In Conversation with Harsh Walia, Partner, Khaitan & Co

Harsh, would you please tell us where did this illustrious journey begin and at what age did you decide to study law. Please walk us through your early years of education and the decision of becoming a lawyer. 

The journey to becoming a lawyer began right after my board exams. Although, I did not have anyone in my family practising law, but we had relatives and my father had friends who were lawyers. I had always seen them in public life and the respect they command in society. I also used to read biographies of eminent leaders and found most of them were lawyers. I understood very early that this is a profession which is evergreen and is also respected. So, there was a desire to become a lawyer, but when I completed my +2 exams, I gave it a more serious thought and enrolled myself in a law college.    

Who have been your guiding North Stars and the biggest inspiration in this journey? 

I am very fortunate to have benefitted from extremely talented seniors. I am grateful to Mr Avik Saha for his valuable lessons on drafting skills for a lawyer, Mr Evangelos Apostolou for making me understand what it means to pay attention to detail in anything you do, Ms Archana Sasan for teaching me discipline and importance of timeliness in everything one does and Mr Asim Abbas for how honesty and hard work pays in the long term. My parents are my biggest inspiration and I learnt perseverance from them as nothing comes on a platter.  

Would you please tell us more about the array of work you handle at your firm? 

I look after Telecom, Media and Technology (TMT) matters in the firm. The nest decade will be digital decade and will impact everyone’s life. It is very interesting to work on new technology and how the current regulations need to be interpreted to find answers to the queries raised by the clients. Usually regulations lag advancements in technology and it is pretty fascinating to work in this area of law as there is a techlash that is taking place in India now.     

Would you please summarily tell us the current status of the sectors of the economy you work in, the roadblocks in our path and the way forward? 

The current status of the economy is not rosy in any sector. In my view, tech sector will immensely help in revival of the economy. The biggest roadblock is that we think tech will take away millions of jobs in the future. If we look back, when the IT revolution came, it did take away jobs, but it also helped those who sailed along to get new job opportunities. Millions of jobs were created when computers became popular. Similarly, new skill sets will be required as digitalization and AI will change the world and take up many jobs. Those who will keep up with the time will be benefitted from it while those who will not upgrade themselves, will be left behind. So, the way forward is to be agile and keep on upgrading yourself with new skill sets. 

What in your opinion has been the biggest change or challenge looming over the legal landscape of India amid COVID-19?  

The most impacted area has been litigation practice as courts are not working in full strength. However, with digitalization a new possibility of virtual hearing has also seen the light of day. It can help immensely in future if properly explored. It is a befitting response to the lack of infrastructure and transportation in our country. 

What can law firms do today to ensure they survive in an era of disruption? How is your firm staying futuristic? 

Khaitan & Co has undertaken many steps to stay ahead and use technology to stay ahead in the curve. We extensively use secured cloud infrastructure to ensure high grade services for all our IT requirements. Knowledge management and time keeping have also been digitalized with various features that ensures minimum time is spent on repeat tasks which goes a long way in improving our productivity.  

Other than work, what else keeps you busy? Would you please share your other interests and hobbies with our readers? 

Playing table tennis and chess are some of the other areas I enjoy. Reading of course is routine now. Travelling to new places is a hobby, but has been restricted lately due to pandemic concerns. 

Many Congratulations on joining the BW Legal World Elite 40 Under 40 Club of Achievers 2020. What to your mind has helped you get to where you are and what advice would you have for others who want to set off in a similar direction? 

Thank you and it is an achievement to win this coveted award. I would say it is a confluence of luck and opportunity that I am here. Opportunity can only be explored if one has the right attitude, frame of mind accompanied with hard work for which there is no substitute. I would advise, perseverance as most important virtue for success. 

What’s the secret sauce to becoming a good lawyer? How can a lawyer from a non-ivy -league college tip the balance of success in his/her favour. 

There is no fixed formulae for it. I would say it is a mix of many qualities but most important is to remain honest to the profession and be passionate in whatever goals one sets in life. The college I would say only helps to a certain extent, but a career will have many stepping - stones and college is one of them.   

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our lawyers of the future, any golden piece of advice from the treasure trove of your experiences in the industry? 

This is one advice I read in a book that stuck to me i.e. “if you over-celebrate the wins, you will have to over-mourn the losses”. So be humane and humble always.  

As a final note, would you please recommend to our readers your favourite book or movie/series that left a lasting impression on you? 

My favourite book is Tools and Weapons: The promise and the peril of the digital age by Brad Smith. It is a book that I will recommend every lawyer or person interested in tech to read. It was an eye opener for me.

*The interview was published in October 2020.

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