1) Ma'am, please introduce yourself to our readers.
I am Yoothica Pallavi. I am an Advocate on Record in Supreme Court of India and have been practicing in Delhi for the last seven years.
2) Please tell us about your law school career.
Law was never a career option in my mind until I appeared for CLAT in 2008 on my father’s insistence. I joined CNLU Patna. Those 5 years are the best period of my life, I say the Golden period of my life. Since ours was the third batch, we got ample of opportunities to represent our university in nationals in almost all the activities.I loved debating and was an active member of the debating society.I and my team also won a national parliamentary debating competition organised by RMLNLU, Lucknow in my third year.
Right from being a volunteer in the first national parliamentary debating competition organized by our college, to becoming a core member of the organizing committee in the 4th one,my love for parliamentary debating and adjudication kept growing...apart from debating I made sure I participate in at-least one national moot court competition annually. As I said we were the third batch and we were loaded with opportunities, I also got to begin my mooting career from the very first semester in college. Mooting and debating really helped me to build confidence and they still aid in my current learning. Apart from all this, I was also a dancer and actively participated in extra-curricular activities in all my college years.
3)From completing your graduation in 2013 to becoming an Advocate-on-Record of Supreme Court of India is a big success.
Please enlighten us about this journey of yours ?
Ever since I was studying law in college, I wanted to pursue litigation. There was never a second thought about it. So Immediately after I passed out of college in 2013 and before I got myself enrolled as an advocate, I commenced practicing under then Advocate Ms. Mini Pushkarna. Few days ago she has become Judge of High Court of Delhi. She was the then Standing Counsel of all three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (South, North and East) in Delhi High Court. I worked with her for Three years. All these years high Court became my second home, rather first…from 10 in the morning till 8 in the night.
I believe a lawyer begins his journey by being a clerk. It is imperative for a lawyer to understand all the court work as filing,listing, inspecting a file,applying for certified copies, getting the relevant documents on Record and other nitty gritty. It takes immense amount of hard work for getting a case file reach to the dais of a Judge. Therefore, a lawyer must learn to be a clerk first and an advocate later.
In the First year of my career I worked as a clerk and I say it with pride because few years later when I became an independent practitioner, I was thankful to my seniors and the clerks I worked with and got to learn from. I had terrific and unforgettable experience in those three years.I got plethora of opportunities to argue in court. I remember my very first experience when I couldn't utter a word despite being so active in debating and mooting for last five years. I got imposed a cost of Rs. 5000 due to one day delay in filing the counter affidavit (reply to the petition). Thankfully my senior also could not get the order reviewed and that saved me from getting scolded. Office clerk was very disappointed with me. Thankfully ,it became an anecdote I always laughed upon and moved on. There are many such incidents, getting Judges’ scolding to being given opportunities for arguing the case.All these were tremendous experiences. I still miss those initial years of my profession.
Thereafter, I went on to join a law firm Juris peritus Law Offices. Here I got the opportunity of learning district court trials. Once u master trials, u become a true lawyer.I still have a long way to go. Apart from district courts, I got the opportunity of appearing and arguing in my dream court i.e. Supreme Court of India. I always dreamt and still do of being a supreme court lawyer. I would say that's my ultimate goal and I still haven't reached there. After four years of experience in almost all the Courts and tribunals across Delhi, I decided to become an independent lawyer and that is when the real struggle began. While struggling with my independent practice, I appeared and qualified to be an AOR.
4)Please tell us something about Supreme Court's advocate-on-record exam and how one is required to prepare for that .
What lies ahead for Supreme Court's Advocate on Record ?
Well this exam is considered to be a difficult one, but I will say one month is sufficient to prepare for the exam. One needs to be well versed with the basic practice etiquettes of the Supreme Court of India. As I mentioned before the importance of being a clerk before becoming a lawyer, this exam is a perfect example for that. Apart from reading judgments, various jurisdictions of the supreme court, professional ethics etc., it is equally essential to have knowledge of the filing procedure of the Supreme Court, as laid down in the Supreme Court Rules. Being an AOR helps you establish your practice in Supreme Court of India since you are authorized to file cases in the Supreme Court.
5) Please tell us about your internship experiences and what type of internships one is required to do if he/she wants to excel in litigation ?
Internships I believe are an opportunity of learning office culture while still being a student. First few internships are generally spent sitting in the court canteen but if you know that you have to work in a law firm after college, then one should better try and take internships in a firm. If u want to join litigation then you should prefer interning with the practicing lawyers only. My first internship was in HRLN Delhi, then in my second year I worked with a lawyer in Patiala House District Courts. Here I would say I got to learn a bit. Once a very big lunch party after getting a divorce decree also left me amazed but later when I got to deal with a divorce case I understood the reason. After this, I did my internships with D M Harish Mumbai, followed by then ASG Ms. Indira Jaising and Senior Advocate C S Vaidyanathan. In my final year, I also did a short internship with a public prosecutor in Karkardooma district court, where I got an idea of how trial takes place and then I decided I don't want to practice criminal law. It was followed by an internship with a lawyer in Delhi High Court when I decided to start practicing there before moving to Supreme Court. I did my maximum internships in court as I always knew I had to pursue litigation. Therefore, I will suggest not to be a chooser in terms of internship in the initial 2-3 years. Atleast before you decide what you have to pursue after college. After making up your mind chose your internships accordingly.
6. How significant are moots for a law student who wants to step in the field of litigation and how different moots are from actual court room practices ?
As I said moots helped me to build up my confidence level. Moots also nourish your research skills as you have to read a lot in order to crack the problem. A moot has got it all...so it is always important to participate in moots for enhanced speaking , researching and drafting skills. But I feel that moots have no comparison with the real court experiences as both are very different. Moot is a fiction and court is a reality. U have the real client with a real problem to deal with and stand before the real judge which makes it all.
7) What are the things which are required to excel in the career as a lawyer in India ?
I don't think I am a better person to answer as I still have not excelled as a lawyer. Yes, but since I am also striving hard to be there I can give few suggestions. My first boss always told a lawyer should have an eye for detail. Nothing should be missed out once a lawyer goes through a document. She/He should always be alert in court and always be updated with the recent judgments, laws and amendments.
8) What are the major things which one learn in law school which helps him/her in professional career?
Law school is totally different from profession. And you realise this once you enter the profession. It has other aspects as well. As a student we develop our aptitude in law school. We learn legal application of mind. There is nothing specific to be said as I personally know many lawyers who were not active in debating or mooting but they are doing quite well in their careers today. So according to me it varies for every student. For instance, in my case mooting helped me develop legal research skills and it has definitely been a great help in my profession.
9) What are your advices for the law students across India ?
Enjoy this period. This time will never come back.Once you are out of the law school, you wish to have a time machine for going back to those days. Enjoy mooting, enjoy debating, participate in as much extra-curricular activities and also try to maintain basic grades. This is what I believe. It's ok to be unsure of what do you want to do post law school. There are ample of career opportunities waiting for you in legal profession. It is also completely alright to keep trying different career options in Law in the initial 2-3 years after college, before you zero in on one option. Till then, enjoy every bit of the law school. That's what I did.
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