India 2021|VOL - 09 | ISSUE - 05

Chalk-Talk
Importance of
BEST Simple Language
in Legal Drafting
LAW FIRMS
OF INDIA IN 2021
Time-Frame
Strategies for
Lawyers to Improve
Time Management Skills

“
We believe
that hands
on training
is a better bet
Kirtikant S. Nanavati
than having Founder

students follow
predetermined
“
courses
NANAVATI
ASSOCIATES Get Lawyered Up!
EDITOR’S NOTE
LAW FIRMS –
THE FUTURE
LOOKS BRIGHT

L egal assistance is one thing that will be needed as long as

the human race exists. The legal history of India dates to
the Vedic ages, and they say some form of civil and
punitive laws existed even during the Indus Valley Civilization.
The country has come a long way since then.

The present constitutional and legal system underwent many

amendments and additions over the decades. From individual
practicing lawyers to law firms, the profession has transitioned
remarkably well. Law firms in India are constantly growing, and
the reasons are apparent. They provide a wide array of legal
services under one roof and have experts dealing with various
areas of law.

The success of a law firm depends squarely upon the team of

partners, and since it is a business entity, client satisfaction and
meeting deadlines are their priorities. If the lawyer assigned for a
case is not present or if the client is not satisfied, the lawyer can
be replaced.
Interning at a law firm gives a fresher more scope to on their cases. They help interns thoroughly understand
learn and gain knowledge in several domains of law. It the law by applying theoretical knowledge to the
exposes the intern to a professional way of handling a practical exposure that they get during the internship.
case. Interns or freshers do the research and
documentation that the seniors scrutinize. They also do Please read our latest edition of The Knowledge
administrative work and help in drafting case files. These Review, Best Law Firms of India in 2021. These law
give them practical exposure in the field and prepare firms are not only renowned for their work but also for
their careers. the kind of internship they provide to groom future
lawyers.
The pandemic only increased the demand for law firms.
With many businesses changing their operations or Have an excellent read! T R
shifting to allied fields or different sectors, legal advice
became paramount. Thus, interning or working with a
law firm provides the proper training and equips the
interns with skills to confidently take on the legal
profession. An internship also helps in increasing the
intern’s network and is an add-on to the resume.

We came across few legal firms in the country that

provide valuable training to interns apart from working Sumita Sarkar
sumita@theknowledgereview.com
 Cover Story
NANAVATI
ASSOCIATES 08
Get Lawyered Up!

CXO 24 The Secret Ingredient

LeadershipCommunication
 Articles
20 32
Time-Frame Chalk-Talk
Strategies for Importance of
Lawyers to Improve Simple Language
Time Management Skills in Legal Drafting

16
AGGARWALS
& ASSOCIATES
An Ambit of Legal Services,
Committed to Positive Outcomes
with Unique Approach
towards your Issues
28
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Delivering the Next
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Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar
Deputy Editor Abhishaj Sajeev
Managing Editor Aditya Umale
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Art & Design Head Priyanka Rajage
Co-designer Rahul Shinde
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September, 2021
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 BEST

LAW FIRMS
OF INDIA IN 2021

Name of the Institution URL Brief

Aggarwal Associates is a law rm based in

Aggarwals and New Delhi, India with global reach through
aggarwalassociates.com
Associates network of associated law ofces

Bhasin Sethi & Associates is a boutique tax law

rm with deep market knowledge, expertise, and
Bhasin Sethi
bsalaw.in understanding in the ne areas of indirect
& Associates
taxation laws, GST), central excise, customs, and
so on

H K ACHARYA & COMPANY offers both the

H K ACHARYA 
hkindia.com legal and technical insight needed for
& COMPANY
intellectual property to prosper and grow

International Law Afliates aims to appreciate the

International
ilaindia.com nuances of its clients’ businesses and their day-
Law Afliates to-day problems

Kanth and Associates is a full service law rm,

based in India, offering cutting-edge blend of
Kanth and Associates kanthandassociates.com
capabilities to corporations, individuals, and
international entities across the globe

Kochhar & Co. is one of the leading and

Kochhar & Co. kochhar.com largest corporate law rms in India

Established in 1999, Krishnamurthy & Co. (K Law)

Krishnamurthy and Co. klaw.in is a full-service law rm with ofces in Bengaluru,
Mumbai, New Delhi, and Chennai

Since 2003, Nanavati Associates has been

Nanavati Associates nanavatiassociates.com providing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) legal
services and networks with rms in US, Europe,
Japan, and so on

Through customized legal services, Pulastya

Pulastya Legal Legal strives to help you protect your legal and
pulastyalegal.com
Services LLP business rights, all the time

Vidhivetta’s professional services are based

upon more than 12 years of experience in
Vidhivetta Law Firm vidhivetta.com providing clients with legal/management
consulting assistance and services
C O V E R S T O R Y

NANAVATI
ASSOCIATES
Get Lawyered Up!

