In Conversation with Ms Prabhjot Kaur Bakshi, Vice President, Employment Counsel, Gartner

Ms Bakshi, would you please tell our readers what motivated you to pursue law. You were a commerce graduate. How did the transition towards a full-fledged in house legal role happen? What to your mind has been the biggest highlight of your legal career? 

Krishnendra, today I feel that I was born to be in the legal profession. The transition towards law happened rather organically for me.  Along with my graduation, I pursued the professional course on Company Secretaryship, which provided me with a window into several law-oriented subjects, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This motivated me further to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Law (‘LL.B’). I immersed myself into studying and understanding the law and was one of the top three scholars in my college during all the three-years when pursuing my LL.B.  

I have always been passionate about understanding an organisation, its culture, the way it operates and the way it wants to make a meaningful contribution towards its clients and the society at large. So when I became a lawyer, it came very naturally for me to commence my legal journey with one organisation versus a law firm or practising as an attorney. Thus, I chose a full-fledged in-house legal role which helped me play an integral part in supporting my organisation to achieve its objectives. 

My career started as a generalist in-house lawyer, working on a wide spectrum of matters incorporating almost every legal issue that an organisation could be challenged with. However, over time, I realised that I was intuitively inclined towards managing employment law related matters such as employee investigations, initiatives on prevention and redressal of workplace harassment, discrimination, workplace health and safety, cybersecurity-related issue, etc. This shift from a generalist to a specialist was the biggest highlight of my legal career as I feel greatly connected to this area of expertise and I am glad to have carved a niche for myself as an Employment Lawyer. 

You have 13 + years of professional experience of working with leading global names like KPMG and Boston Consulting Group among others. 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? 

I feel fortunate to have worked with and contributed to leading global organizations such as KPMG and BCG in the past. In my initial years as a lawyer working with KPMG, I emphasised not only on adopting the best-practises of being a capable in-house lawyer but also on professionally priming myself for a larger role in a global legal team.  You could say that I knew my ‘North Star’, and I unwaveringly followed it. Later, when presented with an opportunity to work in the global legal team at BCG, I knew it was a step in the right direction for me.  

The key, for me, to achieve and sustain this success was self-awareness, focus and a lot of patience. I believe knowing what you want in your professional journey is undeniably important. While there are several diverse opportunities in the market for a lawyer, one needs to extremely patient and focussed to find their role of choice. 

What does a day as Vice President, Employment Counsel at Gartner look like? What are your roles and responsibilities? 

As Vice President Employment Counsel, I am responsible for managing and mitigating any employment law related risks at Gartner in India. This includes working closely with several stakeholders such as Human Resources, Finance, Compensation, Administration, Safety etc. across Gartner in India on various touch-points of an employee’s association with Gartner. 

For me, no two days look similar; a day at work typically involves multiple interactions with the above-mentioned stakeholders on matters ranging from guidance on conformity with applicable employment laws and regulations to assistance in the development of policies, programs, and services, including those relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion, thus contributing towards the attainment of corporate as well as employee-centric goals.  

As the legal head of the organization or in your time as an in-house counsel, what has been the most challenging ethical dilemma you faced and how did you resolve it?

I have always believed in doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. For me, integrity is paramount. What it means for me at work is that, even if the law is silent about a specific wrongdoing, it shouldn’t mean that it will go unattended just because the law doesn’t say anything about it. As long as we have a clear understanding of right and wrong, we will not be challenged with many ethical dilemmas in our career. Being factual and objective in your thinking, while being respectful and empathetic really helps in resolving any predicament. Fortunately, in my career journey, I have not been faced with many such challenges which have put me in any ethical dilemma. But whenever I am in dilemma, I resolve it by discussing it with others, which include my team, my manager, mentors or leaders to get their perspectives and then by taking a well-informed decision.

What is your definition of diversity and inclusion? When building a team, do you feel there's a need for a more empathetic view to ensuring gender-diversity?

