Interviewee: | Mr. Anmol Malhotra (Batch of 2020, RGNUL) |
Interviewer: | Megha Bhartiya (Junior Editor, RGNUL Cosmos) |
Introduction: Mr. Anmol Malhotra is a 2020 graduate of RGNUL and the founder of Newsahoot, an online platform that tailors news specifically for children. Ever since his college days, he has achieved constant academic excellence and graduated to work as an Associate at DMD Law Associates.
Q.1)To begin since it has not been long since your graduation, please tell us about graduating in the pandemic environment and how you found your way through it. What difficulties did you face in that never seen situation and maybe how it affected your interest in the corporate field you opted for post your graduation?
Answer: Graduating through the pandemic was a unique experience - it was everyone's first time dealing with online exams. Students liaised with the examination committee extensively to decide how the entire examination exercise had to be conducted. Ultimately online exams were conducted - it was a bittersweet experience, to say the least.
Pandemic or no pandemic - the corporate law world does not wait for anyone. I was already working with DMD Advocates’ competition law team before I graduated. Once exams were over, I started working with them as an Associate.
Law firms work because there’s a sense of community - everyone’s going through the grind at the same time. Working from home altered this fundamental dynamic. Perhaps, it led to a deeper understanding and realization of what people wanted the future to look like - the tunnel vision was absent. I count this as one of the top reasons that so many pandemic graduates never fit into the traditional law firm jungle.
Q.2)The five years themselves at RGNUL must have been memorable. How would you describe your years at RGNUL? Do you think you were able to achieve the dreams you had for your college life, say, having the perfect work and social life balance? Please tell us about the ups and downs of law school life.
Answer: I would describe my time at RGNUL as purposeful and productive. I would say that I was largely able to accomplish a set of professional dreams - multiple publications, over a dozen internships, call-back internships, legal work with NGOs, and even an international moot win.
On the social front - my understanding when I entered college was to make friends and follow the traditional path to have fun. With time this changed - my definition of fun was not going to college parties and hanging out in large groups. I had a small group of close friends and that was more than enough.
A large part of my college life was spent improving some parts of the college - I picked up a dormant internship cell and assembled a brilliant team to run it, ran the IDIA chapter for a year or two, etc. I also took up other projects that have come to define what RGNUL is today.
The ups were having time to yourself, having lesser responsibilities in life, getting free at 3:30 pm after the last class, etc. The downs were having to deal with unsupportive and dismissive staff members. Although, I hear the situation has changed for the better.
Q.3)Now that you look back at your college life, is there anything you wish you did differently? Let us say you were given a chance to go back in time and change one event in your college life, what would it be?
Answer:I would have not worked as hard as I did in college. Perhaps that time would have been spent better living life a little more than worrying about things that seem insignificant now.
Q.4)What kind of academic culture did you experience at RGNUL and how was it different from the work environment out there in the real world?
Answer: The academic culture and real-world work environment are poles apart. When I was at RGNUL projects were used extensively for evaluations followed by an examination entirely dependent upon rote learning. Neither of these things is aligned with the corporate or litigation culture.
As a lawyer, the expectation is to take time, research, and give the correct advice not advice based on memory. This is especially the case for case law research and remembering section numbers en masse.
Q.5)Among the many praises I have heard about you from my seniors, I also heard that you were a perfect cut for the corporate world. You even worked as an Associate at DMD Law Associates post your graduation. How was that experience in the corporate world before you shifted to entrepreneurship? What kind of lessons has that work experience taught you? Is there something specific you would be grateful for or any takeaways from that experience? Was there a specific moment while practicing when you realized your true interests lie in entrepreneurship?
Answer: As mentioned earlier, I joined DMD Advocates’ newly formed competition team led by a senior from Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas. The experience was tiring - 16 hours of work days, seven days a week.
While there were uncountable professional learnings from my experience at DMD, it did teach me that I was not prepared to give up everything (and everyone) around me for corporate law. The task was simply too much for little return.
The specific takeaway is that I am glad I got to be a part of a new team. I did everything that an A0, A1, A2, SA, PA, etc. did. It is one of the reasons why I realized so early on that I did not want to do corporate law. Most people only get to this realization by the time they’re stuck in the ecosystem.
My interest in entrepreneurship only came after I left DMD Advocates. While I was there, I did realize that I did not want to be a part of the corporate law ecosystem.
Q.6)What would be your suggestion to help the current RGNUL students understand that they can choose to opt for non-traditional streams and be innovative? What can we do to engage the students more in start-ups and allow them to be creative as well as innovative?
Answer: It is commonplace to feel pressured to join a law firm to make a good amount of money immediately after your graduation. Unfortunately, the tunnel vision in law schools is so strong that we often fail to see other opportunities.
Many careers these days including sales, project management, digital marketing, etc. pay more than or equal to what lawyers make – with much, much better hours.
My suggestion to law students on the fence about trying new things would be to intern in start-ups and try new things till something fits. Monday to Sunday sixteen-hour workdays are only glamorous during internships - not everyday life.
Q.7)Newsahoot is an innovative platform that breaks down and simplifies complex news into easy-to-understand pieces for children. Recently, Newsahoot partnered with Teach for India. Please tell us about how Newsahoot’s collaborations work to expand its reach and what kind of demographic does it target?
Answer: Newsahoot is the go-to service provider for news for kids above eight years of age. We are proud to have collaborated with Teach for India. Currently, over 150 students studying in Teach for India partner schools get their news from Newsahoot.
We are currently exploring partnerships with other non-governmental organizations and schools. Our aim at Newsahoot is to ensure that children all over the country have access to news that they can understand, appreciate and retain.
Q.8)Coming to my last question, is there any advice you would like to give to the students in the future? Be it those who themselves have plans to build start-ups or just us, who are struggling with law school life?
Answer: My only advice would be to live in the moment. Do not waste too much time thinking about what will happen in the future - next moot, next internship, PPO, etc. Planning too much is overrated (and disappointing!). Try to do your best every day and move on!
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