Being A Great Lawyer Is Not About Being Argumentative: Bharat Chugh

Astute lawyer Bharat Chugh has completed 10 years in the legal profession (both as a lawyer and as a Judge). An inspiration and guiding light to many aspiring and young lawyers, Bharat has received unparalleled admiration and praise from his peers and seniors in the profession. 

Although Bharat grew up with the sounds of law around him, his childhood and teenage years were riddled with personal and financial challenges.

When his classmates were learning the first principles of science and mathematics, he was handling his father’s law practise from a small seat, near State Bank of India, right below Tis Hazari Old Nazareth Branch, under the stairs. However nothing deterred him. From doing odd jobs to earn that extra buck to becoming a Judge at the age of 23, Bharat’s career has been nothing short of exemplary.

In 2016, Bharat returned to law practice and served as a partner at L&L Partners until deciding to start his own law practice as an Independent Counsel with the launch of his firm, the Chambers of Bharat Chugh.

By his own admission, witnessing personal setbacks early on in his life gave him fortitude and a ‘I can deal with whatever life throws at me’ sort of an attitude. 

In hindsight the exposure to strong work ethic and law, at a very early age paid disproportionate dividends for him. Encapsulating the invaluable learnings from the treasure trove of his multifaceted experiences, Bharat shared his top 10 musings on completing 10 golden years in the legal profession on his Twitter handle.

From Art of Advocacy, the skill of cross examination and impactful legal writing, BW Legal World's 40u40 awardee, Bharat shares some unmissable nuggets of experiential wisdom. Read on...

Just reading the brief is not enough. YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE BRIEF. Visualise. Anticipate. Law and legal strategy is all about that. An ideal preparation is the one in which there are no surprises for you, and nothing can unhinge you - while you’re there in the Court.

It’s much more than the case file. When you argue a case, you bring to the table your lived experiences, understanding of life, economics, policy, sciences, and - most importantly, human beings. But then all of this comes with age, right? Well, the answer is NOT NECESSARILY!

Read. Live vicariously. By reading you can lead multiple lives within the short span of your own life. Stand on the shoulders of giants by conversing with the best minds in history, through books/podcasts. Learn from their mistakes and triumphs. All of that helps you in law.

Master the Art of Storytelling. Lawyers, through stories, communicate narratives, thoughts and ideas. There's nothing that appeals or persuades as well as a nicely woven story. Remember, on an evolutionary level, we are hard wired to respond favourable to "Once upon a time.."

Lead a more examined life. Observe keenly. Listen carefully. Be aware. A lot of learning in law happens through osmosis. Also, never be in a state of willing-suspension-of-disbelief. Be a skeptic (but not a cynic!). This dialectic process or socractic method makes you better

If you can’t explain a legal concept or a case to your 14 year old niece, you haven’t understood it well enough. Most judges would be hard pressed for time and would have too much to think about. They'd want it plain and simple. AND AS AN ELEVATOR PITCH! 

On impactful writing: If you can't SAY IT OUT ALOUD TO A NON-LAWYER FRIEND, without that friend breaking up with you, don't write it! Write simply. There's great beauty in simplicity. When writing, remember, Judges, your readers, seniors, all have limited attention spans & limited time.

Develop range. Be a multidisciplinary thinker. Experience life & law in its infinite variety and diversity. As in life, in law - everything is interconnected. As someone wise said, specialisation is for insects. Don’t dig too deep into the trench of specialisation. Have range.

Being a great lawyer is not about being argumentative. The best kind of fighting is ‘fighting without fighting’ as Bruce Lee puts it. Learn first : WHAT NOT TO SAY. Strategic silences. Observe mistakes made by other counsel (Watch, for instance, Gujarat HC's YouTube channel)

Prepare. Prepare. Prepare! How good you are as a lawyer depends on how much you read and prepared the day/night immediately before the matter. Each court performance is an opportunity! Take it seriously. Also, you are as good as your last performance in Court.