Super Lawyer

Tag: NMIMS

  • Shrutti Rajgarhia, President, Network for International Law Students, India, on pursuing Masters from Cornell Law School and being a professor

    Shrutti Rajgarhia, President, Network for International Law Students, India, on pursuing Masters from Cornell Law School and being a professor

    Shrutti Rajgarhia pursued her bachelor’s degree from Government Law College, Mumbai in the year 2014. She went on to pursue her Masters from Cornell Law School, the U.S in the year 2015. She worked as an Assistant Professor with NMIMS School of Law, Mumbai. She is currently serving as the president of Network For International Law Students, India and the National Lead for Development Policy with One Future Collective.

    In this interview, we speak to her about

    • Her experience at Govt. Law College, Mumbai;
    • Advantages of having a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism;
    • Her experience on being a professor at NMIMS School of Law; and
    • Being an activist and social worker.

     

    WHAT COULD BE A SHORT INTRODUCTION OF YOURSELF?

    Shrutti Rajgarhia is an upcoming lawyer, who graduated from Government Law College and received her Master’s in Law (LL.M) from Cornell Law School. Besides being outstanding at academics, she is a very passionate about human rights, with a special focus on access to education for all, volunteering (she feels there is nothing better than working for the upliftment of the community, without expecting anything in return), and food photography (because it gives her an excuse to eat and capture some of the most beautiful moments of life). Currently, she is the National Lead for Development Policy with One Future Collective (onefuturecolletive.org)

     

    TELL US ABOUT YOUR YEARS BEFORE LAW SCHOOL. WERE THERE PARTICULAR CHILDHOOD INCIDENTS THAT PROVED TO BE AN INSPIRATION FOR YOU?

    Not many people know this (now I guess they will) but I wasn’t the brightest bulb in school (attended Bombay Scottish School). Low on self-esteem and confidence due to a stammering problem, I barely made it through my courses. I did not understand self-confidence, let alone the massive impact it can have on a person’s life until I graduated school. Sadly, the confidence came from my 10th board results. The reason I say sadly because marks should never be the yardstick to measure one’s capability. But, unfortunately, that’s how our education system has ‘educated’ us to think.

    It was also at this point that I realized the importance of standing up for myself and for people who may not be able to stand up for themselves owing to various circumstances (my own example while in school). It was this thought that led to my decision to do law.

     

    HOW DID THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY LAW AT THE OLDEST LAW COLLEGE IN ASIA BENEFICIAL TO YOU? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE ANY MEMORY?

    Government Law College is a very significant part of my life. When I look back to those fives years of BA., LLB, there was a lot that went by in between the Jhabvallas and Mokals. There are many life-defining situations but my most memorable was being General Secretary of the Placement Committee at Government Law College (GLC). I wasn’t sure I wanted to take up the position, in fact, deep down I knew the answer was a straight no. However, one of my closest friends now and then senior at GLC, Manvendra Singh Bhatti, encouraged me, no he actually demanded that I take this position up and refused to take no for an answer. And I’m glad I did because it has contributed immensely to the individual I’m today.

    Recruitment is hard, especially when you have 90% of the law firms and the corporate bodies; wanting to recruit National Law School students over GLC students. Convincing them to come on campus and pulling off two placement weeks, was nothing but the team effort. I had the most hardworking and enthusiastic team. They were as passionate as I was, to get placement for as many seniors as we could. And that’s why we decided to do two placements (it was a new model); one in September and one in January, providing more employment opportunities to our students.

    From managing the staff at GLC, coordinating with other committees and their events, synchronizing the work and updates from over 50 team members, taught me to multi-task and more importantly, to multi-tasking well. It taught that everything will come and go, but the people you work with are extremely important and respecting them comes before anything. A very famous quote by Voltaire will sum up what I learnt from this experience, “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.

     

    YOU HAVE VOLUNTEERED RIGOROUSLY DURING YOUR LAW SCHOOL FOR A NUMBER OF ORGANISATIONS. WHAT MOTIVATED TOWARDS SOCIAL WORKS?