BEST

LAW FIRMS
OF INDIA IN 2021
Kirtikant S. Nanavati
Founder
“In a changing world, it
pays to be a generalist,
not a specialist.”
B ecoming a law professional,
that too a successful one,
requires mastering a vast array
of skills and competencies which
include, but not limited to, analytical
skills, reasoning ability, good
communication skills, sound
judgement, writing skills, leadership
skills, listening, logical thinking,
research proficiency, and decision
making with gravitas. Undeniably,
being a good lawyer is nothing short of
being a polymath.
Law is the foundation on which the
constitution of the democratic society
was constructed on. The professionals
of this trade – lawyers, have the
important responsibility of being the
custodians of justice. Law is one of the
oldest professions. This unrivalled
profession has only grown in demand
over the millennium and necessitates
more skills and proficiency than ever
before.
Successful law firms must cultivate
focus or raison d’etre, and each lawyer
should develop specialized expertise
consistent with the firm’s mission.
Successful law firms recognise that
‘quality work” has a dual meaning:
technical quality (how good the work
is) and service quality (the client’s
experience dealing with the firm). To
be able to live up to such high
standards and conduct is sure to be a
tough job for any organisation, but
those who are able to ride that wave
are considered the masters of their
game.
Perhaps this is why the esteemed law
firm – Nanavati Associates – has risen
to the eminent position of respect and
admiration of its clientele and the
country at large. This firm was
established in 1996 when the Founder
of the firm K. S. Nanavati was given
the status of ‘Senior Advocate’ and
consequently he decided to make the
firm into a partnership in the name of
Nanavati Associates.
The Journey
Nanavati Associates began with its
founder, Mr. K. S. Nanavati, a senior
advocate, who founded in 1977 – K. S.
Nanavati & Associates – a
proprietorship firm. With Mr. K. S.
Nanavati getting designated as a senior
advocate by the honourable High Court
of Gujarat, his proprietorship firm was
transformed into a partnership firm and
thus, Nanavati Associates was born in
1996. Nanavati Associates has been
founded on the values of the erstwhile
proprietorship, that was K. S. Nanavati
& Associates, and has inherited,
maintained, and successfully managed
to derive strength from those values by
adhering to strict standards of legal
practice and quality.
The Partners and Associates of
Nanavati Associates attend to matters
listed before other Honourable High
Courts and the Honourable Supreme
Court of India. In order to provide
litigation and non-litigation services
for other courts and tribunals, they
formed a separate partnership firm in
2002 and thus, K. Nanavati & Gandhi
Associates came into existence as a
Sister Concern. Since 2003, Nanavati
Associates has been providing IPR
(intellectual property rights) legal
services and networks with firms in
US, Europe, Japan, and some other
countries.
Nanavati Associates claims to handle
almost all cases encompassing all laws
within the country and also on issues
that arise out of International disputes.
This enables persons working within
each such vertical to achieve the level
of expertise that comes with such
practice. Each partner of the firm has
his own vertical comprising associates
working closely within such vertical,
so as to ensure predictability,
seamlessness and continuity of work.
Each such vertical handles specific
areas of laws that are decided and
distributed amongst such verticals;
 “ We cultivate everyone at
the firm to think beyond what’s
presented and try and dig out
facts that most would take for
granted. ‘Devil is in the
details’ is our motto
including different forums, courts,
tribunals, etc for such resolution of
disputes; whether they be inter party or
with the government.
Nanavati Associates focuses more on
quality than on quantity.
The Nanavati Associates team
emphasises: “Our ethos of providing
legal service is to focus on what we
can do differently to achieve the
objective of the clientele in an effort to
fortify the end result and hence we
qualitatively appreciate ‘out of the box’
thinking and remedies.”
This has always been the key to
achieving lasting results when
“
challenged in various levels of the
appellate structure enshrined in various
laws. The team of Nanavati cultivates
everyone at the firm to think beyond
what is presented and try and dig out
facts that most would take for granted.
‘Devil is in the details’ is the firm’s
motto. A ‘comma’ mistakenly put at a
different place changes the entire
context is their belief and hence they
continuously try and challenge the
narrative to arrive at the true picture.
Grooming Future Lawyers
When it comes to training aspiring
lawyers, the firm believes that hands
on training is a better bet than having
them follow predetermined courses.
“Each person has a different approach
that they bring to the table. Harnessing
those differences helps us help them
achieve their potential and, in turn,
allows us to address client issues
optimally,” commented the team.
Lawyers are independent thinkers.
Pigeonholing them would leave them
worse off. Therefore, the team believes
that grooming takes finesse and direct
interaction with the partners, which
allows them guidance on their tasks;
that is the best way to boost their
confidence from the early stages.
Case Selection
At Nanavati Associates, the selection
of cases is determined based on
complexity, conflict, but also on the
basis of compensation, and cases that
pertain to ‘hard core’ crime are
generally not preferred. Although the
firm does not have any specific and
quantified provisions for pro-bono
cases, everyone is encouraged to go by
their conscience in charging or while
deciding whether to charge fees or not
for a particular matter.

