10 Learnings In 10 Years of Law Practice.

Adv Raunak Rane is the founding partner of RGR LLP. This is his story about some important learnings he got from 10 years of being an active practicing lawyer.

I received my Sanat (License) in 2012 and have been practicing actively before District Courts, High Court and Tribunals in Maharashtra. Even Today I still consider myself a student of the law, especially the craft.

So if you and the other lawyer both know the same laws, then why does one prosper faster in practice and the other doesn't??

Here are my observations that differentiate one lawyer from the other.

1. Your only asset is your client.?

Acquiring a client, making the client your marketing mouthpiece and maintaining relations with the client irrespective of the outcome of his case is the only mantra to prosper in the practice. Its may sound easy but it's the most difficult to master. More on this further.

2.?Attitude?

Having a positive attitude towards practice irrespective of losing a case or a client is the key to sustaining in the profession. Your attitude towards the client is equally important. If you are stubborn, hard to get along with and rude no one would like to work with you inspite of your knowledge and expertise.?

3.?Mentor Hunting?

Finding the right mentor in this profession is the key to succeed. One must not be desperate to find a mentor at the start of the practice. It takes time and you will get a good mentor when the time is right. Your nature?is highly influenced by the nature of your mentor hence one must be very careful when searching for a mentor. Every senior lawyer cannot be a mentor and every mentor is not a senior lawyer.

4.?Research and Analysis?

Researching laws, regulations, case-laws and precedents is necessary in practice. The uniqueness of a lawyer is his ability to analyze all the information that is available at hand and find the right amount of information to present before the court. One must not have long and boring arguments but short, crisp yet effective and important pleadings.?

5.?Communication?

Verbal and written communication both are equally important in practice. Active Court Practice involves a lot of matrices - Client, Judge, court staff, investigation agency, Opposite party, opponent lawyer and your self. Communication with each one of the participating parties is equally important to get the desired outcome. One must be tactful, respectful, aggressive and polite at the same time. This skill can be developed only through observation and practice.?

6.?Be a high value person.?

High value here means acquiring know-how in various domains of law - Cyber, Tech, IPR, ADR etc. At the same time high value also means being resourceful.

“a good lawyer knows the law but a great lawyer knows the judge”?

Here knowing the judge does not mean knowing the judge in personal capacity but knowing the court craft relevant to that particular court.?

7.?Its ok to be confused?

It's very rare to see a lawyer who has clarity about the stream in which he wants to practice at the onset. It takes some time and experience to understand the ins and outs of a particular stream of practice. What is important is to not lose hope and stay positive. Most lawyers are confused about which stream of practice they want to pursue or whether they want to practice law or take up a job in a firm and this confusion is completely alright. Being inactive and not doing anything is lethal. Just jump and you will learn to swim.?

8.?Financial Planning?

Being a practicing lawyer is an unstable profession, one day you might make a lot of money but the other day nothing at all, it becomes imperative to plan finances. The first thing should be issuing a Mediclaim policy for you and the family, then insurance and SIP. Avoid making any risky purchases at the beginning of practice. It is important to invest in yourself as being a lawyer is a skill based profession and your law practice cannot be given to someone. Hence it is necessary to plan finances for the ones who you are going to leave behind once you are no more. Financial planning and creating assets out of your fees is the key to a good retirement.

9.?Technology

Law is one of the most technologically under-penetrated professions in our country. Hence as a lawyer of the new generation you must up your game in adopting technology in your daily practice. Technology saves a lot of time for a lawyer from doing unimportant things and this time can be invested in acquiring a new client or learning about a new law.?

10.?Help Your Community?

Giving it back to the community is one of the most satisfying things you can do as a lawyer. Not every lawyer will be as privileged as you. Hence helping a fellow colleague getting a good chamber for juniorship or suggesting good books to read can be a good start to helping people around you. These deeds also act as a de-stressing activity for you and keeps your morale high.?

Of all the articles I have written if there's one that I am most proud of is this, I have honestly put in my thoughts and tried to address all the issues that I personally felt and worked on during my early years of practice.

Even if this article benefits one lawyer, I will feel I have truly done something for my fraternity.?