    I realized at a very early age that giving back to society is important. There are too many people in the world, who need help and not enough that are extending the help. Volunteering enables a person to help without expecting in return. It’s a platform that allows you to experience the joy of giving. For me, it was education. I strongly feel that imparting education is one of the best gift’s anyone can give to the community. Yes, you can give clothes, food etc. but all of these are perishable and people are going to run of them at some point. But education- it sticks. Nobody can ever take that way from a person. In my opinion, it is the golden ticket. The golden ticket of empowerment.

    Human rights mean living life with dignity. They are rights every individual is entitled to because he/she is a human being and we as lawyers are responsible to uphold this right and stand for justice.

     

    WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT YOU HAVE FACED DURING THE SOCIAL WORKS THAT YOU HAVE UNDERTAKEN, AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

    Groundwork is where reality exists. It’s where the actual work happens. It’s also where connections are built. What do you do once your volunteering time is up with the organization? How do you keep in touch? The children you teach, the staff you train become a part of your life. But, you also have other responsibilities to take care of- a job, a family. The hardest part for me was to keep in touch with the organizations I worked for. Virtually being available is never the same as physically being around to help. The organizations get new volunteers and you go on with your life. The connection that is built with the children is very valuable, for them and for you. That’s something I’m still working on. Working on trying to help make that connection long-lasting.

     

    WHY DID YOU SELECT CORNELL LAW SCHOOL FOR YOUR MASTERS? WHAT ACTIVITIES DID YOU ENGAGE IN THERE BESIDES ACADEMICS?

    Cornell, had a very interesting mix of International Law subjects, that I was keen on pursuing. I tried to involve myself in a few things there- worked at the veggie salad bar after class, interned with the Agricultural Sciences department, took classes at the B-School, honed my photography skills by taking off on the beautiful trails around Ithaca. Pursuing a Masters abroad definitely gives you a very different perspective about life and people. It also gives you a chance at getting to know yourself better. It helps you venture out of your comfort zone and explore opportunities, you didn’t know even existed.

     

    WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION BEHIND PURSUING MASTERS AND WHEN DID YOU FINALLY DECIDE TO PURSUE HIGHER STUDIES?

    I realized in my second year of law school, that I wanted to pursue a Masters in Law. I wanted to experience the Socratic method of teaching (method of teaching involving asking and answering questions, that helps develop a critical way of thinking and arriving at conclusions). My main idea behind pursuing a Masters was to study varied courses on International Law, to understand the international community better.

     

    WHAT ARE THE KEY INGREDIENTS OF A WELL WRITTEN SOP? CAN YOU MAKE IT PERSONAL? WHAT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHILE WRITING SOPS?

    There is no set format for a Statement of Purpose. The answer to what to keep in mind is in the term itself- ‘Purpose’. Everyone’s idea behind pursuing a particular course is different, everyone’s experiences are different, so how can the way you write a Statement of Purpose be the same? I have always maintained that a Statement of Purpose is an individual’s life story; it is who they are and who they want to be; it is their journey. Like nobody should tell you how to lead your life, nobody should tell you how to write your own life story, when it comes to writing a Statement of Purpose, for a college application.

     

    YOU HAVE AN ADDITIONAL DEGREE OF POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN JOURNALISM STUDIES AND IN HUMAN RIGHTS. DO YOU THINK THESE DEGREES WAS AN ADVANTAGE IN YOUR CAREER PROGRESSION?

    A P.G Diploma in Journalism is something I pursued because I’m passionate about writing and wanted to get some formal guidance on it. K.C College of Management Studies was a great choice because the faculty at this institute was incredible. Besides, learning a lot about the media, about the know how’s of journalism, I learned a lot about quick knacks on writing. This did help me in my work life. But the aim of taking this course was more to have fun writing and less for any professional gain. The Human Rights course that I’m currently pursuing is to understand the technical aspects of human rights better. Since I feel so passionately about it, I wanted to get a better, holistic understanding of it from the legal standpoint as well as from the developmental side. My advice to students pursuing diploma courses is, do it because you are learning something not because you think it will look fancy on your resume.

     

    WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE UP TEACHING AS YOUR CAREER OPTION, DESPITE THE FACT THAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE LUCRATIVE?

