Currently, I am heading the legal department at Panasonic India. Before, I divulge into elucidating about my role let me give you a brief background. Panasonic besides being a consumer appliances and electronics manufacturing company is also in the business of automotive systems, devices, B2B solutions as well as housing. Furthermore, Panasonic Corporation in the recent past designated India as regional hub to drive growth and build deeper inroads into the fast emerging Asiatic, Middle Eastern and Western economies. My role here from the legal department’s perspective is a shared responsibility i.e., not just for the company’s legal matters but for its position on ethics, reputation, public policy, compliances, communications, corporate citizenship, country as well as geopolitical trends.
After graduating in Law from CLC, I started my career at district courts in Delhi and worked in the offices of the esteemed and admirable civil as well as criminal trial court lawyers where I became more familiar with the fundamentals of litigation. After a few years, I concurrently started assisting a High Court Lawyer (presently sitting judge of Delhi High Court). In those days, opportunities for lawyers were not of the same breadth and order as they are today and lawyers were constantly on the lookout to start their independent practice. Consequently, I started my independent practice and subsequently formed an association/partnership with a friend. As luck would have it I got in to the panels of various banks, PSUs and few corporate houses however, the same did not translate into huge inflow of work as I expected. I believe that a successful lawyer’s practice is akin to an entrepreneurial venture, which requires a far more diverse skill-set that than a traditional lawyer may possess. A successful lawyer must not merely possess a law degree, knowledge and experience in advising, drafting and arguing but something extra such as business development, client management as well as knowledge management. I joined Bharti Airtel in 2008 and worked in the Group till 2014. The seven years stint at Bharti as a member of the head office legal team was extremely fulfilling as it offered an immense opportunity of honing my legal, regulatory as well a managerial skill. I was fortunate at being awarded with opportunities to work in various roles and profiles. From 20011 to 2014, I was heading the legal for Airtel digital TV services besides assisting in the group regulatory litigation.
I joined Panasonic India in 2014 as head legal with my primary role as overseeing and identifying the legal issues in all departments and their interrelations in all the fields which includes engineering, marketing, HR, as well as corporate governance and business policies. My journey so far has been a very exciting with Panasonic as I have learnt a lot and continue to learn each day. I have developed much strength while coping with my weakness too.
I believe that in today’s heavily regulated as well as litigious world, the manner in which the corporations deal with legal issues is extremely critical for their success. As a result, the role of a General Counsel (GC) or, a legal head has transformed much beyond the conventional role. The GC is uniquely positioned to champion the transformation of the organizational culture to deal with law and regulation. General Counsel’s role has evolved from a lawyer that understands the business to that of a business person that happens to be a lawyer. For instance, at Panasonic my role goes beyond legal advisory to actively participating in strategic business decisions thus, providing a holistic opinion for the business.
A GC is part of the senior management or, the executive management who are usually the decision makers for an organization. Therefore the biggest challenge for a GC besides heading the legal function is also required to contribute in decision making for helping the organization to achieve its targets. Furthermore, a General Counsel’s responsibility is to manage legal issues in an ever-increasing regulatory environment while at the same time keeping a check on the costs.
We believe law firms and corporate inhouse legal teams go hand-in-hand. In my opinion, law firms should offer value added services which go beyond the conventional legal advises. For example – trainings, special events, secondments and online knowledge as well as collaboration tools. Such services would go a long way to supplement the in-house team’s expertise and thereby, increasing their efficiency. These services act as enablers helping to elevate the business relationship.
The penetration of internet and smartphones has opened new avenues for GCs thus offering an easy access to a bountiful of knowledge. Additionally subscribing renowned law journals, enrolling for executive learning programs, attending seminars, workshops & conferences can further aid in exploring new learnings. Today, one has access to a lot of opportunities available provided we remain inquisitive and a law student at heart. At Panasonic, we ensure that everyone is subscribed to at least two of these learning channels to keep themselves abreast about the happenings in the ecosystem.
Young lawyer aspiring to enter corporate legal departments must focus primarily on improving their domain knowledge. For college students, internships are a great way to experience the above focus areas while not dealing with the pressures an inhouse counsel would ordinarily face. At internships the students must identify a mentor and look up to this mentor to guide and instill the above mentioned characteristics. I have also experienced that most interns go through their internship being reactive rather than proactive, while I think that latter will reap more rewards for the student in the long term.
Favourite Gadget – The only gadget I use is a smartphone (presently using Panasonic Eluga Note) though I have an enviable watch collection.
Favourite App – NASA and Skyview
Favourite Automobile Brand – Porsche
Favourite Writing Instrument – Mont Blanc
Favourite Holiday Destination – London
Favourite Cuisine – Italian
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