Dynamic Leadership at its Best

As stated before, K S Nanavati, Senior
Advocate, established K. S. Nanavati
& Associates - a proprietorship firm
when he started his practice as an
advocate. In 1995 he was amongst the
first to be granted the designation of a
Senior Advocate. On being so
designated, he converted the firm into a
partnership firm; now led by

“
Dharmishtha Nanavati, Keyur
Gandhi, Pranit Nanavati, and Kunal
Nanavati.

Leveraging Technology to Guide We at Nanavati

Autodidacts
Each of the employees and the students Associates focus
at Nanavati Associates are cultivated to more on quality
grasp at every piece of ‘learning’ that
they want to learn. No person is given than on quantity.
a task that they are unable to handle. At
the firm, it is an accepted belief that
Our ethos of
each person has a passion that they providing legal
would excel at. The team encourages
flaming such passions and then teach service is of
them to try and be competent at other focusing on what
areas which the team feels they are
lacking. we can do
This methodology in turn polishes
differently to
them for the future in the legal sector. achieve the
Technology has already made research
easier, drafting is already aided by
technology, and owing to the hardships
of 2020, the firm like many others has
“
objectives of
the clientele
learned that client conferences and
proceedings also can take place by
augmenting and/or utilising current
technologies.
The Nanavati team added: “We feel
that the seeds of change are sowed,
and each person would need to accept
the coming change. Hence, we
encourage everyone to try and
become familiar to the change in the
present so that they are proficient in
the future.”

During the peak of the pandemic, the

team and employees were operating
with ‘work-from-home’ procedures,
by augmenting, implementing, and
utilizing their infrastructure to allow
everyone to be able to work remotely.
Tools which are now akin to second
nature, were implemented early on
and everyone was encouraged and
enabled to be adept in recognition of
the fast arriving ‘digital future’. In

“
that sense, Nanavati Associates has
successfully bridged the gap between
an obstacle and a competitive edge. We encourage everyone to try
Students with the firm are also
encouraged to recognise this change
and guided to benefit from it
optimally.
and become familiar to the
change in the present so that
“
A Future to Behold they are proficient in the future
The firm recognises that digital
working maybe here to stay, as it
offers multiple timesaving and
workflow-enhancement advantages.
The team hopes that in the face of this
certainty, it will successfully employ
many other efficient modules and
optimally capitalise on this norm of
working while overcoming the
geographical limitations that preclude
them from being able to offer their
legal services beyond their physical
reach.

All the while keeping in mind the

transparency, trust, and commitment
to providing quality service to the
clients, Nanavati Associates has
earned the title of being a tour de
force in the law game.
 READ IT FIRST
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AGGARWALS & ASSOCIATES
An Ambit of Legal Services, Committed to Positive
Outcomes with Unique Approach towards your Issues
T he Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns
introduced as a response to the same brough
peoples, businesses, sectors, industries, even entire
nations to an indeterminate screeching halt. But even with
its many troubles and tribulations, the legal professionals
supported their clients through thick and thin. Such is the
profession of law, for the society to function effectively, it
can never be just suspended. Hence, the team of Aggarwals
& Associates were holding the fort, finding ways to help
their clientele in these most desperate of times.
Law itself is a wider term which implies a pool of many
new opportunities to the upcoming new generation of
lawyers. It provides new gates for the lawyers to the
corporate world, financial institutes, educational institutes
as well as government agencies.
16 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com
Catering to the needs of the current world, Aggarwals &
Associates is leading the legal sector. The firm is a full-
service boutique law firm pioneering legal solutions to
domestic as well as international clients. It operates as a
unique blend of legal and corporate service providers. The
firm was incepted in 2006 in Amritsar and now it has
strengthened its base in Chandigarh. Having already started
building relationships beyond the national boundaries, the
firm now aims at starting many new offices in the
international market, making it’s roots stronger beyond their
own boundaries.
Aggarwals & Associates offers a large portfolio of legal
services through its branches stationed across the globe. At
every branch, a team of specialized experts from various
sectors emphasizes to rule out the difficulties being faced by
their corporate clients and individuals. It also provides its
 Best Law Firms of India in 2021

best services to resolve client disputes either at domestic

level or at an international level.

Aggarwals & Associates work as a single-window service

provider to deal with all kinds of cases across the globe
under one roof. Here, the clients meet their legal
compliances under one umbrella. The firm stands apart
from others as it provides outstanding legal advice without
compromising on professional ethics. The major goal of the
firm is to make legal services more efficient, time-bound
and cost-effective.

The Pillars of the Firm

Mr. Ashish Aggarwal is the Managing Partner of
Aggarwals & Associates. After completing his graduation in
law, he came to Chandigarh with a vision to achieve some
of his goals and to fulfill his dream of becoming a solicitous
professional. He soon started his practice in law at Hon’ble
Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh.
Subsequently, he was looking at the affairs of his clients
while putting his appearance before various courts and
forums across the nation and before the Hon’ble Supreme
Court.

