Super Lawyer

Tag: Law Firm

  • Suvarna Mandal, Associate, Saikrishna & Associates on specialisation in IPR from Kings College

    Suvarna Mandal, Associate, Saikrishna & Associates on specialisation in IPR from Kings College

    Suvarna Mandal graduated with a BSL.LL.B (Hons) degree from ILS, Pune in 2012. Soon after Graduation, she went on to pursue Masters in Intellectual Property Law from Kings College, London. She has an enviable academic record and an excellent series of internships at top law firms. She has also done Diploma courses in Corporate Laws, Cyber Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Business Laws. Currently, she works as an Associate at Saikrishna and Associates.

    In this interview, she talks about:

    • Law school experience at ILS
    • Pursuing further studies and LL.M from Kings College
    • Appointment at Saikrishna and Associates

     

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

    Well, to be completely honest, I wasn’t planning on doing law when I was in High School. I intended to pursue a career in either medicine or journalism. However, in addition to having a keen interest in public-speaking, I was also an avid follower of legal luminaries like Nani. A. Palkhiwala and Leila Seth, and consequently, a career in law fascinated me. I procured an admission into ILS, Pune and though I had secured admissions into various colleges in Delhi University as well, I was advised by many to definitely look into law as a career option.

    Luckily, I had the chance to attend college at ILS for a month before I had to finally decide my career path, and within a month, I was sure that law is the best career option for me. It is my personal opinion that as a lawyer you are constantly learning and constantly adapting to a dynamic environment, and the knowledge that one procures from their LL.B degree is just the tip of the iceberg. From what I have gathered so far, even a lifetime is not enough to specialise in a particular genre of law. This was one of the deciding factors for my inclination towards law.

     

    Tell us something about your college life? What all activities did you participate in?

    While in college, academics was always the first priority, and I spent a major portion of my time understanding and studying the subjects that were taught in every semester. In addition to that, in order to expand my knowledge in specialised fields, I had done Diploma courses in Corporate Laws, Cyber Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Business Laws from Asian School of Cyber Laws, Pune and ILS itself. I had also participated in a couple of Moot Courts conducted internally at ILS and also represented my college as a Speaker in the National Round of the Commonwealth Moot Court Competition, 2009, at School of Law, Christ University, Bangalore. My preference for Intellectual Property Law directed me to write a couple of articles on IP related topics. As far as co-curricular activities are concerned, I was part of the Corporate Law Cell and the theatre group “Aahwaan” of ILS.

     

    You have interned at top-notch law firms including Khaitan, AZB & Partners, Karanjawala and LexCounsel. How did these experiences help mould you as a lawyer?

    My internship experiences at all these firms have been varied as I have had the opportunity to work in different departments and areas of law including IP Law, Corporate Law and basic civil litigation. Personally, internships have benefitted me greatly because my internship with the IP team at Khaitan made me realise that Intellectual Property is definitely my core area of interest. As a law student, it is difficult and in fact premature to make up your mind about the field of law that you would like to practise in. In my view, as a student of law, it is sufficient to just have a general idea about your areas of interest. In this regard, internships help you a great amount because you get to experience first-hand, what it would be like, to work in that particular area of law.

     

    suvarna-mandal-2

    Right after graduating, you went for LL.M. Please share with us all the decisive moments leading to this.

    Many law students are often torn with the decision of choosing to pursue their LL.Ms soon after their LL.B. or getting some work experience before opting for the same. There are pros and cons in either scenario, and the decision has to finally be taken by the individual. I too had my share of the dilemma and confusion, but I was clear that  Intellectual Property Law was my preferred area of interest and that I wanted to study more for a comprehensive understanding of the subject. This encouraged me to first complete my Masters and then start working as a legal professional.

    Since I was sure that IP Law was the subject I wanted to specialise in, I started looking for LL.M. courses that offer the same, and The Dickson Poon School of Law, Kings College London was one of the premier and top rated institutes in UK for the same. KCL offered a specialist LL.M. Degree that focussed on Intellectual Property law prevalent in various jurisdictions and had modules that helped the prospective students in developing a speciality in the subject in academic as well as practical aspects.

    The faculty was excellent and comprised of the top-names in the field like Tanya Aplin, David Llewelyn and Sir Robin Jacob. Due to all of these reasons, this course was obviously my first choice and I was fortunate to secure an admission at Kings College, London.

    The experience of studying at KCL was enriching on all fronts which gave me the opportunity to learn from the best intellectuals in the sphere of IP, and learn with students of different backgrounds and cultures.

    As of today I can confidently say that my LL.M. at KCL has benefitted me personally and professionally. One of the main reasons for me to apply for an LL.M. outside of India was to understand the manner in which IP laws were interpreted and how they operate at a global level and its comparison with IP Laws in India.

     

    Please tell our readers about the application procedure and other requirements?

    From personal observation, I had noticed how Universities (especially abroad) gave importance to student profiles that indicated that the student has put in hard work to build a rounded CV representing his interests and activities not only in his law course but also in co-curricular activities of his choice. Internships, publications, involvement with NGO’s and social causes, cultural activities, etc. facilitate in building an overall strong profile. Having said that, a good score is essential to get into a college of your choice as that is the first criterion that Universities look into.

    The applications for LL.M. should be sent out as soon as the Universities commence with registration process as many a times, good candidates are left out merely because of applying late. Very important aspects of your LL.M. Applications are to have a crisp Statement of Purpose and to obtain good Recommendation Letters. If you have decided to pursue your masters then it is essential to start working on your recommendation letters (from faculty and from your internships, if you are not already working) and your SOP.

     

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

    I have been a voracious reader all through and have found that reading has always leaded to my inspirations and aspirations in life by broadening my horizons. As an undergraduate student, in addition to being involved with activities that were offered by my college, I was also involved in Theatre and Music. I was part of an English theatre group of Pune and performed on stage for the same. Music has been a part of my life since I was a child and I have received training in singing in Indian Classical Music and Western Music. This particular interest directed me towards writing my own songs, and after composing a couple of melodies I couldn’t help but wonder how I could protect these compositions. My interest in these creative fields and the element of curiosity to protect my musical compositions made me want to explore the field of Intellectual Property Law.

     

    Tell us something about your LL.M year. What kind of activities were you involved in over there?

    My LL.M. experience was challenging, enriching and ultimately very rewarding. I was given the esteemed opportunity to study under and interact with internationally acclaimed academicians and practitioners who helped me greatly in my analytical and critical approach to the issues in IP Law. I studied amongst students of different nationalities, some of them were established legal professionals with substantial work experience, and some of them had recently graduated law, just like me.

    As postgraduate students of KCL and University of London we had access to some to some of the best law libraries worldwide, including Maughan Library of KCL, and the law library at the University of London’s Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS). The college encouraged its students to participate in various seminars and workshops by Guest speakers, networking events, etc. organised internally or externally conducted. The students were also given an opportunity to meet legal experts such as Judges, solicitors, barristers, in-house legal counsels, etc. in order to discuss a career in IP Law.

     

    How difficult was studying abroad in terms of finding accommodation, finances and settling in? Are there any scholarships for studying at KCL?

    There is no denying that living in a city like London may be a little intimidating at first, but eventually you get comfortable. As soon as you are accepted into a college, you are provided with various accommodation options that the college can offer you, and fortunately, I was able to secure a hostel accommodation at KCL even before going to London.

    There are also several options available to students who do not wish to live in accommodations provided by the college and several organisations/websites work towards helping such students. London is a very student friendly city as there are substantial amounts of discounts available to students in public transport, restaurants, grocery stores etc. which is a relief considering that London is an expensive city to live in. As far as scholarships are concerned KCL does offer a couple, however they are extremely competitive and mostly inapplicable to Indian students. The website of the college offers all the details pertaining to the same.

     

    How was the faculty and academic schedule at KCL? Given your experiences how would you pit Indian students with their foreign counterparts?

    That pretty much depended on your choice of modules. The modules that I chose, required me to attend about 3-4 classes per week with a pre-defined reading list that needed to be studied before the class. This way, the understanding of what you studied from the list became crystal clear when the same was discussed in class with the professors. A glaring difference in the mind-set of the foreign students viz. a viz. their Indian counterparts is that the former believed in a more ‘comprehension based’ education system whereas we believe in memorising our syllabus, sometimes without understanding the underlying concept. I am of the opinion that if we are able to inculcate an application-based and practical method of comprehending the subject in our education system and combine that to the gruelling hard work that Indian students are used to, then we would have the perfect recipe for all round success.

     

    Was there time enough for non academic pursuits at KCL? How did you find the study-life balance to be?

    Though the LLM course is rigorous and requires commitment, there was enough time to explore London and indulge in the activities that it had to offer. The city has a rich history and culture and there are many places that one could visit in and around London even on a student budget. The recipe for balancing your student life and unwinding in one of the most renowned cities of the world is simple. One should make it a point to study the reading list given to you before classes, regularly attend your classes, engage in discussions with your peers and professors during classes, and always complete the assignments given by your faculty. This will help you greatly for your examinations and at the same time you will also have enough leisure time to relax and enjoy student-life at London.

     

    Soon after Masters, you joined Saikrishna and Associates as an Associate. Tell us about your induction into the firm.

    Getting absorbed into Saikrishna & Associates is a privilege and I grow and learn as a legal professional every single day. It is truly a terrific opportunity to be able to work with and rub shoulders with the best and the brightest minds in the industry. The seniors of the firm are fantastic mentors and dedicated lawyers that inspire you to work harder and learn more. I have been an Associate at S&A for almost a year now, and have had the chance to work in various verticals and practise areas of the firm such as IP Litigation, Transactions, Company Law Litigation, Advisory and Policy Reform, etc. I have also had the chance to co-author with my seniors, several publications in legal journals and magazines.

     

    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?

    Well, knowledge is power and experience enriches our knowledge. A good educational background lays down the foundation to be a good professional. As a lawyer the learning is constant irrespective of what stage you are in, whether a student or a professional, and you never really cease to be a student of law. It is essential to be true to the role that you are currently in and to try and meet the expectations of that role. There is obviously a difference in studying law and practising law, however the comfort level to understand both comes with hard-work, patience and time.

     

    What would be your advice to students interested in Intellectual Property Rights?

    Intellectual Property Law is a dynamic and constantly growing field. We currently live in a digital and global society and Intellectual Property Rights permeates into our daily lives. IP Law in India is developing at an exponential rate and has tremendous untapped potential. Students who wish to study and understand IP law should try and secure internships in firms that practise the same. In addition to that they should try and take up diploma courses in IP law so as to increase their knowledge base in the subject. It is also essential to stay abreast with the developments and major judgments in the field.

  • Sankalp Sharma, Partner at Sankalp Sharma & Associates on How he established an independent practice

    Sankalp Sharma, Partner at Sankalp Sharma & Associates on How he established an independent practice

    Sankalp Sharma graduated from NLIU, Bhopal in 2010. He thereafter joined the Office of Manjit Singh Ahluwalia and then moved on to work with Virender Goswami & Associates. His work at these places spanned a time period of almost 2 years. In June 2012, he started up with Sankalp Sharma and Associates.

    We asked him to share his insights of:

    • Building a career in litigation
    • Building up a firm clientele
    • Challenges of setting up a law firm on one’s own

     

    How did law happen? Did you ever think of alternate career options?

    Law for someone like me, was always the most logical thing to do, the idea was to be someone that is both independent and socially useful. Growing up all that I wanted to be is someone who’s not dependent on others for survival, I guess the idea has stuck and found the basis behind a lot of decisions that I take in life. I believe I was just made for litigation.

     

    sankalp-sharma

    Tell us about your years in law school. Do you believe that excellent CGPA is the key to all success?

    Years in law school can be summarized as the most amazing learning experience both academically, socially, and personally. For a person who comes from a small city, every day spent at the NLIU was absolutely worth it. I took part in almost everything that came my way, be it mooting, client counselling, being part of organization committees of different events organized at the Institute. The idea was rather simple, I wanted to know more and more about different spheres of people in the society, how they function, how do they approach difficulties and these minute observations can only be made when you participate, no matter what event it is, different people that you meet and participate with, each and every one of them will teach you something new. I personally believe mooting definitely made a huge difference. It helped me to learn the skill of penetrative and focused research, structured presentations, anticipation and on the spot witty responses that in a real life court room make a huge difference.

    Whether CGPA is key to all success, the answer is definitely not, however CGPA is for sure key to most of the success. I am yet to find people, out of law school, who have done well for themselves academically and not in professional life. The academic years make the foundation of what you turn out to be later. In whatever little time I have spent in the profession, I can tell you this much, that it does not allow you to rework your basics, you may find people really working hard in professional life and succeeding without having great CGPA’s; however, with same hard work people with good CGPA’s have done wonders. Amongst all the fun and once in lifetime experience at the Institute, we must never forget that the basic reason we are at that place is to learn.

