Coffee talk with a Lawyer

Confused if taking up Law is a good career option? Not sure of the pay? Read this interview with Ashwini, a practising lawyer from Bangalore.

What are you working on
now?

Sorry, I cannot reveal what deal I am currently working on as it is
confidential information, hit by attorney-client privilege. But I can give you a broad picture of the
nature of work that we do at my organization.
It could be anything from software licensing agreement, technology
transfer agreement, investment agreement, employment agreements, joint venture
agreement and day-to-day legal consultation to companies, to real estate deals.

Why did you decide to take up this career?

I was very passionate about this
field, but I think this answer wouldn’t serve the purpose, as it may not motivate
another person to take up this profession.

I always believed that there are other professions besides
engineering or medicine where talent is required, where you can contribute
equally well towards the economic progress of the country and at the same time,
satisfy your fiscal needs. Therefore
this seemed to be a natural choice for me, and I am happy I made such a choice.

What is the potential in India? And abroad?

There is never a dearth for
lawyers, at least in this generation. In
foreign countries the respect and position which a lawyer enjoys is equivalent
to the position and respect enjoyed by a doctor in India. Therefore it also implies that the amount of
professionalism, diligence, skill and care required from lawyers are
equivalent.

There are chances of getting a
job abroad with an Indian LLB degree, provided you have, during your 5-yr
course, gained relevant corporate work experience. Off late there are many foreign law firms who
are looking to hire Indian lawyers (to assist them in their deals in India). Quite a number of graduates from NLSIU and
NULSAR are being hired. If you are
looking towards being a corporate lawyer, this would be a great option. If you want to take up corporate practice,
there are quite a number of law firms in India as well. Each firm has their own requirements for
hiring and emoluments, however for the most part it is not impossible to get
into one if you are smart enough. Since
this generation is witnessing lots of joint ventures, foreign investments, in
every sector including retail business, media, etc; there is never a dearth for
interesting work either.

For those who want to take up
litigation, there are ample advocates and seniors who will recruit the both fresh
grads and experienced people as "juniors" or laterals in their organization.

What is the hot thing in this field right now?

Corporate work: Private equity,
foreign investment. Many sectors which
were erstwhile closed for foreign investment, has been opened up. So there are many “hot things” happening now.

Litigation: I
am not sure anyone would like to call it the "hot thing". People
litigate for all types of issues you can come across, be it on a divorce case,
or trademark / copyright infringement case.

Who is your role model in this field and why?

Hmmm……….too difficult to answer that……J

What is the future of this career 10 years down the line?

I don’t know........I would think its advancement in
corporate work and sophisticated litigations on issues which have not seen the
light of the day yet.

What is the kind of specializations available?

You can specialize in any field you want to, however it is
neither essential nor common practice.
Higher education (Masters in the relevant field of law in which you are
interested) would be helpful, later in your career, but people do make it big,
even without “specialization”.

Which specialization is the most commonly sought after? Also comment on
the kind of pay a person gets after that

I don’t think the two are inter-related.
People off-late prefer corporate work;
however, like I said before, it is not necessary that you be specialized in
corporate law for that. Maybe it does
help in networking with people, with developing contacts; maybe it will take
you lesser time to polish your skills; however continued practice is equally
effective.

What are the kinds of companies that hire people who take up this
course? Give e.g.

Most of the big companies will have an internal legal team. Be it GE,
Infosys, Wipro, TCS. Smaller companies, usually hire one person as
their legal counsel, or sometimes they seek legal consultancy from law firms for
most of the internal work.

How much does it cost for the course?

Depends on the University you join. It
could range anywhere between 10k to 10 lakhs.

What is your advice to aspirants
who wish to see this field as an option?

Please take up this profession only
if you have interest in this field or if you are passionate. If you are not
then it is not only a waste of time and money, but also of another person’s
time and money that will be relying on you to do his work. Despite the popular beliefs that there is no
substance in this profession, you can have it easy and still make it big, this
profession requires you to pay immense attention, to engage in research, to be
updated on a daily basis (what was legal yesterday may not be so today), to be
a socialite, to be bold, confident, to be assertive but not aggressive, to put
up with long hours of work, sometimes work will stretch into weekends as
well. There are times when you may not
get to take offs even on a public holiday, so if you are willing to put up with
all this, then please plunge.

There are lots of growth
opportunities and recognitions however that happen only when you have at least
5 yrs of work experience. Therefore if you are a person who seeks short term
growths, one who would like to take up a job depending on how lucrative it is,
this is not the profession for you. Yes it is lucrative and yes there is ample
growth and recognition but only after you gain sufficient experience.

Got more queries on this? Feel Free to mail us on bluminut@googlegroups.com or start a topic on the Forum