This interview has been published by Priyanka Karwa and The SuperLawyer Team
Could you please share your journey of how you ventured into the legal field, especially considering your extensive experience in both litigation and corporate advisory roles?
I again wanted to study after my divorce as I had the responsibility of a child. One of my seniors and guide introduced me to litigation. When I stepped in Delhi High Court for the first time, I knew this was it. I interned all throughout my LLB during free time and started my own firm after passing the BAR exam. Litigation has always been my passion and while I was in transactional profile for one of the organizations, I requested the organization to assign litigation to me.
With over 14 years of experience in litigation, arbitration, and legal strategy, what significant lessons have you learned along the way that have shaped your approach to handling high-stakes legal matters?
Legal profession is practice and not every day is the same, patience, perseverance and discipline are key to surviving and eventually succeeding. To manage high stake matters, one has to have an eye for detail, early stage risk evaluation is must, multiple scenarios have to be worked out and strategies have to be prepared for the same in advance.
You’ve held various positions in both legal and entrepreneurial domains. How has your entrepreneurial experience influenced your perspective and approach as a legal expert?
My entrepreneurial experience made me understand the actual difficulties of the businesses and business teams, which made me a solution finder. It’s a well-established fact and has been a matter of research that if a solution is not holistic it’s not a solution but a long-term liability. This understanding is an asset for me, that the solutions or negotiations can’t be one sided and has to be made basis keeping holistic business welfare/ organizational welfare in mind.
As someone deeply involved in corporate advisory and transactions, could you elaborate on how you integrate legal strategies to mitigate risks for senior management within companies?
Knowledge set enhancement by keeping an eye on latest developments in the field of law always helps, connecting with the peers in the industry helps, usage of right risk mitigations tools is key these days due to dynamic legal/ business environment and employee training are key.
Your profile mentions expertise in stakeholder management at the company board level. How do you navigate the complexities of legal matters while ensuring alignment with broader business objectives and stakeholder interests?
I have managed stakeholders in regulated industries and across the industry and also at the internal company level. I would say 80% of any job done is people management and 20% is actual work, if you know people, their requirements and you can achieve it in a holistic manner. One should develop soft skills and enhance knowledge set to keep up with the stakeholders.
Given your background in setting up legal teams and managing cross-functional collaborations, what key strategies do you employ to ensure legal objectives are met efficiently, both in terms of time and budget?
While setting up the team, one must be mindful of the environment, policies and expectations of the organization. Right fit is difficult to find but it’s better to work hard in the beginning rather than struggling for long after a wrong person is hired. One has to have clear objectives, right partnerships with law firms/ other support organizations, ensuring budget is adhered to by having right contracts in place, evaluation of external counsels performance, etc are a few key aspects one has to keep in mind.
Your experience spans across multiple industries, from aviation to fintech. How do you adapt your legal expertise to address the unique regulatory challenges and compliance requirements of different sectors?
Fundamentals of law remain the same. As lawyers we are used to reading/ research and if one surrenders to learning, one can work in any domain. The best part about being a lawyer is that we can work in any industry. One should look at the right value, skills can be learnt.
Lastly, drawing from your wealth of experience, what advice would you offer to fresh law graduates who are stepping into the legal profession, particularly in terms of navigating the complexities of litigation, corporate advisory, and stakeholder management.
Focus on basics and fundamentals of law, be flexible, don’t let biases affect you. People see you as a success after hard work of 10+ years, till then it is tough for a first-generation lawyer. But if you follow the code, you will succeed, just believe in yourself. Another thing I have always believed is that nothing is impossible and don’t follow the rigid thought process, be flexible in approach and strategies. I always wanted to experience all the fields of law, and thus, I ensured that I work in varied profiles and not stick to one stream. I am a generalist and I believe that as lawyers we can venture into any aspect of law as and when needed (litigation background helps here).
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