On 4th September 2017, I entered the world of practice and advocacy.
Litigation was never my career choice as I always wanted to become a judge. But I guess, life had other plans. So, I decided to move forward, dream new things and make new plans.Joining litigation came with a bag of surprises and difficulties and I must admit that I was not mentally prepared to make this career shift and in the haste of starting my career, I did not do my homework properly. But the resilience I have built over the years was immensely helpful and I patiently endured every curve ball that came my way. Today, I believe that changing the career course was indeed a good decision.
I was completely lost when I joined my office but luckily, I had my squad that saved me from time to time. I am truly grateful to everyone, right from my senior and associate to the office staff for supporting me through this journey. But the path is still not so rosy.Even as my previous experiences haunt me, I am working relentlessly to face the challenges – big or small - in the hope for a bright future and successful life ahead.
Despite a span of 2.7 years into the field, l have learnt major lessons that have helped me grow as a person and an advocate. Trust me, the process was painful, nights were dark, and days were gloomy, but I persisted and overcame my shortcomings. The soul cleansing and paradigm shift was needed. Truly Speaking, the process of learning was arduous but it is comparatively better now. This is life and we all learn something each day. From my bucket of experiences, I present to all dear would-be officers of the court, a few takeaways to keep in mind during your initial years while making your dreams come true and marching towards the path of glory.
- Technical knowledge of Computers- You should be highly skilled in MS Word, MS PowerPoint and at times,MS Excel. Good drafting is not only about excellent writing skills but also strictly adhering to a format too. The knowledge of MS Office and especially, Word comes to your rescue in making your draft presentable. It also provides you an edge over others. It makes you “the king” of your draft.
- Maintain a good distance between personal and professional likes and dislikes- As a junior, there will be times when instructions will be against your thoughts and opinion. In that case, it becomes imperative to keep calm and complete the task at hand. Avoid being too personal or else you will always be in stress.
- Learn to give yourself some time- Start inculcating this habit from day one. It is important to periodically assess your professional as well as personal growth. It is this time that shall give you the opportunity for self-introspection. Since being a good lawyer requires one to have basic knowledge of everything, the time for yourself will surely add to your excellence in numerous ways.
- Be patient and courageous- As United States Supreme Court Justice, Joseph Story, famously said, “The law is a jealous mistress and requires long and constant courtship. It is not to be won by trifling favours, but by lavish homage.” So, the gestation period here is a little long but is worth trying and living the life of dreams afterward.
- Read and read- Before my stint as an advocate, I had no habit of reading extra but now I understand its importance. Reading is essential. Not only legal but general too as the law is one such field that touches every aspect of life. So, extra reading is required to have a broader perspective and understanding of law and issues arising thereto.
- Avoid learning ill traditions- As Mahatma Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye, will make this world blind one day”. There are high chances that you will face prejudices or be a victim of certain unwarranted practices being followed since time immemorial. But remember one thing, after six months of your practice, any new intern joining your office you will be her senior so make sure the dirt that you witnessed is not be passed on to a new lot of folks aspiring to join the profession.
- End one bad tradition-In your formative years too, you can stop doing anything that you particularly hate about the profession.This will take time because initially, we are never in the position of saying no to certain things.But after two-three years, when we are mature and established,you must oppose or question certain practices which are parasites and harmful for the Bar’s reputation. If you ever get a chance to change anything about this profession, I request you to take initiative and relieve us all from the age-old regressive traditions.
- Always treat your juniors/interns with respect. Your interns will always remember you for your work,as well as, the respect with which you treat them. Juniors are always a source of future help, and vice-versa, which is why we must cherish them and be the source of inspiration for them.
- Open yourself to learn new experiences- I come from a conservative family background that believes in limited exposure to this world. But advocacy is just the opposite. Initially, each day is a challenge. But to achieve big and perform better, we must dive ourselves into the areas where we had never been to, or never wanted to. This will be challenging, and complete surrender is the only option. Just keep in mind that,very often, it is in the darkest of caves that you find the day of light ultimately taking you where you desire to go.
- Be Professional- This, I leave up to you to figure out for yourselves as to how one can be thoroughly professional in the cut-throat competition, surviving through some back wreaking experiences and yet stay focused, behave with dignity and protect one’s self-respect, and not gain bitter attitude and approach for life and towards others.
So, keep moving ahead, dear freshers. My best wishes are with you. I shall share more experiences that may give a solution to your particular problem. Together, let us be the torchbearers for a bright future, and stand united to help each other.
Edited by: Sharanya Vairam
