex as Associate for Contract Management.

     

    You have worked for one year at United Lex. What had contributed towards this appointment? Tell us about your work profile at United Lex.

    LPOs have a very tight budget which depends entirely on their international/national clients. Depending on this budget LPOs determine the salaries of their employees. That’s one of the reasons why LPOs rank number one in hiring freshers because then they do not have to pay these freshers higher salaries. Since I was in the litigation field and had no corporate experience, I was treated as a fresher by United Lex and my remuneration was paid according to the industry standards of a fresher. At the same time I had the knowledge and confidence required for this role and that contributed towards my appointment.

    Working at United Lex was a very good experience. As an Associate of Contract Management, my responsibilities encompassed handling the entire contract lifecycle management process which included reviewing of complex agreements, and drafting and negotiating a wide variety of agreements ranging from NDAs, MSAs, Procurement Agreements, Framework Agreements, Software License Agreements, etc. each of which were unique in their structure and level of complexity. The work experience at United Lex was very dynamic and interesting.

     

    After United Lex, you went on to the University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.)  as a  Visiting Scholar. How did you get appointed at University of California as a visiting scholar? What was your role and what are the responsibilities you were entrusted as a visiting scholar?

    As a legal counsel for my father’s business venture, I had to travel a lot to Los Angeles where one of our clients had their offices. While there, one of my relatives told me about UCLA’s course for visiting scholars. Since I had to be there for many months at a time, I decided to look this up online and later visited the campus. The course was fast paced and quite interesting. It would add value to my Resume apart from increasing my knowledge. There were no formal certifications as such, except a transcript of all the subjects which I studied there. Since I was not getting any formal certification, yet I was taking classes with the LL.M and JD students and I was also giving the exams, my designation was that of a Visiting Scholar. UCLA comes up with these exchange programmes and summer courses which are really good because you get to learn about international law without getting hassled about degrees and certificates. Since I was in Los Angeles primarily as legal counsel for my father’s organization, I really didn’t have too much time to take on added responsibilities at UCLA. It was mostly work, study and seeing the lovely places in Los Angeles. It was a cool experience and Los Angeles was a beautiful place.

     

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    You have also worked at the Law Offices of Ireneo A Reus (Los Angeles, USA) as a paralegal for four months. How did you apply? What did your work profile consist of?

    While at Los Angeles, I thought it would be a good idea to work for an international law firm and get an idea how the legal process works in the US. I looked up for any vacancies at law firms in Los Angeles through online U.S. employment portals and came across this opportunity at the Law Offices of Ireneo A Reus. I applied online and was selected after being interviewed. My work profile involved mostly researching on core  legal issues and assisting the senior attorneys with drafting and vetting of complex legal contracts, conducting comparison, risk analysis, and due diligence of complex contracts.

     

    What does being a Paralegal mean? How different is it from being an Associate at a law firm?

    Paralegals are not allowed to offer legal services directly to the public on their own and must perform their legal work under the supervision of a senior associate. Usually lawyers who work in a foreign country are initially hired as paralegals because they do not have the requisite knowledge and understanding of that country’s law and legal process. Hence they are not permitted to give legal counselling or take up cases in courts for the clients. Where an associate is expected to deal with the entire legal process at an organization, from counselling clients, to going to courts and drafting contracts and negotiating, a paralegal’s work is only limited to giving assistance to the associates on various legal issues.

     

    Thereafter, you have also worked as a Summer Associate at Clifford Chance LLP (New York, USA). What does Summer Associate mean? How is this position valuable to a law student?

    A summer associate is just another synonym for an intern in the US. As a designation, a summer associate of course sounds cooler than an intern. Summer associates are current law students who are interning at a law firm or organization for the summer. Summer associates have not passed the bar exam and are not lawyers. This position holds the same value as that of an intern. It’s not a job guarantee but if you are interning at a reputed law firm or organization, the brand name looks great on the Resume and can attract prospective employers into calling you for an interview. Also if you have worked really diligently you can even get hired by the same firm for which you interned, provided of course there is a current vacancy, which is usually rare because the attrition rate at such reputed firms is very low.

     

    Also, please brief us about your work profile as a Summer Associate at Clifford Chance LLP.

    My job profile as a Summer Associate with Clifford Chance LLP involved assisting the senior attorneys on structured debt including CLOs, securitization, small balance commercial mortgages, RMBS and covered bonds.

     

    Meanwhile, you were also associated with Amrapali Exports Pvt. Ltd. [your father’s startup venture], as a Legal Counsel. What does Amrapali Exports do? Tell us about the nature of work you were entrusted with therein.

    Amrapali Exports provides legal solutions to a Singapore based corporation. My responsibilities included managing multiple client environments and various accounts as Legal Counsel for my father’s startup venture. I dealt with prospective clients by interacting with the key sponsors in various multinational companies and drafted corporate and commercial agreements. I also extensively advised on post execution enforcement issues, exit options under joint venture agreements, compliances under the companies’ law and FDI regulations.

     

    After serving at your father’s startup venture, you have joined CPA Global as a Senior Associate. Please walk us through your appointment procedure and interviews. Also, tell us about your work profile at CPA Global.

    The HR Manager at CPA Global contacted me after going through my work profile on a leading online Indian employment portal. They briefed me about the job description which involved giving legal solutions to a leading overseas metal and mining corporation. The work was challenging and interesting. Also since my father’s startup venture was doing really good, I was interested in seeking further challenging opportunities with global organizations so as to further increase and enhance my knowledge. I was selected after the requisite number of interview rounds. My responsibilities included contract drafting and database maintenance, contract review and redlining, contract template creation and revision, contract negotiation and approval support.

     

    Were you doubtful before joining Cornell University? Why did you prefer Masters over your job?

    I have been interested in a Master’s degree in Law ever since I was studying for my LL.B degree at Delhi University. It has been on my mind for the longest possible time but somehow the time was never right. I didn’t simply want an LL.M degree to adorn my already quite impressive repertoire. My desire for pursuing an LL.M degree was to further complement my existing knowledge with an understanding of how to implement my knowledge on an international platform. For that, I obviously needed to gain practical work experience as a lawyer. That was the reason I waited for a few years and got the necessary experience before venturing out to get the much coveted LL.M degree. A Master’s degree in Law, from a reputed university can do wonders to your career prospects, provided you know how to use the knowledge you have gained in order to further your career by putting yourself at par with other globally acclaimed lawyers at an international level.

     

    How did you choose Cornell University over others? How did you go about choosing a university?

    Cornell University is an Ivy League University which is one of a kind just as Harvard, Colombia, Upenn, Princeton and Brown Universities. My criteria for choosing which universities to apply at was primarily based on the institution’s intrinsic reputation, online reviews and from what my seniors who had completed their LL.M abroad, told me. I was selected at the London School of Economics, the National University of Singapore, both Colombia University and University of Pensylvania. However, I chose Cornell because of its reputation for conducting an extremely limited, unbiased and exclusive selection process based entirely on a student’s merit and intelligence. I was also quite keen to study at Cornell, because of its reputation of offering interesting legal courses coupled with the freedom to choose the subjects depending on a student’s individual interests. Cornell also has some of the world’s best teachers in the field of law. Luckily due to my incessant hoping, the blessings of my parents and God’s grace, Cornell selected me and I was offered a place in its prestigious LL.M degree.

     

    How did you go about writing your SOP? Are there any key factors which one should keep in mind before writing the SOP?

    While writing my SOP, I stayed clear of artificiality and repetitiveness. I was honest to myself and tried to convey my career goals and my interests as lucidly as I could. SOP is giving the other person an insight into your career goals, your interests and motivations and most importantly an insight into the kind of person you are. It’s important to be true to yourself and your goals while writing an SOP. The same should be conveyed in a simple yet dynamic choice of vocabulary. Simplicity of language is one of the key factors while writing an SOP.

     

    How about recommendation letters? Who all recommended you to pursue LL.M?

    Recommendation letters are an essential requirement while applying to universities abroad. My teachers at Delhi University very kindly recommended me for my application to the LL.M degree course abroad.

     

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

    I chose two major topics for my research dissertation while studying for my LL.M degree. Both were original research papers for which I was awarded High Honors and was applauded by my teachers at Cornell University. My first topic of research was on the ‘Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and its effect on Legal Process Outsourcing.’ Though a lot of research has been conducted on the reasons behind the financial crisis of 2008 and its aftermath, yet I found that there was no satisfactory research which explained the connection between the financial crisis and the growth of the LPO industry. My second topic of research was ‘Seeking A Permanent Solution to the Rohingya Crisis.’ The Rohingya are a stateless population belonging to the Northern Rakhine State (formerly Arakan State), who are amongst Burma’s ethnic, linguistic and religious minority groups. The Burmese government has consistently denied this community citizenship status. Their exceptionally harsh treatment by the Burmese authorities and their condition as a persecuted minority has been a topic of international discussion. What amazed me was the fact that this issue had been so prolonged and without any solution still. I gradually conducted a lot of individual research on this issue. Apart from helping out with various non-profit organizations working for these refugees, I also ensured that I took active interest in letting the general public know about this problem. My inherent interest in international law and human rights has ensured my continuing interest in this cause.

     

    Please tell us a little about your academic schedule and the general experience of studying abroad? How different do you think it is from the pedagogy that Indian Universities follow?

    The academic schedule at Cornell University is very well charted out, giving the students enough time to conduct self study and participate in various scholastic as well as extra-curricular activities. Depending on what subjects you take your classes can start as early as 8:45 in the morning and end at 10 in the night. Since students are not encouraged to take more than 13 credits per semester, most students have an easy schedule. I personally had 18 credits for one semester, but due to the amazingly co-ordinated manner in which the classes were scheduled, I found that I still had ample time on my hands to do as I pleased. Indian Universities put a lot of value on study by rote method, which is not the case at Cornell. At Cornell rather than remembering cases and citing important legal judgments, we were expected to give our own personal opinion on whatever we studied. That opened up a lot of opportunity for thinking as a lawyer while still preparing as a student. Also before each class, we had assigned readings to do so that we would be able to get what the teachers are saying in class. The teachers, as a rule do not teach from the book. Rather, they have a Socratic manner of imparting education, whereby each student is called and asked for an opinion on the topic assigned for that particular day.

     

    Does Cornell University provide students with scholarships? Are there any other institutions, which provide scholarships?

    Cornell University does provide financial aid to deserving candidates. I am not so sure about scholarships though. Usually educational institutes abroad do not provide scholarships, but there may be exceptions. Instead, they give financial aid as and if required by an applicant. For this the applicant needs to show proof of requirement for the financial aid.

     

    You are about to finish your LL.M from Cornell University this year. So, what next?

    I am planning to take the New York State Bar exam soon. In the mean while, I do have a few job offers, two of which are from reputed software companies in India for the position of Legal Counsel, one is from a leading law firm in Singapore, and two are from real estate companies in the US. I also have a job offer from a newspaper publication in the UK, but for that I need to take a few exams in order to be eligible to practise law in the UK, and I am not too keen on that. And yes, I have an offer from Google but the position is based out of Tel Aviv, Israel. Depending on the circumstances and the remuneration offered, I shall make a decision soon.

     

    What led to your academic and professional achievements?

    (Amrapali was awarded “Scroll of Honor” for “Promising New Advocate of the Year” by the Hon’ble President of India, at the International Conference of Jurists while pursuing her graduation from Delhi University. She was also awarded High Honors for writing original research papers on “Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and its effect on Legal Process Outsourcing” and “Seeking A Permanent Solution to the Rohingya Crisis” at Cornell University.)

    My academic and professional records have been flawless. I have always been an exceptionally bright student scoring good marks throughout my academic career. As a lawyer I have always given my best to all my legal assignments. During the course of my education at Delhi University and my then ongoing internship at the Supreme Court of India, my name was recommended for the “Scroll of Honor” by my teachers at Delhi University and my seniors at the Supreme Court of India. As for being awarded High Honors for my research papers at Cornell, both my papers were original in their subject matter and analysis, apart from discussing issues of international relevance.

     

    Could you enlighten us, in brief, about your role at Arakan Project  and  Samarpan Foundation as a part of your Volunteering activity beside your  professional life.

    As a volunteer for the Arakan Project, I mostly worked towards ensuring that the Rohingya refugees in India were being given a decent lifestyle with access to health and education facilities. While volunteering at the Samarpan Foundation, I worked towards giving proper legal aid to the erstwhile refugees at Yamuna Pushta.

     

    Where do you see yourself five years from now?

    Five years from now I see myself having started my own law firm or legal consultancy. That’s a dream which I hope I can achieve. Let’s see.