Mr. Ashish Aggarwal has a vast knowledge of criminal and

commercial laws and has led his firm to win the trust of his
clients by delivering 100% results. His team has always
stood beside him in every aspect of the decisions that he has
made for the firm. This team comprises of sharp and
accomplished legal practitioners dealing in varied sectors. It
offers a perfect blend of youth and experience. The team
has the ability to anticipate the client’s legal needs (present
and future).

Talking about the work culture, Aggarwals & Associates Aggarwals &
has transparency in whatever the team does. To become
successful, Mr. Ashish Aggarwal has a simple mantra which
Associates work as a
is to always motivate the team by staying honest with the single-window service

“
profession. He believes that to be successful there are no
short cuts. provider to deal with
Exceptional Services all kinds of cases
The firm is one of the top law firms of North India and is
well known for its expertise in civil litigation matters, across the globe
company law-board matters, national company civil
matters, arbitration and reconciliation matters, merger as
under one roof
well as acquisition matters. The prime service rendered by
the firm is to advice client (individual or corporate houses)
on their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent
them before the various forums across the globe in order to
safeguard their legal rights.

17 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

Aggarwals & Associates is proud of achieving expertise
across varied verticals by providing legal services and
guidance in the fields of:
Ÿ Banking and finance: This field covers the debt capital
market, trade finance and asset finance, regulatory and
advisory, and corporate debt finance.
Ÿ Disputes and litigation: In this, the firm caters to
arbitration, commercial disputes, criminal proceedings,
company law board matters, pre-litigation and dispute
advisory.
Ÿ Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): It looks after the
trademarks, copyrights, designs, domain names, patents,
cyber and computer law and trade secrets.
Ÿ Real Estate: In this, it covers all the RERA compliances,
land acquisitions, due diligence, commercial leasing,
and integrated townships.
Ÿ Environment Health and Safety: General environment,
health, and safety (EHS) legal advisory, compliances
and EHS law mapping obtaining government and
regulatory improvements and representing clients before
National Green Tribunal are looked over by the firm.
Ÿ Technology, Media and Telecom: Here, the firm takes
care of telecom and regulatory, IT and software, content
development, e-commerce, privacy and data protection,
outsourcing, structuring, policy and regulatory and IPR.
18 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com
Apart from the list of services mentioned above, Aggarwals
& Associates caters the start-up businesses to ensure the
beginners to concentrate more on their business. To this,
Mr. Ashish Aggarwal adds, “The strength of my firm is my
team of hardworking and passionate people who think
alike, in order to achieve best. Rest is assured that we shall
take care of all the legal aspects of their company for them
to flourish well.”
Advancing into the Future
Like any other law firm, Aggarwals & Associates too had to
face various challenges. The firm has been persistently
working through the ever-growing competition and pressure
of the industry standards. The biggest challenge remains is
the client’s expectation for working at a lower rate. But
after explaining the clients about the number of efforts and
dedication put into the case, the clients understand the value
of it.
Mr. Ashish Aggarwal says, “Never stop dreaming high as it
always pushes you to achieve more and more. Your failures
will always teach you how it be the best and never put full
stops on your dreams, always put commas and try reaching
higher and higher”.
Strategies for
lawyers
to Improve

20 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

 Time-Frame

time
Management
skills
T ime is one of the most precious
assets of any organization.
Law firms and lawyers also
have to manage their time judiciously
so that the standard and quality of their
strategies to stay ahead of their
competitors while delivering excellent
services.

The following techniques can help

services remain intact in this lawyers to save time and reap better
competitive legal environment. results:

Managing time is very important for Self-Assessment is Essential

any lawyer, especially when the client
is being billed by the hour. With every
incoming phone call and email hitting
the mailbox, the clock starts ticking for
the lawyers. They have to adopt
various time-management skills and
In order to manage time more
effectively, lawyers have to first assess
how they spend their time each day,
what amount of time they spend on
billable work, over personal calls and

