Covid-19 has made it imperative for us all to either adapt and embrace technology or perish. Though lawyers have been forced to embrace technology much more due to the pandemic, this has been a welcome change and is here to stay.
“I believe that one of the greatest benefits of adopting technology is that it will eventually result in increased access to justice,” says Adity Chaudhury, Partner at Argus Partners. The significance of this cannot be overemphasized. Though it does not seem that physical hearings can be completely replaced with virtual hearings and e-courts soon, these extraordinary times have shown us that e-courts can be as effective. Adity hopes that the judiciary is more open to having e-courts even after the current pandemic, and litigants are given the option of e-courts.
This will tremendously help those litigants who must travel across cities and spend huge amounts of money to get their matter heard. Even for lawyers, e-courts are a welcome change since location is not a constraint anymore. However, one must also be mindful of the fact that all litigants may not have access to or be able to afford the required technology to participate in the e-court platform. Hence, any development of the e-court system must strike a fine balance ensuring creation of an infrastructure which ensures access to the judicial system for all.
A Self-made Legal Professional
Adity is a partner at Argus Partners, a leading law firm in India. She started her career with the law firm Amarchand Mangaldas (as it was then known) immediately after graduating from the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata in 2008. She joined its corporate team. Adity later came to Argus Partners and has since been with Argus through its growth trajectory over the past decade. She is one of the youngest partners.
Describing her journey so far, Adity says that looking back she is glad that she chose the path of corporate law and being with Argus has been a great journey. “Early on I got the opportunity to not just practice corporate law but also have a close view of the working of a law firm and the business side – this experience has been delightful and challenging, and overall a tremendous learning experience. I am immensely grateful to Krishnava for reposing faith in me and giving me this opportunity,” she says. Krishnava Dutt is the Managing Partner of Argus Partners.
From the beginning, Adity was keen on pursuing a career in the legal field. “No matter how cliche it sounds, I always wanted to become a lawyer,” describes Adity. While it is not as glamourous a profession as movies portray it to be, but it is a profession where there is tremendous opportunity to contribute to public policy and thinking.
Adity’s focus area is mergers and acquisitions (M&A) – where she is passionate about the process and is always ready to have a nuanced discussion and debate on it. Apart from M&A, she advises on corporate matters including corporate governance, securities law, shareholder disputes, corporate insolvency and restructuring, and private equity.
Adity has advised on several large deals such as the acquisition by Tata Steel of Usha Martin’s steel division, HDFC’s investment in Yes Bank under a scheme formulated by the Reserve Bank, merger of GRUH Finance with Bandhan Bank, Binani Cement and Monnet Ispat’s insolvency resolution.
When one thinks of public policy and law, areas such as environmental law, human rights, gender law and criminal justice comes to mind first. However, in the field of corporate law too there is a lot to be contributed in terms of policy. Corporate governance is an area which Adity focuses on, engaging with companies and their Boards and assisting them in implementing a robust corporate governance framework. She also hopes to contribute to the development of law in this field. Advising young law aspirants and concluding, Adity states, “Be focused, be patient, work hard, and enjoy what you do.”
