In India's dynamic legal landscape, focusing on client needs has never been more important. In this discussion, Anu Monga, Partner, AnantLaw talks about blending legal expertise with the specific and varied requirements of clients.
In this article, Anu answers 4 key questions:
Question 1: In a diverse legal landscape, how do you ensure that your client-centric approach remains consistent, regardless of the practice area or type of case you handle?
It is about basic training as a legal practitioner. Once you realise your purpose of being a "lawyer" and know the goal, the approach of handling any matter, regardless of practice area, becomes consistent. Legal profession requires an eye for detail and identifying the differentiator that we will help the cause of our client. I was once asked to assist on a tax matter emerging from advance ruling; the matter was complex as it involved sale of intellectual property assets for India region of a beer company based in Australia to another company. The entire transaction took place outside of India, and the parties had claimed that no capital gains tax is to be paid to Indian authorities. The limited aspect that was placed before me for advice/assistance was on the issue of "intellectual property". I examined the fundamentals of trademark laws, situs of trademark, goodwill with respect to the trademark and product. The client got a favourable judgment from Honorouable High Court of Delhi on the basis of submissions made around the situs of trademark and goodwill associated with the mark.
Question 2: When dealing with complex legal matters, how do you strike a balance between offering sound legal advice and ensuring your clients understand the implications and options available to them?
One of the important aspects of being a legal practitioner is to 'save the client from him-own-self'. It is a huge challenge to handle a client when the client thinks that his research on "Google" has given him a result - that squarely covers his case, and therefore, not much is required to be done in his case. However, nothing works better than being patient and listening to the client and his views in detail. It is only after hearing the client in detail that I either adopt the views of the client or suggest to the client the pitfalls in his arguments and practical aspects of his case. In most cases, clients understand the complexities involved in their cases and appreciate the suggested nuanced approach curated to redress the client's problem(s).
Question 3: Can you provide examples of how you've effectively worked with clients to co-create solutions that reflect their goals and priorities?
No case can be won or transaction closed without having the backing and support of the client. Any strategy on the matter has to be adopted and implemented with cooperation with the client. We indeed work on the instructions of our clients. Meanwhile, we explain to clients during the onboarding stage itself that unless complete and true facts are disclosed; the strategy suggested will not be able to achieve the full-and-desired effect. Clients play a pivotal role in supplying any lawyer with clear facts and documents - without which nothing can be achieved. Also, while working on the strategy for litigation or corporate transactions, the ethos of clients and its board are significant and are required to be aligned.
Question 4: What role does ongoing education and staying up to date with industry trends play in your ability to provide the most relevant and tailored legal solutions to your clients?
Several specialist practice areas are heavily dependent on legal developments in other jurisdictions, and as a practitioner of some of these areas (including competition and international trade laws), it is absolutely necessary to be aware of legal developments and trends across different jurisdictions and also interact with practitioners from different jurisdictions to get practical insight. These aspects are used in almost all competition law and international trade law cases and advisories. While we keep ourselves abreast of developments in mature and similarly placed jurisdictions; we ensure to always read those developments from the microscope of law in effect in India (and accordingly look to adopt or differentiate the same).