21 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

chatting, and so on. They have to track
the time spent in working during any
typical week.
Following the 80/20 Rule
For better time management, lawyers
must follow the 80/20 rule. As per this
rule, the relationship between input and
output is never balanced. The balance
can be rarely witnessed in certain
circumstances. When applied to work,
this rule allows people to produce 80%
of their results with 20% of their
efforts. If lawyers learn how to
recognize the tasks and focus on them
effectively, they can make the most
effective use of their time.
Setting SMART Goals
Firms and lawyers can set even the
simplest of goals, such as tracking all
their time— billable and non-
billable— for a given period to learn
how a firm or a lawyer spends their
time in the day.
Preparing ‘To Do’ Lists
‘To Do’ lists enhance the efficiency of
time and help lawyers to reduce stress
in their practice. They come in handy
during overwhelming situations as they
bring perspective and planning while
allowing lawyers to take control of the
task at hand. Comprehensive running
lists assist in keeping track of the tasks
to be completed. These lists come in
handy for lawyers who want to
complete their tasks in a timely
fashion. At the beginning of every
week, lawyers can make a to-do list of
tasks that must be accomplished that
week. This simplifies tasks and ensures
excellence in execution.
22 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com
Identifying Priorities
Lawyers can utilize the 80/20 rule
to prioritize the tasks at hand and to
choose their actions effectively.
This will help them to complete
those tasks, which are more
important, and then focus on other
less important assignments.
Keeping Reserve Time
For better results, lawyers and law
firms should always plan for the
unexpected and keep time for
emergencies and last-minute
occurrences. They should not
overbook themselves - rather under-
promising to the clients, and then
overdelivering can have a better
impact. If lawyers thinks they can
deliver a contract by Tuesday noon,
they can tell their clients that they
will get the job done by Wednesday
at 4 pm. However, if they deliver it
on Tuesday, the client will be very
pleased.
Work Allocation as per High and
Low Energy Periods
Firms can manage time by working
on the most important or complex
matters during those periods where
the energy of the staff is at the peak.
They can deal with the less crucial
or demanding matters during times
of energy sag
Recording Time
In order to gain higher billings and
ensure a more productive law
practice, it is essential to keep good
time records. Maintaining good
time records can help in handling
individual client matters. Lawyers can
also maintain a personal time log of all
activities (billable and non-billable).
This can assist them to determine the
activities that are non-productive or
inefficient.
Delegation is the Key
Leaders of law firms should understand
that it is not possible to do everything
by themselves. Achieving targets with
efficiency requires a smooth game
plan. Leaders should delegate the tasks
to the subordinates so that the
objectives can be achieved seamlessly
in a very short time.
Overcoming Procrastination
Effectively
Procrastination is a common factor
because of which lawyers waste a lot
of precious time that they could have
otherwise used to win cases and serve
clients efficiently. It is a common time
waster among lawyers. Often people
have no idea why they procrastinate. In
such cases, they should brainstorm and
come up with ideas about what they
should do to move ahead.
They can also avoid procrastination by
breaking the project into small parts.
This will take the dullness out of the
project, and lawyers will be able to
complete the same efficiently.
For any lawyer or a law firm, it is
essential to manage time. This would
help in prioritizing things and in
improving productivity. The tips and
methods mentioned above will help
them achieve their goals effectively,
while saving more time to take care of
other important things.
- Ananda Kamal Das
Leadership
Communication
S
tephen Covey the Management Guru of our times
and the author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective
People’ defined leadership as, “Leadership is
communicating people’s worth and potential so clearly that
they come to see it clearly in themselves." Basically,
leadership has a lot to do with communication. When you
are a leader and you have a vision for your organization,
you have to communicate the same to your people who will
team up and work to bring that vision into reality. So, a
leader who can communicate in clear terms his vision,
people’s worth and potential is surely an effective leader
and has an advantage in terms of his role as a leader.
The Brooklyn Bridge in New York is a great example of
leadership. In 1883, a creative engineer named John
Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular
bridge connecting New York with the Long Island.
However, bridge building experts throughout the world
thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling
to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not
practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of
this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew
deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share
the dream with someone else. After much discussion and
persuasion, he managed to convince his son Washington, an
up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be
built. Working together for the first time, the father and son
developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and
how the obstacles could be overcome.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months
underway, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John
24 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com
Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain
amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being
able to walk or talk or even move.
“We told them so.”
“Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase
wild visions.”
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the
project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the
only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite
of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged and
still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his
mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass
on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too
daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital
room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a
gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he
was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for
just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up.
Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one
finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving
this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his
wife. He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating
to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then
he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the
engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was
under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his
instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the
bridge was finally completed.
 The Secret Ingredient

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its

glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable
spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circum-
stances. That’s a great example of a leader who had a vision
and communicated it to his wife and his people despite all
the odds and completed the project.

So how does a leadership communicate? What’s the

difference between his communication and the communica-
tion of the ordinary people? Here are 3 things that I have
gleaned from my own learning and experience:

"I see a spark in you."- A great leader does not see people
as they are but what they can be if their potential and talents
are utilized and channelled in the right way for the right
purpose. So, the first communication of a leader to his
people is in the words – “I see a spark in you.” A Leader
will encourage people towards self-discovery. Most of the
people in the din and bustle of their world have lost their
authenticity. They have forgotten that they are special. They
are a spark of the God Almighty Himself. We are made in
the image of God. We have talents and potential that can lie
hidden and get buried with us when we die. A great leader
encourages us to discover those talents, those powers
hidden in us. He compels us to see ourselves differently.
Our surroundings and people around starting from our own
families may have never been able to see those special gifts
in us. They may have always considered us as one of the
run of the mill type. They may have even communicated to
us quite the opposite to what the leader sees in us. Many
times, they do it with good intentions, but they were
themselves unaware. It is because of such experiences that
we start feeling that we are not that good. We are average. About the Author
We are meant to settle for an ordinary life.
Sohan Tiwade – Professional
A teacher once took his disciple to show him the graveyard
Speaker, Corporate Soft Skill
where the most famous people were laid to rest. After the
tour of the cemetery, the student was confused. He saw that Trainer & Asst.Prof. @ Sanjay
the graveyard was of ordinary people, none of the names Ghodawat University)
displayed on the graves were of any famous people he was
aware of. So he questioned his teacher about it and the
teacher answered to him, “All these people were meant to “It’s messed up but let’s see how we together can emerge
be great, they were born to be great but they never realised better out of it.” - A leader after having communicated to
it and died with their greatness buried in them.” A great his people their greatness and given them a vision, will
leader’s words to his people are – “I see a spark in you.” He direct them to work for the vision. Many of us will falter
doesn’t let us die with our greatness buried in us rather, he along the way, make mistakes, and mess up things. When a
will help us see our greatness and help us bring it up to leader sees that we have messed up, he/she will tell us, “It’s
serve the world! surely messed up but let’s see how we together can emerge
better out of it.” Note, the leader doesn’t say, “You’ve

