The legal veterans in black coats are the ones, who dedicate their lives in studying law and building a healthy society. Lawyers are the hard-working and confident leaders of our nation. But the struggle behind being such an amazingly talented personality with a soaring spirit is immeasurable. There are many things, which smooths this struggling journey and one of them is supportive family culture. A supportive family can make one’s life wonderful.
The critical art of being ‘successful’ in life can be achieved with family being the backbone during your struggle. It develops a foundation for the most powerful personalities, who further builds a healthy society.
While searching for such powerful personalities for the edition, India’s Outstanding Lawyers-2021, we came across a wonderful and talented person, Mr. Ripple Hamza. He is a sincere and inspiring advocate, a motivating individual, who the youth aspire to be one day. Mr. Hamza believes that his family’s support has played the most vital role in his personal, as well as professional life.
In the following interview, Mr. Hamza will brief us about his journey of being one of the most inspiring advocates. He will also share his views on how the legal space can be improved and what challenges he faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. He will also discuss how he managed to overcome the challenges and advice the legal enthusiasts, who wish to enter the legal space.
Following are the highlights of interview:
Enlighten us with your professional journey into the legal paradigm.
I have always wanted to pursue a career that promoted a knowledge of being able to socialise and interact. I was very clear to opt law for higher studies since schooling. My parents were highly supportive in that regard. I graduated in Law from University of Calicut and landed a job as a corporate lawyer. Inspired to make the legal practice more efficient, I preferred a career gap and did a specialisation in I.P. from the W.I.P.O. academy, Geneva, and followed as a legal researcher at Gulf Institute for International Law, Dubai. In the dynamic global economy, cross-border litigation has witnessed a rapid increase. International arbitration has significantly aided the process.
Cross-border litigation is prone to challenges that do not arise to the same extent, as in domestic disputes. My course of employment with multiple legal systems around the world especially in India, Iran, Russia, Thailand, Eastern Europe, and Arab countries in matters relating to Government Liaisoning, Maritime law and other corporate legal affairs has helped in managing the legal risks, business priorities and regulatory requirements across wide-ranging cultures. I have also been a part of the very well acclaimed legal enterprises like Gammon Group GCC, Singhania and Co. LLP, and Slash Secure Europe.
During the initial stage of Georgia’s economic development, a partnership law firm named Malatsidze and Ripple Consulting Ltd., was also established in the country. There upon, many foreign companies set their foot in. Today, Georgia has fully grown to be a tourism-based economy.
Ship arrest releases in world’s toughest jurisdictions like Iran that do not comply with many international rules and practices were also facilitated and negotiated. As a Senior Legal Advisor at Kaden Boriss, a global alliance of independent and autonomous full-service law offices, my career has witnessed a remarkable trajectory. Some milestones in life includes being enlisted as one among the top 50 lawyers in cross-border practice at Sentosa, Singapore, in 2019.
It also gave me immense pleasure in having delivered various lectures and being an invited speaker in seminars and workshops based on International Law and Cross-Border litigation, conducted worldwide. Owing to my interests, apart from the legal profession, I am a visiting faculty in International Law at Alliance University, Bengaluru, and have also served as a visiting faculty in International Business Relations at Indira Gandhi Open University, Kerala. Services as a legal commentator and consultant are also delivered.
What motivated or inspired you to be in the legal space?
My entry into the legal paradigm was not-so-mere-coincidence. Since childhood, the ambient environment comprised of some maritime lawyers. My father worked in a shipping company and as a child, I was intrigued watching the lawyers guiding and advising him in his work and talking about various countries and rules across the ocean. Some inspiration was drawn from them, to look into the details of international facets of the field of law. As the time passed, insights of international law and practices developed, and the field of view got more serious. My father was keen and my unwavering pool of support and inspiration in the journey of becoming an internationally acclaimed lawyer.
Kindly talk about the various or specialized legal offerings, solutions, or services that you provide to your clientele.
Having worked as a Senior legal advisor at Kaden Boriss, a global alliance of full-service law firms and legal enterprises specialized in law practice and rendering legal advice to clients, the focus was more in Commercial and Corporate, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, and Cross-border disputes, in addition to other prominent areas of law. Also, being a recognized Mediator, Arbitrator, Negotiator, and Ombudsman by the Federation of Integrated Conflict Management and International Commercial Disputes Tribunal, my services are offered in the ADR domain as well. I have also been an advisor, mentor, business strategist, and investor in many aspiring start-ups and industries in India and around the globe, in addition to serving as a Pro-Bono Counsel on IBA Roaster at International Bar Association.
My areas of expertise include Maritime Law, Interpol, Cross-border disputes, Policy Making, Acquisitions, Corporate compliance, Regulatory work, Legal Auditing and Corporate Governance.
