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An estimated 3-minute read

Good Old Litigation-Part II

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After giving me gyaan about the struggles involved in litigation my SIR takes me to the Co-operative tribunal. Reminiscing my sir says law has become a coveted option for your generation, we saw the real fight. I smile trying to weigh my words but it’s true, the 5year courses have made it a viable option for first generation lawyers. After finishing all the court work, we head towards office which is located in the heart of the city with the Supreme Court and High Court just 10mins away. Sir introduces me to the junior associates and then goes to his cabin. I am left wondering what to do next after the tour around the city’s tribunals but looking purposeful comes easily to me. I get on a machine and start reading Bar & Bench. The day ends with an instruction to report at 10.30 to Court. Fortunately or unfortunately the clerk has gone for a leave and according to my SIR under a junior associate’s supervision this would be a great opportunity for me to learn the important basics of the trade.

What follows for the next three weeks is an encounter with the sayapas(read: struggles) of litigation that I mentioned in my earlier post. The high of taking the first adjournment in front of the deputy registrar to the process turning into a mundane process by the time I took the 10th one giving the same reason “The senior counsel My Lord is not present here due to some personal difficulty and we had informed the other party previously”.  I figured by the end of it that it’s not like the judges don’t know these are mere excuses. The Delhi High Court canteen and the sumptuous food it serves to the legal eagles of our country. But lawyers there use these in between breaks to discuss the High Court gossip, in my one month internship I knew who hated who and their history. It was there for everyone to know. One day I actually looked around to see the lawyers who had cases and the rest who just came to build their PR. Beyond the fancy senior counsel coat and the charm I started doing the economics of litigation mentally.

And it’s quite simple. We learn a concept called opportunity cost in economics, where one good is sacrificed over another to earn more profit. Well in that case all a law graduate looks at is making money after studying hard for 5years. The corporate gives these awesome packages compared to a measly Rs.18, 000; it's not hard to guess why litigation fails to attract these young guns. But then the payoffs of litigation in the later stage are way more than a senior associate at a law firm. Subject to the name and trust an individual is able to make in his practice. So in the end it’s all about choice. Young women in the fancy bar room ( I was taken by  the name initially because I thought it would be ehm something else to what I saw…well it’s just a room where women can rest when waiting for their case…there is no bar :P) are always wondering if they did the right thing working with an advocate, at times they are very jealous of their counterparts in big law firms. Hmm but I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.

But then the sayapas are their everywhere is what I later told my Sir when he sat me down to give my certificate. It’s the type of sayapas that one wants to live with for the rest of their life. Do I want a sticker on my car saying ‘Advocate Delhi High Court’-YES! Do I want to wear that uniform and go to office every day? YES! And most importantly I understand drafting is there everywhere but it is an awesome feeling to stand there in court and argue your point and see the way a judge interprets it. That’s the actual rush and I will be ready any day to take on all these sayapas in life  and any others that I didn’t manage to mention in this post. One does not need Shakespeare English to be a pro, you only need to master court craft which well includes knowing when to ask for an adjournment and when not to put an application :)

 

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