Professional success is a culmination of following your interests with inquisitiveness, fascination, passion, and the constant pursuit of excellence in your chosen path of career. Possessing these qualities in abundance, Nidhi Arya not only became a Partner in Argus Partners but has also been recognized as a “Recommended Lawyer” for Banking & Finance by the Legal500 Asia-Pacific Rankings 2022.
Further, her over a decade of practice in Banking & Finance, at Argus Partner has won several awards and recognitions, including:
- IFLR1000 2022, 2021 and 2020.
- Top 50 Law Firms in India by Forbes India in its Legal Powerlist 2021, 2020.
- Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific 2021 & 2020.
- Chambers & Partners Global Guide 2020.
- Asia Law Profiles 2021, 2020 and 2018.
The legal profession along with being a noble one is the most arduous area to function in. Yet, in the past decade that Nidhi has been with Argus Partners, she has been an integral part of the leadership and has actively participated in shaping the different policies which are currently in place at Argus Partners, including shaping the culture at the Firm. She is excelling and setting benchmarks of higher accomplishment in her practice areas of Banking and Finance, Real Estate, and General Corporate.
An Inquisitively Inspirational Journey
Sharing her inspiration behind venturing into the legal profession and mastering it with panache, Nidhi recalls that while growing up, she was always fascinated with eminent legal personalities such as Soli Sorabjee, Fali Nariman and Ram Jethmalani who often appeared in the news and had a reputation for being the best in the high-profile matters of their time. Being a history buff and an avid reader in school, she was also inspired by CR Das, Rajendra Prasad, and Madan Mohan Malviya, amongst other lawyers who dedicated their careers towards fighting for our independence. She adds, “These personalities stoked my inquisitiveness about the legal profession.”
Nidhi graduated from Symbiosis Law School, Pune in the year 2008, and then went on to complete her L.L.M. (Master of Law) in International Finance Law from King’s College London. “In law school, I realized that I had a passion for the profession. Though initially, I wanted to be a litigator, I later found that I had a knack for corporate laws, which I practice till date due to the constant learning opportunities across a wide breadth of industries that I engage in.”
Nidhi started her legal career with Gagrats, Mumbai. Thereafter, she was a part of the international capital markets team at Rajani Associates, Mumbai, before joining Argus Partners in the year 2013. “I also believe that the legal profession is one of the few noble professions in India that demand a higher standard of conduct and integrity, which instils a sense of pride in me,” she says.
Telling more about her law firm, Nidhi says that…
Argus Partners
…is a leading Indian law firm with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Innovative thought leadership and the ability to build lasting relationships with all stakeholders are the key drivers of the Firm. The professionals of the Firm are business lawyers, who understand business and financial issues that help in identifying real risks and providing practical legal solutions to drive the growth of the clients’ business.
The Firm is a result of the merger of two firms. In 2012 the firm Argus Partners merged with an existing Mumbai headquartered firm, Udwadia & Udeshi, which was established in 1997. The merged firm was renamed ‘Udwadia Udeshi & Argus Partners’. In 2015 along with the change in the name of the Firm to ‘Argus Partners’, the Partners adopted the Firm’s immutable core values of integrity, quality, and respect, which stand as the cornerstone of the Firm in all its dealings.
The Firm has built a formidable reputation for its consistent high performance. The Firm, the Partners and the associates have a rich domestic and international experience and have been recognized and awarded by several publications. Presence across India gives the Firm a distinct advantage in serving its clientele which includes industry and business leaders in all segments of the market.
When probed about challenges she faced while entering the legal profession viz-a-viz present challenges, Nidhi says as she self-reflects to the time when she had entered the legal space, there were…
Two Key Challenges
that she faced as a budding lawyer:
Firstly, it was challenging for her to find her fit in this industry. The sheer number of practice areas and law firms in the corporate legal space can be daunting for a fresher. This is where internships play a vital role where freshers can immerse themselves across practice areas until they find their calling. “It is heartening to see that, today, internship programs are more advanced and regimented than they were when I was in law school.”