     

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

    No matter which ever profession you are or choose to be in, make sure you enjoy what you do. If you love your work, 60% of the battle is won. The rest 40% depends on your hard work, patience and passion. And of course as in everything in life, 1% depends on God’s grace or luck, but this 1% can actually go towards making or breaking your career. You will see the signs. If in spite of giving all your hard work and dedication, you are still not reaching that desired point in your career then maybe it’s time to do some serious thinking and perhaps make a career switch. It’s never too late for that. On another note you will meet a lot of people. People will try to pull you down and there will also be people who will encourage you. My advice is to greet all kinds of people with a smile on your face and to always be cordial to everybody. Be dignified at all times and never ever compromise on your ideals. Keep your calm in the face of all odds and don’t let failure touch your heart or success go to your head. All the best.

  • Bijetri Roy, Associate, Banking and Finance, Orbit Law Services, on LL.M from Queen Mary and studying law at Calcutta University

    Bijetri Roy, Associate, Banking and Finance, Orbit Law Services, on LL.M from Queen Mary and studying law at Calcutta University

    Bijetri Roy graduated from Department of Law, Calcutta University with B.A. LL.B (Hons.) in 2013. During her law school days, she wrote more than eight research papers. After graduation, she pursued an LL.M from Queen Mary, University of London, where she was also a member of the Editorial Board of the Queen Mary Law Journal. She currently specializes in banking and finance laws among others at Orbit Law Services, Mumbai. In this interview he talks about:

    • Studying at Department of Law, Calcutta University with B.A. LL.B (Hons.).
    • Application, SOP and Recommendation Letter for Queen Mary, University of London.
    • Recruitment and work at Orbit Law Services, Mumbai.

     

    Given that most of our readers are law students and young lawyers, how will you introduce yourself to them? What motivated you to choose law as a career?

    I am Bijetri Roy, a Bengali by birth, brought up in the royal Awadh city of Nawabs, Lucknow. My father has a transferable job and I have had the opportunity of staying at many beautiful places (most of them being famous for their food and culture!). London became my home away from home in just a year. I currently live with my parents in Mumbai and I am working as a Banking and Finance Lawyer at Orbit Law Services.

    I am the first lawyer in my family, belonging to a household of a banker and economist father and an English teacher mother. I started reading Perry Mason at the age of 12 and the sleuth-attorney influenced my young mind to take up law. Law became my first choice and my parents encouraged me to take it up seriously. I completed my ISC in 2008 and took the Calcutta University entrance examination in May 2008, secured a good rank and enrolled at the Department of Law.

     

    Tell us about your law school experience at Calcutta University. Share some highlights from your college days that shaped you as a lawyer.

    Though a lot of people warned me against studying law at a traditional university instead of an “elite NLU”, I decided to take my call on the matter, and it was the best decision of my life to enrol at a simple law school. I agree we didn’t have the “right” infrastructure, no placement cell and too many people cramped in each batch (we were 200 people in the 2008-13 batch), but despite these issues, the five years at the law school gave me the some of the best days of my life. Classes were irregular at times, but interesting and regular lectures by Prof. S.S. Chatterji (IPC, Contracts) and Dr. J.K. Das (Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law) made me forget the drawbacks of the college. The high point of my law school days was getting selected for Honours after 2nd year (my average of 3rd to 5th year shot up to a good first class). The selection was purely on merit basis and there were only 50 seats for honours in a batch of 200. Getting to study a wide variety of subjects ranging from Law and Child, Criminology and Gender Justice to Law and Public Servants and Legislative Drafting was an enriching experience for me.

     

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

    I would not like to comment much on this because it is quite a subjective perception. Though a certain “class” of students easily get internships and jobs at the top firms and organisations (as per hearsay – I don’t know many people from the NLUs so I am not sure about it), it is ultimately merit, basic foundation and most importantly, interest in that area of practice that matters. But yes, if one goes by the current market trends, top tier firms and big companies prefer to hire the “elite” ones! But then again, trends are never constant, right?

     

    Are you still involved in research and writing papers? Which are the latest ones you have submitted and where?

    Till now, the count is over 12. Last month I submitted a research paper titled “Financial Inclusion in India: Policy Framework for Inclusive Growth” for a forthcoming conference at IIM-Bangalore. This month I submitted an abstract for my research paper titled “Corporate Governance and Investor Protection – Importance of Legal Audit” for the India Finance Conference to be held at IIM-Calcutta.

    I have presented more than 8 papers during my BA-LLB days including at conferences at the top NLUs like NLIU Bhopal and NALSAR Hyderabad. Recently, I presented 2 papers, one at ILS Pune at the National Conference on Revisiting Freedom of Religion and Personal Laws from Liberty and Equality Perspectives and the other one at the International Conference of Jurists and Writers which was held in Mumbai.

     

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    What was your motivation behind pursuing LL.M. right after your under-grad? How did you finally decide that you need to do masters?

    During my 3rd year, I decided I wanted to do my masters in law immediately after my undergrad. I took this decision because I did not want to have any gap in my academics and once you take up a job, it is very tough to take a break and pursue higher studies.

     

    How did you choose Queen Mary, University of London over others? How did you go about choosing a university?

    I applied to Queen Mary, University of London based on its rank in UK for law (when I went there in 2013, it was among the top 10, currently it is ranked number 3 in UK right after Cambridge and Oxford, and number 1 in London – The Guardian 2014-15, 2015-16 rankings for law). I had decided from day 1 that if I study in UK, it has to be in London University. By the time my 4th year results were out, I had offers from Queen Mary, Westminster University, Birkbeck School of Law under London University and Brunel University (these were the only places I had applied to – I was lucky enough to bag offers, including an unconditional offer from Westminster University even before getting my final BA-LLB result!). I had my dream come true moment when I got an unconditional offer from the place of my choice – Queen Mary.

     

    How did you go about writing your SOP? Are there any key factors which one should keep in mind before writing the SOP?

    SOP (Statement of Purpose) is nothing but an essay about yourself. I used the first paragraph to talk about myself in general, then moved on to my academic achievements and extra-curricular activities. Next I laid emphasis on why I wished to study LLM, why UK, why London and why Queen Mary. I used the last paragraph to talk about my career goals (try to be as honest as possible; do not inflate your goals while writing the SOP).

     

    Please tell us about your recommendation letters.

    While most colleges ask for 2 recommendation letters, Queen Mary is flexible with it. I was able to manage only 1 letter during my application process and that did not hinder my offer from Queen Mary in any way. A professor wrote my recommendation letter.

     

    Tell us about your LL.M year at Queen Mary, London. How did this influence your career?

    My experience at QMUL was the best I could have ever dreamt of. Professors are very approachable because they do not follow the age old notion of differentiating teacher from students.  During my study, I had the opportunity of regular interaction with world class professors like Dr. Rafael Leal Arcas,  Dr. Alexandros Ntovas, Dr. Gomula (a visiting professor from Cambridge), Prof.Spyros,  Prof. Anne Flanagan to name a few.

    My specialisation was public international law. Queen Mary offers a wide range of modules to choose from. I took up modules which mainly belonged to other specialisations. I studied International Economic Law, International Law of the Sea and Climate Change Law and Policy. Apart from academics, a lot of emphasis was laid on overall development; I was suddenly all over the place, working as a Media and Communications Coordinator for the QMUL School of Law, attending meetings and sharing ideas (and pizzas!) with the academic and non-academic staff as a member of the Student-Staff Liaison Committee, as a postgrad member of the QM Law Journal to name a few.

    Classes were 2 hours thrice a week, so I got the opportunity of exploring the beautiful city of London and places around London. When I wasn’t exploring places (and trying out different cuisines!), I spent my time at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Library and the QMUL Mile End campus.

     

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

    I did my dissertation on the topic “Trade Liberalization and the Poor – a policy framework with special emphasis on India”. I chose this topic because it gave me the chance of researching beyond the syllabus of WTO in the Economic Law module. I had the opportunity of doing my dissertation under Professor (QC) Geraldine Van Bueren. . I scored pretty well in it too!

     

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

    I was lucky enough to get a food inclusive accommodation at the London University intercollegiate halls (Hughes Parry) just a few blocks away from Kings Cross station. I am not very fond of shopping so I saved almost all the money I had taken with me (the only things I spent on were text books, boots, eating out and for my trips to places within and outside London).

     

    How was your experience as a member of the Editorial Board of the Queen Mary Law Journal?

    As a member of the Editorial Board of the Queen Mary Law Journal, I was able to get a clear idea of how papers are peer reviewed and selected. I had the opportunity of reading some of the best research papers and articles by masters and PhD level students from different countries and various universities.

     

    After returning to India, you started working at Orbit Law Services as an Associate. How did you go about bagging this job?

    I was looking for boutique law firms specialising in banking and finance and came across the website of Orbit Law Services. I applied by sending a cover email and my CV, and I got a call from the partner within 3 days (this was like an indication from Lord Ganesha that I was almost in there!). I was called for an interview which was conducted by 4 partners, and after a day I was informed about my selection. The selection process is very transparent. The firm prefers to give opportunity to graduates from traditional universities over NLUs.

     

    Tell us about your current work profile and why did you choose to work with Orbit Law Services?

    I am an Associate at Orbit Law Services, Mumbai. I always wanted to join a boutique law firm which specialises in Banking and Finance laws, and for me this is the best place to start and grow professionally.

     

    What are your main practice areas?

    My main practice areas are Banking laws, Project Finance, Infrastructure,Power projects, Energy projects, Corporate and legal due diligence (I recently conducted a 3-days legal audit at an asset reconstruction company in Mumbai on behalf of my law firm).

     

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

    The best thing about Orbit is the fact that Partners personally guide me. All 5 partners have decades of experience and have been associated with well-known banks and big corporate houses.

    Apart from the usual “lawyer” work, I am involved in business development and knowledge enhancement work as well. So along with learning the core work areas, I am also learning overall entrepreneurial management. Due to the encouragement of the partners, I have been able to whet my research and writing skills further (I regularly write articles for our firm’s internal news circulation and discussions with everyone during lunch time).

    Every day is a new day in terms of work; I get the opportunity of learning new things on a daily basis, whether through core legal matters and assignments which come my way from clients (mostly big banks, NBFCs and authorities etc.) or through research suggestions by partners for my personal development.

     

    What are your future plans? Where do you see your career in the next 5 years?

    I plan to continue here at Orbit for the next 4-5 years. I see myself as an expert (and maybe a Senior Associate by then!) in Banking and Finance laws by the time I am 30!

     

    Lastly, any suggestions for aspiring first generation lawyers like yourself?

    Take up law only if you want to, not because your peers or seniors have taken up law! Law is a vast ocean, and whatever is taught during undergrads is merely a few drops! Choose your law school wisely. During your undergrads, attend at least 2 to 3 conferences and present papers, the claps that you get from the audience comprising professors and stalwarts will be like a boost for your confidence. Even for your postgrads, choose the course, institution and country (in case you wish to study abroad) wisely, don’t hurry with your selection.

    All the best to all the readers, and thank you Super Lawyer!

  • Kirthi Srinivas, Associate, HSB Partners, on law school experience at ILS Pune and first year of graduation

    Kirthi Srinivas, Associate, HSB Partners, on law school experience at ILS Pune and first year of graduation

    Kirthi Srinivas holds a degree in B.SL, LL.B. from ILS Law College, Pune, he graduated in 2013. He has participated in various co-curricular activities and has multiple publications to his name. He was also the Convener of Corporate Law Cell at ILS which he had co-founded in his second year of law school and was also associated with ILS Law Journal. While in law school, he also managed to pursue Advanced Course in Copyright and Related Rights (DL – 201) from WIPO and Certificate Course in Competition Law & IPR from FICCI. Soon after graduation, he joined Indiabulls as a Management Trainee/Legal Office. Currently he works as an Associate at HSB Partners.

    In this interview, he talks about: –

    • His law school experience;
    • The importance of academics as well as co-curricular activities at law school; and
    • His experience at India Bulls and HSB Partners.

     

    Legal studies are still only a backup option for quite a lot of students. What motivated you to choose law as a career? How did you get through to ILS Law College, Pune?

    That is a correct understanding of the psyche,as a lot of students in India end up choosing technical/science or commerce stream after Grade 12primarily because of the career avenues it opens up.However, the trend is changing as a lot more students in India now understand that a legal degree offers anequally wide array of career options beyond court rooms.They recognize that the skills you pick up during law school and during initial years of practicecentres around skills like people management and added to that a lawyer’s ability to communicate effectively helps and these are skills which are at the heart of management skills andthus opens up an array of career option in other fields. Therefore, I agree with the statement in a historical context however, I believe that a career in law is now fast emerging as the primary option for a lot of youngsters in India for the aforesaid reasons.

