Advocate Sagar Shivam Jaiswal in his interview, talks about how to grab the opportunities which are suitable with the interests of any person. The internships and practical experience can help you to proceed further in the career and to decide in which field whether litigation, corporate area etc. were to lead in future. He also mentioned that there is always difficulty faced by everyone in the starting days of career, but to confront the challenges and surpass them is the only solution to achieve success. Participating in moot courts competitions is also key to success.
We welcomed Advocate Sagar Shivam Jaiswal under the initiative, Lawyer Speaks. He is the founding partner at Prudens Global Legal Solutions and also an advisor at Law Community. In a semi-formal conversation with the litigant, he shared some insightful facets from his professional journey, which we are bringing to our members.
The Journey
Advocate Jaiswal talked about how he transitioned from being a science student to one in law school. It was the Law of Contracts that fascinated him to the world of law. During his law school, he gave equal weightage to both academic as well as non-academic activities. He suggested for students to understand the importance of both.
While he was doing his LLB, he carefully planned the internships that would be helpful in his litigation career and specifically started with Trial courts after law school. He was especially thankful to Mr. Vikas for supporting him in his initial career days. But still he said that starting years in litigation was difficult. But like all good things, that pressure led to a great experience.
When asked how he got interested in Civil Litigation, he gave the most realistic and logical answer. His journey of internships and practical experience influenced him into the career he is in. This made me realize as a law student, how important it is to take the right decisions and strategizing. Not to forget, he shared the importance of interaction with peers and maintaining a social circle.
The Work and Life
Advocate Sagar shares that his mantra to balance life is prioritizing different aspects responsibly – both personal and professional life. When it comes to prioritizing, he believes classification of responsibilities should be done carefully. Besides this, he reminisced his time when he was facing problems but learnt to grow from them. He advised lawyers to become problem solvers which will help them in the longer run. And emphasized to never say no to any opportunity that comes your way. Being mindful about - working not only hard,but smart!
Like everyone else, Pandemic has affected him as well. It has brought life to a standstill and understandably, he misses the social gathering and networking chances that are lost staying indoors. When it comes to Virtual Courts, he admitted that it cannot substitute Regular courts. He shared his day-to-day experience of facing problems when it comes to inability to properly convey arguments, understand judges’ queries, make out the voice clearly or expression of the judges. But he does appreciate the system for giving lawyers a chance to practice across India without having to take the pains of traveling.
Word to Wise
Very generously, Advocate Sagar gave a glimpse of the road that law students and lawyers can take in their journey. By highlighting the importance of planning ahead, he explained the strategy that one should apply when it comes to internships. His suggestive plan goes like this:
1. 1st year students – Internships at Legal Service Authorities
2. 2nd year students – Internship with Independent Lawyer of Trial Court
3. 3rd year students – Internship at a mid-sized Law Firm or in High court
4. 4th and 5th year students – Career Specific Internship or at Commissions
But this is not all! Advocate Jaiswal met our request with open arms when we asked what advice he would give to law students and legal professionals. Summarising the conversation, he advised law students of 1st, 2nd and 3rd years to plan their internship carefully. For students of 4th and 5th year, he advised to not waste time and grab opportunities.For fresh law graduates, he advised to go for juniorship under a very good senior and spend atleast a year in learning.
To Conclude
Few changes he wishes for in the litigation area is speedy disposal, mending the practice of unnecessary adjournments and bringing more fast track courts. But whatever the situation, he believes in the Indian Judicial System and emphasizes that this faith should never be shattered. At last, he shared how at his time there weren’t many ways by which one could gain understanding and exposure to law. Which is why he praised Law Community’s initiative to be highly beneficial for law students and lawyers.
See full video
Best Platform for Legal Professionals
.jpg)