For me, diversity, equity and inclusion mean when employees are able to bring their authentic self to work with confidence. I don’t think anyone should feel uncomfortable to be who they are in a workplace, or otherwise. Employees should be able to become the best versions of themselves. When building a team, organizations should provide an equal employment opportunity to everyone and assess the candidature on the basis of their skills & merits. As leaders, I feel we should continue to build teams that have a positive impact on the culture and values of the organization.

What are your views on pre-litigation strategies for in-house legal departments? Do we see more thrust on ADR mechanisms in the near future? 

In these trying times, when businesses are hopping back to normal, trying to regain their lost revenue, legal budgets are tighter than ever. While a good pre-litigation strategy involves careful consideration of several important aspects (such as risks, timing, cost, location of a lawsuit etc.) in my opinion, one of the most indispensable pieces of a pre-litigation strategy is collection of all facts and documentary evidences. I always recommend keeping a clear and factual summary document handy. That said, in light of the new labour codes, I see more thrust on Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms along with the emergence of various internal and external forums for grievance redressal. Further, various escalation channels and internal committees also provide an opportunity to address specific employee issues which, I believe, help attain more effective and efficient resolutions than a lawsuit. 

What is your take on the notion of Work-Life Balance? What keeps you busy other than work? Tell us about your hobbies. What are your sources of creative outlet other than work? Any movies, work of art or books that have had a profound impact in shaping your personality? 

Work-life balance reminds me of the blindfolded Lady Justice with her beam balance. I am sure that there are days in every person’s life when the scale tends to be heavier towards ‘work’ than ‘life’ and vice-versa, but I feel that it is an indispensable part of our lives. Largely, the idea is to keep reminding ourselves of the importance of both these aspects of life and try our best to maintain a fine balance. 

When taking a break from work, I usually find myself either travelling someplace new or painting a canvas. These two hobbies define my personality in a nutshell. Maintaining a fine balance, I tend to enjoy extroverted activities like travelling with my family and friends, while also finding solace and peace when painting alone, which works like a meditation for me. 

I am hugely influenced by the artistic works of Vincent van Gogh and Marc Chagall.  On television, I enjoy courtroom dramas. I am also quite happy watching re-runs of ‘Friends’ to unwind. I am a voracious reader and tend to read across a wide genre – from classics, fiction and mystery to biographies and science fictions. 

Your legal career has been nothing short of an inspiration for many aspiring and young legal professionals. Who are the mentors that have inspired and guided you in your journey? 

Thanks, Krishnendra. I consider myself fortunate to have had an opportunity of working with brilliant mentors at different stages of my career. Like for most of us, my teachers and professors acted as my first mentors, providing me with staunch support and guidance. During my professional journey, I feel privileged to have worked with some of the greatest minds in the industry, who have helped ignite my intellectual curiosity. Today, I am hugely inspired by my manager and mentor Robin Frederick (at Gartner), who is my constant source of brilliance – both personal and professional.  

At the risk of sounding like an idealistic spouse, I must also share that my husband, Jayant Bakshi, has been an eternal mentor to me. He has conscientiously guided me at every step of my career, always encouraged to me take chances in life, when in self-doubt he helped me move beyond my comfort zone and achieve things I thought were unimaginable. He never let me lose sight of the bigger picture! 

Today, I feel lucky to give back some of this love and support - as I mentor a few law aspirants, modestly sharing my knowledge and learning.

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? 

While it is always a combination of several factors which are required to achieve success in life, but if I have to highlight one - that has helped me to be where I am today, I would say “hard work”. Honestly, then other factors like fortune and luck tend to be on your side.  

I believe nothing in life can be achieved without setting goals and working hard towards them. When you decide to work hard, you will naturally think of ways of working efficiently. We just need to be honest with ourselves.  

My recommendation to legal professionals would be to take the time, jot down your professional aspirations and carefully plan how you intend to achieve those aspirations in future; in the process, do seek advice of your mentors, friends, colleagues - who could guide you on how best you could achieve your goals. Find your ‘North Star’ and don’t lose sight of it, ever! 

Disclaimer: All the above-mentioned thoughts and views shared by Prabhjot Kaur Bakshi are her own and do not represent those of her employer.

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