    Teaching at NMIMS, School of Law was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Teaching is sacred to me. I’m super passionate about it and come from the school of thought that it is a two-way street. The teacher not only teaches the students but can also have a lot to learn from them. You’d be surprised the amount students have to share. You just have to keep an open mind about it. There have been many instances where I walked out of class with more information than I walked in with. Teaching for me is about sharing my experiences and learnings. It’s about motivating young people to go out into the world and make a difference. It’s about challenging students to walk out of their comfort zone and embrace differences. It’s about educating them about the right and wrong and encouraging them to fight for justice. Teaching isn’t about teaching from a textbook, it’s about using practical examples and helping mould the way students think. Most importantly, I think it’s about letting students decide what kind of lawyers they want to be; what kind of change they want to bring about and letting them know that they have the capability of bringing about that change.

     

    YOU HAVE BEEN RECENTLY SELECTED AS A PRESIDENT OF NETWORK FOR INTERNATIONAL LAW STUDENTS. COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT THIS ORGANISATION AND HOW DO YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE ORGANISATION?

    The organization aims to further the legal education and the legal profession around the globe. You can read up more about the organization at https://www.nilsinternational.org/

    I’m fortunate to get an opportunity to contribute to the tremendous work this non-profit organization is doing, thanks to Mr. Pratik Bakshi. The aim of NILS, India would be, to create more awareness about law and justice, give students access to new opportunities of learnings in the legal field, help make law students more socially responsible and in all, help law students sitting in India, get an international exposure through our partners across the globe, through interactions with students from different countries and so on.

     

    WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, AND WHAT ARE THE CHANGES YOU EXPECT TO BRING ABOUT IN SOCIETY TILL THEN?

    Thinking of five years down the line is too far away. I don’t know what my life will look like 5 days from now. But, I hope my actions today, help build a strong community in the future. A community with more access to education, with more tolerance for differences and with more hands to help. To all the young people reading this, go out and help your communities, in whatever way you can. A community is a true reflection of the people who build and nurture it.

    LASTLY, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MESSAGE TO OUR READERS?

    I actually have two pieces of advice that I’d like to share. These are two great pieces of advice I received as a law student:

    Don’t wait for the right moment. There is no such thing as a right moment. The moment is right when YOU decide it’s right.

    Don’t let anybody else’s journey, define yours. There is only one person in the world like you, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

     

  • Rishabh Mastaram, Founder, RGM Legal on higher studies and starting up with a Corporate Law firm

    Rishabh Mastaram, Founder, RGM Legal on higher studies and starting up with a Corporate Law firm

    Rishabh Mastaram graduated in Law from Jitendra Chauhan College of Law in 2005  and then went on to pursue his LL.M. from Middlesex University, London. After having worked with top tier firms like DSK Legal, Desai and Diwanji and Fox Mandal Little Co., he decided to set-up his own firm “RGM Legal”.

    He has multi- jurisdictional legal experience as he has worked with London based law firms and top tier law firms in India. He works extensively in practice areas of corporate advisory, transaction support, private equity/venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.

    In this interview we speak to him about:

    • The importance of extra activities like mooting, debating and publications in law school.
    • Why should one pursue higher studies?
    • Starting his own firm “RGM Legal”.
    • His message to Law students who dream of having their own law firm.

     

    How would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

    “You don’t know till you try. If you don’t try then the result will be 100% negative”.

    This is something which I personally believe in because it actually reflects my personality.

    Trying and striving has become like my DNA. So far my attitude of “trying and striving” has helped me reach where I am today, obviously with blessings of my parents and support of well wishers (especially my clients who have now become like close friends/ family members).

    Constant striving and trying has resulted in developing a unique practice of  being updated and trying to find untapped/ innovative means of structuring a deal. In short, its “Kaizen”!

    I am obviously not God gifted (which means natural talent), except for having a good memory, and hence I had to put in a lot of efforts in honing my skills (both lawyerly and non-lawyerly  😉 ) to reach up-to this level. Now it is all about leveraging my experience and skills which I have developed over a period of time.

