Mr. Himansh Shembekar is full of wise pieces of advice for other law students, which are a reflection of his own active mooting life and a lot of publications. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation-
Q. How would you describe your law school life ?
A. Life at law school has been an enterprising combination of surprising, interesting and challenging events. It also gets a bit difficult during project submissions and exams. I recount the last 3 years as the best years of my life. Competitive environment in college has always been my source of motivation. It helped me in pushing myself towards setting and achieving new goals. My outlook has always been to learn new things and enrich my knowledge. My journey has been supplemented by many seniors at my law school who have helped me and guided me in difficult times.
Q. You have published quite a significant number of articles and research papers in just 3rd year of your law school life, what do you suggest our readers is the best way to write one such research paper ?
A. One of the biggest struggles which I feel that people face before starting an article is to decide upon a specific topic. This commonly encountered problem can be resolved by firstly identifying a topic that has a specific takeaway for readers. For example, analyzing and/or comparing laws or a legal issue, analyzing nitty-gritty and impact of an amendment/judgment. Next, one should scan books and the internet, looking for appropriate content to help in collating material. Once done, prepare a Table of Contents (TOC) based on adequately researched material. The TOC shall help in giving a structure and logical flow to the article. The next step is to work on the draft and try to improve after every proof check. An ideal research paper must primarily have detailed analysis, novelty in arguments and comprehensive suggestions. The last step is to look out for an appropriate journal where the article can be published to reach the right audience.
Q. You’ve worked under reputed law firms and senior supreme court advocates, how did you make it through till there ? What is the procedure that our readers should follow in order to get a chance to work under big laws firms such as these ?
A. To be honest, being accepted for interning in reputed law firms and under renowned advocates has been quite a dogged task. With so many students applying for an internship, it is important to adhere to the deadline or more like the ‘right time’ for applying, preferably at least 3-4 months before the preferred dates. Few law firms evaluate the applicant’s knowledge and skills through assessment tests before offering internship. Therefore, it becomes all the more important for grass-root preparation. It is also important that the student selects the law firm/ company for internship depending upon the year he is studying in. A first-year student should not apply in tier 1 firms when they are still not exposed to requisite legal knowledge that the firm expects. Another important aspect is to look for an internship under such advocates or firms which deal with or provide an opportunity to work in your areas of interest.
Q. You’ve participated in quite a few moots and have also qualified as the quarter finalists, how should beginners go about during moot preparation ?
A. A splendid experience that moots have been for me, it is a great learning process for law students to understand procedural and substantial questions of law. Mooting helps to refine skills like coherent research, presentation of arguments encompassing evidence, counter-arguments, drafting, being accustomed to citation methods, teamwork amidst deadline pressure, etc., which prove to be beneficial professionally for every law student. It also gives an experience of what action in the courtroom may feel like. If anyone has fear of public speaking, participation in moots will help him or her overcome it. So, I genuinely exhort generous participation by law students in moot court competitions at least once in their law school. Beginners can start by participating in Intra-College moot competitions to get some experience in moot procedures. I will also recommend the readers to give the book “How to moot: A Mooter’s Guide” by Jaya Kathju Zutshi a read.
Q. Given the fact that you have been doing such diverse things, what is that one most important thing according to you which every law student should know ?
A. Law school has its own little share of fun and demanding situations, bringing scores of opportunities throughout five years. You must balance and utilize your time to gain and hone skills, study, play and enjoy too. Things may not always be rosy. It can be stressful sometimes giving exams, preparing for moots, publishing papers, and many more things. Peer pressure is one more thing that one may find difficult to handle. It is important to understand here that one cannot achieve or excel at each and everything. One should not compete with other people, but rather compete with oneself and improve each day. Even our failures can be the reason behind a new and better direction in our life. The idea of my blog, www.lexdogma.in , crossed my mind when I was going through a really low phase. The blog was up in 3 weeks after that.
One piece of advice for my friends reading this. Please remember – Failures and successes both are not forever; success needs to be renewed and failure needs to be converted into learning, as we move towards new challenges in life.
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