Briefly, tell us about your role in the organization and the mandates you handle?

Being the Group General Counsel, my role encompass a wide range of legal support. The legal team supports all kinds of commercial contract drafting and advises on capital market issues, labour issues, regulatory matters, funding aspects and various cross border transactions. Apart from that, the team also handles compliance and litigation both in India and USA. The legal role encompass inputs on government policy making as well.

Tell us something about your journey so far as a General Counsel in India?

It has been a tremendous learning experience so far. Working in different industries has helped hone my skills. One gets to understand various businesses when you work in different sectors. For example my experience ranges from, real estate, telecom, IT & ITES, private equity and manufacturing. India’s corporate sector has grown and this has definitely helped enhance my legal experience.

Do you feel that the role of General Counsels is evolving in today’s business scenario? And if so, how?

The role of a GC has become very dynamic given the change in the Indian economy as well as growth in business. We have to be prepared to move from being just a typical “legal advisor” to the role of a “trusted advisor”. Corporate houses require out of the box and creative thinking to help clear hurdles and to further business growth. Until some years ago a GC’s role was centered around drafting and negotiating contracts. Now, it goes beyond the boundaries of pureplay law to a trusted role right up to the boardroom level. Proactiveness and risk mitigation are the key ingredients to becoming a successful GC.

What are the key challenges that General Counsels have to deal with on a regular basis, irrespective of the industry sector?

Managing an in house legal department and retaining good talent are some of the challenges. To top it all, a GC has to have the ability and knowledge to juggle between various matters in various jurisdictions. Be it a class action suit in the US or some other litigation or arbitration in India. External counsels do depend on in house counsels to brief them well with bolstered arguments and facts. Gone are the days when situations could be handled merely by seeking external counsel advice. External counsel spend is another factor which needs to be contained. These challenges and requirements are regardless of any industry which one caters to.

What are your thoughts on improving synergies between law firms and corporate in-house legal teams?

Dependency on law firms is limited if one has a good in house legal team. To counter that aspect, law firms have to provide top notch deliverables without which there is a likelyhood that they will not be sought after for specialist legal advice. The only way is for law firms to provide very sound and quick legal advice at reasonable costs.

What are some of the key tools that General Counsels can use for continued learning education (CLE)?

Published articles, newsletters by law firms and constant networking keeps me on top of the game.

Any advice for someone exploring a legal career as an in-house counsel?

Attitude is paramount. Have an open minded approach to work and a keen eye for detail. Study and get to know the business and you will surely make it to the top of the corporate ladder.