     

    What were your areas of interest during your graduation?

    I fell in love with the constitution, right at the nascent stages of my college life, It was followed by contract, CPC, CrPC, Company Law, Competition law and so forth. The principle that I personally followed with my academic work was to keep it really simple, multiple readings of the bare provision followed by prolonged discussions with professors and my friends. I have found that there is no shortcut to learning, you simply have to study. Participating in events always help and one should do more and more, life post college turns extremely competitive, your participations help you hone your skills, be it speaking, logical thinking and analysis, it also helps you to built connections that help you in later years.

     

    Right after graduation, you joined the Office of Manjit Singh Ahluwalia where you worked for almost one year. How did your appointment take place? Please tell us about your experience working there.

    Mr. Manjit Singh Ahluwalia, is one of the leading advocates practicing in Delhi High Court. I had interned with him during my college years, at the last one, he made me an offer to come and join him, kind of what we call as PPO. Working with him I learnt the basics. The best thing about his office was that he had all sorts of matters, from civil to criminal work at High Court, from arbitrations to hard core trial matters. Personally he is a gem of a person, I would say an amazing defense lawyer, an intriguing legal mind with a knack of just ripping into the opposite side. He gave me a lot of freedom, right from drafting to arguments, and all that he ever said “go ahead and do it, I am right behind you”. The result was, right after passing out from the College, I was independently handling clients, arguing matters. My days with him taught me almost everything that one can possibly learn standing from defense side. He was the one, who taught me the practical fundamentals of independent litigation practice, the difficulties that you face and how to just keep going despite the ups and downs in the profession.

     

    You thereafter left the Office of Manjit Singh Ahluwalia to start working at Virender Goswami & Associates. What led to this shift? How was your experience working there?

    The Shift from Mr Ahluwalia to Mr. Goswami was a planned move. I had worked a lot with Mr Ahluwalia during my internship years as well, and after almost an year I realized that I was getting more and more comfortable, things were getting easier, I have followed a simple formula in life; don’t let yourself get too comfortable, if you are getting comfortable, means that your learning curve is starting to go down. So I decided that it’s time for me to move on, next I wanted to work at an office that has more work from the plaintiff/ prosecution side, I had to learn the art of prosecuting, Mr. Goswami again is one of the leading lawyers at Delhi High Court, I am yet to see any lawyer who is better than him in terms of cross examination of a witness, his was an art that has been learnt from years of practice, at times with him in a cross examination I could see him toying with the witnesses. Even before the cross examinations he would predict the responses to each and every question, the detailed planning and possible tactics were well thought of, the depth and understanding of evidence law that he posses is unmatched, with him I learnt looking at matters differently, more from the perspective of how something gets proved, what facts will make your case and how to put them correctly.

     

    After having worked at Virender Gowami & Associates for one year, you started your independent practice. What prompted you to make this choice and start a law firm?

    I worked with Mr. Goswami for one and a half year, the idea of starting on my own was always on my mind, the plunge was again based on the same fundamental, life getting too comfortable. While working at both the offices, I had already started working on my social contacts, people had started approaching me with small matters, once the number started increasing to a level where I felt I could take the risk of starting on my own, I just went for it.

     

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

    You never overcome the small amount of nervousness, at least I haven’t , I personally believe that it’s a good thing, it means that you are serious about your job. I was never too overawed by big lawyers and judges, for me they were always people from whom I had to learn, yet maintain my own individuality. My High came in terms of one of the matter that I argued for a socially backward class girl that was thrown out of a school, the matter was greatly argued at the High Court level and ultimately went up to the Supreme Court where it was compromised with school consenting for admission. The low came in terms of a matter in the Supreme Court, The matter was relating to a lady who killed a man trying to rape her, the matter embroiled in a political controversy and resulted in her conviction for life. I tried my best to build a case up In Supreme Court, yet despite my best efforts I could not make a good case.

     

    Did you ever consider a career in the corporate sector? Is it better to work in the corporate sector for a few years before starting litigation?

    I was always inclined towards litigation, I Just loved the feel of court rooms, the big arguments, the entire set up, However, I did my internships on the corporate side as well, just to be sure that I am not made for it. Preferring corporate or litigation is always a personal choice, it is also a personality choice, some of us are simply not made for the rigors of litigation, some of us don’t have the patience to see it though, at times financial reasons don’t allow you to chose litigation as well. Litigation without doubt takes a lot of courage, a little madness, you have to be mentally strong, give up the natural human tendency to go for the comforts of life, money, stability etc. Especially when you know that you too could easily take that route. If you intent to litigate, the early you start the better it is for you, if you enter into corporate world, it makes you comfortable in terms of financial stability, and after that its hard to enter litigation where financial stability is a big question.

     

    Please tell us a bit about “Sankalp Sharma & Associates”. What is a day at work like? Is it easy to have a work-life balance?

    We are a start-up, the idea is to provide professional, honest and comprehensive solutions to legal issues. We are focused in providing legal solutions to our clients that would help them in long term business development as well. Integrity, sincerity and honesty is what we live by. Working at office is based on a simple philosophy of “we do what we say.” The most difficult part is to build up a clientele and fulfil the commitment that we give to our clients. With a start-up your reputation is always tested and is on the line each and every time. The work life balance is obviously not easy to maintain, you have to make schedule and try your best to follow it, at times it works at times it doesn’t and that’s life.

     

    If someone who works with you makes a mistake or an error in an assignment what course of action do you follow as a partner?

    Work culture is simple, be sincere and work hard, in a litigation office, the challenges are never-ending, every matter has its own twist, litigation has nothing predictable, trust me. Mistakes are part and parcel of our lives, all of us make them, and the idea is to learn and not to repeat it again. All that I expect from people who work with me is to give their 100 %, as long as you are doing it, all is fine.

     

    What were the difficulties you faced in the early days of your practice? How difficult would you say it is to build a reputable practice?

    The most difficult part in the early years of practice, especially when you are young is to make your client believe that, though you do not have grey hairs on your head, the grey matter inside is good enough to give the opponents a good run for their money. Initial infrastructure developments, financial managements, building social contacts are obvious difficulties. However, the hidden difficulties that you face is the constant question mark that people around you put up to you about your success, the capacity to keep the fire burning despite a series of bad days, lack of clients and so forth.

    It’s not only about the practice, anything in life that you want to make big, will come with its own baggage of problems, no one will ever say that I became successful in life without going through the problems associated with it. Similarly in practice the problems are many, yet you will always have answers to them, if you are willing to put your heart and soul into it.

    One cannot fix a time frame to build a clientele, for one it’s a continuous process. Secondly it greatly depends on your social contacts and connections with the right people and the hard work that you put in to it. However, in my experience, if you are reasonably active and connected and are working heard and sincere with your work, your practice should start to move in span of two years, a decent clientele would take reasonable 5 to 7 years to build.

     

    What can the law schools do to encourage more people into litigation? Do you think the law school curriculum requires overhaul?

    I personally believe, that no one can encourage you to be in litigation, it is a very personal and introspective choice in life, law schools are not structured to make someone make a certain choice. Moreover, litigation is not merely a profession, it’s how you choose to live your life till the end of days and no law school, no person can make it for you, no one can push you to take it either. It should always be a well thought of decision in life. I don’t think that law school curriculum needs an overhaul, it only needs restructuring. I have a very firm belief that the role of the law school is limited to make a young mind look at the various options he has in life, introduce him to an amazing number of subjects and choice, ,teach him to read law, and thereafter leave him free to make his own path, curriculum etc are very minute things in the bigger picture of life.

     

    Do you take interns? What do you look for in a prospective applicant?

    We do take interns, the procedure is similar to most of the places, you write to us and we respond back with loads of question to see you fit our requirement or not. What we look for is sincerity, hard work and the ‘never say no’ attitude.

     

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

    If you have a dream be it owning your own law firm or any other thing, you have to treasure it, see it as a small plant, that has to be nurtured, protected from the storm and lightning, you have to have that belief in you and your dream to make it a reality. Hard work, sincerity, patience, perseverance, self belief, honesty, integrity and never say never attitude are qualities or pillars on which your dreams will stand.

    For litigation, you should start as early as possible, in law school focus on core subjects like Constitution, CPC, CrPC, Evidence, TPA, IPC and the likes, develop the capacity to study for long hours, develop skills of research and speaking. Participate in as many competitions that you can. Don’t focus on big names while your internships, rather focus on places that have loads of work and less hands, so that you get an opportunity to deal with the real things, work at places where you can see a variety of work, place that gives you freedom to implement your learning and ideas. Start working on your social contacts at a very early stage; decide which areas you are most comfortable with and which city you would want to start your practice at. Work for some time with a good office so as to give yourself sometime to make your presence felt in that circle and lastly, once you have that self belief that you are ready. Take the Plunge.

     

  • Arijeet Mukherjee, Associate at Khaitan & Co. on being an ideal student and law firm atmosphere

    Arijeet Mukherjee, Associate at Khaitan & Co. on being an ideal student and law firm atmosphere

    Arijeet Mukherjee graduated from Symbiosis Law School, with a gold medal as the class topper of his batch (batch 2012). While maintaining Rank 1, he won various moot court competitions and has multiple publications to his credit during his five years in law school. As a law student he has been quite active and participated in many debates, MUNs and conferences.By the time he graduated, he had received a PPO from Khaitan & Co

    We have taken this opportunity to ask him about the several decisive moments in his career amongst other things including:

    • Maintaining grades
    • Acing moot court competitions
    • Securing a PPO at Khaitan & Co.

     

    arijeet-mukherjee-2How did you gravitate towards Law? Tell us about your college life at Pune. What all activities did you partake in?

    I had a keen interest in matters that impacted the society and law was simply one of them; an option which I could take up as a profession. Looking back, the choice of going to law school was more than anything else, a leap of faith and as it turned out it was an excellent experience.

    Pune is one of the most fun cities to be living in as a student and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. College life was not just about academics at any point of time, the whole experience of living independently with friends and making the most of it was extraordinary. All in all, college life at Symbiosis was definitely an exciting and memorable one.

    I was involved in various extra-curricular activities and represented the college in Philip C Jessups, Raj Anand and M S Rammiah moot court competitions. I also participated in the HR and RCPNE Model United Nations. However, the activity closest to my heart was the Make a Difference project, which I was involved in as a part of the Human Rights Cell of the college, wherein I used to teach drawing to children who used to live in a nearby slum.

     

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

    I was in a peculiar position where I did not have any one particular area / subject of interest per se, some aspects of quite a few subjects really interested me. For instance, I was not particularly keen on intellectual property rights law, but the aspect of pharmaceutical patents was something that really evoked interest. Overall, I can say that no one single area interested me the most, it was eclectic mix of subjects, topics and ideas which fascinated me.

    In this regard, to develop a better understanding of my likings and gain experience, I interned at quite a few places. These internships gave me an exposure to different fields and organisations. I learnt as much in my internships as I did in college, perhaps even more.

     

    You were one of the most exceptional students at Symbiosis Law School. You bagged a Gold medal for being the batch topper. Please give us a few actionable tips on managing higher grades.

    Grades are an important part of law school life, particularly if you are looking towards a future in corporate or law firms, so grades were definitely on my priority list. However, the cliché law exam clearing method of mugging answers never appealed to me. I had quite a few friends in law school, who spent months and weeks mugging answers and more often than not they were successful in getting good grades, but that was not something that I could have ever possibly succeeded in doing.

    My method of achieving high grades was simply studying smart. It is not the volume of materials that you study that can help you get good grades, but it is your understanding of the concept that matters the most. The way I used to go about preparing for my exams was to first identify the important topics, then conceptually understand those topics and create my own answers in plain and simple language, rather than repeating text book answers. This not only helped me get good grades but also made me conceptually stronger and most importantly, reduced stress levels before exams.

    One has to realise that the manner and method of studying is a personal matter and what suits one in all probability will not suit the other. No one can claim that one method is the best and the other a failure, I believe that everyone should find a way to study that they are most comfortable with and not get tensed over what others are doing. In these matters, it is best that you prepare on your own terms and not let others stress you out.

     

    arijeet-mukherjee-1

    You have been the Recipient of various scholarship and awards including Ram Jethmalani Scholarship for Excellence in Law of Evidence, Advocate S K Jain scholarship for topper in B.B.A.LL.B, Advocate Nani Palkhiwala Memorial Trust Award for Excellence in Constitutional Law. How did you go about achieving this?

    As far as the Ram Jethmalani scholarship and Nani Palkhiwala scholarship go, I had developed an interest for topics of constitutional law and evidence law. It was due to this interest that I ended up studying these subjects in greater detail and that was perhaps the reason I was able to receive these scholarships. For the Advocate S K Jain scholarship, I owe it to the study pattern I followed throughout law school of studying smart and not mugging. I must admit that achieving these accolades was not an easy task, but then when one is interested in it the task does not seem uphill.

