The legal sector in India is in a paradigm shift with the recent enactments and reforms in the laws. It is becoming diverse. Earlier it was considered as a mediocre profession, now it has become one of the most lucrative careers. It does not work the way it used to and technology has played a key role in the advancement of the sector. Further, the current scenario of the legal industry seeks the super specialization of the professionals to address the changing and ever-emerging business market.
“Every case is a lesson from which you can learn something new,” says Jidesh Kumar – Managing Partner, King Stubb, and Kasiva (KSK). He hails from a modest middle-class background. Jidesh always felt motivated by his parents, as they encouraged him to follow his heart all the time, to do what he wanted in life. After completing the twelfth standard, he was qualified for both the engineering & the medical streams. However, before the engineering & medical classes started, a chance for admission into a law college came up which he could not let pass. That chance made him fall in love with law.“I believe it was my friends & the atmosphere outside the law campus that made me stick to pursuing the degree in Law during those days,” claims Jidesh.
He used to enter in moot courts & model parliaments and in competitions after the third year of law, to expand his horizons and with paying serious attention towards his studies. The most significant choice he made in his life was likely, to move from Bangalore to Delhi in order to begin his legal career. “I was fortunate to be trained by committed corporate lawyers like Amitabha Sen, Rohit Kochhar, Tarvinder Singh & Manjula Chawla,” adds Jidesh.
A Legend in the Making
He started off as a law student by chance but towards the end of the course, he was all prepared to enter the world of law. “My aim was to provide cutting edge legal solutions to my dynamic clients in the ever-changing business environment,” tells Jidesh. His parents and sister are a source of inspiration for him who has provided him with great support and instructed him to give his best at the work, without expecting anything in return. The biggest challenge he faced, was something generally faced by all Indian lawyers. “Nothing can ever prepare you for the profession unless you jump on the bandwagon,” states Jidesh. This is because the lawyers today, are not taught the practicality of the profession. Every day is a new challenge and to overcome it, one has to learn, keep up with the pace, and perform.
One of the challenging cases he encountered was of a foreign client of KSK, who had various Joint Ventures with Indian Companies. “We got a wide exposure to a variety of cases from this client not only in Bangalore and Mumbai but also in various other parts of the country,” addresses Jidesh. In this case, he and his team required to go to various courts and tribunals ranging from trial courts to district courts, NCLT, and arbitration centers. “Lawyers only care about the case and not the person or the client,” describes Jidesh as one of the challenges as more of a misconception people have about lawyers. This is a very wrong statement to make about lawyers. He feels that, in order to win a case, it is very important to align oneself with the perspective and needs of the client for which it is important to understand the person.
Also, Legal studies in India are still based on theories and not practical scenarios. “Our education system pertaining to the legal studies needs to expose students to a practical environment where the students can apply their theoretical knowledge and learn more efficiently,” proclaims Jidesh. The practice of law is fun and Jidesh loves it. “I would advise everyone that there is no doubt that hard work and smart work is the key, but loving and enjoying what you do is quintessential,” he enlightens the young blood.
Jidesh Kumar: Driving Dynamic Legal Services Throughout the Nation
