HNLU Career Development Conclave - "Getting to Law Firms: Unravelling the Path" [August 7, 2022]
The two month long Career Development Conclave – 2022 at Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur got underway with the inaugural session held on August 7, 2022 on the theme 'Getting to Law Firms: Unravelling the Path'. Mr. Sapan Gupta, the General Counsel of ArcelorMittal Group was the Chief Guest for the event. The panellists involved Mr. Anant Kaushik, Partner at Wadia Ghandy & Co., Mr. Saurabh Bindal, Partner at Fox Mandal & Associates, and Mr. Rachit Jain, Partner at Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan. The inaugural address was delivered by the Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) V. C. Vivekanandan, and the Welcome Address was given by the Registrar Prof. (Dr.) Uday Shankar.
The panellists addressed issues related to difficulty of entry into law firms without prior connections, stable work-life balance, and lack of mobility in the market. These problems were contextualised with the current skill requirements of law firms. The panellists elucidated the importance of specialisation and brand building with the help of extracurricular activities, and the manner of selecting such activities. They reflected upon the importance of continuous and strategic skill development after entering law firms. The panel further emphasised the importance of healthy competition, hard work and amiable relationships in the formative years of their career.
In the Q&A section, the panellists emphasised the importance of technological literacy for lawyers, the benefits and risks of pursuing niche fields of law, and a cost-benefit analysis of taking additional certifications, like Secretarial Executive Certificate.
Prof.(Dr.) Yogendra Shrivastava and Dr. Ankit Awasthi proposed the vote of thanks in the inaugural session and panel discussion respectively.
The HNLU Career Development Conclave - 2022 plans to host many such discussions with experienced professionals, on specialized career paths in the legal domain.