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First join bar, then law firms: GE Vahanvati video interview

Video and below interview summary reproduced with permission of Rainmaker. Interview conducted by Aju John.

Attorney General G E Vahanvati said that while it is quite attractive to work at a big firm like Amarchand or AZB, doing litigation first will help young lawyers with their first principles. You must have knowledge of the civil procedure code and the criminal procedure code and thus know the ropes of the law.

"Jean Paul Satre said that some people become adults without ever having been children. Some lawyers become very successful without ever having dirt in their nails. You have to know how the registry and filing works. After that you can branch off into transactional work if you want, but first principles of law must be absolutely all right."

The Attorney General was speaking to Rainmaker about the the three things a young lawyer had to keep in mind.

"First of all you must be prepared to work very hard. Unfortunately, today with word processors, it is a cut-and-paste job. Everything is very easy with search engines and all sorts of finders."

The second is integrity. This is required in everything that is done in the legal profession. "If you are appearing in court, you must exude the aura that the judge will believe what you say", he said. That is the most important thing - one should never mislead the court.

Even if one is doing non-litigation work, one should never mislead opposing counsel because then "he will never trust you again". You have to do the best for your client but don't resort to sharp practices. "Once your reputation is gone, it is gone forever."

"The third is don't run after money. Money comes." He recalled what Atul Setalvad had told him in 1976. "Fees are like water in a reservoir. They will build up over a period of time because solicitors don't pay immediately, but after some time the water will flow regularly." In today's profession, people have to resist the lure of money, he said.

To youngsters who feel that litigation is the poorest of the options that they are faced with, he said that there is nothing more satisfying than a good argument in court. "It is a high. There is nothing like facing a judge who does not agree with you, and then you turn him."

He also said that it was high time the seniors in the legal profession realised that junior lawyers need to be paid. "I pay my juniors", he said. "There was a young junior who came to me when I was Advocate General of Maharashtra", he recalled. "He couldn't afford to stay in Bombay. He was from Orissa and wanted to practice in Delhi. I called Ryan Karanjawala and asked him whether he could help him. Ryan took him up and paid him fifteen thousand rupees a month. Today he is doing very well." He said that seniors in the legal profession had to learn that whatever they have is a gift that must be shared with young lawyers.

"If you give young lawyers some money and see that they are doing well, their enthusiasm is at a different level. An unhappy junior will never be able to assist you. A happy junior will give you the best he's got."

Describing aspects of his relationship with his juniors, he said that he would give his juniors x amount of money every month, and also try to see that they get associated with certain matters so that they can earn some additional income. Once they get the exposure, they go ahead and start getting work on their own.

He also said that it is unhealthy for young lawyers to start practicing directly at the Supreme Court. "I have appeared in the City Civil Court of Bombay with a fee of thirty rupees. I have appeared in the Small Causes Court on rent eviction matters", he said.

Visit and subscribe to Rainmaker India's YouTube channel to view archive video interviews.

Attorney General G E Vahanvati said that while it is quite attractive to work at a big firm like Amarchand or AZB, doing litigation first will help young lawyers with their first principles. You must have knowledge of the civil procedure code and the criminal procedure code and thus know the ropes of the law.

"Jean Pau...l Satre said that some people become adults without ever having been children. Some lawyers become very successful without ever having dirt in their nails. You have to know how the registry and filing works. After that you can branch off into transactional work if you want, but first principles of law must be absolutely all right."

The Attorney General was speaking to Rainmaker about the the three things a young lawyer had to keep in mind.

"First of all you must be prepared to work very hard. Unfortunately, today with word processors, it is a cut-and-paste job. Everything is very easy with search engines and all sorts of finders."

The second is integrity. This is required in everything that is done in the legal profession. "If you are appearing in court, you must exude the aura that the judge will believe what you say", he said. That is the most important thing - one should never mislead the court.

Even if one is doing non-litigation work, one should never mislead opposing counsel because then "he will never trust you again". You have to do the best for your client but don't resort to sharp practices. "Once your reputation is gone, it is gone forever."

"The third is don't run after money. Money comes." He recalled what Atul Setalvad had told him in 1976. "Fees are like water in a reservoir. They will build up over a period of time because solicitors don't pay immediately, but after some time the water will flow regularly." In today's profession, people have to resist the lure of money, he said.

To youngsters who feel that litigation is the poorest of the options that they are faced with, he said that there is nothing more satisfying than a good argument in court. "It is a high. There is nothing like facing a judge who does not agree with you, and then you turn him."

He also said that it was high time the seniors in the legal profession realised that junior lawyers need to be paid. "I pay my juniors", he said. "There was a young junior who came to me when I was Advocate General of Maharashtra", he recalled. "He couldn't afford to stay in Bombay. He was from Orissa and wanted to practice in Delhi. I called Ryan Karanjawala and asked him whether he could help him. Ryan took him up and paid him fifteen thousand rupees a month. Today he is doing very well." He said that seniors in the legal profession had to learn that whatever they have is a gift that must be shared with young lawyers.

"If you give young lawyers some money and see that they are doing well, their enthusiasm is at a different level. An unhappy junior will never be able to assist you. A happy junior will give you the best he's got."

Describing aspects of his relationship with his juniors, he said that he would give his juniors x amount of money every month, and also try to see that they get associated with certain matters so that they can earn some additional income. Once they get the exposure, they go ahead and start getting work on their own.

He also said that it is unhealthy for young lawyers to start practicing directly at the Supreme Court. "I have appeared in the City Civil Court of Bombay with a fee of thirty rupees. I have appeared in the Small Causes Court on rent eviction matters", he said.
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