Alumni NexusAlumni Nexus ANNUAL ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, PUNE

EDITION 4, 2014

“Symbiosis International University will be an invisible and secret thread blending all varied flowers into beautiful garlands.”-

Padma Bhushan Dr. S.B. Mujumdar Founder and President, Symbiosis Society

Chancellor, Symbiosis International University

Napolean said, ‘we do much better to consult our hopes rather than our fears." As we

welcome our alumni, we consult our hopes and shun away our fears. We celebrate our

achievements in yours. 37 years ago, our Founder’s vision must have seen this star-studded

trajectory while he was responding to the felt need of Pune. When I took over in 2007, I was

fortunate to inherit a legacy of success and excellence, quality and values, wisdom and

hardwork, commitment and care.

Your own contribution to your organization, profession or community must mirror this legacy, so you are more fortunate to have been nurtured in this serene climate.

Help us to take this forward for the future generations, as many of you have already did, by mentoring

students, taking opportunities to teach, to recruit, to render expertise and most of all, by participation in this event.

We are determined to emerge as one among the best law schools in Asia, as we move to a spacious new campus

in Viman Nagar soon.

With much regards and gratitude,

Dr. Shashikala Gurpur

Fulbright Scholar Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune

Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU

____________________________________________________________________________________

Editor’s Note The years spent in college are inevitably the formative years of one’s adult life. With this in mind, the

Alumni Committee of Symbiosis Law School, Pune seized the opportunity to help graduates from different eras in

our college’s history reconnect with their alma mater and decided to keep them abreast of the activities undertaken

by the current students of SLS, Pune as well as some of their fellow alumni.

The Annual Alumni Newsletter is thus the product of our humble efforts to bring the SSLC, Pune of

yesterday and the SLS, Pune of today together on one platform.

Mrityunjai Singh

Head, Alumni Committee

Cabinet Member, Student Council, 2013-14

An institution is known by the quality of its students and the students, in turn

are recognized by the reputation of the institution. Symbiosis Law School, Pune was

founded with the vision of imparting good quality legal education to its students along

with developing them into leaders of tomorrow.

The Alumni network of the college showcases the Law School’s success in

accomplishing this. Therefore, to provide an opportunity to those alumni who have made us

proud, we are honoured to host the Annual Alumni Meet, 2014 and release this

newsletter. The intent is to give an opportunity to relive their college days, interact with

other alumni, grow and mutually benefit each other and the institution.

I appreciate the efforts of the Symbiosis Law School, Pune team and wish them well

for the similar initiatives in future.

Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar

Principal Director, Symbiosis Society

Former member of UGC

____________________________________________________________________________________

Jab We Met

Advance congratulations to Kartikeye Prakash and Medha Chabbra,

both alumnus of SLS, Pune for their wedding on March 07, 2014.

Special mention to Justice Revati Mohite

Dere who was appointed as Additional

Judge of Bombay High Court.

Special mention to Symbiosis Law School, Pune alumnus Ms. Pragya

Jaiswal who received ‘Symbiosis Sanskritik Puraskar’ on January

22 for her achievement in the field of art and culture.

Alumni Achievements

D J Chaudhary, IPS, Retired DIG- Prisons: first batch student.

Scores of lawyers have been practicing in Supreme Court and in High courts & some of them are

now Additional Solicitor Generals.

Barrister Saritha Patil, Parvathi Menon, and Kalyani are now attorneys in the U.S.A.

Mr. Abhimanyu Punya, is holding the office of the India Counsel, Bank of America.

More than 30 of our Alumni are now Judicial officers in Maharashtra.

Mr. Devidas Bannerjee is a senior Advocate in Clifford Chance, Singapore.

Mr. Parikshit Dasgupta, postgraduate from Harvard, is now working with Kirkland & Ellis LLP,

New York.

Many of our Alumni are now Partners in Legasis, ALMT, Dua Associates, TriLegal, AZB,

Amarchand Mangaldas.

Our Alumni are also working as Law clerks with Supreme Court Judges and at various High

Courts.

Many of our Alumni Selected to pursue Masters in Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, King’s College

London, Boston, New York University, McGill.

Leadership positions, as Deputy Mayors, Civil servants in India; Judges, Parliamentarians and

Ministers in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, are also held by our alumni.

Special mention to Justice Sadhana S.

Jadhav who was elevated as Additional

Judge of Bombay High Court.