     

    You have publications in various renowned journals. How should one go about writing papers and getting the same published?

    Publications are definitely a way to gain visibility and put out your work for others to view. However, the trend of publishing something for having a fuller CV is not something I believe in. One should not write for filling up columns in one’s CV, but one should most definitely put pen to paper if one is genuinely interested in the topic.Needless to say that the quality of the article depends on the research one puts in. One important thing to bear in mind is that the articles written should not be generic “gyaan”, but the topic should be distinct and innovative, such that it arouses interest. Even if the topic is general in nature, strive to put that one additional thing that will make your article different from the others.

    As for publishing the articles, there are immense opportunities available online, I highly recommend a thorough regular check on the internet for publication opportunities. The regular publishing hotspots usually have an overflow of interest but the unconventional ones or ones lesser known in India are the ones which must also be explored.

     

    Soon after graduation, you joined Khaitan & Co. as an Associate, how did your appointment take place? What worked for you in securing the job?

    I was selected for a one month internship at Khaitan & Co, Mumbai through college. I had interned in the month of March, which typically is a mad rush season for corporate law firms as it is the financial year end. This effectively meant that even as an intern I was exposed to some big ticket transactions and got opportunity to work on some quality matters. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience and based on the feedback, after a brief interview, I was offered a PPO in my fourth year.

    Some of the most important factors that helped me get the PPO were my internship feedback, my grades and my previous internships experiences. As an associate now, I think one additional factor which is considered deeply is one’s attitude. Usually interns are simply judged by their sincerity at work, this sincerity only comes if you are enjoying the experience of interning. My earnest advice in this regard is to enjoy the internships as an experience and you will in all probability do well.

     

    Any tips on how one should go about framing a C.V. and prepare for an interview?

    Keep the CV short and simple, usually no one reads more than a page. Highlight what you think are your big accolades / accomplishments and sieve out the minuscule ones. It is wise to tailor your CV as per the organisation you are applying to, so that the potential employer sees synergy between what they do and what you can offer.

    As far as an interview is concerned, in my experience the most important factor is likeability. One must come across as a likeable person, whom the potential employer would like to hire and make a part of his existing team. This likeability can never be faked, so one must not try to appear something he is not and one must be absolutely comfortable in one’s own skin. Confidence is another appealing factor, if one is not sure about one’s own answer, rest assured he is paving a way for a few very difficult questions ahead. In case you do not know something, admit it and tell the interviewer your limited knowledge on the topic in a confident manner. Some basic technical skills must be polished before the interview, which would off course depend on where you are interviewing.

     

    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?

    Unfortunately, it is absolutely true generally and specifically in my case as well. You soon realise that what you learn on internships and on the job was nothing like what you were taught in law school. This gap between class room teaching and real life practice is unfortunate and the system of theoretical teaching has to undergo a change so that we have more street smart lawyers. Till the time the system changes, as a student one can greatly enhance one’s learning curve by interning as much at as many different places and organisations as possible.

     

    It’s been more than two years of your work experience in corporate law. What would you say contributes to the high attrition rate of the top law firms?

    There are many factors such as stress, pressure, seniors, larger life callings etc. However, the biggest factor that pushes one over the edge is when one stops enjoying what one does. So work in an organisation as long as you enjoy working there, else move on to what you like doing.

     

    In these two years you must have guided a lot of interns at Khaitan & Co. What do you think differentiates a good intern from the rest?  How can an intern make a positive impression in the limited time they have?

    I believe that a good intern is different from the rest on account of his sincerity. This is not to be confused with face time or perceptions, when intern is given a task he should try doing it to the best of his abilities and that all there is to it. Interns are allowed to and even expected to make mistakes.

    I personally have worked with quite a few interns, and have a personal liking for those students who are here to have fun and enjoy their internship experience. I think a fun and relaxed working attitude definitely creates a positive impression.

     

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

    I have to admit that I am struggling with that. As is well known, college life at Symbiosis is very different from work life and it takes some time to get used to working in a law firm. Work levels and stress levels cross danger marks quite often,so one really needs to take a break regularly. As far as unwinding goes, college life at Symbiosis has equipped all of us pretty well on that front.

     

    What would be your parting message to law students who want to be successful in corporate law?

    For being successful in corporate law, you do not need to dwell yourself in books, enjoy the experiences of interning and learning new things. Look out for stuff that interests you and pursue them, and most of all do only those things that you like. This quotation from Warren Buffet pretty much sums it up:

    “There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want. Take a job that you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you don’t like because you think it will look good on your resume. Isn’t that a little like saving up sex for your old age?”

  • Suhas Baliga, Principal at Innove Law, on quitting Law Firms and starting up

    Suhas Baliga, Principal at Innove Law, on quitting Law Firms and starting up

    Mr. Suhas Baliga graduated from NLSIU, Bangalore in 2008. He thereafter joined Luthra and Luthra and then moved on to Trilegal. His work at law firms spanned a time period of almost 4 years. Thereafter he moved on to co-found Impact Law Ventures in 2012. In June 2014, he started up with Innove Law which focuses on investment and corporate advice to seed, early stage and growth-stage companies, with a team of three associates.

    We asked him to share his deep insights on:

    • Life at a Law School
    • Building up a firm clientele
    • Challenges of setting up a law firm on one’s own

     

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

    No. I haven’t had any lawyers in my family as such. Is it helpful to have lawyers in the family? Yes. But at the same time it is not necessary. You can also bring in lawyers into the family by marrying into one! The more difficult part of becoming a lawyer can be setting up a law practice from ground up. I wasn’t brave but had the initial good fortune of working in a firm which paid its associates well and which did not privilege family background but this is not the case with law firms in general. There is some preference for families not because we are a feudal country but because the way law firms are organised and ownership is structured, it favours closely held ownership and management, though things are changing. I never imagined myself to be a lawyer. It was a matter of chance that I went to law school. I was surprised and taken aback since that was the only law school entrance exam that I took while looking forward to engineering since that was something everybody did in Karnataka at that time. In hindsight I am happy I didn’t follow the herd.

     

    So did you prepare for a career in technology or medical before that?

    I did not ever think there is only one path. It is more of a question of what I found interesting at every point of time. Apart from being interested in politics, I was interested in pure sciences. In fact when I was in my 12th, I was either watching the news or studying physics. Because in science there were other subjects to study like biology and chemistry I used to enjoy what I used to do.

     

    What made you gravitate towards the study of law at NLS? Was it planned or just a matter of chance?

    NLS turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I was happy that I wasn’t doing engineering like everyone else and doing something different there. The fact that it was an Arts course where there was history and economics was fun. I always liked reading and writing and this aspect of the course was especially attractive. When I joined NLS it used to have a good public law focus. It used to have three constitutional law courses and three political science courses – I think the arts and public law aspects of law courses have great value in moulding an all-round lawyer. A strong grounding in constitutional law, administrative law and arts subjects also makes for a better corporate lawyer given its influence on legal and regulatory issues in general.

     

    Was the shift from science to BA.LL.B difficult?

    Not really. I remember having my first class at NLS where the professor was talking about a ball which was hit by a cricket bat and it fell outside and landed on the head of a fan in the audience, I found it all very flimsy. After calculus and thermodynamics, it seemed pretty thin. Also what puzzled me is that people used to make notes on these things! I never felt the subjects to be extremely challenging although I found some law subjects fascinating, especially where they intersected with arts subjects or where they are grounded in first principles, such as jurisprudence, criminal law, law of trusts, contract and transfer of property. Even after my 3rd year in college I wasn’t sure of doing law. I worked on a literary magazine for the college and everybody knew me as someone who writes and not someone dribbled in the professional life of law. Although I was sad when I was graduating because of not having extremely high grades, I was happy to have used the five years of college to explore varied interests and passions. In my own way at my own pace that was the best thing about college. In hindsight, I feel I took education like education should be taken. If you were to ask me, at the same time I did not take to everything about law school. I found certain aspects mundane, such as “mooting” and debates, even though a large part of my work today involves negotiating, presenting and having conversations with real people.

     

    Law school can be monotonous at times. What different things did you do these five years at NLS?

    I picked up on certain interests I had before but the law school culture certainly played a part by exposing new avenues to explore them, be it music, movies, theatre, women (!), books. There was much to do. I did participate in things recognizing that college is that period of life where you build relationships both professional/personal and expand your mind and explore new ideas.

    Grades certainly may be a significant criterion, yet ironically if an analysis is made between people who scored at the top of their class and their current state of affairs, the result might be surprising. Grades may give one a good push, probably a foreign law firm job but it is not going to make one’s career. In fact, as a lateral higher when you send an application I doubt your grades will be looked at very closely.

     

    Tell us about your internships. Did you get any institutional support for internships from your college? Any remarkable internship experience which shaped up your career?

    So as far as my internships were concerned, my idea was to broad base them and never to do the same thing twice. First year I interned with a newspaper, Second year I interned with Ramchandra Guha, Third year I interned with a litigator, and in my Fourth year I did a corporate internship and oddly it was then that I discovered some interest in the legal profession. My journey as a corporate lawyer started when I was with Lexygen in Bangalore. When I joined them in their first few months, there were only three lawyers there. Lexygen was an amazing place because there was this young team who were trying to build something big. They used to love doing what they were doing and continue to do so today.

     

    suhas-baliga

    Did you find that your law school education had prepared you sufficiently for the many tasks you were required to execute during your internship?

    Absolutely not. In no way did law school prepare me for an internship. Most of the internships showed me that the work as a lawyer often has little to do with anything that I had studied at law school. One of the major criticisms of law schools today in the profession is that they hardly put any emphasis on analytical and critical reasoning. They don’t learn the method neither do graduating students have an eye for detail or focus on the outcome of what you are doing and what the practical aspects are. You learn some cases and principles and feel very intelligent but the moment there is a real situation before you, you do not know how to react. In India, law practice and academics have been divergent and much needs to be done to bridge this gap. The intersection between teachers and academicians in the university and practising lawyers and professionals is very limited.

     

    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?

    It shouldn’t ideally matter which law school you go to. The only difference that I see, not to blow my own horn, is that in NLS during my years, we had to do some 60 term papers out of which 30-40 were serious, so that amount of writing brings in some amount of practice on how to write. So I do give NLS due credit for teaching you how to write. Whether you learn it or not is a different matter. With a lot of other colleges also they have applied the same model but most of the writing they do are for their final exams. I think it is more of a question of rigour and how much work you end up doing and if you are required to do certain amount of work it pushes you to do that amount of work. I think the greatest difference between what is considered a good college like NLS and others are the networks. And that is the only sort of advantage and this is across the board in every industry. In IIM Ahmadabad, your juniors and seniors all of them are from IIM Ahmadabad. It is an old boys club that you can tap into later. And yes there may be a difference in kinds of the professors that you deal with and the kinds of courses that you take up. There were some amazing batch mates and professors during my time with whom I built amazing relationships with. So there are obviously many intangible advantages of going to a good college which may or may not have anything to do with the actual skills that you learn.

     

    Like networking and alumni circle, basically?

    It is not just about alumni, but also the people who come after you in the college and the ability to network across a bunch of lawyers. E.g. I was Roll no 1291. There were 1290 lawyers before me. And now it has come down to 1800 or 2000 or so. There were 2000 lawyers from my college which is not such a huge number and a lot of them were well dispersed across the profession. So now if I want reference in different firms it can be somebody from my college, or if I want to hire people I may send reference to them. So yes it is a network, but more importantly, in terms of your college also you have a residential environment where people engage with each other a lot which has a certain intrinsic value. It is an example of a soft advantage which may not be directly linked what an institution is bringing to them but it is more like an ecosystem wherein it allows people from different spheres to come across, get to know each other and build a professional network. In the long run however, your ability to build networks is dependent on the efforts you put in, and the longer you spend out in the profession the less important your alumni networks become.

     

    So you may agree to the fact that it is more about the student community of the university and not directly linked to the university itself?

    Yes, and that is unfortunate and it is not the ideal situation. The university should contribute to who you are. I am not saying that NLS did or didn’t but there indeed is a lot of scope for improvement, and this is the same thing with an LL.M too. I don’t think a LL.M degree from Harvard makes one a better lawyer as much as give you access to another network. I do not mean to in any way discount the exposure that comes from attending great institutions and taking courses seriously.

     

    After graduating from NLSIU you directly joined Luthra & Luthra. How did the appointment take place? Tell us what a typical day at work was like for you?

    So after my experience in Lexygen, Luthra & Luthra had picked me up for an internship. My internship went well and I liked everything about it. 2008 was a fantastic time, I was interviewed, and they offered me the job. It was a great year even for people like me who were at bottom of my class given that half of my class was taken up by foreign firms.