    By the way I am a first generation lawyer and probably that is the reason why I had to put in those extra efforts.

     

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

    Even before graduating and knowing the true life of a lawyer, I aspired to practice law (either as advocate, solicitor, CS or otherwise) after realising my deep interest in law in my second year of B.Com My first encounter with subject of law in SYB.Com was the trigger of  my decision of pursuing law. In the same year I found out about the Company Secretary course and started pursuing it. After my graduation I decided to join a law college for LL.B. degree (to pursue my interest and also because I found out very early that LL.B. was one of the cheapest professional course back then). By the time I was in second year law, I had decided to become a corporate lawyer (pursuing CS course majorly influenced this decision) and today being one is like fulfillment of my aspiration.

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

    During my B.Com graduation and LL.B. graduation, I had very wide areas of interest. However, if I have to narrow it down to Law then Companies Act, 1956 and Contract Act, 1872 got me interested.

    I was and I am a very keen researcher. Wanting to know new things and exploring it (with help of internet based research in college library) was my top most interest.

    According to me there is no methodology for developing expertise and increasing knowledge. Just having fire in the belly with strong desire to reach somewhere helps you develop expertise and knowledge both, as by-product.

    I have to mention one of my experience of getting up-to speed with my contemporaries. On returning back to Mumbai after finishing my LL.M. in London, I was given FEMA related assignments in my first week with Fox Mandal Little and Company (then merged firms got split in 2010). It was all together a new area for me. To ensure that I make meaningful contribution in meetings and negotiations, I use to read the FDI policy cover to cover in a week. I continued with this practice for about 3 to 4 months and thereafter most of the provisions were on the tip of my tongue – like a ready reference. This approach really helped me to get a lead with my contemporaries and even immediate seniors.

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

    Being an “outstanding” student, my interest was more towards extra activities that college had to offer. Some way or the other I use to get engaged in moots, debates, etc… if not as a speaker/ mooter then as a researcher. It is all very important to experience. That is when you learn that implementation and application of what you know has more value than knowing more but unable to apply/ implement. This has a very deep meaning when it comes to practice because I have seen rank holders and academic legal writers/ authors getting entangled with law and unable to give practical advice and whereas those who know how to practically apply law are more effective as professionals.

     

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

    I completed my Law from law college having syllabus designed by Mumbai University. Historically our education systems is based on R3 i.e. Read | Retain | Reproduce. The competition is primarily for scoring good marks rather than focusing on being able. I understand that this has drastically changed and law schools and colleges are now focusing more on practicals. With a strong desire to give back to the society, I also impart guest lectures on practical side of the legal practice.

     

    After graduating, you went for LL.M. and then a PGDFM from NMIMS and then solicitors from England and Wales. Why did you decide to go for higher studies?

    I did my LL.M. from London. This was primarily to get international exposure and international way of doing things. If it would have been LL.M. from India then it would have been purely for academic purpose. I think this was the best decision of my life. Today I have international connect with worldwide practitioners. Hence, I don’t see just India as a market but the entire world as a market for legal services in India.

    Being a corporate lawyer, it was important to understand financial aspects better. Pursuing management studies in finance i.e. PGDFM from NMIMS helped in honing my ability to understand commercials better. Combination of law with finance is a value add for corporate clients.

     

    What advice would you give to people who are trying to decide which area of law to specialise in?

    It is very subjective and vary from person to person. However, if someone wants to pursue legal practice as professional career option then ask yourself following questions to determine your specialisation after gaining experience of two years with senior or law firm:

    What is your interest? Litigation? Transaction? Structuring?

    What is your aspiration? Top lawyer? Highly paid lawyer? Renowned lawyer? Challenges?

    What is your priority? Money? Law? Practice? Society?

    What is you ability?

    How big is your tolerance level?

    Above all, before pursuing law, please ask yourself: whether you are ready and willing to live a lawyers life? Please make yourself fully aware through your parents/relatives, friends, etc.. about lawyers true life before pursuing it.

    You’ve worked at DSK Legal, Desai and Diwanji and Fox Mandal Little Co. On what practice areas did you work on at these top tier law firms?