Justice Sadhana S. Jadhav

Judge, Bombay High Court

Alumnus, Symbiosis

Society’s Law College,

Pune

__________________

Interview

—————————

Q1. Why did you choose to study law?

I initially did my Masters in Public Administration

and International Relations from University of Pune. In

college, I was generally very fond of reading biographies and

while reading those I realized that most of the people

involved in the freedom movement were lawyers and I

realized that law is the answer of every predicament. Law is

the sea where all knowledge streams meet and a legal person

always has to think on his/her feet. I was also a student of

political science and thinkers like Aristotle and Plato inspired

me to tread the path of knowledge and reason which law

provided me with.

Most people choose to enter the law field after their

graduation degree, but I ended up joining it after my post

graduation. I joined law intending to teach as I was unsure

about practicing it since I didn’t have any lawyer in my

family. I initially completed 2 years of the law course and

then I got married and had two children. Finally I decided to

complete my third year and join a lawyer’s chamber as my

husband inspired me to practice law and believed that I could

be a good lawyer. I joined the Chamber of Shri Satyanarayan

Loya.

Q2. Could you share your experience at Symbiosis Law School, Pune which was earlier known as Symbiosis Society’s Law College?

I did my Senior school from St. Anne’s, Pune and Bachelor’s from Fergusson College in Pune, after

which I was keen on doing law and had options such as ILS Law College but I decided to go for Symbiosis

Society’s Law College, because of the more comfortable atmosphere in terms of hostel facilities. During my

one year stay in the Vishwabhavan girls’ hostel, I interacted with foreign students for the first time and had a

Mauritanian national as my roommate.

At that time Dr. Kelavala was the principal of the law school. We used to interact with our esteemed

professors on an intellectual and personal level and used to engage in various fruitful dialogues. As a student, I

was very much interested in listening to the lectures by luminaries like the founders of the college, Achyutrao

Patwardhan and Ram Jethmalani.

I also liked visiting the college library which interestingly had a whole lot of books donated by the

wife of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and also included various books personally used by Dr. Ambedkar himself,

which for us was very intriguing. I also got to interact with her as she used to stay often at the Symbiosis

Guest House.

Q3. What are the changes you would like to see in the Indian legal system? I believe that India’s legal system is an enriched system. There are many unwritten laws and a lot of

importance is given to human rights. I believe what is of utmost necessity in the present legal system is to

strike a balance between a person’s rights and duties.

I also believe that just making laws does not serve the purpose. There are already many laws in

existence. What is of paramount importance is its effective and efficient implementation.

Q4. What changes would you like to see in the field of legal education in India? I am of the belief that the education system needs to be revamped. Earlier, law was only sought after as

the last option. I think there is a need to increase the importance of practical knowledge. I believe the legal

system should be such that after 3 years out of the 5 years, a law student should be able to decide if he wants

to join a firm or wants to be a litigator or a tax practitioner. The last two years shall emphasise on practical

training.

Apart from this, I believe women should also strive to do well in this field. I feel a lot of support and

devotion from the family is very important. Frankly, law is a profession which has a substantial period of hard

work. However if women are supported well, I believe women can be trained to become lecturers, counsellors

in family courts along with traditional areas of practice.

Q5. What message would you give to the current students of our college?

I believe that a student should work with a firm or a lawyer even if he or she is not paid. Training is the

best way of learning the trade. When the student goes back to his/her hometown state, he or she must be able

to answer one important question – “What is the advantage that SLS, Pune gave you over any other law

college in their respective states?” “What is it that they have brought back and how have they added to the

knowledge pool of their respective places.”

Another thing that I would advise the students is the importance of learning logic, whether it is

deduction or inferential training. Reasoning is an important quality of lawyers and judges alike.

Q6. How important do you think an alumni network is to a law school? In that respect, what message would you give your fellow alumni? It is only from history that man learns from. Learning from Alumni’s experience and mistakes is very

important. Their experiences and stories are of supreme importance; they can tender thoughtful advice and

give wise words of caution.

You don’t have to jump into some pothole to know it’s a pothole, you can learn from the people who

had earlier treaded that path.

I arrived in Pune in the 2nd week of May, 1996, with my mark sheets/

educational certificates in my hands and with an ambition to become a lawyer.

Walking up Bhandarkar Road, profusely sweating and finally after three days of

similar exercise I got my admission.

