Nuances of Legal Profession in Corporate Sector

It gives me immense pleasure to share my experience on the nuances of legal profession in the corporate sector with you all. More than over a decade of my old career as an in-house Lawyer and Company Secretary, I have witnessed several changes in varied facets of the legal function be it processes, systems, automation,corporate governance, regulatory framework and so on.

What I feel that Gone are the days when the legal professionals sat in closed cubicles and gave directions or just said yes or no as advisory. Today, legal professionals need to work collectively with multiple teams across and pitch a win-win situation. It is imperative to understand the business requirement that is one of the most crucial point, often overlooked by many. As a lawyer it is equally necessary to understand the deliverable until then they cannot provide desirable solutions. Unlocking the dead-lock situations with legal skills and acumen is another virtue that lawyers need to develop eventually. It is very easy to state 'it cannot be done due to a,b, c reasons' but the now the preferred trend is “it can be done subject to x,y,z” unless there is a complete embargo depending on the situation. It is also said once a Lawyer always a Lawyer but that does not hold good when it comes to one’s knowledge. Meaning, one has to be constantly be aligned with the latest developments in the legal field around one’s industry and keep the management abreast with probable impacts on business allied operations.

Another pivotal change is to be a ‘Problem Solver’ rather than the contemporary ‘Problem Creator’. Business teams or support teams look up to the legal functions for sustainable solutions being well placed in the regulatory framework. Having said that the solutions have to be well

balanced between both. Compliance is one of the strongest pillar for any organization that wants to strive for excellence and success. Lawyers must ensure that this pillar is strengthened and nurtured aptly by introducing various e-tools to ascertain complete compliance requirement of the company especially the external. I would also draw your attention towards increasing awareness on corporate governance in corporates, as organizations are adopting zero tolerance towards any breach of their code of conduct. Therefore, lawyers should be diligent while acting as Compliance officers of their companies to ensure that principles of natural justice are duly followed in such cases. Every company today desires to be an employer of choice and in an endeavor to attain the same, the corporates are taking all the necessary measures including having policies, procedures, protocols etc., to make their employees feel safe and included. Lawyers act as envoys to decipher the mandate for the organizations to implement and act upon.

I have been really fortunate to have been associated with my previous companies in the past due to which I was graced with lot of learning, exposure and experience it really motivated me in my career which has been challenging yet full of opportunities to learn and grow more.

To conclude with I would like to give my one piece of advice to juniors who desire to explore their future careers as legal professionals that follow your instincts, be sincere and never say die irrespective of what you do initially, all that matters is your attitude and passion towards your work, and trust me it will be definitely rewarding, eventually.

Darshika Pandya, Associate Vice President & Senior Legal Counsel Broadridge India
Darshika has over fourteen years diverse experience in Legal Function that included combining legal expertise, practical understanding, fine communication along with negotiation skills and stakeholder service abilities in different MNCs such as Lubricant Oil Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, AgroSciences and Fintech companies. Darshika has hands-on experience as an individual contributor and has been responsible for the legal function for the entities based in South Asia. She is a qualified Commerce Graduate from Sydenham College.