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In this article, Jahnavi Bhatt interviews Krishnapriya Nair, a student of National Law University, Odisha, on the challenges, skills, interests, and future of the legal profession.
What do you think is the most challenging about being a lawyer?
Right to the heavy stuff! (chuckles) As a law student with numerous law internships under her belt, I think the most challenging aspect of being a lawyer is the long hours. Working long hours may bring you short-term gains, but you can only go on for so long. You’ll eventually have to figure out how to manage your life as a lawyer. The best way to get started is by establishing reasonable goals for yourself. Gain skill, and utlise them wisely.
Speaking of skills, what do you think is the most important skill for a lawyer to possess?
I feel having attention to detail is something that is highly important for lawyers, no matter their field of law practice. Lawyers deal with a wide range of clients in a variety of legal settings, and they rely on their keen attention to detail to identify discrepancies in their clients’ claims, murky witness evidence, or other forms of material relevant to the projects they work on.
What aspect of being a lawyer interests you the most?
It is definitely mental stimulation! The daily tasks of a lawyer can be very mentally stimulating and challenging. For instance, one of your duties may be to comprehend intricate legal theories and predict the likely results of a case for your clients. To accomplish this, you must solve difficulties, formulate a hypothesis, and develop a legal plan that will help your client in court.
Which was your favorite class in law school?
My favourite subject in law school was Alternate Dispute Resolution! ADR is a term used to describe several different methods of settling disputes outside of the courtroom i.e. resolving disputes without litigation. The most used forms include early neutral evaluation, negotiation, conciliation, mediation, and arbitration. My love for ADR came through several internships I had undertaken in the District Court of the District I reside in. These internships, albiet a little challenging at first, turned out to be game-changing for my outlook towards the legal profession.
What do you see as the future of the legal profession?
Its definitely Artificial intelligence! Due to the numerous advantages it provides to automate work, AI has become a crucial component of law firms all over the world. Legal research and due diligence tasks can be accelerated by fact-checking, cross-checking, and background checks, which in turn encourages quicker litigation proceedings. This might provide people advantages that would change their lives.
What is your advice for students considering a career in law?
The most important pieces of advice that I can give for students considering a career in law I think, is to have a considerable amount of commercial awareness. Commercial awareness refers to having up-to-date knowledge of local, national, and international business changes, particularly those that affect a law company and its clients. The greater you commercial awareness, the better!