    Once I joined Luthra and Luthra, I worked with the infrastructure, banking and finance practice. The first six months of Luthra were as or more challenging than five years of law school. Apart from hard work, having to learn very quickly, having to deal with clients, being in situations where you do not understand anything yet you are forced to understand. I was fortunate to have very smart people work with me and that was a fantastic thing to happen in the first year of your career. It was a great place to work at with a comfortable atmosphere and a fair degree of freedom to innovate and yet have high expectations. I used to deal with bureaucrats, anchors, policy issues and policy making, issues in terms of documentation for the infrastructure sector, how contracts should be modelled, high level discussions on how a project can be structured, and in an old fashioned way we learnt to read everything twice, be very thorough. It was also very broad based because there was the corporate side, the contract and commercial side, the legal and regulatory side. After 3 years I felt I needed a change, because I was doing a lot of things which I have done before and I wanted to explore new avenues.

    Trilegal offered me a position in Bombay and ensured that I will have a good mix of work that I had done in the past and what I wanted to do. I was there only for a year so I can’t really judge though I wasn’t really particularly thrilled with the shift as Trilegal had very little work in my practice areas at the time and I wasn’t assigned a stable senior resource to work with. It was in my time there that the bug of enterprise bit me. When I got out of Trilegal, it was clear that I wanted to do something which builds on my experience. It has to innovate and has to be the result of the knowledge that I have inculcated from working with law practice. I also felt there was much that could be done better and decided to move towards setting up my own model.

     

    You thereafter left Trilegal to start your own venture. What were your ideas while quitting Trilegal? What were the challenges you faced starting up with Policy Craft and Impact Law Ventures?

    There was no idea honestly. Like I said my idea was to build on my past experiences and skills that I had like in corporate finance, debt and equity finance, project finance,  and the various skill sets that I had,  and also in terms of building some sort of regulatory practice in terms of being able to do more in research and analysis and advocacy. When I started out the first transaction that came to me, and started working with similar early stage investments, it was 2012 and the early stage market was picking up. In the course of 2012, I learnt what kinds you need to deal with and the kind of market for legal service there is and I think that was very useful when I started working with my partner, Pankaj.

    After quitting Trilegal, there was one month where I borrowed money from my father. Unfortunately I had saved no money! I don’t really see it as a challenge but just me. I have been out on my own for two and a half years now and I see this as a lot less risky as opposed to working with a law firm. Over there, you tick one or two people off and you may just get fired. In a law practice where you serve clients, the relationship is more goal oriented and broad based. It may be risky to have a technology start-up but that is not the case with a law start-up. The latter is built on relationships with clients who trust you, which if maintained well are relationships for life.

     

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

    I understand bigger law firms better now that I have seen the business side of having run my own law firm. Most fresh corporate lawyers have an extreme sense of entitlement and typically don’t understand that law firms are a service provider and their clients are service recipients. When you think about the law firm model, or start your own firm, how to pay your employees etc, it gives you a greater insight into how a law firm works. People think if one becomes a corporate lawyer, then one has to draft documents, one would have to read this and that, which is like saying, if I become a Chef I would have to cut bananas! I think creating value for your clients using your abilities to the best you can is the most important.

    So in this profession, if you think that there are some people who get work and some who will do the work, then it means that you don’t recognize that work involves handholding your clients apart from drafting their documents or advising them or giving them memos. I don’t think the way the profession is structured right now; you can really make the distinction and think you are one or the other. If you do you are running a risk. If you can only sell and can’t practise the law, or if you can only practise the law and not sell or manage, either way you would be putting yourself at risk. So ideally, there is no such thing as a rainmaker. There are good lawyers and there are bad lawyers.

     

    Tell us a bit about your current occupation in Innove law.

    One of the things I learnt in the last two and a half years is that there is a community in India that is looking at building businesses which are driven by innovation and explore completely new models, either in terms of technological base or processes or in terms of the kinds of services they are trying to provide to the populations they are trying to serve. A lot of these businesses that are today’s small or that are growing have very interesting entrepreneurs, investors, stakeholders who are trying to build something larger tomorrow and this is the client base that interests me and I feel that the number of people who are starting up or building new businesses, need to go up and they have to do businesses in India in a way that safeguards their interests. So a lot of work that I do and that we intend to do here, whether it is with the clients, or with the policy or regulatory side, is focused on serving this group. We do this by representing entrepreneurs when they are negotiating their investments, represent investors when they are investing, represent businesses when they are growing, give legal advice concerning strategic issues that start-up businesses face amongst other things. This is just a simple way to describe it.

     

    Where do you see yourself in five to ten years down the line?

    So there are two things, in terms of 5 years and Innove law, I would like to see that the clients that we are working with right now and the clients that come to us will grow and will help in pulling the firm along. In 10 years from now, I would like to see myself having published at least one book. It can be fiction or non-fiction. But everyday what drives me is that the people that I work with today own tomorrow. It is fantastic to see your client who was fresh out of college when you first represented him is running a 100 million dollar company. There is nothing like that.

     

    What would be your advice to our readers who may be aspiring to start their own law firms one day?

    My advice to them would be that from day one, build relationships with your clients and colleagues and work hard. Read everything that comes to your desk.  Be imaginative.

  • Divya Mehta, Senior Consultant at Legal League Consulting on Legal Recruitment industry and being a Certified Life Coach

    Divya Mehta, Senior Consultant at Legal League Consulting on Legal Recruitment industry and being a Certified Life Coach

    Divya Mehta graduated from Symbiosis Law School, Pune, in 2008. Soon after graduating she joined Dua Associates as a Trademark Attorney and worked their for about three years, thereafter she left Dua to work at Lall, Lahiri & Salhotra. After working at these two firms she had the opportunity to work as an in-house counsel at Genpact and General Electric in their trademarks and IP department.

    She quit her mainstream career in law and joined LegallyIndia as their Legal Recruitment Head. Currently she is a Senior Consultant at Legal League Consulting and is also a certified Life Coach.

    In this interview Divya helps us to realise the answers of some intriguing questions about legal hires and recruitments.

     

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

    I have always been intrigued by human behaviour and trying to analyze someone’s thoughts is what drove me to study law. I found it exciting, challenging and was adamant from the age of eleven to pursue law as a profession. Although I didn’t quite zero down on a particular field of law back then, I was willing to take the risk and knew that I would eventually figure it out.

     

    Please tell us a little about your law school days at Symbiosis Law School?

    I wasn’t too enthusiastic a student, I rather took a back-seat when I went to law school and a large part of my law school days went in introspection and self-reflection. A part of me felt lost and unsure, that is when I realized, the only way to decide what I really want is to explore different fields of the legal profession. I used to spend a lot of time in Delhi interning in various law firms and independent practitioners, in order to gain clarity on what really interests me.

     

    How were your internship experiences? How do you say interns can get positive feedback in the limited time they have?

    All my internship experiences were diverse and varied from litigation to arbitration, corporate laws, intellectual property, human rights, banking laws, matrimonial laws to infrastructure and so on. My mind suddenly opened and I realized the difference between text books and the practical world of law and sure enough, there was a huge difference! I interned in some of the top firms like AZB & Partners, Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, with some Senior Advocates in the Supreme Court, High Court and made appearances in the lower courts, as well as an NGO – it was all very exciting!

    My experience as an intern taught me that good work never goes unnoticed. As interns we may feel we cannot add value to a firm or an organisation, however, there is always a thirst for good talent and hard-work. The best way to get a positive feedback is to be self-motivated and display enthusiasm towards the work you are given, and if you feel you do not have enough work, don’t feel shy to ask for work, also never say NO to work. The right attitude helps you go places.

     

    divya-mehta-2What were the biggest challenges in the first year of your graduation? How did you deal with them?

    It was surely challenging and intimidating at the same time to take a decision on either taking up a job or pursuing higher studies. I graduated in the year 2008 and was keen on going to London for an LL.M, however, that was the time the recession impacted the U.K and it wasn’t the best decision to make as there were a serious dearth of jobs back then and I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, so I dropped the idea and instead took up my first job in 2008 as a Trademark Associate with Dua Associates in Delhi.

     

    You worked for a significant amount of time as a trademark attorney. How did you develop interest in the field of intellectual property law?

    I worked as a Trademark attorney for 3 years + in firms like Dua Associates, which was a multi-disciplinary law firm, and then moved to a boutique IP firm, Lall Lahiri & Salhotra which was more niche and specialised. I also got an opportunity to briefly work in-house at Genpact and handled the Trademarks of GE world-wide. It was a great learning experience for me and I got exposure on various facets of Trademarks.

     

    Tell us about the shift from being a Law Firm Associate to an In-house counsel. How different were the two experiences?

    A law firm is very different in culture and work per se from working in-house. Law firms are more focussed on the ground work and are in constant touch with the law itself. The difference between working in a law firm and working in-house is probably the same as “doing” and “getting the work done” i.e. actual work and supervision of work in most cases. However, there are companies that get a majority of their ground work done in-house. Law firms fall short in terms of designation, salary, and structure etc. However, working in-house ensures transparency and a fixed methodology and constitution, therefore, brings about job stability and predictability in long-term working.

     

    Subsequently, you turned into a legal recruiter and headed legal recruitment at Legally India. How did you decide to make this transition from being a lawyer?

    I believe our profession and the kind of work we do, should resonate with our personality and our passion.  I am a people’s person, social, outgoing and love interacting with different people. When I was offered the role of developing the legal recruitment business of Legally India’s jobs portal, Legally Jobs, it immediately excited me and I felt it was the right move for me to make.

    Although I was told by many well-wishers to be cautious about my frequent career moves and I was warned enough that this risk could leave a black spot on my resume, however, a deeper knowing or intuition told me to go ahead with this and it was probably the best decision I have made for myself, in retrospect.

     

    Having worked in the legal recruitment industry what are the challenges you have faced?

    In India, legal recruitment is still a niche concept. Barring a few well-known specialised legal recruitment consultancies, our minds are still not fully open to the need for specialised legal recruitment professionals in India. A law firm or a legal department are nothing without it’s resource. In order to comprehend the requirement of human resource for law firms and corporates, there is a greater technical understanding and research that is needed, which is why the law degree is extremely useful to work in the legal headhunting industry. However, the value of a specialised legal recruitment consultant is appreciated more overseas and unfortunately, has not fully sunk in with the mind-set of lawyers in India, although, there is scope for it to change in the future.

     

    Would you say an LL.M from a foreign university would increase the probability of getting absorbed in the top law firms?

    I strongly recommend an LL.M should be pursued only if the line of work you choose eventually, should commensurate with your specialisation, although a degree from a foreign university definitely looks fancy. However, to get into a top tier law firm, your LL.B grades and law school ranking matters the most.

     

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

    Long working hours and the lack of reward and appreciation is how of a lot of lawyers feel. When you sign up to be a lawyer, late hours is also what you sign up for. The concern is the lack of empathy your boss may have towards your hard work which can be a huge de-motivating factor and is one of the major causes for high attrition rate in many top law firms. After realising that burning the midnight oil did not really get them where they want to be, the next ideal move which is preferred is usually an in-house job.

     

    How do you balance your time as a Senior Consultant and a Certified Life Coach?

    My primary work is a legal recruitment consultant. However, life coaching is more of a hobby for the time being, which I pursue during my spare time on weekends mostly. I love meeting new people from different countries and understanding the complexities of human nature.

     

    As a concluding message, what would be your suggestions to law students?

    Thank you Ramanuj and Donnie for reaching out to me and making effort to set up this interview and I thank all your readers for taking out time to read this interview.

    I would like to give one small message to all your readers and all law students especially – it’s okay to be confused! Do not let uncertainties cause hindrance to your goals and career aspirations. Explore as much as you can which you’re in law school whether it is interning in different fields of law, or participating in extra-curricular activities such as moot courts or doing something completely different than what you imagined yourself ever doing, even if it does not pertain to law. That is the only way you will get closer to understanding yourself better. Once you know yourself, the path will automatically be clear. Wishing all the budding lawyers a fantastic and bright future ahead!

     

  • Surabhi Singh, Associate at AMSS, on internship, mooting and work

    Surabhi Singh, Associate at AMSS, on internship, mooting and work

    Surabhi Singh is a graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (Batch of 2014).She has an enviable academic record and has an excellent series of internships at top law firms. She has a noteworthy mooting and debating record.

    With such a dynamic profile and her dedication to work, she bagged a job from AMSS in her 5th year of law school. Currently, she is working as an Associate there. We asked her to share her experiences and strategies she used over the years.