25 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

messed up” but, “It’s messed up.” A great leader will never
attack you personally. He will just attack the problem.
That’s great communication secret of a leader. When as a
leader we attack someone personally, the person will lose
faith in himself and never be able to give his best. Words
that we use towards other can either make them or break
them and a great leader is aware of the same. She/he will
choose her words carefully when criticizing. Next, he/she
will not leave you with the mess. Observe the later part of
the communication, ’How we together can emerge better
out of it.’ The leader will take the responsibility of the
mistakes of his/her people and give the credit of success to
them.
Jim Collins in his book, ’Good to Great’ talks of the leader
who stands before a mirror and sees himself whenever
something wrong has happened, he/she takes the responsi-
bility. But whenever something good has happened she will
stand before the window, look out to her people and give
them the credit for the good that has happened. So, a great
leader will not leave their people in the mess but help them
with the way out of it. He/she will help to see the lessons
that were hidden in the misfortune. She will encourage us to
learn from our mess and emerge a better person. I some-
where read about a Nobel Prize winner scientist who
attributed his success to the way his mother brought him up.
Once, as a small child, he spilled all the milk from the
fridge and made a mess of it. His mother saw this but did
not shout or scold him. She allowed him to play. Later
when he was done with playing, she told him that now she
will teach him how to undo the mess. Together they both
picked up and cleaned the mess. This incident stayed in the
mind of the child as he grew up and he became fearless of
experimenting that made him a world-renowned scientist.
That’s the way a leader communicates - ’It’s messed up but
let’s see how we together can emerge better out of it.’
"You are now ready to take the responsibility to lead" -
The final important leadership communication to people is
– “You are now ready to take the responsibility to lead.” A
great leader will always concentrate on readying people to
take responsibility. He/she believes in sharing his powers
and knows that is the best way to work and complete the
vision he has for the organization. He doesn’t allow all the
powers to be concentrated at one place especially at him.
He believes in decentralization of powers and responsibil-
ity. He wants everyone to emerge as a leader and take the
responsibility for their areas. He has grown leaders out of
common people and that makes him a leader of leaders! He
has a mentality of abundance not lack.
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A person with mentality of lack will say that the pie gets
smaller when I share it. An abundance mentality person will
say that the pie only gets bigger by sharing. There’s enough
in the world for everybody. If someone gets something that
does not mean he has taken out of my share. That is the
philosophy of abundance mentality and a great leader.
Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey created the matrix of
situational leadership. They how leadership role graduates
slowly from directing people and telling them what to do to
coaching and training them, giving them the necessary
support and finally giving them the responsibility fully.
These are the stages through which a leader and his people
graduate - Directing, Coaching, Supporting and finally
Delegating. We have to check our leadership styles, have
we grown leaders to overtake us. A great leader always has
better and competent people to pass on the mantle of
leadership to. A bad leader has never allowed leaders to
grow and when he leaves the organization, the organization
collapses. On the contrary, a great leaders’ organization
flourishes all the more when he leaves it for, he has
prepared able shoulders to take on the responsibility. It’s
like the 4x 100 mts relay race. Every runner will run for
100 mts and then pass on the mantle to another runner who
continues for the next 100 mts. The initial runners know
that there is an equally able runner ahead to take on the
baton and they gladly pass it on to them.
It was Winston Churchill who said, "The difference
between mere management and leadership is communica-
tion." Leadership is all about what and how you communi-
cate to your people. We have explored some important
aspect of leadership communication here -
"I see a spark in you."
"It’s messed up but let’s see how we together can emerge
better out of it." "You are now ready to take the responsibil-
ity to lead.
So let’s communicate empowerment, resilience, and
responsibility to our people as leaders !
 Pulastya Legal
Services LLP
Delivering the Next Generation of World-class Legal Professionals
P ulastya Legal is a law firm engaged in providing
high-quality legal services including in the field of
intellectual property, corporate law, media and
entertainment law, and more. The firm also represents
global clients based in the United States, Europe, and
Southeast Asian countries. After working with a California-
headquartered law firm for more than eight years, Mr.
Abhishek Sharma (Managing Partner) along with his
partner (and brother), Mayank Sharma started Pulastya
Legal in 2015.
Understanding the needs of a global and competitive
market, Pulastya Legal continues to offer responsible and
budget-friendly counsel to its clients. The firm has its roots
in the legal industry since 1983 (erstwhile K.K and
Associates, founded and managed by their father, Late Mr.
Krishan Kumar Sharma) and has served clients for over 35
years. Taking the good old charm of the legal profession
and merging the modern-day best practices, the firm has
many success stories around the world.
In the field of intellectual property, Pulastya’s partners have
spent a substantial amount of time educating and
counselling creative minds in identifying their intellectual
property so that it can be best protected under law. The
firm’s attorneys also keep a close check on potential
infringements of the legal rights of their clients so that the
clients can focus on building their business and life in
peace.
A Glorious Vision
The firm’s mission is simple. To provide trustworthy and
effective legal advice through customized legal services,
28 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com
and it strives to help protect its clients’ legal and business
rights - all the time!
The vision of the firm is to continue to be trusted and relied
upon by its clients at all levels. Its vision is to help all those
who need legal assistance and are wronged somehow. Its
vision is to continue to be on the speed dial list of all its
clients and be accessible when needed the most.
The firm’s core approach rests on identification, protection,
and monitoring an end-to-end formula that has allowed its
clients to work in peace. Its core value is to render legal
services to even those who cannot afford it and create a law
firm that truly gives back to society and keeps the
profession as noble as it is originally perceived to be.
The Holistic Learning Experience
Pulastya Legal Services provides long-term internships to
law students, especially those who are in the final year.
Taking a deviation from the standard industry practices for
allowing internships for one month, the firm believes in not
just filling up the seats in the office but to ensure that some
real value is added to the law students’ work experience.
The firm is open to receiving internships from law schools
across India and is not restricted to only taking interns that
are geographically suited for its offices. Pulastya’s Mumbai
office has seen interns from Hyderabad, Delhi, Punjab,
Gujarat, Kolkata, Assam, and many more places.
In addition to the above, the firm takes pride in exposing the
interns to ongoing billable matters and it is no surprise that
the firm absorbs some of its interns at the end of their
internships. It believes in respecting the time and effort that
 Best Law Firms of India in 2021