    In my case, I had taken up science stream after Grade 10, and since, I do not have any lawyers in my immediate family I wasn’t aware of what it means to have a career in the legal profession, but my drift from science stream to legal profession was initiated by my interactions with my cousin who had just graduated from law school at that point in time and had started practising indirect taxation with Lakhsmikumaran and Sridaran at Delhi.Hearing stories abouthis experiences at work were quite interesting and sparked my interest in the legal profession.After some further research on my own I realized that legal profession had a lot to offer than the traditional clichés it is known for. Application to ILS, happened as a conscious effort as I had heard about the college from a school senior and it seemed a good place to study law. Apart from that the college is located in Pune which is known to be a college town.

     

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

    I believe that I had a balanced academic career at ILS, spread between academics and other extra-curricular activities which included being part of the editorial committee of the college law review, taking part in moot courts and being the convenor of the corporate law cellwhich I co-founded during my second year at ILS. I believe that maintaining a decent percentage or CGPA is desirable, but anything below that is not an end of the world scenario. I think percentages apart, a fresher needs to have skills such as willingness to learn in order to kickstart a good career in law as most of what you learn at law school are very theoretical in nature and will be unlearnt to accommodate for practical learnings which cannot be taught at law school.

     

    Did you have any such experience during an internship which helped you decide your career choice?

    Since ILS has a more traditional approach to testing and evaluation of the students, there was no concept of chapter-wise tests or projects or compulsory presentations etc., therefore theemphasis were on the semester exams. We had a 3 week preparatory leave prior to the semester exams and that took care of the preparation for the semester exams. So, the emphasis was always to score well in the semester exams in order to maintain a healthy aggregate percentage. Apart from that, as an addition to regular classroom academics I had enrolled myself in certain diplomas/certificate programmes thathelped me a lot.

    All my internships were with law firms and with a tax portal which included Mulla&Mulla& Craigie Blunt &Caroe, Crawford Bayley & Co, ALMT Legal, Taxsutra and Juris Corp and revolved around general corporate, mergers and acquisition, banking andcompetition/anti-trust areas of practice. Certain assignments which I carried out during my internship helped me develop interest in my current areas of practice. I feel that each internship taught me something new, but I am biased towards my internship at Crawford Bayley and Juris Corp for certain assignments which I was part of and which I thoroughly enjoyed and revolved my current areas of practice.

     

    What all activities did you participate in?  How important do you think that extra-curricular activities are to a law student?

    I participated in moot courts actively in the first 4 years of college and later took up drafting moot problems/case studies.As my time at college progressed my interest gravitated towards organising events at college. In second year of college, I co-founded the corporate law cell, a cell whose aim was to have an informal discussion among the student body on the latest news in the world of corporate laws et al. Apart from the aforesaid, I have been part of the editorial board of the college law review.

    Answering the second part of your query, I feel extra-curricular activities were important in shaping me and believe were an integral part of my learning experience, I believe that there is no “one size fits all” concept when it comes to how a student goes about structuring their time at law school. Therefore, it is best left to the discretion of the students.

     

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

    My initial interest in law school revolved around international law, contracts, constitutional law as these were the initial law subjects taught to us and were quite interesting. However, over the course of my interactions with certainseniors and exposure I received during internship,my interest shiftedtowards corporate laws especially investment laws, mergers and acquisition and competition law. Developing interest is easy but sustaining it is the tough part. Writing research papers, articles, presenting at conferences are some of the options I explored. I think reading about these subjects both from a legal and a commercial perspective also helped.

     

    After graduation, you joined Indiabulls as a Management Trainee /Officer – Legal. What had contributed towards this appointment? What did you take away from your experience at Indiabulls?

    I was always interested working in-house for a while, but was reserving such an assignment after spending my initial years after graduation with a firm. The move to Indiabulls, therefore was as a matter of coincidence and happened as part of the placements facilitated by the college. The assignment revolved around dealing with compliances of a mortgages company. Since, my experiences prior to Indiabulls had been in the form of internships at law firms exclusively, working in-house at Indiabulls was unique. However, when I reflect on what it has taught me I would have to say working in-house lends perspective now more than ever as I can relate to being on the other side and can relate better to a client and thus I am equipped to provide appropriate solutions.

     

    After having worked at Indiabulls for 8 months, how did the shift to HSB Partners take place? How did you go about bagging this job? Please tell us about the recruitment process atHSB Partners?

    I had always wanted to start my career at a firm and then shift to an in-house legal department, but the reverse was true in my case. Therefore, I was on the lookout for an opportunity and heard that the firm was on the lookout for a fresher with about 1 year PQE at that point in time, added to that I wanted to focus on my areas of interest and the firm is known for its transaction and advisory capabilities in venture capital/private equity, m&aetc. and the firm has a strong clientele in South India which prompted me to make the jump. The recruitment process is quite simple and hassle free, and the firm gets in touch with prospective candidatesbased on the applications received and sets up an interview with a partner, it comprised of two rounds of interview in my case (both of which were technical in nature).The interview is based on the resume and latest developments in corporate law/regulations.

     

    Please give our readers some tips to perform well at a law firm interview.

    I think a law firm interview at a fresher level is designed to test your basic understanding of law, commercial awareness and common sense. First and foremost tip is to keep your resume short and relevant to the kind of opportunity you are targeting, therefore if you are interested in being a transaction lawyer your resume should be tailored to your internship experience relevant to that in case if you are a fresher. Second, you are expected to be well versed with every little detail in your resume e.g. If you have carried out a research during a past internship and the same is listed in your resume, you are required to know the position of law with respect to the same both from its historical and current standpoint.

     

    How tough were the first six months at your workplace?What are your day-to-day responsibilities? How is the experience so far?

    I wouldn’t say my first six months at HSB were tough. It was interesting from the standpoint of the kind of work/assignment I was exposed to. Work at HSB, generally happens as a product of debate between team mates and senior colleagues are helpful in shaping the discussion towards a productive outcome. The day-to-day responsibilities revolves around tracking various stages in which assignments are and responding accordingly. It involves reviews of opinions/documents, drafting a suite of documents based on the kind of assignment we are engaged in, client meetings and strategies in relation to the aforesaid. So, far my experience has been good. I think most of it is contributed by the variety of work we do and the clients we interact with.

     

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    How do you keep yourself abreast with latest industry news and trends?

    I think it is very  important to stay well versed with the constant changes to laws/regulations in order to advice client’s effectively, so the obvious answer would be to proactively track certain government websites such as MCA, RBI, SEBI etc., apart from certain blogs to keep abreast with latest changes to policy etc. However, even if one does not proactively stays in sync with the latest updates, it happens as part of work when one has to read various policies/laws/regulations and changes to them while preparing opinions and drafting documentation.

     

    What are the primary professional ethics you follow while at work? What has been your strategy to deal with errors and mistakes?

    The thumb rule in professional ethics which all lawyers follow is to keep our client’s work confidential. As a young lawyer, I have had my fair share of doubts but my strategy has always been “when in doubt consult your senior”. In my view, it is a better option to minimise errors/mistakes by holding back on the work/responding in haste especially if you are unsure or have a persisting doubt thus you can avoid a faulty decision from translating into an error/mistake.

     

    Does HSB Partners take interns? What do you feel makes an intern stand out and is very important for him to do to have a chance of getting a call back or even a PPO?

    HSB takes interns throughout the year. Interested applicant’s are required to send a short e-mail with their desired period of internship and attaching their resume, the relevant team in-charges subsequently get back on the availability of a slot for an internship. In general, if an intern has an open mind and willingness to learn coupled with the ability to work intelligently then their chances of getting a call back/ PPO increases dramatically.

     

    The question that whether one should specialise in a particular area of law or be more of a general lawyer often comes up before law students. What is your opinion on the same?

    I think there are no generalist in law, there are several lawyers who tend to advise on variety of subjects but they too have their specialities through which they are recognized. Being a super specialist right from the start is not advisable because it is very difficult for a lawyer to be sure of their interest right from Day 1 of practice, as the profession is quite dynamic in nature and the scope of work keeps changing, in course of time it would be highly likely that everyone dabbles with multiple practice areas, therefore it would rather be desirable to have a handful of linked subjects/ areas of practice which one has interest towards and see what interests you better in the longer run and focus on those.

     

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

    I think that is very true. Most of what one learns at law school is oriented towards theory and is vital in laying a strong foundation towards principles that make up the subject. However, law as a subject is constantly evolving therefore it is in a state of constant flux and by that token a lawyer needs to constantly unlearn and learn new things to be able to stay relevant.

     

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

    For freshers specially and those who are thinking of taking up legal profession, the profession as such is slow in terms of growth as compared to investment banking, finance etc., so you will be required to have patience in order to succeed. Second, the other key principle to success in this profession is to work intelligently as opposed to working hard. Thus, it would be wiser to develop the proficiency in order to work faster to deliver with better/faster turn arounds for your clients without compromising on the quality of deliverables.

     

  • Varun Pathak, Manager, DSK Legal, on Law School experience at GGSIU & LSE, and varied work experience at Law firms and Litigation

    Varun Pathak, Manager, DSK Legal, on Law School experience at GGSIU & LSE, and varied work experience at Law firms and Litigation

    Varun Pathak graduated from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in 2007. Thereafter he went to pursue Masters in Corporate Commercial Laws from London School of Economics and Political Science. Soon after returning to India, he joined Krishnamurthy & Co. as an Associate and later switched to the office of Amarjit Singh Chandhiok. He has also worked at Paras Kuhad and Associates as an Associate before joining DSK Legal as a Senior Associate in March 2011. Currently he works as a Manager there.

    In this interview he talks about

    • Law school experience at GGSIU and LSE
    • Work experience in litigation and law firm
    • Journey from Senior Associate to Manager at DSK

     

    Could you please introduce yourself, professionally and academically, to our readers, who are mostly law students and young lawyers?

    I am a Litigator and am happy to be one. I started off being a corporate lawyer but soon realised that my heart lay elsewhere. I loved the hustle and bustle of litigation which I had experienced during my internships. The thrill of arguing in courts regularly is what drives me every day and I love what I am doing. I am presently retained by DSK Legal, Delhi. The majority of work that I am presently handling deals with regulatory and court matters in the infrastructure sector, commercial contractual disputes, arbitration and some constitutional matters.

    I read law at Amity Law School, GGSIPU and thereafter completed my Master of Laws from London School of Economics and Political Science. Academically I have been a merit student and had a 2:1 grade both in my undergrad and graduate degree. I have participated in my share of moot courts, sports and other extra-curricular activities in my student career. They are all important but the most important aspect, which I realised after starting practice, was the importance of reading law regularly. There is no replacement for hard work. Other than legal reading one should also read material from other areas, whatever stimulates one’s brain. A good reading portfolio is an advantage to any aspiring lawyer. Developing reading skills is one of the most (if not the most) important attribute for a Litigator.

     

    What motivated you to gravitate towards law, as a discipline and a career? Tell us about your induction in GGSIU?

    My foray into the legal field was actually a combination of some serendipitous circumstances and some deductive reasoning. I was very clear in my mind what I did not want to do. So I eliminated what I did not want to do and then narrowed down my choices to a few fields which I thought I would enjoy. So law was one of the options that I foresaw along with a few other career options and as destiny would have it, the cogs feel in place and I joined Amity Law School, GGSIPU. I wanted to be in Delhi so GGSIPU was an obvious choice and arguably Amity Law School was the better institute amongst the constituents and therefore, I chose Amity Law School.

     

    How was your experience during your five years at GGSIU?

    My time at Amity Law School was a learning experience. Most of my class mates were very competent and there was a sense of positive competition which was very inspiring. Actually we were the fourth batch and had good seniors who used to guide and mentor us regularly. Most of my seniors and batch mates are doing well for themselves and are making a name in the profession. One of the most important experiences in my five years was the sense of camaraderie with my colleagues and batch mates which we all have carried into our professional careers.

     

    Soon after completing graduation, you went to pursue Masters in Corporate Commercial Laws from London School of Economics and Political Science. How did you decide to go for higher studies?

    Many of our seniors had pursued masters abroad, so their experiences were definitely a factor. I decided to pursue my masters because I wanted global academic exposure and wanted to interact and learn new approaches to dealing with complex issues. My participation in the Stetson International Moot Court at Florida had given me a flavour of the western approach so I decided to enhance my skills by pursuing masters at LSE.