    In this interview, Surabhi talks about:

    • Importance of co-curricular activities
    • Securing internships with top-notch law firms
    • Appointment and work at AMSS

     

    Tell us a bit about yourself. How would you like to introduce yourself ?

    I graduated in April from NLIU Bhopal and am currently working at a law firm. To say more, honestly I spent the most time on this question. Not because I went into an introspection crisis as such questions put you in but I am generally a confused person constantly seeking this or that and mostly rejecting it. Without lauding myself for my confusion, I think aspiring lawyers/ smart individuals would and should identify with this.

     

    What motivated you to choose law as a career?

    When I was done with my Class X Board examination I wanted to be a doctor and today if I think about it I cannot point at why was that and why did I not think of law immediately? Mostly I think it was because I was a teen only focusing on doing well in my school exams and spending rest of my time wondering if I would ever look less ugly. So I am thankful to my father for adding some context to my chaos or lack of it and suggesting I study law. Fortunately I listened to him, read about it, liked it and sat for the entrance two years later.

    I think Law is not as much about a taboo on the field itself but the lack of awareness on the options one can pursue after it. If that is repaired, by some way or the other, this should not be an issue.

     

    surabhi-singh-1Tell us about your time at NLIU. Tell us about the highlights of your college life and your achievements?

    Life at NLIU throughout the five years was about learning, in the classroom, living on your own, participating in a group, the dos and donts of what to do before an exam night, like watching Breaking Bad before a jurisprudence exam will give you some wild ideas but maybe you should have slept instead. In short, NLIU gave me a certain kind of flexibility to live and read what I want and the privacy to do it.

    I tried to do everything while I was in college, badly or otherwise, studying, mooting, debating, writing. In my first year I came across International Law and loved it and discovered its nuances, mooted and researched and realized the trials of those sleepless submissions. Later I went on to intern at different places, PSU, Courts, Corporate firms, attending competitions. I coudn’t pick a favourite to label it an achievement but I have in the last five years seen a lot and read a lot.

     

    You have participated and won various moot court competitions. You have also won Best Speaker awards in few of these competitions. What is your advice to budding mooters?

    I think there is this joy in arguing on something you have read a lot and reasoned it within the scope of the argument you must make. So an important prerequisite is that you read enough and everything that follows your line of argument. Factors such as access to resources, institutional support, luck also matter but mooting requires a strong dedication more than anything, and good coffee, from what I fondly remember.

    If I had to advice in some words, I would say read and discuss, with everyone and anyone who might offer some perspective and make sure you know what you ultimately argue or write in a memo.

     

    How does one make a winning memo? According to you, what is the difference between a great and an average memo?

    A good memo is well drafted and well argued. It is lucid but well researched without sounding pedantic. Also much anguish goes into making it.

     

    What are your thoughts on these activities like mooting, debating and publications in journals? How important do you think are these activities in shaping the legal career of a law student?

    I have always felt that no amount of only doing one thing will make you wise enough to be sure of what you want to do at the end of law school or if that job at the top law firm is what you will want to do the rest of your life. Mooting, debating and other frolics might not be necessarily important for your CV for a job application but they will help you decide better and that is the smarter way to make any decision.

     

    What are the tips and strategies you would like to share with our readers who are currently law students?

    If I say I did okay in academics because I actually like studying and not because I intended to as much, I risk sounding ‘hippie’ but I will take that one. It helped that academics are not very rigorous and demanding unless you are aiming for medals, which is something I never had. I mean medals would have put a huge watt smile on my parents’ face and looked pretty on the wall but I never attached too much weightage to them. As far as strategy is concerned, it is definitely smarter to not fail, not get debarred, not let the average grade drop so you cant apply for that internship you always wanted to because it would be inconvenient to sit for the repeat and hunt for an internship. It might sound cliched but having a strategy helps a lot; fixing time to study for exams and then somehow managing to stick to it.

     

    What skills have you acquired from your internships and how helpful have they been in your legal career?

    What I learn from my internships was both in terms of working methods, knowledge and also how one manages to finish tasks in a social set up especially with large law firms, where there are hierarchies and work delegator and delegatee are often not in very close contact. What working and interning in a professional environment also teaches you is the importance of time and efficiency especially certain places that are so demanding that after working with them you would never send out an assignment before performing n number of checks proofing it. These things later on if you end up working with such a place help you adapt to it better.

     

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

    Certainly! To begin with, in the initial years I would never have imagined asking someone to get something done, planning it and structuring it and executing it. Once as  a part of a competition organized in college I was a part of the committee handling media and writing alive blog and I had some great fun updating it, following up with a set of people. And the perks of these things are that you may start speaking to people in college and appreciating skills you never thought they had.

     

    You secured a job offer from AMSS in 5th year of law school. How did you go about this?

    While I interned with AMSS for the first time I realized how large things are outside the class room and how law pans out differently in so many situations. So that made me sit for the placement rounds that happened in college. To ensure they would consider me for an interview I made sure I had enough work experience on my CV relevant to them, and their firm’s portfolio. So my internships were planned and applied for accordingly.

    Tell us about the interview process and how did you prepare for it?

    I had read everything thoroughly on my CV; made sure I knew the basic law behind it and understood the concepts. I also made sure I was prepared with contract law, procedure and some aspects of corporate law. I scanned the important legal and commercial developments thoroughly. The interview was quite smooth and I was not asked a lot of technical questions but I was fairly confident before it because somehow I knew i wouldn’t draw a blank at anything.

     

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

    To the contrary, I think law firms look for well rounded students. I know friends and classmates who have made to some top tier firms because they were smart people who might not have the highest GPA but their grasp on concepts and their ideas helped them through. While there is a great chance that you will work for a good law firm ,sooner or later, you might not get to do that moot or organize that competition ever again, so its better to choose the latter.

     

    If you could re-live your 5 years in Law school, is there something you would do differently?

    No, not a thing.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message for our readers?

    Spend your time doing everything, and don’t regret it.

     

  • Anuj Sah, Principal Associate at Khaitan & Co., on a secondment at Debevoise & Plimpton and a career in corporate law

    Anuj Sah, Principal Associate at Khaitan & Co., on a secondment at Debevoise & Plimpton and a career in corporate law

    Anuj Sah is a Principal Associate at Khaitan & Co. (“KCO”), he is currently working on an international secondment at Debevoise & Plimpton. Anuj graduated from ILS, Pune in 2006, thereafter he worked at Desai & Diwanji and AZB Partners, and finally he joined KCO in 2010. His main practice areas at KCO are related to acquisitions, PE transactions, corporate restructuring, etc.

    In this interview we asked him about:

    • Secondments and their mechanism
    • Work exposure at Debevoise & Plimpton
    • Growing from an Associate to a Principal Associate at KCO
    • Life in a corporate law firm

     

    How would you introduce yourself? Please tell us a bit about how you gravitated towards law.

    Hi! I am Anuj and I working in the corporate team of Khaitan & Co. (KCO), Bombay. At present, I am on a secondment at Debevoise & Plimpton. Like other corporate lawyers, the assignments that I work on are related to acquisitions, private equity transactions, corporate restructurings, advising on regulatory issues and so forth. I graduated from ILS Law, Pune in 2006 and I joined KCO in 2010.Before KCO, I worked at AZB and also briefly at Desai & Diwanji.

    For me, the real motivation to pursue corporate law as a career happened pretty late. In my early years in the profession, I wasn’t too sure whether I wanted to pursue a career in law/ corporate. So even after I started working after law school, I continued to wait to find my calling. I had the benefit of having good seniors and mentors which helped in learning the ropes. The real motivation to pursue law as a career occurred after joining KCO. At KCO, I got the opportunity to work with some of the lawyers whom I most admire in this profession. It was from them that the purpose of being a corporate lawyer started becoming apparent. I got to see first-hand the value that lawyers could bring on transactions and also the trust being reposed by clients in lawyers. As a corporate lawyer, you work on deals where you may be representing an Indian promoter who is selling all that he has created in his entire lifetime. He puts his trust in you for the sale of his most valuable asset and relies on you to get him a fair deal. On some days, you represent a foreign investor, who rely on you to ensure that he is not short changed while entering a new market. So, it is a lot of responsibility, and when you do your job, there’s also a great sense of satisfaction.

    Although a bit philosophical, I think being a corporate lawyer also in some way provides an opportunity to be of service to the businesses of our country. Businesses create employment, promote growth and lead to development. As a corporate lawyer, whether you represent the foreign investor or the Indian promoter, there is a role to play in ensuring deals are concluded in precise terms so that businesses continue to flourish. Only, when businesses grow, it will be a win-win for everyone involved. I think as purpose became clear, motivation followed.

     

    Please tell us a little about your law school days at the University of Pune? How were you at academics?

    Law school has some of the best memories. I made some of the closest friends, learnt new things (good and bad), got introduced to the world of legal practise and learnt my basic concepts of law. On academics, we had a robust curriculum, and the standards were pretty good. I think I was a fast learner, which helped.

     

    How important do you say is a good CGPA for an illustrious career in legal?

    I wish I could say that CGPA is not crucial, but unfortunately, [sociallocker]that’s not the case. Law practice is getting more and more competitive. Although there’s a good demand for corporate lawyers, there’s also good availability of great talent. Earlier, opportunities were limited, and you needed a reason to hire someone but now the quality of talent available in general is so good that you may struggle to find a reason to reject someone. It’s best not to have a poor CGPA as a weakness in this competitive environment. Also, a good CGPA is an indication of the fact that you have good understanding of the fundamental concepts of law that you are expected to know if you choose to join a law firm.

     

    How do you think internships are beneficial to law students?

    I think internships are an excellent opportunity to get an insight into the functioning of a law firm and its various practice areas. It could help one in deciding if this is what he wants to pursue in years to come. Besides, most law firms I know of ensure that interns are well utilized during their internship and are provided with opportunities to get involved in transactions. One can  be prepared for what he is expected to do if he chooses to join a law firm. Also, for the law students who are trying to get corporate law jobs, I hear of several PPOs being offered to interns all the time.

     

    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?

    For me, the first few years after graduation were the toughest years – you are put straight into the frying pan. I know some junior lawyers go through the same situation. Perhaps, like me, you can also keep reminding yourself that ‘this too shall pass’. I say my first few years have been the toughest because those are the years when you have very limited understanding of the matters that you are working on and also of what is expected of you. Also, there’s so much in corporate law practice which you don’t learn in law school but while working which adds to the challenge. Now when I look back, I think it’s not very difficult to deal with those challenges – read a lot, observe a lot, ask questions, find the answers and work hard. You will get better at the job very quickly. Remember corporate law is pretty simple stuff but requires a lot of commitment and hard work. Once you are good at your job, it will be a lot of fun.

     

    A lot of law students would be keen to know about the mechanism of a secondment. Please tell us a little bit about your secondment at Debevoise & Plimpton.

    It was  a cross – secondment with Debevoise. A lawyer from Debevoise came to KCO for a secondment for six months, and I came to Debevoise. While, I am primarily based in the London office of Debevoise, I recently also spent few weeks in their New York office. It’s a great opportunity. Debevoise is one of the most reputed firms globally. Corporate law in this part of the world is quite evolved. Capital controls are less of an issue, and the regulatory environment is more light touch in comparison with India. I am working at Debevoise with some of the most acclaimed lawyers, and it’s such a wonderful opportunity. Also, it is a lot of investment by the firm that sends you on a secondment, so it’s a great feeling that your firm considered you suitable for the opportunity.

     

    How important is it to take the lead in business development while also being a principal associate?

    I think it is very important. The good part is that if you are good at your work, this will happen without much effort. Several clients will start approaching you for their repeat matters. Also, once you are good at your work, and clients realise that, several of them will be your ambassadors and will do this for you.

     

    How do you maintain a work-life balance? Are there any specific time management tips you would like to share?

    This is a tricky one. The profession is very demanding and requires a lot of commitment. Developments on assignments that you are working on will control your calendar. There will be instances when you may have to cancel a long-planned holiday or skip a friend’s wedding. However, it’s important to have a healthy work-life balance so that you are at your best when working on assignments. Some of the tips I have been using to get better at this are:

    (i) prepare a to-do list every morning of things that need to be completed, this keeps away distractions and reminds what needs to be prioritized;

    (ii) When delegating work, try to give proper background and instructions – this helps in receiving a better work product;

    (iii) try to keep your team members involved in discussions so that they also have the background of what is expected to be delivered, a lot of leakages otherwise could happen in communication from one person to another;

    (iv) longer vacations are not always easy to plan so I prefer taking small unplanned vacations whenever workload is light to spend time with family;

    (v) also, there will be occasions when you will be provided with lots of documents and information to review, keep reminding yourself the objective otherwise it’s easy to get lost with all the excess information available.

     

    anuj-sah-1

    Tell us about your growth from an Associate to a Senior Associate and then becoming a Principal Associate at Khaitan & Co.?

