Career in Leading Law Firms: Interview of Ms. Deeksha Malik (Associate, Khaitan&Co.)

1) Ma'am, please introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an Associate working with the Employment Labour and Benefits team at Khaitan & Co. As such, I do a lot of advisory work for clients on matters relating to employee benefits and entitlements, working conditions, social security, workforce restructuring, employee misconduct including workplace harassment, employee stock options etc. I am also the Founder-Editor at The Indian Review of Corporate and Commercial Laws (IRCCL), a blog that I started with a friend and batchmate from law school to publish articles authored by law students in the area of corporate law and other related subject areas.

2) Please tell us about your law school experience.

I graduated from National Law Institute University, Bhopal (NLIU). Life at NLIU has been amazing, the one to be cherished forever. My batch, in particular, was one of the most popular ones then, since several of us used to participate in a wide range of activities such as mooting, writing, debating, and client counselling. I feel fortunate to have been part of the Batch of 2018, as it constantly kept me motivated and grounded.

3) What piece of advice would you give as a person who have written and published several research papers to law students who have just put their foot in law college and have an interest in the research arena? How to deal with general issues whilst writing research paper like how to go about it, choosing a topic that grasp the viewers attention, how to garner relevant information pertaining to the topic and how to make the content different from what's already out there?

The only advice I would give to students in terms of writing relevant articles and research papers is to constantly keep looking around. For example, as a law student, I used to constantly visit the publications section of the websites of different law firms to understand what is going on in my areas of interest. I used to also subscribe to platforms such as ET Prime which publish analytical pieces on recent developments. From there, I used to shortlist topics, see the kind of work already done on the same, and then take a call on which topic I should write on.

One of the most important ways in which you can ensure that your piece is different from those of others is to read as many published pieces on the topic as is possible. That way, you would start understanding a pattern of thinking adopted by authors on the subject and the gaps in their analysis. It is those gaps that you would then consider exploring further. These days, I feel many students do not invest the required amount of time in this exercise. They just see the topics being talked about the most and jump on the bandwagon. What happens then is that your expression of an idea is only as good as that of the other. There is little value addition you would do in the process. At IRCCL, I give this feedback to many authors whose pieces are not accepted. Some of them have indeed paid heed to my advice and thought through.

4)You have completed diploma course on Entrepreneurship Administration and Business Law from West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences. How beneficial was that course for you and does one who have taken up this diploma course have an edge over those who haven't?

The diploma course was good, as it helped me understand the basics of corporate law. However, it is not a must have. I think much of what was taught in that course can be easily gathered through constant reading over a period of time, and so it is better to not spend a significant amount of money on such courses. This, of course, is my personal opinion.

5) You completed your graduation in 2018 and in the very same year you get placed into one of the most reputed law firm Khaitan &Co as an Associate. Please tell us what leading law firms look for while hiring an associate.

It really depends on the stage you are looking at. If you are a law student sitting for placements or a PPO interview, you should know that recruiters would evaluate how confident you are about yourself and how passionate you are about your areas of interest. They know that they cannot expect you to have practical knowledge about the subject in question, but they would like to see how much you have tried to do things differently from others.

6) What are the things which a law student should do, if he/she wants to get placed into reputed law firm after college?

I think it is very important to identify one or more interest areas and actively work towards them. Of course, life is uncertain and you do not know if you would actually end up working in one of those areas (I had never imagined I would work on employment laws!), but what I am suggesting here is a focused approach to things. If your resume indicates a sense of direction, it is a delight for recruiters. For instance, back in law school, I was interested in insolvency law. I participated in a moot court competition on that subject, wrote articles on emerging issues therein, and interned with an insolvency law team. It just goes to show that you have not just touched upon something you say you like, but you have actually channeled your efforts towards the same.

7) 5 year law schools are a complete package with many varied experiences and a lot of things to explore. What according to you is better way to go about, grabbing every opportunity that comes your way and see what you can make out of those 5 years or to have figured out in advance your goal and then move in that particular direction.

I think we are too hard on ourselves as law students. We must realise that it is an undergraduate programme which we have enrolled in right after high school. It is extremely difficult to have everything figured out in advance. In my case, I heard a lot of perspectives from both current students in senior batches and those who had graduated, so that I get a complete picture of the priorities one sets in law school and the things that really matter once you graduate. I was told by my seniors in law school that mooting is like the be-all-end-all thing to make it big, but those who had graduated told me otherwise. It is then that I started making plans and zeroing in on the activities I should explore in law school. That is why you would see that my resume has more publications than mooting endeavors. To sum up, do not prevent yourself from trying different things but have a clear mind to understand what is required to be prioritized.

8) Mooting, Debating and Internships. How essential these skills are as a lawyer and the importance they hold to pave your way into big reputed law firms?

Mooting is a great way of looking at different sides to the same issue. It helps one develop their analytical skills. However, it is not as important as the hype around it that exists in law schools. I think that if you want to make a career in a law firm, you should have a good internship experience to generally understand the culture and style of working. It is also important to explore writing opportunities in law school and hone your legal drafting skills.

9) People do self negotiations while opting for a particular career path. If one is saying yes to the comforts and respects of judiciary then at the same time they are saying no to the lavish corporate lifestyle and vice versa. What as per you are the relevant factors a law student should consider before deciding what they should do after completing their graduation?

My personal view is that in the initial years, more than comfort, one should look for opportunities that would provide them with immense exposure to their area of interest. Law firms, with their difficult work life, do provide that opportunity, and if not the destination, they can definitely be the means to an end. The same applies to litigation as well. As for judiciary and academia, I would say that instead of going directly for these opportunities, one should gain some amount of practical experience that would help them gain diverse perspectives. That said, there is no single strategy here.

10) Thank you so much mam for talking with us, please end it with an adage which will motivate our readers in pursuing the legal profession.

I would sign off with only two suggestions. Develop a habit of reading. And contrary to what people think about lawyers, be a good listener. It works wonders in least expected ways.