Secondly, it took her a lot of time and effort to identify the right approach that could help her better understand the needs and pain points of her clients. This was critical to ensure that she structure solutions that meet their unique needs. She says, “As corporate lawyers, once we have a deep understanding of the business of our clients and how it’s evolving, only then does it become easier to guide our clients through the traverse of law and the regulatory regime.”
Today, as a partner in a law firm, the biggest challenge that she faces is maintaining her brand as an expert in her domain, since the market in India is now fiercely competitive. Relationships play a key role here. Personally, she has had the opportunity to work in Mumbai and Kolkata, which has enabled her to build relationships in both these markets and maintain those relationships by leveraging technology to be more location-agnostic while servicing her clients.
A Broadest Brilliance of Legal Excellence
Briefing about the various specialized legal offerings, solutions, or services that she provides to her clientele. Nidhi says that within the sphere of banking and finance, she regularly advises large banks, non-banking financial companies and funds on debt transactions in both the stressed and non-stressed sectors, including corporate funding, construction finance, external commercial borrowings, issuance of non-convertible debentures and due diligence.
She also has extensive experience within the real estate space, wherein she provides compliance-based advisory services to clients, especially in light of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA). She handles multiple transactions for townships and real estate projects, which include real estate financing, joint ventures, joint developments, leases, and RERA documentation.
She informs, “Within my general corporate practice, I have advised corporate houses on day-to-day matters, while also overlooking various corporate transactions in the fields of power, turnkey projects, and logistics.”
Tech Legal Transformation
Shading light on the impact of technological advancements on the Law space, Nidhi says that in the pre-COVID times, much of the work within the legal industry was heavily reliant on face-to-face consultations, physical meetings, and hearings. The past two years have seen a sharp learning curve where new technologies are concerned as COVID forced courts and lawyers alike to adapt to remote ways of working. “More specifically, digital solutions such as virtual data rooms, servers and virtual meeting rooms have really changed the way that we work today.”
According to her another great impact of technology on their profession is that they are now no longer confined to businesses within their cities, with more work being accomplished through online meetings and email interactions. Law firms are, therefore, no longer confined to geographies where they are present and have now started servicing clients in different markets.
“Further, digital contracts, clickwrap agreements, e-signatures and e-filings have now become a common practice amongst corporates and businesses,” she says.
An Extensively Powerful Growth Story
Revealing specialities/factors that make her stand out as an influential personality in her field, Nidhi says that she is a first-generation lawyer with an extensive legal career of about 14 years that spans multiple practice areas. As a part of the core team, she has played an active role in the growth story of her firm for the past decade. “We started from 25 lawyers and are 200 lawyers strong today, across four cities,” she conveys.
Having worked in banking and finance, real estate, general corporate and other fast-moving practice areas, she has managed to build her own brand. She adds, “I am now using this experience to groom the next generation of lawyers within my firm, while also creating opportunities for them.”
Nidhi offers her clients customer-centric solutions and delivers results with efficiency and speed. “This approach has allowed me to build strong relationships with some of the most prominent financial institutions within the country, while also venturing into new spaces.”
The Future of Law Full Wisdom
In her advice to the aspiring legal enthusiasts who are willing to step into the legal space today, Nidhi feels that while it is often said that a career in law can be demanding, considering the gruelling process of getting a law degree, coupled with the long hours once you graduate, “I personally feel that the same is true within any professional services today. My advice to aspiring lawyers would be to stay positive and focus on practice areas that they find interesting. For us lawyers, it takes time and patience to develop subject matter expertise in any practice area and this will eventually lead to building your own unique brand in the future.”
Highlighting the current scenario of the Indian Legal Space, Nidhi shares that these are exciting times for lawyers with technology being at the centre of everything they do. What this presents are multiple pathways to learning new skill sets. “In recent times we have also seen the emergence of many new legal practice areas and specialities such as technology including fintech and digital payments, e-commerce, data privacy, cyber laws, ESG, climate action, etc. which have opened new opportunities for lawyers,” she concludes.
