Growing up, Growing up, iit was frequently assumed that I would follow in my father’s footsteps. \He is one of Mumbai’s most eminent Senior Tax Counsel and as a result, the law was a prominent part of my everyday conversation and life. and as a result, the law was a prominent part of my everyday conversation and life.
But a rebellious teenager, I had different plans and it turned out my father’s profession was more of a deterrent to me pursuing a legal career than an encouragement. I was convinced I would choose something different, and wanted to establish myself as an entrepreneur. Ironically, all this changed on during my first, and slightly begrudged visit to the High Court, with my father…
He was arguing a case for a couple being charged with tax evasion owing to their extremely valuable art collection. His juniors had met with an accident and were unable to attend Court. In an effort to get me to test the waters, I was drafted in with minimal instruction and was told to assist the other associates as best I could. I began accompanying my father to all conferences and hearings in this matter, discussing the nuances of the matter and studying the Income Tax Act. I was taken in by the manner in which the two sides emphasized vastly varied interpretations of the same legal provisions in support of their case. In no time, I was following propositions and looking for precedent in support of our arguments.
What I quickly discovered is that the dynamics of this world, the cut-and-thrust of being before a judge, the infinite variety and inexplicable nature of human conduct and failings intrigued me. I wanted to be the person who would explain, justify and present any action/event to the world as legitimate and proper. I wanted to be a lawyer! My passion for the subject was more deep-rooted than I realised and it has only strengthened with time. (It probably helped that we ended up on the winning side of that case!)
My undergraduate years were spent reading for a Natural Sciences degree at University College London (UCL), an institution that encouraged me to explore various interests and acquire a wide range of skills. The degree provided an ideal platform for a successful progression to a legal career. Being a Mathematics and Statistics major has taught me to put forward concise, well-reasoned and evidence-based solutions to issues at hand and to write detailed and factually accurate reports on matters. My final year literature review has taught me to get through voluminous amounts of literature and quickly extract therefrom what is relevant and persuasive in order to get my point across.
Beyond the classroom, I complemented my learning through a variety of extracurricular activities. Being an active member of the debating chapter of the Economics and Finance society at my college gave me an opportunity to develop skills such as case analysis, development of coherent arguments and preparing strategy for presentation and deliberation. I was also elected to be a part of the executive committee for a society called Population Matters – the student run arm of the certified charity in London. Herein, we focused on raising awareness and combatting the issue of sustainability within the human population.
This position gave me another opportunity to engage in interesting debate, delegate responsibilities and translate my ideas into actions. Representing my university on the UCL Women’s football team not only gave me a great sense of belonging, allowing me to continue practising a sport that I have been competing in since the age of 12 but also instilled in me an understanding of discipline and team work.
My first structured, professional engagement with the legal system was working as an Intern in Counsel’s My first structured, professional engagement with the legal system was working as an Intern in Counsel’s chambers in the High Court of Mumbai and in the Supreme Court of India. I pursued this position during my 3rd year at UCL – while on summer break. Through this, I developed an understanding of tax laws and regulatory frameworks through analysis of cases and reading briefs for both litigation and opinion work.
I learned how to draft pleadings and petitions to Courts and how to ask pertinent questions in order to gain as much relevant and required information as possible from a client. I became acquainted with concepts such as rights in rem and personam, jurisprudence, due process and the principles of judicial review. Three months working was invaluable inasmuch as it helped me acquire an understanding of the law, equity & justice and how the courts were designed to secure it.
After graduating from UCL, I earned myself a position as a Paralegal with Jethmalani and Nallaseth PLLC, a New York headquartered Immigration law firm. I have conducted research on the citizenship acts in India, Canada and the United States and have applied those laws in complex cases on acquisition of citizenship and immigration rights.
I am learning how to quickly grasp the case in hand, study the laws surrounding it, and come up with a well-considered application of the law to the matter. Preparing petitions for filing with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service has helped me to develop the ability to review lengthy contracts, summarise key clauses, draft detailed and persuasive letters in support of my petitions, and convey complex information in succinct and technical language.
In the early fall of 2017, I visited a number of my friends spread across colleges in the United States. This first hand prolonged exposure to university life in the US was exciting and left me wanting to experience it myself. Besides being one of the best law schools in the country, what attracts me most to Georgetown Law is its focus on experiential learning, specifically, its Civil Litigation and Juvenile Justice clinics. The opportunity to get some hands-on training in case litigation and develop valuable skills under faculty supervision will be unmatched.
Your pro-bono and community service scheme, practicums and law journal make your program unique and exciting, as do classes like Corporate Finance, Corporate Law and Securities Regulation, and the tutelage of professors such as Daniel Tarullo and Anupam Chander. I am hoping for a chance to chat with Miss Rosa Brooks about her book, ‘Tales from the Pentagon.’ I keenly look forward to three years of student life in the United States with the certainty that it will mould and prepare me in the best possible manner for a successful career in the law.
In the early fall of 2017, I visited a number of my friends spread across colleges in the United States. This first hand prolonged exposure to university life in the US was exciting and left me wanting to experience it myself. Besides being one of the best law schools in the country, what attracts me most to Georgetown Law is its clinical experiential program. Not only will it be a fantastic opportunity for me to gain first-hand access to the tactical dimensions of the profession, but the evaluations I receive from the clinical faculty will help me acquire valuable legal skills that I may not have as much access to in a classroom setting.
Your pro-bono and community service scheme, practicums and law journal make your program unique and exciting, as do classes like Corporate Finance, Corporate Law and Securities Regulation and the tutelage of professors such as Mark Tushnet and Rosa Brooks. I keenly look forward to three years of student life in the United States with the certainty that it will mould and prepare me in the best possible manner for a successful career in the law.
Speaking candidly, My my enthusiasm for the law comes with the idea that in our sSociety, amongst the most potent tools available to achieve any change and/or desired end is legislation and its implementation in both letter and spirit. At the same time, clearly existing laws shape governance, foreign policy and conflict resolution. I find it amazing inspiring that the law is pivotal on at both ends of the spectrum: , the traditional as well as and the revolutionary.!
I witnessed this transformational pivotal structure first-handability of the law while working in the chambers of Senior Counsel in the Supreme Court of India when I assisted . Aa lawyer was who was working alongside the judiciary to bring about a change in the laws concerning corporate ownership rights. I think everybody in that courtroom was for the change, but the matter was so difficult to secure because the lawyers and the judges had to account for years of We had to create a legal solution that was at once, relevant to 21st century business frameworks and yet, mindful of historical, legal precedent.
Now, I’d like want to combine my passion for the law with my natural inclination for business to build a successful legal practice and career. Throughout the world, the age of laissez faire in business is now being regulated. and tThe corporate world is headed to an era of unprecedented change in the way it must co-exist with the environment, with social justice, equal opportunity, and the division of profits to the providers of capital, labour and intellectual skills.
The manner of framing laws and their implementation will have a huge role to play in uncharted territory and companies will have to adapt. I am challenged by the forces driving mergers and acquisitions, restructuring of corporate entities, and hiving-off of unprofitable sections of organisations. My aim is to establish myself as a distinguished corporate lawyer before one day starting my own all-services law firm. I have no doubt that a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown will be a crucial and enormously game-changing helpful stepping stonestep in towards realising that dream.