     

    What should one do differently in college if he wants to pursue higher studies after graduation? Would you suggest having a brief work experience before applying for LL.M?

    In hindsight I would say that there are many things which can be done to improve your chances of pursuing masters at a premier institute. Firstly, one should start preparing for the application from the first year itself by building a varied repertoire of skills. Mooting and internships definitely help however, it is important to be focussed in your approach and it is better to apply to a handful of institutes after narrowing down your areas of interest than making frantic mass applications at the end of the fourth year. Further, please choose the professors of your intended course and do some research before you make that final application.

    With respect to prior work experience it is actually a personal decision for the individual concerned. Some institutes prefer work experience and definitely some work experience will provide you with some good perspective. However, I wanted to be done with my studies before I started practice so went for my masters immediately after my LLB.

     

    Please tell us about your time at LSE. Please share with our readers, the details about the academic pressure, faculty and campus life.

    LSE was a very good experience. The approach to academics was very different than what we are brought up on. The focus is on analysis and individual application of mind and reasoning. The faculty was some of the best in the world and professors were international authorities in their respective fields. My course in corporate commercial law was one of the best in the world. It was a very intense course with a lot of reading material. Being from a common law country it was not very difficult to adapt to the UK education system however, there were many things that I had to unlearn which I had picked up in our education system.

    My time at LSE was fun and I was part of the students’ body for our LL.M class. I also represented LSE in Willem C. Vis Arbitration Moot at Vienna. In fact, I also used to write for one of the students’ newspaper at LSE.

    All in all LSE was a great experience and taught me many things about myself.It helped me grow both as an individual and also as lawyer.

     

    What kind of responsibilities you were entrusted with at your workplaces after coming to India? How did you prefer litigation over law firm?

    (After coming back to India, Varun joined Krishnamurthy & Co as an Associate and later switched to Offices of Amarjit Singh Chandhiok as a Junior Associate.)

    I joined Klaw’s Mumbai office and started my practice under the watchful guidance of Naina Krishnamurthy and Shwetambari Rao. Both of them were great leaders in their own light and taught me a lot. However, my true love was litigation and therefore, I moved back to Delhi and started with Mr. Amarjit Singh Chandhiok. Mr. Chandhiok is an institution in himself and at his office I learnt my basics which haveheld me in good stead till date.

    At Klaw, I was reporting to Naina directly. Naina was the Managing Partner. The Mumbai office had just been started so I was responsible for dealing with clients and execution of work under Naina’s and Shweta’s guidance.

    At Mr. Chandhiok’s office I was responsible for assisting him in arguing briefs, preparation of notes, research, et cetera.

    Both the roles were completely different. At Klaw I was a corporate attorney whereas with Mr. Chandhiok I was a Junior Counsel. Since Mr. Chandhiok was a designated Senior Counsel and subsequently Additional Solicitor General of India my job was to assist him in arguing matters in the Court.

     

    Later you switched to Paras Kuhad & Associates, Advocates and worked there as an Associate for one year. What led to this shift?

    Paras Kuhad & Associates was where I started working as an Associate in a litigation team. I was reporting to Mr. Ravi Prakash there. I moved to DSK Legal along with Mr. Ravi Prakash in 2011.

    The overall experience was good and under Mr. Prakash’s guidance I started handling matters independently and started arguing regularly in various forums.

     

    Thereafter you joined DSK Legal as a Senior Associate and currently work as a Manager there? How did your appointment take place? How did the promotion happen?

    I had moved with Mr. Prakash in 2011 to DSK Legal. I have been with DSK Legal for more than four years and with Mr. Prakash for more than five years. I have grown as a lawyer and am happy where I am at currently. The designation of Manager was more a consequence than anything else. It was recognition of the fact that I was handling matters independently.

     

    What does a Manager at a Law Firm like DSK Legal do? What falls within the scope of your responsibility? Tell us about a typical work day.

    The role and responsibility of a Manager is to handle matters independently and assist the Partner whenever required. The role also involves some amount of mentoring and supervising the work of senior associates and associates.

    My typical work day involves going to Court and arguing a matter, meeting clients, drafting, reviewing the work of my juniors and sometimes briefing senior counsels.

     

    What is the most challenging or stressful part of being a Manager at one of the most successful law firms in the country?

    The stressful part is management part where administratively things have to be taken care off. However, in a firm structure certain things are necessary and have to be followed.

    As a Litigator one has to work very hard because the gestation period is longer. I enjoy what I do and am able to make time for the things that are necessary and important.

     

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    What kind of effort should a young associate put in to work to get it appreciated?

    For me the willingness to work hard is very important.

     

    How important would you say are business development skills at such higher roles in a corporate law firm?

    Business development skills are obviously important. We are a service industry and therefore, client satisfaction is of paramount importance. Business development is a necessary evil, one which must be nurtured and developed for continued existence.

     

    What do you feel makes an intern stand out and is very important for him to do to have a chance of getting a call back or even a PPO?

    Interns should try and shoulder more responsibility and try and execute assignments in the same manner like an Associate. Hard work and perseverance definitely get noticed.

     

    Do you feel that higher education helps a person to have a successful legal career?

    Higher studies provide you with a good perspective. It may or may not result in a successful career. That depends on your drive and motivation. My advice would be that study only if you want to and not because everyone else if doing it. The same is applicable with anything else.

     

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

    Work hard and remember that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. There is no substitute for hard work. Tiredness is only a state of mind.

    Also please read the bare provisions of the relevant law every single time you work on a matter. Please apply yourself independently and do not follow people blindly, even if that person is your superior. After all the right to make a mistake and be stupid is everyone’s prerogative and Article 14 applies there as well.

  • Gaury Shetty, Founder, ADEPT on Legal Recruitments Consultancy and law firm job requirements

    Gaury Shetty, Founder, ADEPT on Legal Recruitments Consultancy and law firm job requirements

    Gaury Shetty is the founder of Legal Recruitment Consultancy firm, ADEPT. After completing her B.Sc. from the University of Mumbai, she was a client account manager at Adecco India and was simultaneously pursuing MBA from NMIMS. After leaving Adecco, she joined Executive Tracks Associates (ETA) as a Senior Consultant and further went on to become a Practice – Head at Hays Specialist Recruitment in their Legal / Accounting & Finance department. Her last assignment before ADEPT was as a Director at Unify Search Private Limited.

    Having such a diverse background made her ultimately choose the path to pursue her passion. In this interview she talks about:

    • Her graduation and MBA;
    • Her experience at Adecco, ETA, Hays and Unify;
    • Her motivation to start ADEPT; and
    • What law firms look for in their potential candidates.

     

    Please introduce yourself to our readers by telling us where you grew and attended your school.

    I am a passionate and innovative soul. I am not made for the mundane and I realised this early in my career. I have been in Mumbai all my life, and did my entire education from here.

     

    Tell us about your graduation in B.Sc., IT from University of Mumbai. Also, please tell us about the Honours program and your college life experience?

    After high school, I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do, but I was sure that I didn’t wish to pursue a normal graduation program. I had friends who were not sure about engineering.IT interested me and I picked up a B.Sc., IT program. IT was quite a boom then and I was part of the first batch to graduate from the program. We, being the first batch, were part of the learning curve along with the faculty involved. My college life taught me much about group studies, college festivals, sponsorships and moving on. It was then that I realised I was decent with selling – grabbing a few sponsors felt quite an achievement.

     

    After your graduation, you have joined Adecco India as a Client Account Manager. How did you secure your appointment? What does Adecco do and what was the nature of your work there?

    Adecco just happened to me. I had visited their office for a job and they hired me for an internal role. I had joined PeopleOne Consulting which got acquired by Adecco. I had joined there as a Recruitment Consultant and gradually moved up to become Client Account Manager in four years. Adecco is the largest staffing company worldwide. They are into HR solutions and operate in more than 60 countries.

     

    In between, while working with Adecco you have pursued MBA in Human Resource from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. What prompted you to pursue MBA in HR? Does an MBA degree after graduation help you in your domain?

    When I started working, I realised that I am passionate about people. I had decided to pursue a part-time course as I could not invest in a full-time course since it was expensive. The only thing that I had to decide was the stream of management that I would want to pursue, which was made easy through Adecco. I had quite a few seniors who were pursuing management and helped me make a decision.

    MBA in HR definitely adds value to the work I do. Being a Recruitment Consultant, I need to understand the language HR speaks, add value to my service and it definitely comes from management. We are “people-persons” and thus it’s important to realise different dimensions that the business demands. My knowledge and insight grew tremendously as I had classmates from varied HR backgrounds and they had so much to share. The faculty was great and NMIMS has a trimester system which allowed us to cover lot of subjects.

     

    You have worked at Adecco for more than 4 years and gathered considerable amount of work experience. How was your experience working there? Also, tell us what prompted you to leave Adecco?

    I started working in the ITeS space, looking for Customer Support Executives. I was moved to the Telecom space after the first six months, where I worked in Sales and Finance. Retail was booming in 2007, we started a new practice called Consumer Services and Retail. I started to manage Sales & Finance roles for Consumer Clients, e.g. Colgate Palmolive, Heinz, Cadbury and then penetrated into the Retail Market.

    We underwent an internal restructuring and my new team was not very welcoming. My team mates could not work in teams and it was stressful to reach out to such people. I find it extremely difficult to invest energy in people who can’t think beyond themselves. I have always believed in teams and collaborations. Thus it was a letdown and I decided to move on.

     

    Thereafter, you joined Executive Tracks Associates as a Senior Consultant. Tell us, how did your appointment take place at ETA? What kind of responsibilities were you entrusted with?

    I had a friend who started working with ETA, and he referred me to the MD. I was on my way out when this opportunity came by. My discussion with the MD was fantastic; it was that initial feeling that helped me join ETA. They had great plans and I was keen to learn executive search. I started to manage senior roles in Engineering, Telecom and Manufacturing.

    I worked closely with the MD to help him identify senior talent in these spaces. I was entrusted with the role of identifying great talent and helping them understand the job role. I was extensively involved in headhunting and mapping activities for specific roles.

     

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    You left ETA and joined Hays Specialist Recruitment in their Legal / Accounting & Finance department as a Practice – Head. What consisted of your work profile at Hays?

    I joined Hays as Senior Consultant for Accountancy & Finance Vertical. My role there involved collaborating with all the teams and assisting them in placing finance & accounting personnel (in-house roles). It was my responsibility to expand the practice base by looping in consulting firms and private practices in the domain.

     

    What does Hays look for in potential candidates for In-house Legal Department before recruiting them?

    (Gaury has worked on various In house Finance & Legal roles for clients across industries (Sectors like Life sciences, Engineering, Captives, FMCG, e-commerce etc.) while working with Hays [Recruiting experts Worldwide])

    What a recruiter looks in potential candidates is the USP of the recruiter. Hays or any other recruitment company provides you with a platform to function better.

    • Technical Fitment (desired skill set)
    • Cultural & Aspirational curve
    • Realise the NEED
    • Offer a SOLUTION

     

    Tell us about your achievements at Hays?

    (While working with Hays, Gaury had got three nominations which are Consultant of the year 2010 – 2011; Hays Elite Winner 2010 – 2011 [where Hays Represented Hays India for CeROW Elite trip to Budapest] and also nominated as a Consultant of the Month [Highest biller for Month])

    These achievements were the result of being extremely passionate about learning and delivery. I am an extrovert and at times people perceive it differently at work, they doubt your work capability.

    I wanted to differentiate myself from others. I grabbed every opportunity that came my way to create a measureable result which reflected in my targets. I was the Social Secretary as well – I overlooked team meetings, marketing and acted as a link between the Corporate Office in London and India Business for communication and data gathering that reflected on our intranet.

    I wanted to be part of the global platform and I knew Hays Elite was the way. My goal was clear.

     

    How did the switch from Hays take place? How did you secure your Directorial position at Unify Search Solutions Pvt. Ltd?

    (Gaury left Hays and joined Unify Search Solutions Pvt. Ltd. as their Director.)

    Hays underwent major restructuring. It was difficult to understand ownership and each location (i.e. Mumbai & Delhi) was striving to keep up with expectations. I got stuck between both the locations, and subsequently  decided to move on as it was difficult to fit into the frame of things that were planned.

    After I left Hays, I took a break for a month to think about what I wanted to do further. It would have been easy to take up another job but I allowed myself to look beyond. I wanted to experience fulfilment. The answer was creating something that combined my values and business understanding. I wanted to create a bigger picture.

    Unify is run by my friend and it was a conscious decision to come together and create an organisation. I had a brief discussion on a working model and some basic arrangements.

