In Conversation With Mugdha Pande, Counsel, Chambers of Mahesh Jethmalani

Tell us a bit about yourself. What made you choose a career in law? And how was the experience of studying law?

I was certain about pursuing a career in law from a very young age. My first brush with lawyers was at the age of 8. My father was cheated by his business partners, and he successfully sued them. I grew up listening to my father telling us about how brilliantly his lawyer had argued in court. I found knowledge of law very empowering. So pursuing a career in law was an easy choice. I had an extremely enriching experience at the law school. I was taught law by some of the brightest minds in the field and studied alongside a culturally diverse and intellectually stimulating set of people. After completing my BA from St. Xavier’s College Bombay, I got accepted to SOAS to their 2-year accelerated LLB course called the senior status LLB. 

I wanted to make the most of this opportunity, so I partook in everything I could. From contesting student elections (and winning them) to working at the Camden Community Law Center in their Pro Bono clinic to writing research papers for Lawyers Without Borders to interning at DLA Piper in their London office. I had a very successful stint at law school. To my credit, I grasped everything that that school had to offer with both hands. 

If you could suggest one reform in the legal education system, what would it be?

The current legal education system focuses more on rote learning than critical thinking. Our curriculum must include multidisciplinary studies; students ought to be taught cases that have more than one point of view. So, that’s one reform I’d like to see in our legal education system- focusing more on the application of mind and less on memorisation. 

Please tell us about your specialisation and the array of work you handle in your current role.

I have consciously steered away from focusing on just one or two areas of law. My area of practice ranges from hard-core criminal litigation to indirect tax advisory, company law, civil disputes, banking & regulatory, arbitration and constitutional law and across the court hierarchy from registrar to tribunals, magistrates – all the way to High Courts and Supreme Court. There’s so much to learn and I haven’t found a reason to restrict my practice to just one or two areas of law that too at such an early stage in my career. I personally have no preference for any particular area of law. I enjoy the process of applying myself to a given set of facts and law. I find tax law just as exciting as criminal and constitutional law. “The best learning happens outside one’s comfort zone and the more variety of work one does, the wider that comfort zone gets.” My role varies from being a briefing counsel on some cases to being lead counsel on others - depending on the client’s needs. 

What advice would you give law students seeking the best internships in their area of interest?

Focus more on learning and less on the brand value of the place of internship. Intern at an office where you’ll get to learn the most. In the long run, your skillset, and your knowledge of law is what would count. 

How innovation and technology are revolutionising the legal landscape in India?

Innovation has been the hallmark of our times in the last few years, which have seen cataclysmic changes across industries. “Legaltech” is now used to solve a myriad of problems that were earlier impossible to tackle, due to the vast volumes of data or complexity of issues. One area that has seen the biggest transformation with legal tech has been legal research (where advances in AI and natural language processing have made a huge difference to the way precedents can be searched and applied). The biggest change that technology is going to bring about will come from improved access and affordability.  Online filing, virtual courts and live streaming of court proceedings have truly revolutionized the legal landscape in a way.

Is a masters degree in law important for a successful career in your desired practice area? Have you done your LL.M, if yes, please mention the specialization and college or your future plans of further studies or other important certifications useful for lawyers in this age and time, if any. If no, please share your views on why LL.M is not the answer to mastering a subject. 

I don’t believe an LL.M is important for a successful career in law but it would be relevant to factor in what one wants to do with their career. If one is more inclined towards academia or policy research, then yes, an LL.M might help you understand a subject in depth, theoretically speaking; moreover, an LL.M is a pre-requisite for teaching positions in some institutes from what I have heard. However, if you’re interested in a career in litigation, then there is no substitute for hands-on practical work experience. 

Many Congratulations on joining the BW Legal World Elite 30 Under 30 Club of Achievers 2021. 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?

Having played competitive sports all throughout my school life, brought a certain degree of discipline, ethics, focus and a never-give-up attitude in me, which has helped me in all aspects of my life including my career as a lawyer. Perseverance and an unwavering belief in myself is what I believe brought me to where I am today. My one piece of advice to students/ graduates would be to first figure out what it is that you truly want. It requires a certain degree of awareness about oneself and about the demands of the job in order to succeed.  Success demands commitment, which can only come with clarity of mind. 

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

The Almanack by Naval Ravikant. It’s my go-to book on understanding life, wealth and happiness.