a law student is spending in college and more so the time

he/she spends in Pulastya’s office.

“We prefer not to waste their time in unnecessary research

work and subject to confidentiality, we share our ongoing
matters with them to work on,” commented Mr Abhishek
Sharma.

The Firm that Cares

The firm is grooming future lawyers to face the legal
practice by exposing them to real matters, complicated legal
issues and by giving them the respect that they deserve. The
partners of the firm handhold them personally at every step
whether it is drafting a contract, filing an IP application,
reporting something to the client, management of
docketing, or even client communications.

Mr Abhishek Sharma explained the prospects of new

joiners saying, “It does not come as a surprise to us that
almost every intern who finishes their internship with us
applies to the firm for a ‘Trainee Associate’ position and at
any given point of time, we have a pool of law graduates,
fully trained to take on the legal matters.”

“On a few occasions where the law graduates have started

their own practice. Our partners have referred clients to
them, gifted them law books, and sent invitations to them
for regular business events so that they can build their
practice,” he added.

On many occasions, the firm has even provided placements

to graduates and have even recommended a good resume to
its friends in the legal industry.

The Steadfast Leader

The firm’s mission
The firm’s Managing Partner, Abhishek Sharma, has been
invited on many occasions by law schools, across India, to is simple. To provide
deliver lectures on intellectual property law practice and
share his insights on the legal profession. Mr. Sharma has trustworthy and effective
also participated in seminars and panel discussions across
law schools and at various big business associations, such legal advice through
as TiE, on a number of topics including intellectual property
customized legal services,
law, media and entertainment, commercial contracts,
franchising as a business model, and so on. He has also and it strives to help
been invited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
India to talk on similar topics. protect its clients’ legal

Standing Apart and business rights - all

There is no better testimonial for Pulastya than those of its the time!

29 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

 A Household Name

The Firm has been a member of various

business organizations such as TiE, INTA
(International Trademark Association),
and many Chamber(s) of Commerce
across India.

interns and associates who apply to the firm itself for a full-
time position immediately after graduation. Elaborating on
the same, Mr Abhishek Sharma said, “Since the internship
program allows interns to work on ongoing billable matters
and exposing them to the day-to-day heat of the legal
profession, it does not come as a surprise to us when they
tell us that almost no other law firm allows its interns to
work on billable matters.”

The firm does not provide such training to its students with
an intention to compete with other law firms, but it’s
because the partners genuinely believe in the joy of sharing.

