Rajesh Sehgal – GC Powerlist
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India 2024

Energy and utilities

Rajesh Sehgal

Chief legal officer | Adani Power

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India 2024

legal500.com/gc-powerlist/

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Rajesh Sehgal

Chief legal officer | Adani Power

Team size: 15

What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?

The most significant transaction would be supporting in the implementation of world largest single hybrid Solar and ind farm of 30GW at Gujrat, Khavda. With this the company and roup has grown stronger than ever in terms of renewable energy generation to achieve the ultimate goal to meet climate change and India’s target to meet net zero by 2070. Further, supported in the acquisition of two major energy assets in India under re-structuring via Insolvency laws.

What innovations have you made to the way your legal team works in the past year?

Over the past year, I’ve introduced a hybrid approach combining ‘legal technology and process optimisation’ within my team. We’ve adopted a ‘centralised document management system’, making it easier for us to track, store, and retrieve case-related documents efficiently, reducing turnaround time. Additionally, I implemented ‘workflow automation for routine legal tasks’ like contract management and regulatory compliance checks, freeing up time for strategic legal work. These innovations have improved the overall efficiency, transparency, and collaboration within the team.

Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

The key to successful collaboration with business partners is maintaining ‘open and clear communication’, combined with a deep understanding of their business goals and challenges. Legal teams need to step out of the traditional advisory role and become ‘proactive partners’ by aligning legal strategies with business objectives. By being adaptable and solution-oriented, we ensure that legal advice not only mitigates risk but also supports business growth and innovation. Building trust through ‘consistent, transparent communication’ and delivering value beyond compliance has been central to fostering strong partnerships.

How do you motivate and manage the other members of your legal team well?

I focus on fostering a culture of ‘ownership and continuous learning’. I ensure that each team member feels empowered by giving them ‘autonomy’ over their projects, while being available for guidance. Regular feedback sessions help identify growth areas, and I emphasise the importance of professional development through training and mentorship. Additionally, creating a supportive environment where team members can collaborate, and exchange ideas freely promotes a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Celebrating successes, both big and small, also helps in keeping the team motivated and engaged.

Are the effects of AI on the legal world overplayed, or underplayed?

There is a clear two-fold answer to this question, and it weighs quite equally on both sides. The use of AI in legal industry is both overplayed and underplayed depending on perspective and use case scenario. It is a clearly overplayed concept when it comes to the idea of complete replacement of lawyers and automation of overall legal framework. There’s a clear tendency to overestimate AI’s ability to replace complex legal tasks like litigation strategy, nuanced contract negotiation, or courtroom advocacy. While AI can handle routine and repetitive tasks, the idea that it will fully replace human lawyers is overplayed. Legal practice often requires deep interpretation of laws, emotional intelligence, and personalised client engagement, which AI is far from mastering.

On the other hand, the role of AI is being underplayed in terms of use of the existing tech for efficiency and cost reductions in terms of data management, document review, predictive analysis and extensive legal research amongst other things.

While AI won’t replace lawyers, it will surely help augment their capabilities by handling routine, data-intensive tasks and improving efficiency. The transformational potential of AI in law is real, but its current and immediate future effects are likely more about improving the tools lawyers use rather than replacing the lawyers themselves. Therefore, AI’s impact is both overplayed in terms of full automation and underplayed in its potential to transform the day-to-day operations of law firms and in-house legal teams.

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