As a lawyer, what challenges have you faced in this ongoing Covid-19 pandemic?
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the legal fraternity drastically. A sudden resort from physical to complete digital means, was quite strenuous at the beginning. Voluminous conversion of data into digital means, was also time consuming and hectic. The slowing down of entire legal process meant less billings and in turn less pay. The outbreak of Coronavirus is having a significant impact on the maritime industry, as the demand for transportation of goods in and out of countries fell, ships and their crews are stuck at sea, ports may be closed, and vessels delayed by being quarantined.
How technological advancements in the legal space has helped you in overcoming those challenges?
The extent of the pandemic has confronted us with new avenues to carry along. As it is said that, when the going gets tough, tough gets going.
Online hearings, virtual meetings, and remote working has helped to keep things intact to some extent. To work from home in pyjamas, instead of lawyer suits, and in one’s comfort zone is appreciated by a vast number of young lawyers.
How legal practice has evolved over the period of time? Are there any significant changes?
Some significant changes have swept through this traditional profession. Rapid digital adoption is the foremost of all. Content marketing growth by means of social media can easily help to engage with potential clients. Lawyers are leaving the safe and well playing world of conventional practices to build their own niches. Growing legal-tech market offers the lawyers simplified case management procedure, streamlined communication and handy access for reference. E-filing of complaints, virtual modes of hearing are all precursors of a fully digital and automated legal sphere.
What advice would you give to the aspiring legal enthusiasts who are willing to become lawyers and step into the legal space today?
The legal field has a lot to offer for anyone, from corporate lawyers to human rights activists and everything in between. There are no hard and fast rules. For instance, as a solo practitioner you have to wear a multitude of hats and carry out many roles. The legal fraternity has grown into a volatile, highly competitive, technologically advanced, digitised, and dynamic realm. Hence, constant upskilling and updating is mandatory.
Lawyers are detail oriented, use that to your advantage. Standing out from competitors, while vying for the same job opportunities is very much dependent on individual skills, strength, experience, and expertise.
Where does your endeavours lead you to in the coming years? Kindly talk about your future scenario.
There are plans to have a career-switch. In more than three decades of this journey, I have envisioned some short-term as well as long term plans. To enlist a few; a career break from Kaden Boriss tops the list, followed by setting up a new law firm to be named CGL, encompassing a competent team consisting of young generation lawyers. For a lawyer, every risk is mitigated. The process of leaving a job to establish a new enterprise may be daunting, but if you can break the goals into tiny steps, the endeavour becomes far more manageable.
My background, interest, and expertise in Maritime law across the globe has furnished ample information and insights as to the contrasting public international, private regulations, and practices actually in place. Relatively straightforward procedures can become complicated, where they span borders, and it is important to be aware of these additional hurdles and how best to navigate them in the practical sense. I intend to make it accessible to the public at large, compiling the data into a book. It is in the initial stage of its inception.
What is the current scenario of the Indian Legal Space according to you?
A major drawback of the Indian judiciary since decades, has been the huge backlog of cases. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it worse. Yet, the courts have adopted to restrict online hearings and tribunal hearings, using Zoom and Polycom conferencing devices. In the long run, this is a blessing in disguise to rule out the causes of piled up cases. Technology can be used as a tool, to monitor the long pending cases. For instance, making use of AI can lighten the research works that a judge has to do to review cases. Also, making use of secured encrypted data transfer, makes the flow of communication easier and credible.
How the legal paradigm looks like post-pandemic globally?
The pandemic and resulting shutdowns have adversely affected all walks of life, and the legal sphere is no exception. The entire system has witnessed a profound disruption and thanks to technology, the system didn’t collapse completely. It is inevitable that the pandemic will leave an imprint on the functioning of judiciary, as compared to the pendency of cases, but it has also paved way to newer avenues for serving justice, other than the conventional means. The major takeaway is that we have adopted electronic filing, remote working, video conferences, and other options for holding virtual hearings. If taken along further, this can lead to more organised schedules, lesser wastage of time, and time bound disposal of cases.
As the current situation demands, nearly three-fourth of the entire judicial proceedings to be virtual, by means of technological assistance, it is of utmost importance that legal professionals upskill themselves to the latest technological advancements. The post-pandemic era is going to revolutionise the industry by incorporation of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and Privacy, etc., to the legal fraternity. Virtual offices and legal research databases have also occupied their slots. This boom is expected to create a slew of new companies and platforms. Embracing the new transformation requires the right technological foundation, to have access to the tools the organisation or the circumstance demands. Personal branding by using social media marketing is also an alternative for those interested in carving a niche of their own.