    It was great to go with the flow and fine tune along the way.

     

    What consisted of your work profile at Unify Search Solutions Pvt. Ltd. as a Director? What was the nature of your work over there? Please share with our readers.

    In my first year I started to develop the legal practice with a small team of consultants. I decided to head operations for the entire organisation in my second year along with managing my legal practice.

    My role involved

    • creating a business plan and tracking it closely,
    • streamlining processes,
    • ensuring efficiency and productivity,
    • identifying business gaps and addressing those gaps,
    • employee engagement and managing grievances, and
    • Human Resource activities.

     

    What motivated you to start ADEPT Consulting Partners? What is the story of your start-up?

    (After working for more than two years with Unify, Gaury founded ADEPT Consulting Partners – Legal Recruitment Specialist.

    After two years with Unify, I realised that what I thought was a great idea was not good enough. A business partnership is no less than a marriage – if either partner feels discomforted beyond a point, they need to part and so I did. Back at Unify, we were great friends but possibly we were not able to respect each other’s opinions and channelise ourselves in same direction. And so ADEPT was born. I have done legal recruitments for a major part of my work life, and we realised a need for an organisation completely dedicated to it. Legal recruitments are different and need special attention. We knew our competition to some extent and there is a lot of opportunity in the legal space. We wanted to make a difference along with being consistent.

    ADEPT’s foundations are laid on passion, customer service, being specialist and curious.

     

    What do law firms in India look for in potential candidates? What must a law student do to get hired in a top-tier law firm?

    Law firms want lawyers who are dynamic, open and keen to learn. Law is all about articulation of what you studied and how much do you get to work with the firm.

    A law student must have no reservations with the kind of work they do and should be open to learning new things. One cannot have reservations with work-life balance initially. They need to be enthusiastic about learning. Tier 1 law firms have high momentum and fresh lawyer needs to catch up quickly.

     

    What are key roles/positions or domain that your consultancy firm look for recruitment? What kind of clients do you usually get and what is their demand regarding hiring legal freshers?

    We largely look at work from law firms. Though we are mostly engaged with Tier 1 firms, we assist everybody in the law firm market. We have looked at a few partner placements but we are masters of Associate to PA level hiring. Most of the legal freshers are hired from campuses for most of our clients. We do present fresh lawyers to practices if desired, because usually firms mention to us about campus hires.

     

    What would you say contributes to the high attrition rate of many top law firms?

    The legal market has matured in the last six years, from being more of reference based recruitment to attracting the best talent in the space. Of late, it is a war for talent. Opportunity is huge and lawyers don’t mind looking at a better role and opportunity. Firms have to match with the market standards in all aspects to keep the attrition in control. Money is an important aspect as well.

     

    What essential skills are required to work as a Legal Recruitment Specialist?

    A legal recruitment specialist needs to be knowledgeable and keen to learn. Legal recruitment is a lot about references and networking. We constantly need to be in the market all the time.  Being enthusiastic is one of the key skills.

     

    Please give some advice on CV-building, extracurricular and internships that law students must keep in mind to get recruited by any big law firm.

    Law students should mention an area of interest to learn more during internships. Firms don’t give an option but an interest will help them focus. Make a profile where you make a mention of subjects you enjoyed the most. Extracurricular activities help you develop people skills and realise the management aspect of business. If you get an opportunity, be a part of such events.

     

    What is your average day look like? Also, tell us about your brief role at “Teach for India”.

    My average day starts with planning important things to do that day. I then strike off every activity one by one. I call at least one client each day to ensure the quality of work is maintained, and at times just to say hello. Each day I try to spend some time with my team, which helps me stay close to business and address their issues if any. I try to look at achievements at the end of each day. “It is nice to see what I did differently today and whether I have moved a step further,” is my motto for each day.

     

    Five years from now, where do you see ADEPT Consulting Partners?

    Five years from now ADEPT Consulting Partners will emerge as a specialist firm managing Legal, Compliance, Regulatory, Accountancy and Finance. We will create a niche in said areas. We strive for consistency and top class customer service and we focus on these values solely. In five years we expect to be a strong competition in our field. We will become a known brand in the recruitment space.

     

    What would be your message to law students who dream of having their own Legal Recruitment Consultancy firm one day?

    If any law student dreams of having a legal recruitment consultancy, they can come to us. And I mean it – we are happy to welcome interns. Recruitment is all about passion and loving people. A specialist has more technical knowledge and know-how, but it needs to be polished by speaking to more and more people. Because law doesn’t teach you management you should learn it yourself. There are lot of opportunities for lawyers who want to move to recruitments. Just reach out and you will have a job.

     

    Many law students aspire to join law firms today. It will be very helpful for them if you throw some light on recruitment process of tier 1 and tier 2 law firms.

    Lawyers today need to be adept with overall industry and should be able to articulate their thoughts on career and practice. Interview processes at most of the firm are similar – Fresh Law Students are usually met by Senior Associates or Principal Associates or equivalent to realise their technical ability. Once they get through this meeting at times there is a written technical test post which the concerned Partner meets up to take a final call on the applicant. In some cases the HR person meets up for salary negotiation and offer. Nowadays firms reach out to specialist like us to look for freshers too in case they miss the campus hiring, so being in touch with few consultants will also help you.

     

    Many law firms have interviews as a part of their selection process (e.g. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.). How should one prepare for these interviews and what do the recruiters expect out of these interviews?

    In my interactions with many law firms, I concluded that quite a few lawyers fail the interview as their basics are weak, it is very important as fresh lawyers to have very strong know how of the basic Law (for e.g.. At times people cannot explain the Company Law too). Recruiters expect you be Jack of all, they expect you to be open and willing to burn out. It is important to know for which practice area are you getting interviewed before you walk in for a meeting, as a Fresh Lawyer you might not get a choice but your preparation has to be strong in areas other than your choice of practice (for e.g. – drafting is essential for litigation, knowledge of company laws is importance for General Corporate, Lending and borrowers knowledge is essential for Banking).

     

    How much importance do the law firms give to participation in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities?

    Law firms don’t necessarily look at extra-curricular activities much. At the initial screening what matters are the grades.

    Law Firms are partial with the college you pass out from, it is an understood fact that if you are from NLSIU, NALSAR or any other National School, you are an excellent student.

     

    Do you think that the law firms should evolve their selection process by also giving some importance to factors other than grades, moots, research papers, etc?

    I feel the selection process needs refinement as current processes are more technical in nature and they do not necessarily define quality. While hiring a ranker means a lot but not evaluating the rest would be unfair. I feel the associate band needs to be redefined a bit with some firms as the learning curve needs to get sharper.

     

    Please share your thoughts as to what is the future in working in the law firms today. Where does the hiring market stand right now?

    Law Firms today are way more competitive and challenging. The market has disrupted in last twelve months creating lot of opportunities for all. Working in Law firms will be a choice one has to cautiously make and take it up with full conviction to perform and learn. It is no longer an option to try and then decide. The market is edgy as the supply is more than the demand, with so many law colleges, lawyers will have to go an extra mile to secure roles and progress with firms.

  • Rishab Kumar, Junior Associate, David Polk & Wardell, NY, on experience at GLC, Mumbai, the cost of an LL.M from Columbia University and International Law Firms

    Rishab Kumar, Junior Associate, David Polk & Wardell, NY, on experience at GLC, Mumbai, the cost of an LL.M from Columbia University and International Law Firms

    Rishab Kumar is working as a Junior Associate at David Polk & Wardwell LLP. He had graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai in 2009. While in college, he interned as a law clerk with Justice Cyriac Joseph and worked at diverse places such as Reserve Bank of India and Majumdar and Partners. Later, he went on to join the chambers of Mr. Darius Khambata (Additional Solicitor General of India at the time) as a Junior Attorney. After working for a year, he entered into a two year training contract with Linklaters. Thereafter, he went to pursue an LL.M from Columbia University where at the end of his course, he was offered a job at David Polk & Wardwell. This interview brings out the journey of a law student to become a corporate lawyer working in one of the leading law firms in the world.

    In this interview, he talks about:

    • His experience at GLC, Mumbai – being a founder member of GLC, Debating Society and conceiving GLC Policy Debate;
    • His internship experience with Justice Cyriac Joseph, Reserve Bank of India and Majumdar & Partners;
    • Linklaters and his training contract with them;
    • Doing LL.M from Columbia and then joining David Polk LLP.
    • His experience as an expert in Merger and Acquisition between India and China.
    • The merits and demerits of both corporate lawyer and a litigating lawyer.

     

    How will you introduce yourself to our readers? What motivated you to choose law as a career?

    To introduce myself, I would start by saying that I was born and raised in Bombay (as it was then called) and I went to school and college there. I took to law because it was a field that gathered within itself two possibilities: intellectual stimulation and a rewarding professional career (and also because I wasn’t any good at mathematics). I always enjoyed debating, model UNs and was drawn to the humanities subjects generally, so it seemed like the right choice to me.

     

    What activities were you involved in as a student? Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?

    Given the way the five year law course at GLC is organized, I always saw it as an opportunity to explore various aspects of the legal profession. Being in Mumbai, I was able to intern at law firms, with senior counsel, at the RBI and law clinics, all with the aim of getting a broader perspective on the industry.

    In college, I spent my time mooting, debating, writing articles and serving as a student editor on the GLC Law Review. All these activities really help developing the skills required to be a good lawyer.

    Looking back, I wish I had better grades through law school, because that’s something you’re always answerable for in black and white. But, it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. I devoted time to co-curricular activities and I don’t regret that – it’s important for everyone to find their own balance.

     

    What motivated you to start a debating society and why did you decide to organize the ‘GLC Policy Debate’?

    (Rishab was one of the founders of the GLC Debating Society, and also conceived and organized the ‘GLC Policy Debate’.)

    GLC already had a very vibrant community of intellectually curious students who were keen to debate everything from Plato to Pluto. The debating society was meant to be a structured outlet for these discussions and to provide students a platform to express their views. It instils public speaking confidence in those who lacked it. It was a particularly rewarding process because GLC, as a government college, has students from a wide range of backgrounds and this led to a remarkable diversity of opinion.

    The GLC Policy Debate was formed along the lines of the Oxford Union policy debate which used to be framed as “This House has No Confidence in Her Majesty’s Government”. We adapted this to the Indian context and invited noted bureaucrats, academics and journalists to defend and oppose the government’s policies. The debate was conducted on the steps of the Asiatic Society Library, for its symbolic significance as the former Town Hall of Mumbai. This was a unique event in India in that it was a fair and frank assessment of the government’s policies by an intelligent audience, with students voting at the end.

    The most challenging part of organizing this was obtaining the infinite government permits and approvals required to hold this event in a public space – particularly given the controversial topic.

     

    Please describe your internship experiences for our readers.

    (During Rishab’s time at law school, he interned with Justice Cyriac Joseph, Supreme Court of India, as a Law Clerk; Reserve Bank of India as a Research Intern and Majmudar & Partners as a Trainee.)

    With its early morning classes, the five-year course at GLC allows students to spend time working as an apprentice during the afternoons and gain a very real initiation in the practice of law. Students can either choose to be at one firm/organization for the duration or do a variety of different things. Both paths have their merits, but I chose the latter. The range of experience I gained offered me a unique perspective in that it allowed me to read and research a wide variety of subjects and learn how they were applied in practice. I was also able to meet some extremely inspiring people at these organizations, some of whom remain mentors till today. Most importantly perhaps, this variety in experience was useful to me when I applied to foreign law firms and LL.Ms.

    Clerking in the Supreme Court was a fantastic experience because I was able to witness some of the great lawyers of our time arguing the most significant legal issues of the day. Working as a research intern at the RBI, I learnt to value the role of a central bank in the economy and caught a small glimpse of how policies are formed at such institutions. At Majmudar & Partners, I gained my first experience working at a corporate law firm and interacting with clients. All these experiences gave me a solid foundation and held me in good stead going forward.

     

    Please tell us about your experience working with Mr. Darius Khambata.

    (After graduation, Rishab joined the Chambers of Mr. Darius Khambata (Additional Solicitor General of India at the time) as a junior attorney and worked there for 1 year before leaving to start a training contract at Linklaters.)

    By the time I joined the Chambers of Mr. Khambata, I knew that I would be leaving in 8-10 months to start a training contract at Linklaters in London. Mr. Khambata was kind enough to let me follow him around during this time. He is a towering figure at the bar and an inspiring human being. Working in his chambers was an extremely rewarding experience.