We started our first year classes and on the first day, the first lecture was

that of History, which was taught by one of the finest teachers Prof. Aruna

Sampath. I met many classmates from the length and breadth of the country

(almost one from each state) and few international students also. Our class was a

mix of students from metro cities to small villages, students from prestigious

public schools to government schools and students who had family members in

the legal profession and the ones who were first time to-be lawyers in their

respective families. Acquaintances turned into friends, we really could feel and

breathe ‘वसुधैवकुटुम्बकम ्’the motto of Symbiosis.

For me learning in addition to classroom was the library and later the

court room since my first year. I still remember attending the trial of the

sensational Dhaam Murder with many of my batch mates. Great lawyers and

Judges such as Shri Ram Jetmalani and Justice B.N. Deshmukh were also our

teachers. One real big boon to me during my student days at Symbiosis was

getting introduced to Adv. Shri Inderjit Singh Gill, in whose chambers I worked

as student trainee for three years. I owe a lot to Gill Sir, who taught me criminal

law and trial advocacy, treated (and still treats) me as a family member than a

junior or student. Whenever I needed any guidance and advice even after I gradu-

ated from Symbiosis, Gill Sir has always been a great mentor to whom I am al-

ways indebted. Similarly, the non teaching staff of the college including the li-

brary staff who were a great support and encouragement to me.

Within no time came our fifth year as time flew and I fulfilled my

childhood ambition of becoming a lawyer. That day I roamed with my friends till

early hours discussing what next and remembering the past five years. Later in

2008, thanks to Prof. Rawandale, I was asked to judge the Surana & Surana Moot

Court Competition. Later once again in same year, I was invited to address the

first year students for the induction session. It was a different experience address-

ing students, thanks to the present Director, Dr. Shashikala Gurpur and other

teachers; I am still connected with Symbiosis Law School, my alma mater and I

still remain a student of the institution. As I look back at my days at my Alma

Mater from 1996 to 2014 many things have changed; new teachers, new

leadership, new students but one thing that still remains the same for me is my

bond with my Alma Mater. Now even the present students help me retain the

strong ties with my Alma Mater and I can say:

।ाचाचमवाचेमचेंयाच तेदामाापवमयधाचआ

ाच तेसक्रलमाचदापाााच तेकचह्ब्रमयदाप

A student learns a quarter from teacher, a quarter from own intelligence, a quarter

from fellow students, and the rest in course of time.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Our Days at Symbiosis - as I look back.

— Sampath Bulusu

________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Sampath Bulusu Genereal Manager – Legal, Shell Hazira,

Ahemdabad

Alumni Advisor, Symbiosis Law School, Pune

Alumnus, Symbiosis Society’s Law College, Pune

Batch of 2001

_____________________

Memoir

_____________________

I feel Alumni association is an institution in itself. It represents the college’s glorious history and is the promise of the future. I wish for more inter-personal interactions between the present batches and the alumni in the line of Alumni lectures, workshops, internships etc. Harnessing a very strong Alumni Network is of utmost importance for any institution as Alumni play the role of mentors for the budding lot. I wish the Alumni Committee and the college all the very best for its wonderful endeavour and hope that the synergy between the college and the Alumni goes from strength to strength.

Raghav Chakravarthy, Former President, Student Council, 2011-12

I entered Symbiosis Law School, Pune as a young tender bud with the sole aim to get a decent job opportunity, but the wonderful nurturing of the atmosphere prepared me to take up the toughest challenges of my life. Over the five years at SLS Pune, I not only grew up as a good lawyer but have also learned various aspects of life which gave me confidence to stand against the odds. Kudos to Symbi. Today as a young professional I am proud to say that we the Symbians are ready to lead. I am proud to be a Symbian.

Suyash Mohan Guru Former President, Student Council, 2009-10

Former Student Council Presidents’ Messages

It has been nearly 3 years since I've passed out of the law school, but it feels like that was ages ago. I believe the life lessons and exposure that I got at SLS could not have been matched anywhere else, for which I will always remain grateful. Considering the incredible success that our distinguished alumni have achieved, this meet is a great initiative for all of us across batches and cities to finally get together at one location. Additionally, any excuse to come back to Pune is always appreciated :). My best wishes and support, as always.