    I think this is pretty much a natural process. At least at KCO, I have seen that as you get ready for senior roles you are moved up. There is an objective evaluation process where feedback received from partners, clients and other members of the firm is considered. There are also external consultants who are engaged to test softer skills and give feedback. In general once you like your work and are passionate about what you do, moving up will be a by-product. Also, it is important to have an outlook that matches with that of the organisation – sometimes I see lawyers who are good at their work, but suffer because of this drawback.

     

    What is your current work profile like? Please tell us about the responsibilities you are entrusted with.

    My current work profile broadly includes the entire spectrum of corporate law. Most of the work relates to acquisition/investment transactions where sometimes I represent the buy side and sometimes the sell side. I also do a fair bit of regulatory work which involves advising clients on regulatory issues and outlook of regulators on various policy issues. The gamut of corporate law is pretty wide, and one needs to have basic understanding of several laws including taxation, anti- trust law, real estate, IP laws, etc.

     

    You must have guided several interns. How would you say that an intern can generate a positive feedback in the limited time they have?

    Yes, I have seen many interns during my career. It’s so good to see several of them working in various firms and doing extremely well. Interns could consider some of the following tips to generate a positive feedback in the limited internship time:

    • When you are assigned work, try and get clarity on what is expected from you. Also, attempt to meet the time line. Sometimes the answer to the work that you will be assigned will be readily available on the internet but don’t stop there. Assume that the person assigning you the work wants you to find more in-depth information than that is easily available on the internet;
    • Ask questions when in doubt. Utilize this time to get your queries clarified;
    • Try to reach office in time, may be a bit earlier than the office start time. It shows good seriousness on your part;
    • If you get free time, spend some of it in the library or going through available precedents of past transactions.

     

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

    Unfortunately, the profession is demanding, the stakes are high and it can be harsh on the one making mistakes. But then it’s only human to make mistakes, and everyone will make mistakes at some point or the other. So the best strategy is to follow the conventional wisdom – learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat your mistakes. I think if you have made a mistake and as long as you can ensure that you will try your best not to repeat it again, you will be ok. Also, try not to cover your mistakes. Own up to your mistakes, feel the pain and try not to repeat them.

     

    We thank you for participating in this exercise. We’re sure the readers of SuperLawyer would find this interview beneficial and insightful. As a concluding message, what would be your suggestions to law students/younger corporate lawyers?

    Entirely my pleasure! I hope I have been able to provide some insight to law students looking to make a career in corporate law or younger lawyers in law firms. If I have to give some suggestions, it will be the following:

    –           read a lot and keep yourself abreast with the latest developments/transactions;

    –           be solution oriented;

    –           try to be good at finance/commercials/numbers;

    –           try to write in simple English. Write documents and emails keeping the client in mind. Know a lot but it’s not necessary to tell the client all that you know. Remember Mark Twain said, ‘If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter’;

    –           no point competing or comparing with others. Every person has different likings and strengths;

    –           learn from your seniors – they have a wealth of experience to learn from;

    –           always keep a positive outlook;

    –           and most importantly, be humble and continue to be humble as you walk up the ladder. There are several others who may be as talented, but didn’t get this wonderful opportunity of being in your place.

    [/sociallocker]

  • Rijoy Bhaumik, Senior Associate at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan on a law firm career

    Rijoy Bhaumik, Senior Associate at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan on a law firm career

    Rijoy Bhaumik is a graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (Batch of 2012) with a B.A.LLB (Hons.) degree. He has an enviable mooting record and an excellent series of internships at top law firms. His diligence and mettle at work was recognized when he bagged a job offer from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) in his 5th year of law school during campus placements. Currently, he is working as Senior Associate there. We asked him to share his experiences and strategies he used over the years.

    In this interview, Rijoy talks about:

    • Co-curricular activities like mooting at NLIU
    • Importance of Internships
    • Preparing for job interviews and securing a job at LKS
    • Work and promotion at LKS

     

    Give us a brief introduction of yourself. Did you have lawyers in your family? What brought you into studying law?

    It is a very difficult thing, talking about oneself, because you often end up at a loss for words. However, that being said, I must say that such an initiative will allow young law students to learn from the experiences of others and perhaps not make the same mistakes as their predecessors. I am a first generation lawyer from a middle-class family in Kolkata. There are a few advocates in my father’s generation in the family, but in our immediate family, there is none. Choosing this career was not easy, especially considering the thrust of emphasis of the Indian education system towards engineering and science. But from an early age I was interested in Democratic Politics and the constitution.

    Moreover, I was always a talkative child and as my mother would put it, I would love to argue. In such a backdrop, as I grew up, the profession of putting forth a point of view on the basis of rights and liabilities always appealed to me. Even though I was a science student in my plus two years, I decided to try my luck at the various national law colleges that had been established then. In our time there was no CLAT, and we had to sit for each of the entrance exams individually. Luckily, I got through NLIU, Bhopal, HNLU, Raipur, NLU,Jodhpur in their second list and Symbiosis, Pune. Thereafter, my law journey started in Bhopal.

     

    rijoy-bhaumik-2

    Tell us about your time at NLIU. You seem to have participated and excelled especially in mooting activities, can you walk us through the highlights of your life in college in that sphere?

    From the very beginning, I looked at law school as an opportunity to participate and take part in various activities on offer. Naturally, moot court competitions were always regarded as the law school activity, and after winning our first internal moot in the first year, I had the confidence to try out for the University team and represent the University in national and international law tournaments. Thereafter, I would say I was extremely fortunate to have excelled in various moot court competitions, winning numerous personal accolades like speaker awards, etc.

    However, it was the team awards that really appealed to me, wherein my various teammates and I won tournaments like 2nd Christ University National Moot Court Competition 2011, Surana & Surana National Trial Advocacy Moot Court Competition 2010 and the 13th Annual M.M. Singhvi Memorial Bar Council of India International Law Moot Court Competition 2010. Of these, being the finalist in the M.M. Singhvi moot holds a special place in my heart as it was probably one of the most prestigious moots in the country back then (it was discontinued after the 2010 edition), and we bested 66 teams from all over the country to reach the finals.

    Further, it was an international law moot and we had the opportunity to argue before Hon’ble Justice Dalveer Bhandari, among other legal luminaries, and presently Justice Bhandari is a Judge of the International Court of Justice, which makes it all the more special and precious. Most of my time at NLIU was spent in jumping into various activities around the year to keep myself busy, and I am glad that it became the norm, as it was important to keep myself busy while in college as otherwise life would get monotonous.

     

    As an undergraduate student at NLIU, you took part in other activities other than mooting and also were actively involved in committees. Tell us how these activities and participation in committees helped in shaping your legal career?

    Apart from mooting I was actively involved in debating, client-counselling and alternative dispute resolution tournaments with varying degrees of success in all of them. I was part of the first debate team from NLIU to participate in both the All Asians Debating Championship and the Worlds Universities Debating Championship and won numerous speaker and team awards in national parliamentary debating championships. I was also fortunate to be adjudged Best Student Advocate in the National Client Counselling Tournament at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. But it was alternative dispute resolution that took up most of my time in my later years in law school.

    I took part in the prestigious 5th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition 2010, organised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France and in the subsequent year I was appointed coach of the NLIU team that represented the same competition in 2011. NLIU also had various committees which regulated mooting, debating, cultural, sports, alternative dispute resolution and many other activities. I was always very eager to be part of organising committees in various years in the institution. I personally feel that one of the facets of a University is the activity that is seen around the campus and everyone in the student community should do what they can to enrich law school life through these committees.

    In the earlier years we learnt how to handle groundwork, and in later years of law school skills of man-management and financial management were required to handle various events, as most of the committees in NLIU were entirely student-run with semi-financial and logistical backing from the University. It was all a part of growing up in law school and exposed us to the tenets of an organisational structure which we have to adhere to for the rest of our lives. In my final year, I was appointed the Convener of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Cell and my team and I planned and successfully organised the NLIU-Khaitan & Co.-INADR Law School Mediation Tournament, 2012 in NLIU, Bhopal.

    This was the first time such a tournament was taking place in India, and we were backed by Khaitan & Co., Mumbai, one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in the country. Also for the first time, we had substantial backing from the International Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR), Chicago and their various representatives all across the globe were present in training and judging the participants in the competition. As Convener of the ADRC, I was Convener of the Tournament, and it was the biggest learning experience in my law school career. Not only did the experience teach me various degrees of planning and organisation, it also exposed me to the pinnacle of mediation tournaments right here in India, and I was extremely fortunate to interact and make friends with international mediators from INADR.

    As the first of its kind in India, the Tournament was a roaring success and all 32 team slots were filled, with many teams in the waiting list.It was particularly a big highlight in the twilight of my law school career, and the experiences of delegation of work and handling an organisation tree of many volunteers shall be held with me throughout my life.

     

    rijoy-bhaumik-3You are a senior associate at Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan. How did your appointment at take place? Tell us about the nature of work you’re entrusted with therein and what’s a typical day like?

    Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan happened through the internship process for me. In May, 2011 I interned at the Delhi office of the firm and was exposed to a work area that was wholly new to me – indirect tax litigation. Through this internship I experienced first-hand, the work ethos of the firm and really liked the kind of ground breaking indirect taxation work that the firm specialised in. Thereafter, in August there was a short interview and the firm confirmed my recruitment on the basis of my internship, with most of my fifth year left before me.

    I joined the firm in their Bangalore office in June, 2012 and thereafter, in June, 2014 I was promoted as Senior Associate in the firm with greater responsibilities. The work involves a variety of areas, especially since I am posted in a new office in Kolkata, wherein we are expected to draft appeals, replies, writs, and also appear before various authorities. A typical day at work involves going to the courts or the Tribunal in the morning, and thereafter returning to draft.

     

    Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan have its main focus in the taxation work area. How do you feel about tax laws not being an important part of syllabus in colleges?

    My experience in L&S tells me that it is not possible to learn the law without working everyday around it. Any three-four month course in University cannot even touch the tip of the iceberg that is taxation laws, and many practitioners have spent their entire lives just practicing only a small part of tax laws. Therefore, an addition or non-addition to the syllabus in colleges shall not matter one bit, as working knowledge of the law can only be gained through experience. That being said, it is the choice of the colleges to include the subject in the curriculum, because then the students shall be exposed to taxation law and the rules of interpretation that guide tax law at an early stage.

     

    You recently got transferred from Bangalore branch of your office to Kolkata. Does the transfer bring any changes in your work?

    Bangalore office of L&S was already an established office of the firm when I joined with many attorneys already working there. I was assigned an advisory role in the office, wherein my job description was wholly involved in preparing legal opinions and preparing compliance reports, etc. However, when my partner informed me that I may be shifted back to my hometown in Kolkata, where the firm planned to open its ninth office in August, 2013, I was a little circumspect as to what it would offer. However, after shifting to the Kolkata office, we were all thrust into the deep end of the pool so to speak. We were expected to be adept at both litigation and advisory work, and also know various different areas of indirect taxation like service tax, CENVAT credit, central excise, VAT laws, customs, etc. We were a very small team leading a new office, and we all had heightened amounts of responsibility as would naturally be the case with all new offices and small teams. From advisory work, I suddenly found myself doing litigation work and appearing before courts and interfacing directly with the clients. This change was a huge jump in my legal career, as the levels of exposure heightened in Kolkata, within a minuscule span of time.

     

    What does it take to get promoted from being an associate to a senior associate at a top law firm? Which skills would you say contributed towards your promotion?

    Haha! This question is one which is best answered by my superiors! However, you get some idea as to what is required from the daily rigours of the job and when you do everything required of you consistently enough, they are bound to recognise it. For me personally, moving to a new office was a big challenge that even us junior associates had to stand up to. Due to the lack of manpower and back office support, and owing to the fact that the firm already had a strong foothold in the east, all of us were multi-tasking all the time. Therefore, due to the shift from a large office to a small new office, our responsibilities had grown manifold in a matter of a few days. I guess it brought out the best in me, wherein I was expected to appear in Courts and Tribunals, draft in the evening and even interact with clients on a regular basis, whereas back in Bangalore, we were expected to do only a fraction of such responsibilities. Due to the growth in responsibility and my reaction to the same, I guess the firm recognised the efforts and promoted me to senior associate this year. Therefore, holistically answering the first part of your question, I guess you need to step up and be counted. Mere mechanical work on what you are required to do may not be enough, you may need to try and do more than what is in your plate to convince the hierarchy that you’re ready for bigger challenges.

     

    Did you ever indulge in academic legal writing? Do you feel extra-curricular activities should be left to the discretion of students or something that students should partake in mandatorily as well? What, in your opinion, are the advantages of taking part in such activities?

