In the 20th episode of Letter of Law Interviews, I am delighted to host Sr. Adv. Prashanto Chandra Sen!
I am extremely grateful to Prashanto sir for taking time out and sharing his valuable insights on law and litigation with us. Honestly, Letter of Law could not have hoped for a better start to the new year.
In this freewheeling conversation, Prashanto sir talks about his journey as a lawyer. He talks about his early days as a law student, his time as a corporate lawyer, and how he set up an individual counsel practise. We also discuss sir's journey of being designated as a senior advocate and the kind of changes it brings to a lawyer's professional life.
The entire conversation is full of actionable advise for young lawyers and law-students on how to succeed in the profession. Sir talks about a variety of matters including court craft, the utility of LL.M in litigation, performing better as interns, skills that young lawyers need to develop, and so much more!
It was truly a great honour to be in conversation with Prashanto sir. I got to learn so much in the short span of an hour, and I am sure that the episode will add great value to all our viewers.
Time stamps:
Welcoming Sr. Adv. Prashanto Chandra Sen: 00:00
Introduction: 00:52
The journey is going on!: 01:25
Prashanto sir introduces himself: 02:15
From history to law: 02:59
'History was a family subject': 03:30
'Go into law with a mature mind': 04:04
'Walk with my father': 04:50
Freedom as a lawyer: 05:00
'Was a good debater': 05:40
'As good as your last case': 06:00
'Good orator does not mean good lawyer': 06:53
'Magic out of laundry list' 08:05
Energy of the court: 08:40
Family background: 10:46
Working with Dr. Singhvi: 12:05
Work ethics: 12:45
'Went to Dr. Rajeev Dhavan': 13:00
LL.M for litigation?: 13:50
Role of an intern: 16:50
Should you do an LL.M?: 19:28
'1-2 years is nothing': 21:30
NLU v. Non-NLU: 21:45
Working at Amarchand Mangaldas: 22:20
'Salary was 6 thousand': 22:55
'Be around in the office': 24:00
Compounding effect: 25:55
'Practise' of law: 26:30
Take instructions seriously: 27:00
Internalise good work habits: 28:00
Take up hard work: 29:10
Does a law background help: 29:40
Be thorough with your brief: 31:20
Self-promotions don't work: 32:00
Beware of the cell-phone: 32:48
Build capacity of research: 35:25
Keep a register: 35:30
Litigation or law-firm: 36:23
Litigation experience always helps: 37:15
Good at something, but may not like it: 38:00
Litigation is unpredictable: 39:20
Litigation is a street fights: 40:00
How to choose a chamber: 40:30
Going independent as a lawyer: 45:18
Lawyer can never be in doubt: 45:49
Have a good clerk: 47:00
Inform client of negative aspects in a case: 47:50
Tips to be a successful lawyer: 48:52
Allow clients to have their say: 50:25
'Pick up the phone': 50:55
Examples from career: 52:50
Larger role of lawyer in society: 56:10
Managing office: 57:00
You don't know why you succeed in law: 57:45
Generalisation v. specialisation in law: 58:50
Senior's role is of advocacy: 01:05:00
Becoming a senior advocate: 01:06:55
Literature's role in litigation: 01:10:05
Mistakes to avoid in the profession: 01:13:00
Responsibility of a lawyer: 01:16:44
Thumbnail credits: Harshit Arora
Follow Sr. Adv. Prashanto Chandra Sen:
LinkedIn: / prashanto-chandra-sen-...
Twitter: / prashantosen
Follow Letter of Law:
KZread: / letteroflaw
Instagram: / letteroflaw
Follow Sarthak Bhardwaj:
Twitter: / sarthakbhardwj
Instagram: / sarthakbhardwaj_20
Thank you!