    My general duties were to research and assist Mr. Khambata in court. Mr. Khambata was the Additional Solicitor General of India at the time, so I was able to research and follow matters that involved constitutional law issues, administrative law issues, international and trade law issues – a variety of interesting subjects. This was really a dream assignment, because as a junior lawyer you typically don’t get to write research memos and spend hours reading Supreme Court cases to formulate and test arguments on such fundamental matters. But this was what I did during my time in chambers and it was a tremendous learning experience. I also enjoyed the camaraderie and tradition of working on the original side of the Bombay High Court.

     

    When did you start thinking to opt for a training contract from a foreign law firm?

    I started first with the idea of doing an internship abroad, because I thought it would be a valuable experience and good for my CV. At one point, I might have written emails to over 50 firms all over the UK. I didn’t get a single positive response. That’s when I learnt about the Linklaters India Internship program. I had missed the deadline for that year, so I decided to apply the next year. The application process for the internship was quite detailed. I spent a considerable amount of timing drafting and finalizing my application.

    I was thrilled to be offered the internship, which turned out to be more fun than I had expected. Living in London and being wined and dined every other evening was really an enjoyable experience. You also get to do some real work and get a glimpse of what life as a trainee is like. At the end of the internship, you’re invited to interview for a training contract. When I was offered the training contract, I thought that if I was going to practice corporate law, what better place to start than Linklaters in London – the work is exciting, the training is excellent and the compensation is very attractive.

     

    International Law Firms stress on commercial awareness. What sources, materials, books, newspapers or blogs did you read to crack commercial awareness?

    International firms do stress about this. But, reading the business newspapers and perhaps the Economist should hold you in good stead. You’re not expected to know the closing share price of Infosys the day before – just a general awareness of what’s going on in the world with a particular emphasis on things that would affect the practice of a global law firm.

     

    Describe your experience applying to Linklaters. Is there any specific point to keep in mind while writing the application process?

    The application process for the internship was quite detailed. Several essays, two rounds of interviews and an aptitude test. My advice to anyone applying is to take the application seriously. Spend time to read it, re-read and then proof-read it. I remember the recruiting department used to say, if an application contains more than three obvious typos, that’s probably a straight cut.

     

    How did you prepare for the Aptitude Tests in connection with your application? Do you recommend to undergo proper training for this?

    I’m quite certain that the Aptitude Tests don’t require any specific preparation – and that’s part of the objective. It’s probably useful to sample a few IQ tests and maybe the Watson Glazer critical thinking test, but only to get a sense for what to expect. It’s not a test that you’re expected to prepare for. The only thing that can hurt you on this test is to stress about it.

     

    Could you briefly describe the interview process for us?

    The interview is typically a casual conversation about your past, what you have done with your time and why you’re interested in the firm. Always have a story and explanation for every item on your CV because, if it’s on your CV, an interviewer is entitled to ask you about it. You’ll rarely be tested on a point of law, and even if you are, if you reason your answer correctly, not knowing the actual provision of law is completely acceptable. Research the firm and the interviewer – it’ll help you understand what they’re looking for. Ultimately, it’s just about making intelligent conversation and showing that culturally, you will be the right fit.

     

    Describe your time at Linklaters during your Training Contract. Also, briefly describe your work experience in various practice areas while undergoing Training Contract at Linklaters in London.

    The training contract is a 2 year contract where you rotate through four different practice areas. I chose to work in Capital Markets, Litigation, Banking and Corporate (M&A). The work you do in each practice area depends on the people you work with and the nature of the transaction/case. In most circumstances, you will play the role of a junior lawyer on the transaction/case, which may involve some tedious work (due-diligence, document review etc.), but you’ll also get asked to do interesting research and even get the opportunity to interact with clients. The people you work with are extremely intelligent and inspiring and the quality of training is really excellent. It’s also exciting to work on the most high-profile cases that you read about the next day in the newspapers. At the end of the training contract, trainees are expected to choose a practice area to ‘qualify’ into and this is a question of preference and a person’s area of interest.

    I enjoyed my time most in the Corporate (M&A) department because out of the various corporate groups, it seemed to me, the most tangible and relatable – a company buying or merging with another company. Every task that you perform is in furtherance of this objective and that simple context makes your work understandable and rewarding.

     

    What motivated you to leave Linklaters and pursue LL.M. at that point of time?

    (After completing Rishab’s Training Contract, he went on to pursue LL.M. from Columbia University School of Law, New York.)

    I had always wanted to do an LL.M. simply because I wanted to study further. There were a lot of subjects that I wanted to learn more about and to immerse myself in an academic environment. I knew that this would not be possible while working at a corporate law firm. The end of the training contract is a clean break and gave me the opportunity to get away and study for one last time.

     

    How did you go about writing your SOP for Columbia? Are there any key factors which one should keep in mind before writing the SOP?

    Writing an SOP is a deeply meaningful and personal exercise and one should treat it as such. It’s a process that cannot be rushed – I remember when I applied to Columbia, I had probably started writing my essay in June for a November deadline. I think the most important thing to do with an SOP, is to read the question. Each university has a different format and rather than viewing them all as the same essay, it’s better to look at the specific question and answer the question.

     

    rishab-kumar-2

    Tell us about the cost of an LL.M. at Columbia Law School? Did you receive any scholarship? Does Columbia Law School provide students with scholarships?

    The cost of an LL.M. at Columbia Law School is approximately US$80,000 (including tuition, rent and reasonable living expenditure). I know that Columbia Law School offers a number of scholarships, but I wasn’t offered any that year and I financed my LL.M. through a student loan. There are several educational trusts in India that will offer scholarships to students, but many of them are in the form of an interest free loan. If a scholarship is not forthcoming or feasible, the cost of an LL.M. is a factor that one should consider thoroughly. It is not easy to find a job after an LL.M. that will pay a salary which allows you to pay off that amount of money fast.

     

    After completing your LL.M., did you face any obstacles towards finding a job in the US? What is your opinion on LL.M. recruitment vis a vis  J.D. recruitment?

    Whether it is difficult to find a job in the US is often a function of market conditions which cannot be predicted. In 2013 when I graduated, market conditions were not great and there were few jobs for international lawyers.

    However, the key obstacle is the recruitment cycle. The JD program is a three year course. Students interview for summer associate positions during their first and second year and at the end of their second year, law students will intern at a law firm over the summer. Law firms usually finish their first year recruiting from this cohort of summer associates and by the time LL.M. students arrive in the fall, all law firms have completed their recruitment for the following year. This means that unless a specific position opens up, it is very difficult for LL.M. students to find jobs at US law firms.

    That said, if market conditions are favourable and if you are diligent with your search, it is possible to break in; especially for someone who is able to demonstrate a substantial amount of relevant work experience.

     

    After the LL.M., you joined Davis Polk & Wardwell as an Associate. This is one of the most prestigious and sought-after law firms in the US- how did you come to be offered this position?

    Davis Polk & Wardwell is one of the few firms with a strong India practice and the firm was looking for someone with my profile to do US and Asia cross-border M&A work. At the time, their India practice, as part of the broader Asia practice, was operated mainly out of the Hong Kong office and so I was hired for that position. The firm was a top choice for me and I was extremely fortunate to be offered the position.

     

    After starting in the New York office, you shifted to the Hong Kong office of Davis Polk. What led to this shift?

    I started in the New York office as any US associate, I worked on a few transactions and went through the introductory training program before moving to the Hong Kong office as always planned. The cross-border India, Asia M&A practice in Hong Kong was the right fit for me at the time and so, I moved to the Hong Kong office.

     

    rishab-kumar-3

    Your core practice area is Cross-border M&A and PE/VC investments. How did you come to choose this practice area? What skills does one require to be a lawyer in this field?

    I had always been interested in international and cross-border work. But my focus in M&A was developed during the course of my LL.M. The US jurisprudence (Delaware in particular) around corporate M&A transactions is extremely sophisticated and I was drawn to it. Several of my classes were in this field and I enjoyed the nuanced discussion on fiduciary duties, business judgment and shareholder value. I was particularly attracted to the idea that this academic discussion was directly related to the practice of M&A at a US law firm and was constantly evolving.

    Moreover, no two M&A transactions are the same and there is no cookie-cutter method to a transaction. You start with a clean slate each time and tailor your work to the specific context and the client’s objectives. This makes each transaction intellectually stimulating.

    In practice, the role of an M&A lawyer is often to play quarterback to various specialty groups. In any given transaction, there may be labour/employment law issues, tax issues, IP issues, environmental law issues, anti-trust/competition law issues etc. The corporate lawyers have to coordinate and synthesize the advice from such specialist teams and reflect it in the terms of the main transaction documents.

    Ultimately, as an M&A lawyer clients look to you to find solutions. So, thinking on your feet and problem-solving are two crucial skills that a lawyer must possess.

     

    At Davis Polk, you are working on some challenging and highly complex M&A transactions, especially in relation to India & China. Can you tell us about this experience?

    Working at a firm like Davis Polk is a privilege. You work with extremely intelligent people on cutting-edge transactions. Much of my practice today is representing strategic companies or private equity funds in their acquisitions/investments in India, China and South East Asia. Foreign direct investment transactions in these countries are quite challenging to execute and there is always a higher level of risk. One has to be familiar with the local regulations and work closely with local counsel in the target jurisdiction to come up with a viable transaction structure. However, businesses in these regions are growing at exponential rates and the reward for patient and diligent investments can be quite high. These challenges make the work extremely interesting and serve as a great learning experience for a junior lawyer.

     

    You have practised law in Mumbai, London, New York and now Hong Kong. Give us some highlights of India practices at International Firms in USA, UK and Asia.

    Logistically speaking, many international firms have their India practices operated in Singapore, Hong Kong or London. The time difference between India and the US, makes it more difficult to service clients and negotiate with the other side during a transaction from New York or the west coast.

    However, law firms are ultimately professional service firms that are responsive to client needs. India practices at law firms are a good example of this. Firms have India practices only to the extent that clients are interested in doing business in India which is in turn dependant on prevailing economic conditions. It is difficult to sustain a practice solely on inbound and outbound transactions related to India and few firms will hire an associate to do solely India work. From an associate’s perspective, while working at an international law firm, it is important to branch out and be a general corporate lawyer with some India experience. If you want to practice solely Indian law, the place to do it is at an Indian law firm in India.

    There was a time when firms operated India practices outside of India in anticipation of the legal markets opening up in India, but that is not the case anymore as there is no clear indication that the market will open up. This event has been 2 years away for 15 years now.

     

    You have worked with two Top International corporate law firms. Tell us about the work culture of both law firms, their work-ethics, salary package and also comment on the diverse practice areas.

    Linklaters and Davis Polk are both extremely prestigious firms with extremely capable lawyers. They are also both very large organizations and it is impossible to generalize the culture. Both firms demand the highest levels of professionalism and also exhibit tremendous team spirit and work ethic. In terms of offices, magic circle firms tend to be larger and more international than US firms. But, both firms are full service law firms with top-tier corporate practices.

    At a magic circle firm, the first recruits are trainees and most associates were trainees at the firm. The training contract system is a very good start to a legal career. You rotate across departments for two years and that gives you the time to adjust to life in a corporate law firm and sample various practice areas. Coming straight from an Indian law school, this system is an excellent first step to take. A typical magic circle firms pays approximately GBP 40,000 to trainees and approximately GBP 60,000 to its associates (who qualify after two years of training).

    At most US firms, the first port of entry is a summer associateship at the firm between the second and third year of law school. This is much shorter than a training contract and is premised on the fact that by the time students finish their JDs, they are more polished and ready to start practising law. Because, unlike the LL.B. system in the UK, the JD program is a post-graduate program and law graduates are older and have often had some prior work experience. As a result, US law firms typically don’t recruit outside of the JD circuit and international students find it hard to break into the system directly, especially without a US LL.M. However, once you are able to break in the system, a first year associate at a top New York firm will start at US$160,000.

     

    What is your take on Corporate v. Litigation?

    I believe that practising litigation (as a counsel) in India can be challenging without the support of a mentor. It is difficult to get briefed as a junior counsel without that support and as a result, at a very crucial age in life, you may not have a steady source of income. If you have the financial means and the talent to overcome this barrier, then litigation can be a highly rewarding experience, especially in a place like Bombay where the tradition is for seniors to support juniors and mentor them. The actual day to day work is intellectually stimulating and you are an independent professional, not constantly answerable to a senior.

    Working at a corporate law firm offers you financial stability and can be less daunting to start with because you work as part of a team and are sure to be offered the training and assistance to grow. Also, corporate law often involves problem solving and over time, you can feel like you’ve help build something, whether it’s a company, a power plant or a new product. However, with that stability and sense of accomplishment, comes long, unpredictable hours of a stressful environment.

