Varenya Vaish
Mr. Prakarsh Pandey is an ardent educationist, reader and author of two Amazon bestsellers. Over his career, he has assisted top lawyers based in Allahabad High Court. Here’s Mr. Pandey in conversation with Desi Kaanoon-
Q1. What are some experiences of litigation that are difficult to articulate in a resume?
A1. There are many but an experience that stands out is the struggle that an advocate goes through at the beginning of his career. It is the difficulty, one faces in choosing a good chamber, figuring out if you get tasks, and consulting people with regards to doubts circling drafting and arguments. One cannot articulate in his resume how tough it must have been for individuals to reach where they are now as litigation is a profession where one needs to quench the thirst of working every day.
Q2. The journey from a junior associate to a senior associate/partner demands a lot?
A2. Definitely! Success does not come easily to everyone; it requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice. We are always looked up to for the lifestyles we possess and the respect that we command in the courtroom, but the struggles faced must not be overlooked. Litigation, as a journey can be divided into three phases – no work + no money, only work + no money, and a lot of work + lot of money so a junior has to go through the first two phases to reach the last phase i.e when he finally becomes a senior. From spending nights studying case laws, and books, to having very minimal time for socializing, sacrificing is one major aspect that needs to be dealt with when in this profession. Becoming a senior is not difficult but maintaining that status is.
Q3. You have briefed a lot of senior advocates, can you elaborate on your experience?
A3. In the initial years, the more you brief seniors the more you learn from them. Every senior has their way of setting the case, arguments, drafts, and client meetings, so you get to see and adopt several different approaches from them. I have been lucky enough to have briefed some renowned seniors over here and I can assure you that it has not only enhanced my legal knowledge and drafting but also changes my approach to life.
A major aspect that every young advocate should focus on is being consistent and dedicated. Every advocate, even at the peak of their career, still heads to the chamber on time to read files or law books, so this is one thing that must be imbibed.
Q4. Your initiative-Into Legal World has been working in the field of legal education. Do you think it’s high time that school students should also be made aware of basic laws and rights?
A4. I believe that not only students, but every citizen of our country should be aware of the law and their rights as it will help the country in its entirety to flourish and prosper. People who are aware of the law and their rights will make sure that they are not denied their basic needs which are guaranteed by the Constitution.
Q5. A growing trend that can be seen among law students is that they are proactive since early law school days in taking up various roles and carrying out co-curricular activities, some of which are unique. However, how can they make out which kind of activities will just take up their time and which will provide growth in years to come?
A5. I believe that for good advocacy, one must engage in several co-curricular activities ranging from debates, moot courts or even sports. Talking about debating/mooting helps one overcome stage fright so once you start practising as an advocate, hesitation while narrating your arguments will vanish. Parallelly, writing legal articles not only enhances your knowledge but also your vocabulary. On the other hand, sports and advocacy also have a lot in common, as there are days when you win and days when you don’t, hence playing any kind of game keeps you mentally strong and develops a never quit attitude.
Q6. How were your starting years of litigation like? Looking back, what mistakes do you feel you could have avoided?
A6. To be honest, I would say that the lord has been too kind as I have been engaged in various kinds of work ranging from civil matters to bail applications to 482 petitions, service matters, contempt matters, PIL, environmental matters and many more on, regular basis. The mistake that I committed was in the initial two months when I did not join any chamber and then realised the importance of doing so in this profession.
Another piece of advice that I would give to the budding aspirants is that whether you have a case listed or not, visit the court not only to observe how the seniors engage in arguments but also how they respond to the query of the judges.
Q7. You have authored a lot of books on procedural laws, some of which turned out to be bestsellers on e-commerce websites. What was your driving force and inspiration behind this?
A7. I was always into writing since my college days. I had voluminous notes on the books that I had written so one day I just thought that why not publish them and introduce them to the legal world. My first book out of the 5 that I have authored, on Evidence, was published in 2018 which turned out to be quite successful. Evidence was ranked 7th in the law books category on Amazon and this turned into one of the main driving forces and inspiration to write more books by God’s grace all have been ranked within the top 10!
Q8. Was litigation always a career option or did you wish to explore the corporate sector as well? Why?
A8. It was litigation always and to be honest I was very inspired by some of the legal stalwarts such as the Late Pandit Kanhaiya Lal Misra Ji, Mr SC Misra, Dr LP Misra and last but not the least Mr Anoop Trivedi. These are the people who have motivated me to pick litigation as a career. The pleasure and happiness that you get after you get the needed relief for your client is unmatchable and cannot be expressed in words!