I am working as Legal Counsel of Zopper.com which is a hyperlocal marketplace. I am single handedly taking care of all the legal issues of the organization i.e. contracts, investments, employee, compliance etc. Since the organization is a start up venture, my focus is to standardize the procedure and processes in line with the business requirements to ensure efficiency and seamless delivery of legal advisory. Working at start up organization is very different than any mature corporate set up. At start-ups, you have to define your role and set your own responsibility in line with the business requirements with ever changing business models and strategy.
I completed my law graduation from NLIU, Bhopal. After law graduation I worked at Hammurabi & Solomon and Universal Legal law firms whereof I got opportunity to work on vide variety of corporate work. My work experience at law firms has enhanced my skills immensely as lawyer. However, while working as corporate counsel, it is imperative that lawyers should understand the commercial implications of their advice and works, and this curiosity made me join Snapdeal as an in-house counsel. At Snapdeal, I got the opportunity to interact with business teams directly which gave me exposure to understand business implications of legal issues. Again, at Zopper I got opportunity to deal with all legal issues single handedly which was a bit challenging initially but with time it made me better professional and developed my ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time.
The role of the General Counsel has evolved significantly. The general counsels are no more considered as mere technician in the law, their role is much more versatile now. In today’s business scenario the counsels are called to participate in strategic meetings and to provide their valuable suggestions, rather than to clean up messes after they occurred.
Possessing the knowledge of law and adhering to time lines is not enough as todays’ scenario demands a General Counsel Plus (GC+) who not only knows law but understand the intricate details about the transaction, idea, business philosophy and to be completely involved in each functioning of the organization.
It is important that the General Counsel gives the right and effective advice to the top management wherein you are required to directly deal with CEO, COO, CFO, CBO, CTO and CMO which would drive the strategy for the company. By right and effective advice means being someone who is not only a good attorney, but also someone who has an appropriate influence on the overall activities of the business of the organization.
The greatest challenge a General Counsel has to face on regular basis is managing legal issues, elevate themselves to become a trusted commercial legal advisor along with educating other teams of the company viz. business teams
With so many areas of concern in so many different legal landscapes—from RBI, Company laws, intellectual property, labor and employment disputes to counterfeiting issues—the breadth of responsibility is extraordinary, and General Counsel must be equipped to respond immediately as no two days are ever the same.
Relationships between external lawyers and in-house counsel are becoming increasingly important. The successful appointment of a panel of preferred legal advisors and the development of close working relationship with those firms can be a significant opportunity for in-house legal teams and can help save both time and money. As in house counsel I would prefer a law firm who will understand the business model of the company and provide advisory work accordingly.
Counsels keep on engaged in short duration courses pertaining to their area of work for further honing their knowledge along with continuous touch with legal updates.
The key skills required to become an in-house counsel is good analytical skills along with good communication and negotiation skills. On one hand the inhouse counsel must be able to adapt communications to the clients (various department of organization i.e. business, finance, human resource etc.) and simplify complex legal matters as necessary and to put in plain words to business teams, the pros and cons of various legal alternatives on the other hand as in-house counsel you must be able to clearly explain and translate business objectives to other legal experts and negotiate in favour of the organization.
At the same time develop other attributes, such as good understanding of the business. The more in-house counsel know or learn about an industry, the better they perform as legal and business advisors; they then can advise a company in the context of the business issue and are not merely dispensing pure legal advice.
Favourite Gadget – Mobile Phone
Favourite App – Quora, many shopping apps
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Favourite Writing Instrument – anyone would do
Favourite Holiday Destination – Goa
Favourite Cuisine – Fusion Food
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