Riding the Digital Waves

When asked whether the digitization of the judicial process
will prove beneficial to law firms and citizens in general,
Mr Sharma replied, “Absolutely yes. With the advent of
technology many processes and services are available
online to citizens and access to legal justice, being a
fundamental right of every citizen, will be served better
with equal platforms.”
Many administrative hearings such as trademark hearings
were taken online and even though the experience is new
for everyone, this ambitious firm is sure that somewhere
everybody appreciated the time and energy that was saved
by doing things online.
Adapting to the ‘new normal’
The firm comprises a group of exceptional and
hardworking, talented lawyers. Lawyers who come to the
office every day with great zeal and hope to make a
difference in the lives of clients every single day. Legal
services, as the firm sees it, is not just giving a formula to a
client but reassuring them that they should pursue or not
pursue legal action against the opposite party. Traditionally,
this reassurance is most effective when delivered in person.
Not being able to meet the clients, sit next to them and
Mr. Abhishek Sharma
Managing Partner
convey advice to them through a legal remedy along with
the correct body language is something that the lawyers of
the firm definitely miss.
Scaling the Future
Safety comes first, everything else can wait! The firm’s
main aim is to ensure that all its active clients are served
well, no adjournments are sought, and delays are caused
due to limited availability.
Pulastya has shifted its offices to a bigger and safer premise,
and in some locations, it only plans to fully operate once it
is safe. It continues to screen and interview good candidates
for the team and are hiring even now!
Its an exciting time to work in Pulastya Legal Services
LLP!

30 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

Importance
of

in Legal Drafting
- Ananda Kamal Das

F or any common person, legal

drafting means creating
well-structured documents,
including petitions, memorandums,
contracts, wills, and so on. Generally,
them. Also, in courts, there is no other
mode of interpretation than the literal
one.

These drafts are written in complex

such documents are also known as
legal drafts. Hence, it becomes
essential that they are written in a
simple language so that the intended
audience can read and understand
and long sentences, covering several
points at once instead of making each
sentence fulfil a precise purpose. In a
legal draft, every point should be crisp,
precise, devoid of double negatives,

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 Chalk-Talk

33 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

and should convey the message in a
comprehensible language. The best
drafts use concise and unambiguous
language, avoid unnecessary
abbreviations, and do not include
excessively long sentences.
Keeping the above points in
perspective, let us delve deep into
understanding how important it is to
draft legal documents in easy English.
Moreover, let us focus on the
drawbacks and disadvantages if we do
not.
Steps Involved in Legal Drafting
In order to draft a legal document, it is
important to understand the context
and concept of the document which is
being drafted. Concerned people
should also pay attention to the facts
revolving around the document and the
laws governing such facts while
ensuring that the document does not
offend or violate any provision of law.
Once the laws are interpreted, and the
facts are understood, the next step is to
start drafting the document. This
process involves collecting and
consolidating the facts and writing
them down in a manner, which is
structured, accurate, and precise. The
document thus prepared should convey
the exact meaning once it is interpreted
legally.
The Ideal Legal Language
Unlike normal language, which is
spoken by the general public, legal
language is different. It uses certain
specialized terms and phrases, which
laymen do not use in daily
conversations. Legal language also
contains cluttered, wordy, indirect
words and contains technical terms and
phrases which are ideally not required.
34 | September 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com
Legal language has certain features,
which cause various sorts of problems.
Long legal sentences contain a huge
amount of information, which adds to
the complexity of comprehension. As a
result, the language becomes difficult
to read.
It uses unnecessary extra words in a
document, which complicates the
message. Many times, in legal
documents, double negatives are used
in sentences and phrases. This
naturally makes the sentence
extremely difficult to read and also
leads to the wrong interpretation of the
document if the reader does not read it
carefully.
Certain words and phrases in legal
writing known as terms of art have
specific meanings in legal language.
Known as ‘Terms of Art,’ these
expressions have specific meanings
only in the legal language and can be
used only by people who are a part of
the legal industry. People who do not
have the basic knowledge of the law
cannot understand the meaning of
these Terms of Art.
The Popularity of Normal and Easy
English
With time, more and more lawyers,
jurists, and so on are increasingly
using simpler and plain legal language
instead of the generic legal language.
This is because general English is
simple, comprehensible, and easy to
read. Accordingly, the concerned
parties easily understand the
information provided in the
documents. Such language, if used in
other legal documents, will make the
information provided easy to
understand.
If plain language is used in legal
documents, it increases the readability
and makes the information easy to
understand. Thus, after reading these
documents, parties will have fewer
questions regarding the terms and
provisions of such documents. This
will eventually save the time of both
the reader and the person who has
drafted the document.
As stated above, if a legal document is
drafted in plain and simple language, it
becomes easy to read and understand
while opening doors for effective
communication. Such precise language
makes the terms of the document
extremely clear to all the parties
involved. This creates no room for
confusion and disagreements, which
helps in avoiding disputes which arise
out of legal documents.
Making the Right Decision
The information provided above
makes it clear that the simple English
language is beneficial in comparison to
traditional generic legal language. It
helps in avoiding disputes, in making
efficient communication, saving time
and money, and also in enhancing the
profits of lawyers and brands. Simple
English language increases the
transparency between lawyers and
clients instead of increasing
complexity in this already complex
legal world.
By using plain language, it would be
easier to make the general public
understand laws better. Moreover, it
would also play an important part in
reducing unnecessary disputes while
making the judicial process even
faster.