Kartik Maheshwari Former President, Student Council, 2010-11

Being an alumnus of Symbiosis Law School, Pune, surely raised the bar of expectations that prospective employers had from us, when we finally joined the legal progression. I am glad that I chose SLS, Pune to be my alma mater, because it prepared me to meet those expectations and much more. We are thankful till this date to our Director, teachers and management for providing us with a platform to grow as managers, leaders and last but not the least an opportunity to form everlasting memories and bonds. I wish the current students all the best. May they take their Alma mater to new heights.

Sparsh Prasad, Former President, Student Council, 2012-2013

Law Day & Justice Y.V.

Chandrachud Memorial

Public Lecture 2014

Symbiosis Law School, Pune

conducted the annual Law Day function

along with Justice Y.V Chandrachud

Memorial Public Lecture for the students on

25th of January at Vishwabhavan Auditorium.

The function was graced with several

eminent personalities including the chief

guest Hon’ble Justice A.K. Sikri, Judge,

Supreme Court of India, Dr. S. B. Mujumdar;

Adv. Ram Jethmalani; Dr. Vidya

Yeravdekar; Dr. Shashikala Gurpur; Hon’ble

Justice S.B. Sinha, former Judge, Supreme

Court of India; Dr. (Prof.) Upendra Baxi,

Professor Emeritus Warwick School of Law,

UK; Justice Dilip Patil, former Supreme

Court Judge and Mr. Ramesh Sharma, former

DGP, Madhya Pradesh.

After enlightening speeches by the distinguished guests, the booklet of Justice Y.V.

Chandrachud Memorial public lecture 2013, delivered by Honourable Justice C.K. Thakkar and

also comprising of addresses by Justice Madan Lokur, Justice Chelameshwar, Justice D.Y.

Chandrachud and Senior Adv. Ram Jethmalani was released. Adv. Ram Jethmalani’s book

“Maverick: Unreformed, Unchanged and Unrepentant” titled was also released for the Pune

readers on this day.

Publications

Symbiosis Law School, Pune publishes two journals-the Symbiosis Contemporary Law Journal and the Symbiosis

Student Law Review in collaboration with Lexis-Nexis. Symbiosis Contemporary Law Journal is an attempt to promote

research and publication of contemporary legal issues. Symbiosis Student Law Review is dedicated to students’ research

and publications.

Placement Cell Report: May

2013 — December 2013 The Placement Cell of Symbiosis Law

School, Pune has always attempted to enhance the

competitiveness of the students through a series of

screening and training programs. The cell also

maintains relationships with the industry to ensure

that the students have a chance to explore every job

opening. The cell looks forward to a successful

placement year ahead and is immensely grateful to all

the co-operation from our alumni in securing

internships and placements for the current students.

International Cell Activities Symbiosis Law School, Pune believes in global exchange of knowledge, cultural dissemination and intellectual

capacity building. In its endeavor to achieve this objective Symbiosis Law School, Pune under the aegis of Symbiosis

International University undertakes to strengthen ties with various Universities around the world. This includes a visit

from a contingent of 15 students from Flinders University, Australia and a delegation from the British Council

Knowledge Mission (Law) including many reputable Universities around Britain.

Student Council The Students’ Council of Symbiosis Law School, Pune was established in 2008 and was instated with a vision to encourage student participation in administration and management affairs. The council works together to identify and address any and every concern that affects the entire student community. The Council has seven functional committees namely: Extra-Curricular; Co-Curricular; Alumni; Grievance; PR, Media and Website; Event Management, Research Committee and Support Committees. The office bearers of the Student Council 2013-14 are Ms. Urvi Mohan as President and Ms. Shruti Garg and Mr. Kishlay Pandey as Vice-Presidents.

Symbhav 2013 Since its inception, the annual cultural and sports festival 'Symbhav' has been one of the flagship events of the college managed and organized by the students. The fest has a wide array of events ranging from Model Indian Parliament, Debates to events like Fashion Show, Group Dance, Solo Dance, Western & Hindi Singing, Mad Ads, Photography, Face Painting, Quizzes and many more. The highlight of the event was the Pro-Nite, in which the bands in attendance were Spectrum, Colour Compound, Nucleya and Agam. With its wide array of events, budget and footfall, Symbhav’13 was undoubtedly one of the biggest events in the college calendar of Pune.

Moot Courts Organized

5th B. Krishna Memorial National IPR Moot

Court Competition, 2013

Symbiosis Law School, Pune, in its quest for

gaining legal excellence, successfully organized the 5th

B. Krishna Memorial National IPR Moot Court

Competition 2013, in association with Krishna and

Saurastri Associates, from 1st to 3rd of February 2013

in Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Going into its fifth

edition, the B. Krishna Memorial National IPR Moot

Court Competition 2013 witnessed participation of 30

Law Schools across the country.

