Briefly share with us the legacy behind the firm’s standing today

While I started my practice in the arena of Law in the year 1992, it was only after a lot of thoughtful planning, I laid the foundation of Maheshwari & Co. in the year 2004. I always believed that in all circumstances, a team of people under able leadership can achieve the goals in a more realistic manner with less of personal hindrances. I believe that a strong legacy nurtures the seeds consistently so that the seeds grow up into an evergreen tree in a structured manner which in turn set the organizational targets for future performance. I always believe in setting a clear vision of where the company needs to go and how that larger organizational goal can be split into smaller goals which lead towards the organizational target. The second important thing I believe is having the right key people on my side who are equally concerned of the future goals with their consistent involvement and they are able to explain to their further extended team about the path to be taken. The third is while taking key decisions for the future perspective of the Firm I always believe in taking the decision democratically and making people understand why a decision is taken. I believe that the team action and clarity of goals has led the firm towards the expansion. The team at M&Co. has really worked hard to bring the firm to the level of having PAN India presence and having International Desk of Germany, Czech Republic, Poland and other parts of Europe, to mark the presence in the International Legal Service Sector.

Do you believe more in a family driven law firm path or any other format?

I am a firm believer of efficient productivity and service to clients. I believe in a format where the best minds are filling up the ranks and taking up the task. Whether a family driven law firm or not, my perspective is whether the employment which would be taken up by one of the family members has the required diligence and understanding for taking up the matters which come up to the concerned firm. If not, then it would be better for the person to gain some knowledge and experience and then prospectively consider the option of joining the family law firm. Every firm has several specialized departments and for each such department there is need of specialization, therefore going by the hierarchical approach of subordinates various departments is optimally a very good format for a law firm.

What are your views on the country’s legal and regulatory landscape?

India witnessed a number of significant and substantive changes in the law in the recent past. The changes which are being legislated are due to the dynamics of the evolving interaction of social, political and economic entities with each other. The judiciary as in the Vodafone case of 2012 pointed out the lacunae in the law which were later cemented by the legislation with regard to offshore capital acquisition transactions. There were major changes in various arena of law including the landmark judgement of apex court on Right to Privacy, regulatory steps taken by Reserve Bank of India for management of stressed asset, introduction of GST, amendment bought in by the legislatures in the -extant FDI Policy, labour laws, IP laws, companies Act, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Laws. There has been a lot which has been done to ease the complexities of doing business in India which has improved the ranking of India in terms of ease of doing business; however, there is still too much which is required to be done on the ground level. Consolidation of laws with respect to any industry, clarity with respect to the licenses and permits in initiating any manufacturing unit, expedited disposal of matters with respect to Companies at any judicial level are some of the areas which require urgent attention of the legislatures.

Do you think India will gain from the liberalization of the legal services?

India may gain abundantly from liberalizing the legal services. It is not a point of argument that the demand for Indian legal services in foreign transactions is immense or not. I would like to point out that in the commonwealth countries there is a real-time opportunity for our lawyers and legal practitioners to excel. With a robust economy India is attracting a lot of investment worldwide, and thus this creates the need to allow foreign lawyers to solicit their clients as well as companies incorporated in India. The the two-way exchange will help immensely as there will be a better solicitation and legal advice available.

What are your thoughts on the entrepreneurship/leadership spirits in the legal services sector?

Lawyers are deemed to garner entrepreneurship spirits. Great people from history who shaped our futures—Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Dr. Zakir

Hussain, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela— all were learned in the law. It is not necessary that only people who are learned in the law become entrepreneurs but some of the great men and women from history shared this single attribute of holding a degree in law.

Up to what extent can technology enable lawyers in their profession?

Technology can saddle lawyers to success for a long time. As we witness the digitization campaign in full force in India, with the Govt. of India being the frontrunner, we have to accept the fact that being tech-savvy is much likely a boon than a bane. With information soon becoming digitized and being called data we must acknowledge that it will not only be beneficial to the lawyers but also their clients who are much aware of their rights and remedies in comparison to the people from their preceding generations, to clarify the ambiguity involved in the procedural aspects of the law. Automated responses, D.I.Y. forms, digital scanning, electronic evidence, etc. have to go a long way off to shape the infrastructure of the legal sector. The tech-savvy lawyers can reach out to a larger number of people with optimum time management.

What are the various expertise areas that the firm has developed over the years?

The firm was primarily a litigation expertise law firm, being my background in litigation, I have dealt with various cases of important politicians, corporates and appeared for them in various courts in India. However, over the years, the firm has developed a good hold upon the Corporate Law and Intellectual Property Law. With a dedicated team of associates sharing their theoretical and practical know-how in the respective arena, the same has immensely benefitted the firm. The specialization in various fields including Mergers and Acquisitions, Foreign Collaboration, Corporate Restructuring, IP portfolio management, Valuation services, Insolvency, and bankruptcy advisory and commercial litigation and arbitration helped the firm in diversifying in different sectors of law.

Going forward which other practice areas do you plan to build within the firm?

Other practice areas like Sports law and Medical law, would be my idea if I were given the opportunity to build a new area of practice for the firm. Having a pan India presence it is certain that such disputes do arise all over India. With the quality of professionals working with us, it will be an excellent opportunity to upgrade our law firm.

What according to you is a success secret as far as retaining clients in this sector is concerned?

Over the years of our firm’s practice, we have learnt that appreciation of work by the Client and good turnaround time is an essence. The client appreciates having a one-point contact that is available all the time for any urgent issues. We always try our best to attend to the queries of the Client and address the issues at the shortest possible time frame. We are proud of our turnaround time. Secondly, our fee schedule is very competitive. We believe in the quality of service and we feel retaining of Client is more important than anything else. Thirdly a well-given advice from a seasoned expert of the area in which the Client requires assistance is very much appreciated by Clients. The firm always tries to provide the best advice to the client. Above all this, we also stress upon improvising technologically with every upgrade possible. We continuously have training sessions for our team members to keep ourselves updated with the latest laws and technology to remain ahead of others.

Your advice for the NexGen lawyers of the country

My advice for the NexGen lawyers is to become hard working at the same time inculcating habits of creativity for an efficient performance in this sector. Also apart from hard work, a young lawyer should possess interpersonal relationship skills; always keep abreast with the latest laws and updates of current affairs. A dull brain can never germinate geniuses.