A Law degree is an advantage for those who have it: Vaishnavi Shukla

I am a Corporate Attorney at India Head at Loyal Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Now, before you make any assumptions let me tell you I’m all of 25. The one question that popped in your head right now was is this possible at 25? Well, yes it is. But, I’ll not jump to the climax now, I’ll begin with how it all started and for that we need to rewind to my High school days. Being a student of commerce (emphasis to be laid on the fact that I hated science) I had always decided that I will never do something too mainstream, for instance, “Engineering”. As I took up Commerce after my 10^th grade, there vanished the chances of becoming a doctor (though there are undisputedly plenty of other options available). I had strongly decided for myself that I would not opt to do something which every friend or relative of mine was doing, I find no substantial output in the ‘n’ number of Engineers and Doctors that are being produced by our country while there are plenty of other Professional courses and options available to explore, naming one, “Law”.

Then came, my turning point in the 11^th grade which made me very clear in my head and heart that Law is my dream and I will chase it.

As Mahatma Gandhi had once quoted: –

“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning”.

This quote inspired me even more. My good grades in accounts and economics, made my parents and teachers believe that I should take up Chartered Accountancy (CA) and I was enrolled to take up CPT classes after my college hours, for which I was least interested. But what urged me to pack my bags after college each day and attend the CPT classes was nothing but the subject of “Law”, which was one of the departments of study in my CPT course.

I recognised that it was this subject and department amongst all other which would urge me from within to come and sit in the very first bench every day and listen to every single lecture attentively and passionately. I concentrated more on Law rather than CPT.

This interest was further boosted by my uncle, who himself is a criminal lawyer in the Andhra Pradesh High court. His professionalism and command over Law always made me look up to him as the ultimate source of inspiration. The black and white legal attire surely brings an immense sense of respect and responsibility and pride. He has been a constant support and a major reason for the decision.

These were the reasons why I decided to take up law, and there began my journey to pursue law and with it came multiple questions which every student aiming to pursue law goes through in his mind, namely:-

• Which institution would be the best?
• Is it feasible?
• How is the faculty of the institute?
• How are the placement opportunities?
• Is this the right decision?
• Should I go for it?
• Will I earn more? Etc, etc.

I was no exception. Choosing the right institute is very important and all other decisions and opportunities in the future are based on how good or bad the institute one chooses is. A wrong decision at such crucial stage of life can change the course of life and opportunities drastically. Hence, a wise decision will only better our future prospects and enable us to contribute to the legal system in a better and useful way.

Bangalore Institute of Legal Studies (BILS) was the best decision undoubtedly for me. What I received at this institute landed me at WIPRO.

I finished Law school and by then I already had few offers from the places I had interned at and through opportunities that I tried from LinkedIn and Naukri.com. Then came the month of college placements and I was among the five students who were selected by WIPRO to join them as Legal Executives. It was indeed very exciting but the spice in my story was that I also wanted to pursue my LLM and for that reason I gave the AIAT (All India Admission Test) conducted by Symbiosis Law School, Pune and managed to be in their merit list. It was overwhelming, but I had to choose whether to take up a job or pursue a LLM. I chose the latter. I packed my bags, and attended college at Pune for two days then I was asked to submit a recommendation letter as part of documentation and when I contacted my college in Bangalore, they refused to give me a recommendation letter saying that students were not allowed to leave job offers mid-way and take up something else because “it would affect the college reputation”. I was heart-broken but I applied for cancellation of admission, packed my bags again and within 2 days joined WIPRO, Bangalore.

My First Job

I assumed it to be an event that would close all doors for me. But, life had other plans and I ended up having the most memorable time at WIPRO. I took care of manufacturing and hi-tech vertical in the legal team and handled agreements for HP, Intel, Kone, Apple, Schindler, 3M, Infosys etc. It was a great value addition to my profile and I knew how a corporate environment works. My love for Business and Corporate law grew and I was very strong in my head that I would definitely not be working in a MNC setup anymore and I needed more individuality and an opportunity that would not leave me in a middle of a large team which was headed by 100 other people. When will I grow? When will the opportunity arrive? I decided to resume the old dream- LLM. I was working 10 hours a day and would come home to freshen up and start preparing for AIAT. The challenge was that it’s highly competitive and the college selects only 70 students to be part of the programme and even worse, Business and Corporate law had an intake of only 10 students. I gave it a shot, resigned from my job, served the notice period and the day the job ended, I was on a flight to Pune to join the institution as a merit student, yet again. It was exciting, but I was proud that this time I paid for my own education without borrowing anything from my parents. Some of you readers, might know how it feels.

Pursuing LLM

The yearlong LLM program at Symbiosis was excruciating, tiring, beautiful and everything else. When my LLM was almost coming to an end, I decided to start looking for jobs because to my horror, my college couldn’t get the students placed. Symbiosis and no placements? It’s a painful fact to digest. When questioned, the authorities said it was a job creating website but only a place to make us job ready. Gulping the hard reality, I applied on LinkedIn and Naukri.com and soon after I started getting multiple offers including some from WIPRO, Mastercard, Hyundai, Atman Law Partners, Loyal Hospitality Etc. The offers were many, but it had its own setback. I definitely wanted a profile that doesn’t look at my age or experience but my skill set. Holding these offers in hand, I went for a meeting with the Board of Directors at Loyal Hospitality and I walked out of their office holding an offer letter.

I joined the next day, and I now handle multiple roles here along with being the Corporate Attorney for both Loyal Hospitality and Empire. I have that independence, decision making power and financial stability which I always dreamt of. Being a corporate lawyer, I provide pre-emptive legal support. Specialising in Developing Company policy and position on legal Issues, Contract Management, Strategic & Legal Guidance, Commercial Dispute Resolution, Statutory/Legal Compliance, Commercial Drafting. It’s exciting, challenging and most importantly, fulfilling.

I would like to advise all the readers, always dream. If you don’t dream, how will you work for it? How will you achieve it? Hope this rings a bell.

About the Author:

 

I am Vaishnavi Shukla, a Corporate Attorney- India Head at Loyal Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, an exclusive franchisee of Empire group of hotels. I pursued law at the graduation level from Bangalore Institute of Legal Studies (BILS). Further, I did my LLM from Symbiosis Law School, Pune.