    I started working in a law firm in London as corporate lawyer and since then there is no looking back.

     

    Thereafter, you have started your own law firm “RGM Legal”. What prompted you to make this choice and start your own law firm?

    Necessity is the mother of all inventions and RGM Legal is no different. There were certain compelling reasons why I decided to start RGM Legal. In a short span of time, RGM Legal has closed more than 10 deals already and still counting. Proof of the cake is in eating and RGM Legal has proved a point by closing a number of quotable deals.

    I have to mention that RGM Legal initiative has been taken with the intention of creating flat organisation, if it is possible in Indian circumstances. Unlike many other law firms where seniority is decided by the designation (and such designations are decided by the equity partners), in RGM Legal I wish to implement a practice where even a senior most can be assisting a mid-level lawyer if that lawyer has more grip over the matter. This concept will evolve in time to come but will try to implement it in some form or other.

    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?

    For transaction/ deals, I strongly believe that mistakes and errors are pardonable until the documents are signed. Even if the error or mistake is identified before signing, it is good enough rectification.

    Having said that, considering RGM Legal is trying to shape-up as a flat organisation, the responsibility on the lead professional should be of same gravitas as what the client expects from partner/ founder.

     

    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?

    I think the initial days of start-up firm varies from person to person. For me, personally it was extremely challenging due to unforeseeable personal reasons. My focus was spread very thin on multiple things, including starting and growing practice of RGM Legal. Also, the initial four to six months of dry period were extremely difficult to see-off, especially when I had very heavy outgoings. But all’s well that ends well. Although I can’t say it with full conviction but I can somewhat mention that the initial difficulty phase has now subdued. Now I started facing sweet difficulties like moving the office to client preferred location (it is a big task but is still sweet), selecting the right candidate, deciding which work is to be given priority (especially when you have to finalize the bill of cost in between execution/ closing), setting-up, marketing, meeting new leads, etc…

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

    We will start taking interns from April 2018 onwards.

    If a candidate is looking for entrepreneurial career growth then RGM Legal is the firm to apply. We at RGM Legal promote entrepreneurial lawyers who wishes to work as a professional with ambition to have a career trajectory of becoming an entrepreneur.
    The policy of the firm is only to recruit lawyers with entrepreneurial spirit and commercial acumen.

     

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

    “He knows enough who knowns how to learn”.
    The day you stop learning or feel you know everything and self claim to be law god right up there, then you are misfit to become a lawyer. Learning should never quit.

    Also, most importantly, please understand the life of a lawyer before aspiring to become one. Have seen umpteen number of young talent being crumbled because of the pressure. Life is like a road trip and you are most likely to get a vehicle ahead of yours! So believe in yourself and do your best.

     

     

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

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

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

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

     

    Tell us about your achievements at Hays?

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

    My role involved

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

     

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

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

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

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

     

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

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

  • Zameer Nathani, Director-Legal, Raymond, ex-Head-Legal of Balaji Telefilms on being an in-house corporate lawyer

    Zameer Nathani, Director-Legal, Raymond, ex-Head-Legal of Balaji Telefilms on being an in-house corporate lawyer

    Mr. Zameer Nathani is one of the most notable legal luminaries within the corporate fraternity. He holds a Master’s Degree in Law and Certifications from World Intellectual Property Office Academy, United Nations.

    Zameer’s corporate career began when he joined Mallar Law Consulting right after graduation. Thereafter, he was the Digital Businesses Associate Vice President-Legal at Reliance Entertainment. He later joined Balaji Telefilms where he worked as Head-Legal. In the meantime he has managed to pursue an Executive MBA from NMIMS.

    While at Balaji, he had personally handled the case for the movie “Dirty Picture” and won before Bombay High Court making it a landmark judgment on brand name, a judgment in the film industry after 1977 Movie “Sholay”.

    Zameer is currently the Director-Legal at Raymond Limited and is also the Honourable Chairman of Entertainment and Media Section at Indian National Bar Association.