     

    Life at a corporate law firm can be very hectic at times. What is your take on work-life balance? How do you unwind?

    Life as a junior associate at a corporate law firm is indeed quite hectic and stressful. However, sometimes, it’s important to step back and look at the bigger picture. My wife is a doctor and she always reminds me, if nobody died or suffered physical pain, it’s a good day.

    Playing a sport has always been very important to me – it’s a complete escape from everything else. So, playing basketball on the weekends is almost a religious activity and I rarely let work come in the way of that.

     

    Any advice you’d like to give to young lawyers who hope to follow in your footsteps?

    While in college, it’s important to cultivate an intellectual curiosity and let that drive you. Do what you feel passionate about, stick with it and work hard towards it.

  • Khusboo Khatreja, Associate, DSK Legal on LL.B after B.Com and work experience at a law firm

    Khusboo Khatreja, Associate, DSK Legal on LL.B after B.Com and work experience at a law firm

    Khusboo Khatreja is a Bachelor in Commerce graduate from Kirorimal college, Delhi University. While in last year of her college, she was placed in Ernst and Young but due to interest in law, she decided to join Delhi University and completed her LL.B. She graduated in law in 2013.

    She has been outstanding as a student and was mainly focused on academics. Being a commerce graduate, she was inclined towards corporate law and therefore pursued her internships accordingly. She also managed to pursue Company Secretary course along with law. Soon after graduation, she started working with DSK Legal, Delhi and her main practice area includes real estate and general corporate law.

    In this interview, she talks about:

    • LL.B from CLC after B.Com from Kirorimal
    • First year of work at DSK Legal, Delhi
    • Managing deadlines and experience of a steep learning curve

     

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

    Hi!! I’m Khushboo Khatreja. A 25 years ‘young’ lawyer, who is endeavouring to perceive this dynamic legal profession. I am currently associated with Delhi office of DSK Legal as an Associate. I graduated from Faculty of Law, Delhi University in 2013 and joined DSK Legal right after completing my professional degree. It has been a great experience so far under the guidance of Mr. Niraj Kumar.

    During this short tenure, I have had a chance to work on various exciting assignments and representing some big clients. DSK gives you ample opportunities to handle the assignments in a manner which backs your personal growth and development.

    At this stage, I look towards learning new things, shaping my knowledge and to expand my horizon. Presently, I am handling assignments related to corporate advisory and real estate. My aim is to keep exploring at this level, and have a specialization after certain level of practice.

     

    Having done B.Com, what motivated you to choose law as a career? Or did it just happen?

    Frankly, I feel this statement is true. I was determined to pursue B.com (Hons.) but that is not the case with LL.B. Choosing law as a career option was not pre planned at all. I got a placement in Ernst and Young during the last year of my graduation. But pursuing LL.B was on my cards, and during that placement period, my cousin motivated me to explore options in legal field. I gave it a thought and tried my luck in Delhi University’s LL.B entrance examination. So, the credit goes to my cousin! And I have no regrets.

     

    As a graduate of Delhi University, have you faced any comparison with NLUs? What would you say to the future graduates of DU regarding this?

    I have heard people giving statements on this ‘inclination towards NLU grads’. Fortunately, I have not experienced such thing. Delhi University was, is still is and will remain the premier institution when it comes to legal studies. What matters is your knowledge and determination and everything else becomes drab should you have these standards. I owe a lot to Delhi University, be it Kirorimal College or Faculty of Law, for who I am today.

     

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

    Being a commerce graduate, my area of interest has always been corporate laws. To explore and have in-depth understanding of corporate laws, I pursued Company Secretary Course as well. It really was beneficial to understand corporate and allied laws theoretically as well as practically through this.  I have to accept that I was a reserved student. I had a limited approach towards my legal studies. I was much occupied during my course on account of handling my CS studies as well.

     

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

    I interned at Khaitan, Sud and Partners, ASA Law Firm and Jindal Steel and Power Limited. At KSP, I worked on matters related to project finance, at ASA, I had a chance to understand corporate debt restructuring mechanism and at Jindal, it was more of drafting and understanding the complexities involved in various commercial agreements (domestic as well as international). As one can see, I have had a diversified experience in my internships. At that stage, I wanted to explore different fields and I was fortunate that I got to work with the aforementioned entities. Further, I was determined to work on corporate side for reasons explained earlier and thus, no litigation experience is on my plate.

     

    khusboo-khatreja-2

    What are your thoughts on activities like mooting, debating and publications in journals? What skills do law students acquire by engaging themselves in such activities?

    They play a double fold role in a law student’s life. Apart from brushing your confidence and knowledge, they provide add on to your CV. One improves his/her drafting and soft skills by engaging into these activities. At a start-up level, they do play a vital role. Many firms place importance in these activities while selecting a candidate.

     

    Did your law school education prepare you sufficiently for the many tasks you were required to execute after graduation?

    Yes of course. Delhi University gives you practical exposure to a particular issue. The curriculum is totally based on precedents. It helps you to understand the real issue at your work place or internships, as the case may be. The theoretical aspect to a particular topic is limited. It’s more of case based studies.

     

    Many lawyers say that the first year after graduation is the most difficult one. What was your case?

    This indeed is true. At this level you are now all alone striving for an opportunity and yes, the expectations are too high at this stage..!!.During my last semester itself, I started looking for placement. The biggest challenge was not having someone who could guide me. Being the only lawyer in my family, I had to do everything on my own and I had no contacts. With the help of friends and understanding the process, things became clear with time. I feel that in this field contacts can get you anywhere. You can expect a call for an interview at least..!!

     

    You started your career at DSK Legal, New Delhi and currently work as an Associate there. What had contributed towards this appointment?

    One of my senior told me about this opportunity and I did not let it escape.Otherwise, one can approach DSK by submitting his/her CV at our website www.dsklegal.com. Depending on the candidate’s profile and DSK’s requirement, DSK approaches the candidate.

     

    What are the main practice areas of Delhi office of DSK Legal? What does your current work profile at DSK consists of? How is a typical workday like?

    We have two partners in Delhi office. One handles litigation and other handles real estate and general corporate practice. My current profile consists of real estate and general corporate practice. It’s a blessing to work at DSK when it comes to ‘work-life’ balance. I start at 9.30 setting out the deliverables of the day first. Work life is pretty comfortable here as my seniors and partner are only concerned with the quality and time line of a deliverable. How I do it, that’s completely my look out.

     

    Are there new challenges everyday or has work settled into a predictable pattern?

    When you are working in a law firm, forget about anything which is predictable. There are new challenges every day which you face and which helps you to grow as a lawyer. No issue is related with each other. Every client has a different issue and their requirement as well as expectations from a lawyer is different. What I find more interesting is presentation and interpretation of law in such a manner which addresses the client’s issue and requirements. It’s a thinking process at all times.

     

    Can you tell us about a few of the most challenging problems you have faced thus far?

    When you enter into the job world in this profession, every day is challenging. Beginning was not easy for me as well. Everyday used to be challenging and hectic. And then there comes a transaction for which you are solely responsible and which is your ‘Baptism by Fire’. After initial 3-4 months of joining DSK, I was given to handle a funding transaction on my own and that’s where I felt that it’s not easy to survive in this profession. That is one transaction which still is a nightmare for me.

     

    How do you deal with mistakes or errors?

    We follow basic professional code of conduct at our workplace. There is no special requirement as such, but yes, there is no compromise on what is expected from you as a professional. Nobody is perfect and mistakes are bound to happen. What matters is how you deal with it and learn from it. I follow the same path. However, mistakes on basic aspects are not acceptable.

     

    Would you say your undergraduate B.Com degree has been helpful in your career?

    It truly was. It’s so easy to read financial documents and to have an idea about true position of a company while conducting due diligence for a particular transactions. In DU, we have contract law and taxation in our curriculum which provided a base to study these subjects and understand it in a more efficient manner for my law degree.

     

    What kind of internship/recruitment application do you think stands out positively and has a much higher likelihood of being accepted?

    Applications which are short yet expressive are the ones any recruiter would love to read. A good professional resume without any bragging ingredient in it acts as a deal maker. Keep applications short and simple. Take it not as a comprehensive list of your career history but as a marketing document selling you as the perfect person for the job.

     

    Would you say that the actual learning takes place in the years of practice? What was the case in your situation?

    This statement is somewhere true. For a practicing professional each assignment is a learning experience. While pursuing a law degree, a student has a limited approach i.e. understanding the legal issue. But at a practicing stage, what should be the approach towards such issue in a cost and time efficient manner is a primary focus. Same is the case with me. My approach towards an issue has changed altogether after entering into what you call a ‘Real World’.

     

    Where do you see yourself ten years down the line? Do you aspire to be like somebody from this field?

    In 10 years’ time, I see myself at a good position, progressing in legal field and earning new skills to the benefit of my clients. I do not aspire to be like somebody, I would like to be ‘ME’.

     

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

    Pursue your dreams and don’t be afraid of failures. Failures are good experiences which help you in long run. People succeed because they failed in their life at some point of time. Keep going is the myntra!!

  • Vinay Subramanian, Associate, AMSS, on moot courts, internship experience and job experience at Luthra and Cyril Amarchand

    Vinay Subramanian, Associate, AMSS, on moot courts, internship experience and job experience at Luthra and Cyril Amarchand

    Vinay Subramanian graduated from NLU, Jodhpur in 2011. He has been an avid mooter and debator during law school. He has won various moot court competitions including 9th Amity Law College National Moot Court Competition. He has also won the ‘Best Victim’s counsel’ award at the prestigious “International Criminal Court Trials Competition held at Hague, Netherlands”. By the time he graduated, he had received a job offer from Luthra and Luthra Law Offices where he worked for around three years. He is currently working as an Associate at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

    In this interview he talks about:

    • Law school experience at NLUJ
    • winning moot court competitions
    • Internships and Work experience at Luthra and Luthra Law Office
    • Induction and work at CAM

     

    Before I begin, I would like to present my disclaimer to any and every person who purposefully and accidentally and who by ‘accidental purposefulness’ directs himself to this page:

    “By reading this you are officially on notice and you agree from the beginning of time to the end of the world that you will be bound by that notice (whatever that means). The associate herein (whose stellar repute is beyond any contention) hereby makes no guarantees, warranties, or representations, whether express or implied, or specific or general, regarding the accidental humorous or deliberately soporific replies to the questions in this interview. The associate (whose always just doing his job really) does not indemnify the readers from any actions, trauma, claims or injuries (whether physical or mental) caused by the trauma of reading this piece or the reader’s choice to pursue a legal career being influenced by the piece hereby. All legal careers are subject to client moods’risks and the law student must always bill carefully while at work and agree to always have a blast.”

     

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

    Darn! I now feel like I am giving my first firm placement interview all over again. Here it goes – I am Vinay Subramanian. I completed my B.A.LLB. with Honors in Business Law from National Law University, Jodhpur in 2011. I am originally from Mumbai and am presently working in the General Corporate/M&A team at Cyril Amarchand & Mangaldas & Co., Mumbai.

     

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

    There is an interesting background to this. Unlike most other states, where it is your +12 grades that supposedly ‘shape’ up your future, in Maharashtra, the +10 grades are considered equally important since they determine eligibility to a junior college and the relevant streams. Though I had scored decently in my +10 exams and could have easily gotten admission for Science or Commerce stream, I chose to pursue Arts at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, unlike hoardes of other students who were making a beeline for the science and commerce streams. Thus, I probably was more inclined to remain ‘offbeat’. After clearing my +12, I was pursuing Economics and Statistics Hons. at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. At that time (around 2005-06), the notion was that it is wise to choose a legal career only if one came from a family of lawyers. Most of the national law schools set up at that time were still in its infancy and hardly had a batch or two passing out of it. In fact, at that time, even the theory of having a 5 year law course was unheard of in Mumbai. Luckily, one of my batch mates drew my attention to the existence of national law schools and the tremendous scope a legal career had on offer. When I dug deeper, I realized that a legal profession had tremendous potential and could turn out to be one of the more rewarding and lucrative careers that students would look forward to in the coming years. Hence, adopting an ‘offbeat approach’ once again, I decided to dive into the water and test its depths.

     

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

    “Coming back to Life” is how I would describe my experience at NLUJ in a nutshell. Looking back, I am confident in saying that NLUJ has shaped the individual that I am today. Apart from academics, interacting with students coming from different parts of the country introduced me to new cultures and ways of life. The location of the university also provided me an opportunity to put on my travellers cap and wander across the beautiful landscapes of Rajasthan.

