Team size: 20  

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?   

A significant challenge in any in-house legal team is continuous learning and knowledge upgradation. As lawyers, it is critical to remain productive and continue adding value to the organisation. A special internal monthly program titled ‘We found our Ikigai’ was designed by me for my team. Ikigai is a Japanese concept of your ‘your reason for being.’ The entire foundation of this program is to find the reason for being in this organisation, which is to find job satisfaction, career progression and happiness in whatever you do. Here, each team member, including the junior most, is assigned a topic of interest and relevance, and the member is required to prepare a presentation and speak before the entire team. Other members must also study the topic, ask relevant questions, and deliberate during the monthly meeting. An open and frank deliberation for one hour, where members learn the art of presentation, articulation, and research and then apply the topic in their respective areas of operation. Members find a purpose in being in the team and the organisation. Such an initiative came at no cost and helped keep the attrition low and the team motivated. Since the team I led comprised various professionals like lawyers, compliance professionals, and company secretaries, the program helped each professional learn about the other areas.  

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?  

The team is currently involved in a few arbitration matters, M&A deals, and compliance related activities.  

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?  

For aspiring in-house lawyers: In the last ten years, the economic growth in the country coupled with new legislations and landmark judgements, corporate houses need quality legal advice on a real-time basis, which only an in-house lawyer can provide. Corporate sector responsibilities have been increasing daily, and in-house lawyers are expected to perform like an external lawyer. There are global trends which have a cascading effect in India. Thus, an aspiring in-house lawyer must remain abreast of the latest developments, changes in the law, newer legislation (New Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 is an excellent example) and recent judgements having wider ramifications. At the same time, AI, ChatGPT and Technology are taking over many standard roles an in-house counsel provides, like red-lining, and contract drafting. One must keep innovating. Hence, continuous learning and knowledge upgradation are crucial to success. Picking up the headlines through Google may be strategic, but detailed analytical reading of the legislation and judgements for young lawyers is the differentiator. Read, Read, and Read is the mantra for success early in your career.  

For general counsel: Be the trusted advisor for the organisation. Always be ready with a practical solution to a given legal problem. Do not hesitate to point out the red flags; never brush aside a whistle-blower complaint. Most corporate scams have their roots in whistle-blower complaints; hence, every complaint must necessarily be investigated, and a report prepared. Apprise the management of the new legislation and its potential impact on the business much before the external lawyer or law firm.