    In the initial couple of years in law school, I used to be very interested in partaking in academic legal writing, and in that span of time I managed to contribute articles to 8 different journals on a variety of topics ranging from constitutional law to international law. However, as the years wore on I decided to focus mostly on other activities such as mooting, debating and such and did not particularly write anymore beyond the middle of the third year. However, since mooting particularly also involved drafting of moot memorandums, legal writing was always a huge part of the co-curricular work in which I was involved in.

    I personally believe that law school allows you to take part in a whole host of activities, and such opportunities shall come only once in a lifetime, because thereafter you end up being busy in work and family life. Therefore, every law student should take advantage of the various activities law school life has to offer, apart from the usual academic discourse, because it offers a different experience, a new way to apply and look at the law. Mooting especially teaches you how to conduct legal research and apply them to factual situations correctly, in diverse ways. You’re also given the opportunity to argue your case before various legal luminaries, even before your fledgling law career begins.

    Yes, it may not exactly replicate a courtroom scenario, but it comes close, and such experiences shall hold us in good stead in the long run. Similarly, debating teaches you how to construct logical coherent argumentation in the shortest spans of time. Every activity has some form of take-away on offer to the participant and I believe every law student should at least experience it once for sake of gaining experience, if not for anything else. In my opinion, it is the aggregate of experiences that make you the person you are today, and the more of them you have, the more diversified you are.

     

    How much time did you devote in preparation for the Jessup round moot and how difficult was it to manage it along with studies and other responsibilities? How did you balance mooting with other important stuff like college assignments?

    The Jessup moot was the single toughest assignment in my entire law school career. To this date, that moot remains an enigma of sorts, and yet it remained unconquered for me in January, 2011. It was simply a lot of work encapsulated in six months of preparation, and it was a huge handful for me in my fourth year. I have spent sleepless nights poring over articles and books on International Humanitarian Law, scratching my head trying to make sense of the sheer bulk of work required to achieve a semblance of respectability in the moot court competition. In my opinion, the Jessup is the toughest assignment in moot court competitions today simply because the best teams from each college participate in the World Cup of mooting and the competition is immense from the first rounds itself.

    Nothing is easy, and every year the Compromis/Moot Problem scales new heights of international legal discourse. The Compromis is drafted in such a way that the presence and/or absence of every word matters, and I believe that is what makes Jessup the single most difficult task facing any law student. It is also rewarding in some respects; personally, the Jessup has taught me a lot on international law, legal analysis, and precision in argumentation. Though, balancing mooting activities and other college activities along with academic discourse was not something that I found difficult in my five years, but the Jessup months were particularly difficult due to the sheer enormity of the work at hand. To this date, preparing for the Jessup itself remains the toughest assignment that I’ve had.

     

    You’ve had a wide variety of internships during your time as a college student. Do tell us about the places you’ve interned at and whether these were all planned or happened on the go?

    To be honest, I have not interned as much as my peers have, most of them have interned around 10-11 times. I have interned only 6 times in my entire law school career, however, each and every one of them has been enriching in different ways. My first internship was with a counsel, and I was expected to assist my senior in appearance before the High Court of Kolkata. My second couple of internships were in soliciting firms, and we were expected to read the brief and accompany our seniors to conferences and watch the matters. We were expected to draft opinions and writs on occasion as well. But, the internships in Khaitan & Co., AZB & Partners and finally Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan were the ones where I was first exposed to the nature of corporate and tax compliance work. We were expected to conduct legal research on various topics and sometimes also draft an opinion based on our research. We also assisted the associates in conducting due diligence.

    L&S was the first time I worked in tax law, and I was particularly impressed by the work ethos in the firm, which finally allowed me to make my choice. Most of my internships were planned well in advance to enable me to get the ones I wanted. These days it is particularly difficult to get a confirmed internship in a big law firm, and you need to apply much in advance to stand any chance of getting one. I did not want to burden my holidays in the initial years, as I was always engaged in various co-curricular activities in law school, however in the third and fourth years I planned well in advance before applying for any internship.

     

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

    I agree. However, securing a job at the top 3 law firms as a fresher is a mere first step. There are many ways to get there eventually through lateral transfers as an experienced professional. Personally, I was always a very average student in law school, and eventually I am at the place I want to be at the start of my legal career. Essentially, the Indian education system wants us to believe there is just one way to get where we want, which is very far away from the truth, because there are a multitude of ways to get where you want. Therefore, a high CGPA definitely helps initially, but it is not the be all and end all.

     

    How should one apply for an internship at LKS? What do you mainly look for in interns?

    L&S has a centralised internet portal at www.lakshmisri.com wherein interns can directly apply for their requisite period. L&S lays major emphasis on a strong educational background and eagerness to work in the specialisation areas of the firm, in selection of the interns. Discipline is also an important criterion in the selection of interns. L&S has an extremely streamlined process for intern selection, all centrally monitored by the Human Resource team at the Delhi office.

     

    What would be your advice to the law students aspiring to secure a job at top law firms? What do they need to do, how should they prepare in the last 2 years of law school?

    My advice to law students aspiring to secure a job in top law firms would be to gain as much working knowledge as possible, through internships, in sectors that they want to work in. A law firm will necessarily recruit you if, as a resource, they believe that you have the requisite interest in their work areas. Therefore, identification of work areas where the student wants to work in eventually has to be identified fairly early so that it reflects in their curriculum vitae through their work. No law firm expects you to know the law from day one, as that is an impossibility for a lawyer fresh out of college, but the propensity to work in a particular area and discipline in work ethics are certain criteria that are inherently required to succeed in top law firm jobs. Therefore, planning well in advance and building a CV around interest areas is essential in this day and age where competition for these jobs is immense.

     

    The opinions are of the interviewee alone and in no way the firm Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan is represented.

  • Esha Chakravarty Rathod, Senior Manager-Legal at UPL Ltd. on leaving law firm and work of an in-house counsel

    Esha Chakravarty Rathod, Senior Manager-Legal at UPL Ltd. on leaving law firm and work of an in-house counsel

    Esha Chakravarty Rathod is currently a Senior Manager-Legal at UPL Ltd. a multinational Agro-chemical company. She graduated from University of Mumbai in 2008, and had thereafter worked in multiple law firms and also as in-house counsels of two large corporate houses.

    In this interview she tell us about:

    • Building up an illustrious career in corporate law
    • Work as an Associate at major law firms
    • Leaving law firms and joining as an in-house counsel

     

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

    Well, by way of an introduction, I am corporate lawyer, working in the corporate-commercial domain since the past seven (7) years, alternating between law firms and in-house roles. I have been born and bought up in Mumbai.  I completed my education, including the law degree from institutions affiliated to the Maharashtra Board and subsequently to the Mumbai University.  I took up science during my junior college year and subsequently enrolled for a five years law course in a college affiliated with the Mumbai University. I qualified as a lawyer in the year 2008 and enrolled with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in the same year.  During my undergraduate year, I had signed up articles in the year 2005 for my solicitor’s examination and started working as an articled clerk in a corporate law firm.  Therefore, right from the start of my professional life, I have always worked in non-lit general corporate-commercial domain!

     

    Legal studies are still only a backup option for quite a lot of students. What motivated you to choose law as a career?

    I understand that legal studies are still a backup option for a lot of students.  This, I believe, is highly unfortunate. Law, as a profession, is wrongly maligned and looked down upon because of certain misplaced conceptions. I would attribute this to a lack of professional counselling at the right age when students make important career decisions. Many of my friends in the non-legal streams regret not pursuing law when they look at the career graph of corporate lawyers and compare it with their respective professional growth. Nevertheless, it is not that I was aware of the corporate law domain when I decided to pursue law.  On the contrary, I was very keen to appear for the civil service exams after my graduation.  Right from the time when I was in class 5, I used to read Competition Success Review and other publications to understand the criteria’s necessary to clear the IAS examination. After reading series of interview of successful IAS candidates, I concluded that studying law would help me prepare for my preliminary IAS examination.  The real motivation to study law was the keen desire to appear for the IAS exams.  However, my thought process from the professional standpoint changed tremendously during my undergraduate years.  I realized I was not cut out for the bureaucratic role and chose to pursue corporate law instead.

     

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

    During the five years law course, we were taught a large number of law subjects out of which I enjoyed studying commercial and company laws the most.  I love reading and I am a voracious reader.  I firmly believe that the thumb rule to being a successful lawyer is that you have to love reading! If you do not like reading, you are not cut out for this profession! As my undergraduate years coincided with my article-ship, I used a lot of my article-ship time reading up commentaries on corporate and commercial laws.  I also use to conduct a lot of research on various corporate and commercial law issues by using the internet resources and legal websites like Manupatra and Legal Pundits on the basis of the assignments allotted to me during my article ship years.  My knowledge in the drafting of commercial contracts across various verticals and the various nuances associated with the corporate commercial negotiations started developing right from the time of my article ship years prior to graduation.  I learnt the application of law during this phase and I strongly believe that nothing substitutes the knowledge gained in practical experience.  You will gain real knowledge and expertise only when you start working on transactions and apply your reading to the challenges faced while working on such transactions.  This was the case with me.

     

    As a law student which activities did you participate in?  Tell us about your law school journey from the 1st year till your final year. Did you have any guidance on how to go about your academics, co-curricular activities and internships?

    I was very active during the first two years of my law college. I participated in a lot of inter-college debates and group discussions and won several prizes. I also participated in a lot of moots and other competitions.  It was a very good experience indeed!  Frankly, there was hardly any guidance and a lot of it was self learning!  We were just the second batch of my law college and hence we did not really have any seniors to look up to.  Therefore, we applied all possible permutations and combinations and relied on our own instincts and research rather than seeking external help!  But this was indeed a blessing in disguise as we went out of our way to set up various committees and putting things in place.  I was very active in all the committee work and it helped me gain a lot of confidence that I could apply to my professional life at a later stage.

     

    What kind of internships did you do while you were a student? Any remarkable experiences during your internships that shaped your career choices later? When did you join DPA and how was your experience at DPA?

    During the second year of my law school, I worked with a research based website, namely Legal Pundits.  This was a relatively short stint as I worked with Legal Pundits only for four months.  Nevertheless, it was a very fruitful experience as I worked in a professional set up for the first time.  After my stint with legal pundits, I got an opportunity to meet a senior counsel, Mr. Naveen Parekh.  He explained to me the pros and cones of litigation versus corporate law practice. I also happen to meet a couple of solicitors during that phase. They helped me figure out the possible career options. However, getting an article ship was extremely difficult.

    After I left Legal Pundits, I was clear that I wanted to join a corporate law firm and pursue article ship. However, I did not have any backing or contacts that could help me get into a law firm at that stage. My college did not have any active placement committee that could help me with the internship application.  I went for a large number of walk-in interviews and literally went door to door dropping resumes in several law firms for an entire week along with a friend. I finally got a call for an interview from DPA.  It was started by Ms. Deval Patel, who was a partner at one of the oldest law firm, Crawford Bailey & Co.  I got selected in DPA and got to sign my articles after six months of joining DPA. DPA was a non-lit corporate law firm. I worked there for around 3 years, out of which 2 years coincided with my 4th and 5th year of graduation and one year post qualification as an advocate.  I learnt the basics of corporate/commercial transactions at DPA.  I got the opportunity to work on great variety of matters.  This is the best advantage of working for a small set up. You are given a lot of responsibilities right from the early years! It helps you grow tremendously! I worked for a large variety of clients across various industries including, but not limited to pharmaceutical, agro-chemical, power projects, shipping corporations, franchising, real estate etc. I worked on private equity transactions as well. I participated in negotiations and picked up a lot of negotiating skills while working in DPA.  DPA did strengthen the root of my knowledge base.

     

    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 I do agree with this perception.  This perception is not entirely misplaced.  In fact, the other college students are actively discriminated against in the Mumbai Law firms in terms of pay packages and growth prospects during the initial years.  We sarcastically referred ourselves as belonging to schedule caste and the ‘elite NLU’ students as belonging to the Brahmin community in the new found caste system of the legal fraternity.  There is a substantial difference in the pre-placement offer packages of an NLU pass out and other college pass out.  In fact, at times, within the same law firm, a 5 year experienced associate is paid lower than a fresher from NLU. This is unfortunate, to say the least.  Nevertheless, this discrimination does not hold ground in the long run and at the end of the day only your calibre counts when your career advances to the next level. To conclude, NLU kids do get a great launch pad, however, in the long run, it is only your legal acumen that helps you achieve a steady professional growth.

     

    esha-cr-2

    You left DPA and had joined Majmudar & Partners.  What led to this shift? How was your experience working there?