    With respect to co-curricular activities, the one thing remarkable about NLUJ is its encouragement for participation in extra-curricular activities.

    I was fortunate enough to represent my alma mater in several moot court competitions, both nationally and internationally. It was a proud moment when we were chosen to represent India at ‘The International Criminal Court Trials Competition held at Hague, Netherlands’ and even managed to bag the ‘Best Victim’s counsel’ award. Apart from this, I have won the ‘9th Amity Law College National Moot Court Competition’ at Amity Law School, New Delhi.

    I have also been an ardent proponent of, and participated in a number of, parliamentary debates held across the country. I have also been a keen fan of travelling and have participated in a college fests held across various law schools in the country.

     

    Tell us about your internship experiences and how they shaped your career choices later.

    I have had the good fortune of working with reputed firms focussing on different areas like constitutional law, civil procedure laws, securities laws, criminal procedure, banking laws, foreign investment laws and contract laws. These include Luthra & Luthra Law Offices (Delhi),  Wadia Gandhy & Co (Mumbai), Fox, Mandal & Little (Mumbai), Bhasin & Co. (Delhi) and K. Ashar & Co. (Mumbai) to name a few.

    All these internships played a definitive role in determining my career. Particularly, it was in one of these firms that I had the unique opportunity of drafting amendments to a state legislation in Maharashtra, which were present and passed by the state legislature a year later. This motivated me towards taking up drafting documents and identifying issues in different legislations.

     

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

    This is a tricky one. It is like asking a doctor whether cutting a frog or cockroach into two during his science class practical is helpful during his career as a neurosurgeon. Moot courts, extempore competitions, parliamentary debates, legal writings and paper presentations must be seen as an aid for the development of the skill of advocacy rather than trying to exactly account for how much of it is applied during one’s legal career. These are mere tricks that prepare you for the real world. I am sure a student who has faced a room full of dissident judges barraging questions left right and centre at him would stand at a better footing while dealing with a high pressure negotiating board room with parties breathing down each other’s necks. Similarly, a student who has a number of publications to his name will be able to draft a legal opinion in a more focussed and cogent manner.

     

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

    The above question seems to be limited in scope. I want to take a step further to answer how much a law school experience helps anyone in the real life actually. Much like the mantra for the foundations of any stable and happy relationship, a college education can offer only as much as you are willing to accept. Similarly, in a law school as well, it is the student’s choice as to how much he wants to extract from his college experience and apply it in the real world.

    We were also fortunate that NLUJ adopted a hand in glove approach while approaching academics and co-curricular activities.  For instance, it is probably one of the only law schools in the country which made mooting compulsory for every law student under every law subject and allocated a portion of the grades to it. Thus, this ensured that though students had to focus on academics, it necessarily didn’t mean that they have to sacrifice mooting experiences for academics.  Further, this approach also introduced students to mooting from the first year onwards providing students a head start and acclimatised them to a mooting environment.

     

    After graduating from NLUJ, you joined Luthra and Luthra Law Offices. How did you secure your appointment? What kind of responsibilities you were entrusted with there? How would you describe your experience working there?

    The experience at Luthra & Luthra Law Offices was very enriching. I secured my appointment through the process of campus placements. I worked in the general corporate/M&A team at the Mumbai office. We were mostly involved in advising healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, private equity and strategic investment funds and media companies. We also acted for private equity funds and foreign companies in making investments in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. In my personal professional capacity, I acted as the lead associate in several of these transactions. My role included assisting in documentation, negotiations, interacting with clients and generally leading the deal under the able guidance of my partner.

    As a personal experience, the first three years of your job forms the fulcrum of your entire legal career. In the first or the second year, an associate must be able to decide whether he is cut out for the job or not. However, for this to happen, the firm must constantly be providing a challenging environment to the associate where he is challenged on a daily basis and thereafter arrive at such a decision. I was very fortunate to have an office and a boss who kept pushing me against all odds and forced me to constantly think outside the box.

    As part of the general corporate/M&A team, Luthra & Luthra provides an exceptional insight into the field of foreign investment law, which is the buzzword for any general corporate lawyer. Their understanding of foreign exchange law regulations takes into account the pragmatic approach taken by the regulators towards the law.

     

    After having worked at Luthra and Luthra Law Offices for almost three years, how did the shift to AMSS take place? What prompted you to make this choice and what made this shift possible?

    Every law firm in India is a different setup by itself with its own peculiarities relating to professional etiquettes like work timings, work exposure, client servicing, documentation review etc. It is important for any corporate attorney to get exposed to these different setups before settling down for a specific setup. I believe that the best time to take this leap is before the lawyer becomes too senior in the hierarchy. This was what predominantly guided me to make this choice. Also, at the time, my partner was himself moving to AMSS and I thought the switch was allowing me to enjoy best of both worlds – work under the guidance of the same partner and with a firm that is one of the best law firms in the country for gaining corporate law experience.

     

    What does your current work profile at AMSS consist of? Tell us about the nature of work you’re entrusted with therein and what’s a typical day like? How has been your experience as an Associate at AMSS so far?

    AMSS has been a great experience so far. My current work profile consists of both advisory and transactional work streams. From an advisory perspective, I am involved in providing detailed advice and drafting legal opinions on different aspects of corporate, contractual and foreign investment law. The introduction of new Companies Act has made this field even more interesting since several of these provisions are new and untested. This requires us to delve into the intent of the law (wherever an ambiguity is present) and provide pioneering views on the relevant issues.

    From a transaction standpoint, I am involved in running transactions for several private equity players under the guidance of my partner. This requires constant interaction with clients, negotiating with counter parties and driving the transaction to its consummation.

    A typical day at AMSS is ‘work, work and work’, which, contrary to what it seems to suggest, is not actually a ‘bad’ thing. The multitude and nature of transactions that keeps pouring into this firm is phenomenal. What makes it more worthwhile is the uniqueness of each transaction and question, which makes us push ourselves and strive for excellence.

     

    Corporate law comes with a humongous workload. What made you gravitate towards this field? How do you manage the workload and your personal life?

    Honestly, as any other normal law student, the remuneration was primarily what attracted me towards this field. However, once I entered, I got sucked in due to the variety and diversity of my legal sector. A general corporate law firm profile entails an associate to shoulder different types of responsibilities. Apart from the provisions of company law and contract law, an associate is constantly exposed to different arenas of law on a daily basis. This is very different from a specifically focussed specialization like Competition law or Intellectual Property Laws. This kept the day challenging for me and I continued to row on.

    When people talk about how corporate law comes with a humungous workload, I somehow feel that it is not entirely true. A litigation lawyer has an equally strenuous work life (if not more) as compared to corporate lawyers. I have a number of my peers who are working in different spheres of litigation and I see them slogging equally (if not more) than us. A humungous workload is the benchmark for any lawyer and not alone corporate lawyers.

    The best way to manage workload and personal life is to take advantage of your ‘leaves’ from time to time at regular intervals. As I am an ardent traveller, I like to pack my bags off spontaneously and see what the roads have on offer for me. Even getting away on weekends to nearby places helps you de-stress and reinvigorate one self.

     

    According to you what are the qualities that make a good lawyer?

    I don’t think I am qualified enough to list down these. But from looking at my partner and seniors in action, its determination, focus and genuine fondness for the job that maketh the man in any profession. The thumb rule is – every morning when you wake up, ask yourself whether

    (a) you are determined to reach the office that day;

    (b) you are genuinely enjoying what you are doing; and

    (c) you are being constantly challenged (because honestly ‘staying in your comfort zone’ is just another way for saying that one is ‘stuck in a rut’).

    If the answer is ‘yes’ you will automatically excel at whatever you do and become a good lawyer.

     

    What are the primary professional ethics you follow while at work? What has been your strategy to deal with errors and mistakes?

    I think my answer to the above mentioned question answers the first part. Now for the second part – All I can say is that “To err is human but… to have a client who has forgiven you must be a client who must be cherished and treasured for life and one must ensure that he never leaves your side!” But on a serious note, like any other job, an associate is bound to make mistakes since he is new to the field. Learning from your mistakes is what is more important than crying over the ‘spilt milk’. The best strategy is to remain focussed and keep questioning yourself at every stage of the transaction or advice. The moment you start asking too many questions about a particular point you realize that you do not have enough information on the relevant issue and you need to start reading up. Once you have read enough and understood the nuances, you will realize you are much more confident and this in turn will result in lesser mistakes. Also, this is where the role of an able and approachable senior comes into play. Having a helpful senior provides an associate with a self of reassurance.

     

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

    In my experience, a high CGPA does come in handy at time of procuring a pre-placement offer or getting a foreign firm internship. But I think the buck stops there. Lately, we are seeing a number of top tier firms slowly changing their strategy to pick an “all-rounder lawyer” rather than a one who has only chased the kites of grades during his law school life. Interestingly, on a lighter note, this could also explain why we see most of the top tier firms doing exceptionally well in law firm cricket and football tournaments as well nowadays.

     

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

    Choosing your internships wisely during your legal education can be very advantageous when one finally makes a career decision on specializing in one specific area of law. As a law student, we have a very different notion of the specialization areas. An internship actually helps a student break the myths and notions and helps him bridge his expectations with the reality of work life. I believe that at least for the first 3 years, a law student must try to do an internship in every possible area of law that he has added to his wish list for specialization. Also, it would be best during this time, to not join the bigger firms but start with the smaller firms, where there is more scope of interaction with the seniors. By the end of the 3rd year, it is important for the student to zero in on the specific legal area that he intends to specialize in. It is the 4th and 5th year, where a student must focus on choosing internships with firms that specialize in the area that he wants to work in. I used the above as a thumb rule to choose my internships.

     

    AMSS takes on interns as well. What do you feel makes an intern stand out and is very important for him to do to have a chance of getting a call back or even a PPO?

    Unlike what law students think, an intern for associates at top tier firms are as important as what an internship at a top tier firm means to an intern. With the “acche din” juggernaut rolling presently, the associates have their hands more than full. An intern who has a basic idea of the law, is focussed and determined eases the pressure of the associate since he is able to focus on other things while the intern is sharing his/her workload.

    What associates look out for in interns is ‘sincerity’ and ability to grasp propositions well. Thus, if an intern is not able to understand a particular nuance (which by the way is very normal since the intern does not have the type of exposure associates have had), it is worthwhile for the intern to discuss and get clarifications from the associate as early as possible. Once an associate sees that the intern is working and meeting expectations, it is but natural for him to recommend him/her to the relevant partner and assist in the call back/PPO process. Once the partner realizes that his associates have entrusted their faith in an intern, he will be more than willing to bring him/her into the fold since this for him results in progression and growth for the entire team.

     

    What skills would you say is a sine qua non for an intern who wants to excel at work?

    An intern must focus on her ‘research’ skills. It is rare that an intern would ever get to draft a legal document while interning. It is the research skills and ability to point out issues in a particular proposition of law that would make an intern stand out and excel at his/her work.

     

    What would be the one misconception you’d say you’d always held about real life legal work till the time you were an intern but changed once you started working as a lawyer?

    I guess I had watched too much of ‘Boston Legal’ and ‘The Practice’ during my college life to have any notion other than that of waltzing into a law firm as ‘Denny Crane’ or ‘Alan Shore’. As an intern, luckily some of these myths faded away and a blurred image of the reality was shown to me. But when I started working, I realized that as an associate, one has to shoulder much more responsibility and accountability that never existed much as an intern. Additionally, with every passing year, you are responsible for not only training and keeping a check on yourself but also on your juniors who rely on you for your guidance in every area of work.

     

    The question that whether one should specialise in a particular area of law or be more of a general lawyer often comes up before law students. What is your opinion on the same?

    It basically boils down to the nature and preference of a particular individual. It is not like the specialized areas are mundane and one would end up doing only the same stuff day in and day out. However, the basic legislation for the work would be the same. General corporate law helps an associate to try his hand at different areas of law. A general corporate lawyer also helps tie in the specialized areas of law and knit them into a complete package which is then presented to the client. For instance, in any private equity transaction, inputs from the Competition law team and IPR team are taken and provided to clients to provide them with specific inputs of these areas on the relevant transaction.

     

    Where do you see yourself five years from now?

    I like to take one day at a time since in the words of Keats, “In the long run, we are already dead”. I see myself continuing to do something challenging, and determined and striving to excel at whatever I am doing.

     

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

    In the word of Baz Luhrmann, “Sometimes you are ahead, sometimes you are behind, the race is long and in the end it is only with yourself…”. So keep calm and dream along.