In Conversation with Hemant Kumar, Group General Counsel, L&T

Mr Kumar, would you please tell our readers what motivated you to study law? What were the initial formative years of your professional career like?

I come from a family of judges, advocates and corporate counsels. In my childhood, the dining table conversations with my father were often around issues involving the law. My father always said “life is like a combination of lock, only with more numbers. If turned to the right numbers in the right sequence, the lock will open for you". Instead of hoping for a lucky break, as if you were a slot machine, you must instead study seriously and emulate those who have already done what you want to do and achieved the results you want to achieve. He also emphasised you must first become absolutely clear about what you want if you are serious about unlocking the extraordinary power that lies within you. That had a big influence on me and ultimately, I was drawn taking up law as a career.

My early years in the profession as a young advocate were a hard grind. I used to spend around 16 to 18 hours a day in tasks such as drafting pleadings, providing brief notes and background research to senior advocates, etc. As I gained some experience, I was allowed to attend District Court and later the High Court in Patna. One of the highlights of my early career came when I was engaged as a defence lawyer in the famous Bhagalpur blinding case just one year after I started my practice as a lawyer.

It is said that success is easy to achieve but difficult to sustain. What has helped you achieve and sustain success over a long period of time?

In my opinion, there are no short cuts to success. Honest and hard work is the only way to achieve and sustain success. I always take decisions fearlessly and stand up bravely to all pressures and nods and steadfast in holding on to my principles and fearless in my decisions and opinions and also to withstand all pressures and odds and to stand up bravely against all obstacles.

Even today, after nearly four decades in the profession, I try to follow a disciplined approach of keeping myself abreast with the latest developments in legal matters concerning both Indian & foreign laws. I enjoy reading voluminous judgements such as the Ayodhya, Aadhar Card and other similar landmark cases. It does not matter whether those judgements are relevant in my current position as General Counsel. I also make it a point to read foreign judgements and apply their principles in the Indian context through pleadings and arguments before Tribunals and Courts. As my wife Karuna Kumar and son Master Utkarsh are also in the legal profession, they are great strength for me especially sharing latest amendments, case laws etc.

We live in fast-changing times currently, where technology is progressing rapidly and is impacting all aspects of society including business. That makes it imperative for me to constantly update my knowledge on such topics. Again, I am lucky to have daughter Nupur Hemant and son-in-law Satish Gupta who are engineers from premier Indian Engineering colleges who guide me on the application of technology, Digitization etc in my day-to-day profession.

Your legal career has been nothing short of an inspiration for many aspiring and young legal professionals. Who are the mentors you have looked up to and admired? How have they helped you in shaping your career?

My biggest mentor was my father. He was also a judge and taught me the mantras to become a successful legal professional. In addition, my professors who taught me law were also instrumental in my growth. My MoM has always been teaching me the mantra of true human being and disciplined life. I was lucky to have such mentors like my mother, father and my professors. Not everyone has access to such brilliant minds.

Later part of my career is greatly influenced by my wife on many fronts. They have made a great contribution in shaping my personality and have helped me become successful in my profession.

L&T’s in-house team was recognised as the in-house Team of the Year at the inaugural BW Legal World Summit. What in your view has contributed to this accomplishment?\

The biggest contributing factor has been the cohesive approach I adopt in my in-house legal team. We are driven by the unifying vision of adding value to the business and the entire team is singularly focused. I also believe that performing at best requires calmness, clarity and an ability to maintain a certain amount of objectivity about myself and my work. My ability to manage the day-to-day stress of my life is essential to my happiness and success.

I strongly believe that my colleagues and peers in my team are my greatest strength. If they are groomed & nurtured and are aligned with the shared vision, they will become great assets not only for the organization but also for their families and the country. My constant endeavor is to channelize their positive energy to actual productivity.

How did your team at L&T respond to Covid19? What are some of the operational issues in-house legal departments are facing today because of the pandemic? What do in-house legal departments of the future look like? From LMS to document management systems. Is there a tech toolkit every company can adopt?

As the head of the Legal team at Larsen & Toubro, it is my duty to ensure the safety and health of my team. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we maintained daily communication within the team to ensure everyone was following due protocols. Apart from coordinating day-to-day workflow, these daily interactions also helped in sustaining the team morale and motivation during an uncertain phase. At a company level, L&T has ensured that employees feel secured about their present and future prospects, which also had a positive effect on the team. COVID-19 has resulted in high-stake pending litigations and arbitrations not going into the final hearing. Arbitration proceedings have slowed down because of technical glitches and few Arbitrators are not comfortable with virtual hearings. As a result, dependability on in-house counsels have increased a great deal. Going forward, I think there is a bright future for in-house counsels across the world.

Do you still find time for pursuing your hobbies? Would you please recommend any movies or books that had a profound impact on you?

I enjoy listening to old Hindi songs especially by K.L. Sehgal, Hemant Kumar, Mukesh, Geeta Dutt and Lata Mangeshkar.

What to your mind has helped you get to where you are and what advice would you have for others who want to achieve success in the legal profession?

I am a positive thinker and always take decisions based on well thought and proactive approach. My advice to a young professional is to believe in yourself, think positive and follow the principles of honest hard work. In-house counsel especially General Counsel should not work for popularity. They have to earn faith, confidence and acceptability as these things cannot be commanded. Our acceptability in the organisation is ultimately our greatest wealth and we must never forget the same. We should strive to commit a vibrant and independent law department which is required in the current challenging times, Always try to create a climate of optimism, enthusiasm and high moral values with your folks.

I am also a great believer in sharing knowledge with young generations as otherwise, my vast knowledge is like dead knowledge. Hence, I feel strongly about giving back to my profession in whatever way possible for me. Hence, I am associated with a few start-ups and share my knowledge of the law and its applicability in resolving day to day legal problems with young legal professionals who may not have access to adequate resources but have great potential to excel in their life. My dream is to groom every year at least 50 such young budding lawyers and final year law students by master classes on various law topics, enhancing their etiquettes, dressing style & explain its applicability in courtrooms, in corporate as an in house counsel, as judge etc. and also explain them various avenues available to law students and budding advocates as a career.

Please hold tight! BW Legal World is coming up with the inaugural edition of its print magazine. It will feature Mr Hemant Kumar's full interview and much more from the world of law. Stay Tuned!