A business has to combat challenges on various fronts. From its inception to its smooth running and prospering, it is always constantly battling with various issues, big or small. Moreover, these challenges were amplified during the pandemic, so much so that many business entities struggled to keep up.
The biggest challenge they still face is legal issues, including corporate and commercial disputes, real estate legalities, contractual claims, white-collar crimes, debt recovery, consumer litigation, etc.
And to solve these problems, they need an expert legal counsellor who not only understands each issue from every possible angle but has honed her legal expertise for decades by actually being a Junior Standing Counsel in Supreme Court and Counsel practicing at High Courts, Lower Courts and Tribunals.
Those who had been successfully defended by her know her as Altaf Fathima. And others in the legal profession recognise her as the business’s legal counselling stalwart.
Be it criminal, contractual, matrimonial, corporate and commercial disputes across various sectors, Altaf Fathima is every corporate entity’s best bet.
The Perfectly Captivating Advisor
A graduate from the first batch of the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, Altaf got her degree from the Law school in 2003 and started her practice before the Supreme Court of India under the guidance of eminent Senior Counsel Mr. V.R. Reddy and assisted him on a variety of matters before Supreme Court including the Arbitrations and Consumer Disputes.
After working with Senior for four years, she started her independent practice, wherein she appeared before various forums and Tribunals apart from her regular practice at Supreme Court. Altaf appeared in various criminal matters and public interest litigations and carved a niche for herself by appearing against prominent lawyers of the Supreme Court as the Junior Standing Counsel for the combined State of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Having been appointed by esteemed judges of Supreme Court as amicus curiae in various complicated criminal matters, she assisted the bench in the appropriate interpretation of the law as applicable to the underlying complex set of facts.
After becoming Advocate-on-record in 2013, Altaf shifted her independent practice to Hyderabad and regularly appeared before the High Courts, tribunals and appellate bodies in diverse civil, criminal and corporate litigation at original and appellate levels for various clients.
Having seen Altaf’s plethora and diversity of experience, L&L Partners Law Offices partnered with her in 2016 to start its Hyderabad office, and Altaf has been associated with L&L since then.
With over 18 years of extensive and highly regarded experience, Altaf’s expertise spans criminal, contractual, matrimonial, corporate and commercial disputes across a range of sectors and real estate, among others. She also advises clients on diverse issues such as contractual claims, white-collar crimes, debt recovery, consumer litigation, etc.
An Unshakeable Dedication to Clients’ Interests
L&L Partners Law Offices has been consistently noted and recognised amongst India’s leading full-service law firms since its inception in 1990. L&L Partners has a team of over 350 lawyers, including 73 partners, with offices strategically spanning the Indian territory in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
Over the last two decades, L&L Partners has assisted various renowned multinational corporations in setting up their presence in India, and navigating the complex, dynamic and ever-evolving Indian legal system.
The Firm regularly advises on transactions and matters involving diverse business sectors and practise areas, including but not limited to banking and finance, capital markets, competition and anti-trust, corporate commercial, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution (Litigation and Arbitration), anti-corruption and compliance, international trade (WTO) Laws and Policy and Advisory, project infrastructure and Energy, tax (direct and indirect), real estate and construction, aerospace and defence (procurement and production), insurance and reinsurance, intellectual property – patents and trademarks, oil and gas, health and pharmaceuticals, private equity and venture capital investments.
Inspired by Adversities
According to Altaf, a first-generation lawyer who works as an independent practitioner gets a very limited range of work due to the general perception of high-end clients such as multi-national corporations to go to a well-established lawyer or a law firm for matters involving high stakes.
However, she says, “The difficulties and challenges faced by me as an independent practitioner for obtaining expertise in high-stake transactions and advising on diverse issues is what motivated me to switch to the business consultancy model.”
Close Encounter with the Challenging Times
As per Altaf, operating a law firm in Hyderabad was a challenge and still continues to be one since clients prefer to go to independent lawyers considering they are most cost-effective or prefer hiring law firms from bigger cities such as Delhi or Mumbai when matters involve high stakes.
She continues, “Quality speaks for itself, and the high quality and value that we deliver have proven successful in retaining and augmenting our clientele.
However, creating a balance between our professional fee versus client expectations and industry standards continues to remain a challenge that we strive to address in the best way possible.”
Unique Success Prepositions
Altaf shares, “Quality of services and striving to add more value by addressing and assisting clients in diverse ways are our key USPs that make us the preferred one-stop law firm for our clients.
We work on matters diligently with thorough research and an in-depth legal and business-focused analysis that is targeted at the wider aspects of the case. This approach automatically multiplies the quality and value that we deliver and maximises client satisfaction.”
Strengthening Up through COVID-19
Altaf states that COVID-19 had a tremendous impact on the practice of independent lawyers because the courts were not operating in full strength, and virtual hearing was addressing only limited matters. This led to an immense delay in the closure of disputes that would have otherwise closed and client reluctance in paying fees and engaging lawyers for new mandates.
Recovering accrued fees from clients was also a huge challenge considering the lockdown and associated cost implications. In this scenario, it was extremely difficult for law firms to meet the fixed operational cost, including the retainership fees paid to full-time professionals, support and the expenses for running the offices.
But Altaf reveals, “Having said that, we stood together during the pandemic and continued to stand by our clients, our staff, and we came out of that scenario better and stronger.”
Legal Enterprise Wisdom
As an established leading legal expert, Altaf’s advice to the budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts aspiring to venture into the business consultancy industry is sincere.
She says, “I would recommend that it is extremely important to be aware of and accordingly strategise your business venture at par with the applicable industry standards.”
While relationship-building and business awareness are necessary, it is equally crucial to be updated about the recent developments in the legal field and be committed, sincere, and honest towards the profession to ensure that quality is delivered and not compromised with. A combination of the foregoing skills would enable one to excel in a business consultancy model.
Future Insights
When asked how she envisions further strengthening her law firm’s stronghold in the future, Altaf concludes with a smile, “Hyderabad is an emerging market for law firms, and with the quality of work we offer, we aim and are confident that we will be able to develop a better clientele and also be able to retain them by ensuring their confidence and faith in our deliverables.”