    In this interview he talks about:

    • Pursuing an executive-MBA from NMIMS
    • A career in corporate law as an in-house counsel
    • Working at corporates like Reliance, Balaji and Raymond

     

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

    My inspiration, that which made way for my decision to choose law as a career was marked by a small yet significant incident, whereby my father made me sign a contract at the age of 21 years for a business property and it made an everlasting impression on my mind of just one sentence that “Everything is about Law”.

    I then decided to pursue a career remarkably different from my family business and that has made me the ‘self-made’ man, I am today. I started working at an early age of 25 and marked the beginning of my career timeline with a lauded law firm and facilitated legal assignments for clients across diverse industry categories.

     

    Tell us something about your college life? Which activities did you participate in? How did you go about developing expertise and knowledge in your areas of interest?

    Apart from academics, I have had a flair for extracurricular activities always. I used to participate and have won awards for the best speaker in moot court competitions at different levels, best organizer in various inter-college moot courts, quiz contests and compeered college festivals. Developing expertise comes through practice and expediency, and it has been no different for me.

     

    zameer-nathani-1

    Generally the first year after graduation is the most defining time for a fresh law graduate. What would you suggest a fresh law graduate?

    Be dynamic, you have to push yourself to make sure that you grow in the profession. Be wise, learn to prioritize and distinguish between what is relevant and irrelevant. Be patient and success and growth will come gradually.

     

    What led to your shift from Mallar Law Consulting to Reliance?

    It is not that I wouldn’t prefer working in a company. Once you have grown as an external counsel, you can have a good role as an In-House Counsel. It is a different business environment with different challenges, but you still deal with the legal affairs of that Company.

     

    Thereafter you joined Balaji Telefilms as Head-Legal. What does it take to get the position of Head-Legal at that stage?

    When you have a challenging role in India’s conglomerate, you are able to pursue new challenges and thereby seamlessly take care of legal affairs as Head-Legal.

     

    Recently you have joined Raymond Limited as Director-Legal. What qualities do you think helped you to achieve this status?

    I would take the liberty to shorten it into three words, which are: Experience, knowledge and expertise.

     

    We would love to hear about your work profile. Tell us about the nature of work you’re entrusted with at Raymond.

    I work towards growth and dynamism in managing the legal affairs of this iconic and the historic group, which is the day to day management. My work profile is to supervise and manage legal affairs of Raymond Limited and its Group Companies.

     

    What changes has being Director-Legal brought into your life? How do you manage to strike a balance between your personal and professional life?

    I join any corporate considering the opportunities and challenges, and I love that. Work is at par with positions till date. I get up at 4:30 am, meditate and maintain a healthy life and food with a morning walk and begin the day very early for work to be completed by 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. I do not let lethargy set in and come in the way. However, I schedule a vacation once a year with my family. I even organize office outings once in six months where we socialize and have team building exercises.

     

    What are the primary essentials of a good corporate lawyer? How do you say a fresh graduate can work on building these skills?

    Be prepared to face challenges that come your way. Always absorb challenges and face problems as opportunities.

     

    Have you ever considered litigation or starting up on your own? Would you say the opportunity a firm provides for a young lawyer is worth the trade off in building a reputation?

    I have been a litigation lawyer in the past, which gives me an experience even when I am in the corporate fraternity in strategy making and arguments. No plan right now to start my own law firm.

    But yes, a reputation in my law firm earned me a job at Reliance- ADAG at a young age.

     

    In the meantime, you managed to pursue Executive MBA from NMIMS. How do you think an MBA can prove to be useful in a lawyer’s career in the current as well as future market?

    The importance of MBA is to know business management, financial management, team management and alignment of your leadership skills to team up with business.

     

    So for you, why did you feel MBA is a good option for a lawyer and why now?

    Because understanding overall management skills and functioning is necessary, especially when you are at a leadership position.

     

    Would you recommend Management and Marketing professionals to learn the law?

    Some knowledge of law is essential for every professional in business management.

     

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

    Get your law education from good Indian and/or foreign Universities (U.K, U.S.A etc). Be dynamic, upright, and energetic. Get knowledge from wherever you can. Pertaining to local and international laws, attend seminars organised by Lex Witness, meet new people, and get on international forums for discussion on various laws (local and foreign), and I am sure growth and success shall follow.