In Conversation with Meghna Mishra, Partner, Karanjawala & Co

Ms Mishra, 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 to becoming a partner in Karanjawala & Co.

While in school I realised that law plays a vital role in fashioning society and decided to pursue this profession. However, being a first-generation lawyer, I wanted to be certain and obtained a college degree first. I completed Philosophy Hons. from Miranda House and thereafter joined the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University in 1996. I started interning in the summer vacation of the second year at an IPR firm-Kumaran & Sagar (now called KNS Partners). I felt like I had been matched to my calling! In order to continue interning, I migrated to LC-II. It was often difficult to juggle my commitments at work and as a student, but I was also able to see the practical application of what was being taught in the classroom.

From 1998 to 2001 I worked with Kumaran & Sagar and then moved on to join my current firm, Karanjawala & Co. The journey at the firm so far has been an enriching one and has given me ample opportunities to showcase my abilities and legal acumen. Even today I am just as passionate about the profession and continue to learn from it each day. When I joined the firm I started practising in the Supreme Court of India and thereafter branched into a few other tribunals and Courts. Around 2006 I moved my focus area of practice to the High Court of Delhi. I was made a Partner in 2012. Unlike some other firms, partners are not made in a routine course on the basis of either seniority or financial targets in our firm. It is rather an amalgamation of many factors that come together before one is made a partner. Apart from factors like years spent in the firm, ability to lead a team etc. there is an added element in our firm that one needs to know every matter that the team may be handling so that one is in a position to jump into a matter at short notice if the need so arises.

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

I have been privileged to have Mr Raian Karanjawala as my mentor for the last nearly 20 years. He has a razor-sharp brain and is an amazing strategist with a heart of gold. He has taught me, by example, to invest in every team member and to value commitment. He has been a pillar of strength in both my professional and personal journey.

Mr Jyoti Sagar and Mr Lakshmi Kumaran, with whom I started my legal journey, continue to inspire me with their dedication and integrity. Even as a young intern, I was treated with the utmost respect by them and that left a strong impression. I hope that I have also managed to convey that value to the many young people who intern with us.

On a personal level, my father was my biggest inspiration. He was a man of impeccable strength of character, integrity and he believed in the mantra ‘simple living and high thinking’. He encouraged me to pursue my dreams. He passed away in 2014 but even today, it is his voice in my head that guides me when I am at a crossroad.

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

Being a dispute resolution firm, we have a wide array of matters. While we handle litigation pan India, my focus currently is the High Court at Delhi. Apart from this, I also handle matters in District Courts and Tribunals in Delhi in a wide range of areas including commercial and contractual disputes, real estate, company law, property disputes, matrimonial disputes and insolvency law. I have a special interest in Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). I have practised in the Supreme Court of India in my initial years before focussing on the High Court of Delhi.

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

Advisory and corporate work have trickled back more or less to normalcy. Litigation, on the other hand, faces many challenges in these COVID-19 times. Courts are unable to work to full capacity and unfortunately, physical hearings have not been very successful. This problem is across the country. Typically our courtrooms are crowded with various stakeholders being present. While it may be possible to protect the judges and their staff to an extent, it is difficult in our system to control the number of lawyers, their staff and clients as each Court has many matters on a single day.

On the virtual platform, the hearings need to be more disciplined with only one person speaking at a time. Unfortunately, in the adversarial system we have, one party is always happy to adjourn the matter and render the hearing ineffective.

On the positive side, lawyers, like all other professions, can learn how best to use online work even post the pandemic to optimise time and effort. Further one need not pay high rentals for office or invest in plush offices with permanent seating for all employees as one can have the plug and play model with people coming in on need basis.

Any pearls of wisdom 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?

To all my young colleagues entering the bar my advice is that you must enter the profession with the zeal of a crusader with a lot of passion to see you through the years. Pursue litigation only if you have a passion for it and the tenacity to sustain and persevere. There is no easy short cut route to success.

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

I am rather fond of gardening and have a veritable forest on my terrace! I spend a lot of time nurturing the plants. I was an avid sportswoman but now just try to get a walk into the daily routine. I am committed to some NGOs and contribute both time and money.

I believe strongly in doing whatever I can, wherever I am. To give a small example, I saw that a lot of houses in my block were simultaneously undergoing reconstruction and many of the labourers had children on site, so I started giving the kids banana and biscuit packets daily. Today, I feel happy that at the stroke of 4 PM, there is a huge crowd of kids at my gate queuing up in anticipation. It is a small gesture but it gives me a moment of gratification to see the smiling children.

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

I enjoy seeing movies. One of my favourites is ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ wherein Chris Gardener, despite all odds, lives his dream. My bedside reading is an eclectic collection so the favourites keep changing. I enjoyed Keigo Higashino's novel The Devotion of Suspect X and of course Drishyam the film based on it was also good. I recently re-read Arthur Miller's play The Crucible and it was remarkable how topical it seemed.

Hold tight!  BW Legal World is coming up with the inaugural edition of its print magazine. Meghna Mishra's full interview will feature in it. Stay tuned!