    Majmudar & Partner was a logical extension of DPA in terms of my career growth. I felt that I learnt what I could in DPA and had to move out in order to gain better exposure. I therefore applied in Majmudar & Partners and joined Majmudar in the year 2010. At Majmudar , I primarily worked with Mr. Neerav Merchant, who handled general corporate, real estate and litigation. As I came from a small proprietorship background, it was a task to adjust to the rigours and discipline of Majmudar in the first year.  I must admit that I owe a lot to Majmudar in terms of my professional growth and discipline.  The firm adhered to very strict principles in terms of quality and speed of response, accuracy of advice and general professional nuances. I inculcated all these values while working for Majmudar.  I worked on a lot of real estate transactions as well and developed the confidence of running the matter on my own.  It was indeed a very good experience and I believe that if you inculcate disciple in your initial years, it helps you tremendously all throughout your professional life. This is the biggest lesson that Majmudar has taught me.

     

    You thereafter left Majumdar & Partners to start working at Aegis Ltd (Essar Group) as Legal Manager. What prompted you to keep changing your job so frequently? What does Aegis do and what was the nature of your work there?

    I worked with Majmudar for 3 years. While working for Majmudar I use to come across various in-house legal counsels. At times, I failed to understand the rationale behind their decisions as it appeared legally unsound. However, I realized that their decision was driven by commercial considerations.  You cannot be a good corporate lawyer until and unless you are driven by sound commercial reasoning.  I realized that in order to develop a well rounded knowledge of the corporate/commercial principles, it was imperative to gain experience from in-house perspective.  I therefore applied and got into Aegis Ltd., which is an ITES arm of Essar Group.  Aegis is a multinational corporation and it handles back-office operations globally. I joined Aegis Ltd., as Manger-Legal to handle the international corporate-commercial profile.  While working for Aegis, I was assigned the UK and South African subsidiaries.  I handled all the legal issues arising out of those two jurisdictions.  It was a brilliant learning experience as I led and closed several negotiations and even got the opportunity to travel abroad for the purpose of negotiations with some of the top ranking UK law firms.  It helped me understand the commercial rationale behind various decisions. In-house role is a different ball game all together and I picked up the finer nuances of it.

     

    You’ve recently joined UPL Limited, a multinational agro chemical company as Senior Manager-Legal. How did the switch from Aegis Ltd. take place? Did you get an offer or did you apply for UPL Ltd.?

    I got a call from a consultant regarding a potential opening at UPL.  I researched about the company and found the profile very interesting. I therefore went for the interviews and got selected for the position of Senior-Manger-Legal.  It was a logical progression for my career. UPL is a highly reputed agro-chemical company with extensive operations nationally and internationally. It has done a lot of acquisitions in the past several years.

     

    What does your current work profile at UPL Ltd. consists of? How is a typical workday like?

    I am required to assist the general counsel in all his matters. The profile is very broad based. It entails M&A, commercial contracts and general corporate matters. A typical day would consist of working on different kind of matters. I may work on one M&A transaction and thereafter get into reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts and thereafter research on general corporate issues. It varies from day to day and is highly interesting!

     

    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?

    As stated above, there is no substitute to practical experience. You will not learn the application of law until and unless you come across the real practical challenges. As stated above, I attribute my knowledge to my practical experience thus far!

     

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

    Hard work and patience is the key to being a good professional in any stream. As far as legal profession is concerned, those attributes become indispensible. If you aren’t patient and hardworking, please do not think of taking up this profession!  There is no short cut to success and you will have to burn your midnight oil. In law, you are married to your profession, literally and figuratively!  Be prepared to give the same kind of commitment if you really want to make it work for yourself!  Lastly, learn to manage stress! It is highly important that you do not allow the matters to stress you out! You have to be detached and keep your calm in order to manage your stress levels as transactions can be very taxing at times! To conclude, I feel that patience, hard work, commitment and stress management is the key to being a successful legal professional.

  • Niyati Jigyasi on bagging a job from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

    Niyati Jigyasi on bagging a job from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan

    Niyati Jigyasi is a graduate from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (Batch of 2014). Her diligence paid off when she received a job offer from Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) in her 5th year of law school. Currently, she is working as an Associate there. We asked her to share her experiences and strategies she used over the years.

    In this interview, Niyati talks about:

    • Trimester system at NLIU
    • Importance of Internships and other co-curricular activities
    • Preparing for job interviews and securing a job at LKS

     

    Tell us about your pre-college life as well as educational background. Why did you decide to study law?

    My decision to pursue law is a result of my conversations with my Grandfather who himself was a law graduate. He is one of the main reasons I choose law.

    Being a commerce student, law appeared to me as the best career option. I started preparing for CLAT since 12th itself but was able to clear it only in my 2nd attempt and  was proud to be a part of India’s premier law institute National Law Institute University, Bhopal.

     

    niyati-j-1How was your first year of law school?

    It definitely has an impact on your coming years but according to me it definitely does not determine your coming four years. Every year in law school has its own importance and each year teaches you how can you improve your performance in the next year.

    I’ll say 1st year of college not just in law school but in every field can be a bit challenging for every student. Adjusting in new city, hostel, eating mess food, completely new subjects etc seems to be a bit challenging but eventually you get adjusted in the environment.

    For me, first year was one of the best years of my college life. Probably, because that was the only year when I was a hosteller. I had full on hostel masti in my 1st year and it set the tone for the fun filled rest of 4 years.

     

    One can find it difficult to manage continuous evaluation through trimester exams, projects, submissions, etc. in a law school. How did you manage your studies?

    In trimester system managing studies along with other co-curricular activities seems a bit a difficult in starting but within 2-3 trimesters you get used to the routine and its no more difficult. Every student comes out with his/her own way to manage the studies in the trimester system.

    I tried to make the maximum use of the first month of the trimester which used to be comparatively free. I also tried by best to complete my submissions and presentations on time so that I don’t have to rush during the time of exams to make by presentations.

     

    How much time does it take to manage academics properly in a law school like NLIU, especially in light of the trimester system?

    First year is a pretty good time to get a fair idea about the trimester system & decide the way one wants to approach the studies in the trimester system. In a law school there are a lot of co curricular activities going on round the year so one needs to plan in a manner that he/she can manage academics along with other activities. This can be a bit hectic at times, but taking part in co curricular activities is also equally important. I remember the trimesters when I took some moots, I was either working for moots or was studying for exams or submissions. But that was also a good experience. Managing studies along with other activities in a trimester system teaches you a lot.

     

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

    Being from Bhopal & getting NLIU, Bhopal through CLAT was one the best thing that could have happened. I had a great time at NLIU, Bhopal. These 5 years have transformed me from a law aspirant to a law student and now an Advocate finally. NLIU has helped me to fulfil my dream of being an Advocate. These 5 years have taught me a lot and if I start discussing each of those things it will be a long list. NLIU, Bhopal gave me friends for life, I’ll cherish each and every moment spent at this place.

    I took part as a Researcher in three moots, was a member of Managerial Board of NLIU Law Review since its inception and worked a lot to get the Law Review issues published. I was also a part of CARES-the environment cell of our college for a short span of time. As a member of CARES I edited the 1st NLIU Environment Newsletter which was released eve of Inter College Environment Meet organized by CARES.I was also the co-ordinator for getting this Newsletter published. I also participated in 2-3 essay writing competitions, paper presentation and got a paper published in one of the e-journals.

     

    Which internships that you have pursued will you consider to be right at the top and why? Tell us about some interesting internship experiences.

    My internship experience at Phoenix Legal, Delhi and at FICCI, Delhi are the best. The internship at Phoenix Legal was the best law firm internship experience I had. The variety of work which was given to me, the way the seniors treated me in that organization and the way my work was appreciated made my internship at Phoenix Legal right at the top. The internship at FICCI was altogether a different experience. The work at FICCI was more of comparative analysis of Indian laws and foreign laws based on which FICCI had to take a stand as to whether the Indian law is correct or not and what amendment is required to made to make it the more beneficial or how beneficial the amendment proposed is. The kind of work I did at FICCI made it one of the best internships.

    At one of my internships I was given a chance to interact with the client directly in a client meeting regarding the case I was working on with the senior. Obviously the questions which I am going to ask to the client were discussed thoroughly before the meeting, but the experience to question the client about the case and a senior sitting next to you quietly, speaking only when client is not able to understand your question or when you are going wrong is an amazing experience that too being just an intern.

    Also once when I was researching on an issue and internet and books were not able to solve that issue completely I was asked my senior to go and meet the officers in the Ministry to solve the issue. The interaction with the officers in ministry and the trust that the seniors at the firm showed on me by sending me alone to talk to the officers was also a great experience.

     

    What are the skills you learned from internships? How did you ensure that you get noticed during internships for the work you do?

    Internships helped me to enhance my research skills and gave me a fair idea as to the work life after law school. It helps you to decide the place where you want to see yourself in future. Internships taught me that its ok if you don’t know a particular law, but having an ability to learn & apply that law to the given case in the limited time you have is what is required.

    According to me, only good work can make you get noticed during internships and nothing else. If you work hard and do your work on time, you will definitely get noticed at internships. I always made sure to complete the work given to me on time without compromising on the quality. Giving quality work on time is the mantra to get notice at the internships according to me.

     

    You have participated in various moot court competitions. Do you think mooting is beneficial for Law students or is it just to make your CV look fancy?

    According to me Mooting is very beneficial for Law Students. Mooting gives you a chance to do in depth research on a specific issue. It enhances your research skills, your speaking abilities, it teaches you to think from your opponents’ side also, it teaches you to work & coordinate with others as a team. I’ll say a law student should atleast once do Mooting in the law school, its a really a good experience. No doubt it looks good in CV and adds value to your CV, but it is definitely not just a line item to add to your CV, it is very beneficial for a law student.

     

    What brought you towards Tax Law?

    When we came to know that L&S is going to come to our campus I started studying indirect tax and I realised that tax is also not a bad option, I can give it a try. L&S also organized Lecture series at our campus before the recruitment, these lecture series cleared all my doubts about choosing tax law as a career option. Before this I never thought about going into tax law. And I can say today that I took a right decision.

     

    You secured a job at Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan (LKS) in your 5th year of law school. How did you go about achieving this?

    We were told that for any interview you need to know each and every word which you have written in your CV. So I made sure that I knew everything written in my CV. Apart from CV I studied the basics of the important subjects like contracts, sale of goods, companies, property law etc. And I studied the basics of tax laws specifically for L&S interview. For L&S interview I also studied all that was discussed in the lecture series properly.

     

    How many times did you intern at LKS before you bagged the job offer? Please tell us about the recruitment application process at LKS?

    I have never interned at L&S before. I was recruited through campus recruitments. The recruitment process at our college involved sending our CV to Placement Committee.  Students were shortlisted on the basis of CV and after that shortlisted candidates had to go through the interview round.

     

    What kind of questions were you asked during the interview with LKS?

    In my interview fortunately I was not asked a single question on tax. Maximum part of my interview was based on my CV.  I was asked about my experience at the various firms I have interned earlier and based on my experience they asked about the work which I did in that internship. I was also asked certain questions on contract law apart from my CV. Other than that questions like why you are choosing tax, do you have any problem in relocating, will you be able to work in this organization for a long time etc were also asked. I was also asked about my experience at lecture series, was it beneficial or not and why was it beneficial.

     

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

    There is a saying first impression is the last impression and in case of applying for jobs, your CV is the thing that will create your first impression on the recruiters. Therefore, one should take utmost care while writing the CV. You can’t take a chance to mess up your CV. At the time of writing the CV you should keep in your mind that you have to answer the questions based on your CV so you should write only what you can answer. You should be aware of all the possible questions based on the things you have written in your CV. And if at the time of writing the CV you don’t know something properly then write that only if you are confident that you will be able to study that. Never write anything in your CV which you don’t know. You are bound to know everything written in the CV. So the most important thing for writing CV is write only those things which you know properly. Apart from this CV should not have any formatting or grammatical mistakes.

     

    Many law school students aspire to secure a job. What do you think most are doing wrong, from your observations?

    Every person has his/her own point of view and priorities in life. By God’s grace I have never faced such a situation. So sitting here and saying what wrong they are doing will not be appropriate. Everyone who is struggling is trying their best to secure a good job. What I can probably say is that may be going behind only a big shot corporate firm job and a good salary can be a problem. According to me, starting with even a new or small firm is no harm, may be if I would not have been lucky enough to get a job at L&S, I might also have taken a small law firm job. But as I said, I am no one to say that those law school students are doing something wrong. I firmly believe that each one of them will be trying their best to secure a job to suit their requirements.

     

    Lastly, what would be your message to our readers?

    To all the law school students I’ll say just enjoy your five years of law school as much as you can. You’ll never get that experience ever again in your life. Having said that, I’ll also say that take your studies, projects, internships, co-curricular activities seriously. You’ll realise its important when you start working. So party hard, work hard & just enjoy your law school life. You’ll miss it when you’ll start working.