Mooting Achievements

This year the students of Symbiosis Law

School, Pune have once again excelled in over 35

national and state level moots. These include the 9th

Surana & Surana National Trial Advocacy Moot

(India South Rounds), 7th Pro-Bono Enviro National

Moot Court Competition, 10th Nani Palkhivala

Memorial Tax Moot Court Competition, SPIL Summit

at GLC Mumbai, DES Law College Appellate Moot Court Competition, IIPS IPR Moot, 2nd Amity International Moot

Court Competition, G H Raisoni IPR Moot, The 24th Kerala Law Academy Moot, Annual D. Y. Patil State

Level Moot, Annual B R Ambedkar State Level Moot and many more.

12th Annual Surana & Surana International Technology Law Moot Court Competition, 2013

Symbiosis Law School, Pune, in association with Surana & Surana International Attorneys, Chennai, success-

fully hosted the 12th Annual Surana & Surana International Technology Law Moot Court Competition, 2013 from 23rd

August 2013 to 25th August 2013. This edition of the competition focusing on the bio-diversity laws with underlying

technical provisions, hosted 30 teams from all over the nation including various National Law Schools.

Alumni Meet 2013

The 3rd Alumni Meet of Symbiosis Law School, Pune was held on the 23rd of February, 2013 at Vivanta

by Taj, Koregaon Park, Pune. The Meet witnessed an impressive turn-out with more than fifty alumni from

different batches in attendance.

The Guest of Honour was Senior Advocate Mr. Ram Jethmalani, Professor Emeritus, Symbiosis Law

School, Pune, who enthralled the audience with his speech.

The Alumni of the college revisited their law school days when a video was played showcasing how the

college has evolved over the years from Symbiosis Society’s Law College, under Pune University to Symbiosis

Law School, Pune under Symbiosis International University. This was followed by a speech by our Alumni

meet Convenor, Mr. Sampath Bulusu, who emphasized on how the college and the alumni can mutually grow

and benefit each other.

The Meet ended with a Vote of Thanks by the Deputy Director, Dr. Bindu Ronald which was then

followed by a sumptuous dinner. As a token of appreciation, the Alumni were gifted with customized

sweatshirts and Parker Pens and with that many new memories to cherish.

Alumni Committee students with Alumni and Faculty. Release of Alumni Newsletter, 2013.

Q4. Does teaching at your alma-mater have a special significance?

A lot actually. It is a feeling of connection to your alma-mater. I feel like I am giving back a little

out of so much that I have received from this college.

Q5. Where do you see SLS in the next 10 years?

I want to see Symbiosis Law School as the top law school. I want to see it as the destination people

want to come to. We have done a lot. It is not a day’s job. It is a gradual process of evolution. We are

moving towards it. I have seen it grow in past years from a small institution to the top ten.

Q6. How important a role do you think the Alumni of an institute play in shaping the future of the

college and on that note do you have a message for your fellow alumni?

Very important because they can help in a lot of different ways they can come back and groom

students in so many ways to make them ready for the market. The alumni do a lot.

Q7. Anything you would like to say to your students?

Be sincere, work hard. Do not do anything for reward. It comes to you.

______________________________________________________________

Dr. Bindu Ronald Deputy Director,

Associate Professor, Symbiosis Law School,

Pune

Alumnus, Symbiosis

Society’s Law College,

Pune

Batch of 1994

______________________

Interview ______________________

Q1. What was your inspiration behind entering the legal profession?

As a child, I was constantly exposed to law since my father was also in

the same profession. It just came to me naturally. I grew up seeing law books

and things related to law. Naturally I started liking the subject.

Q2. What are some of your most cherished memories at SLS?

At that time, ILS and Symbiosis were the colleges which dominated the

educational landscape. Symbiosis had a cosmopolitan look and approach to

everything and that is something which persuaded me to join Symbiosis. I

enjoyed every day of college. I came every day to college, those are wonderful

memories. Our classes used to start at 7.30 in the morning. It used to get over

by 11’o clock. I made some wonderful friends at that point of time. We also

had international students in our class. It was really nice to have them as it was

an opportunity for all of us to know about their respective cultures.

Q3. What made you take up teaching as a profession?

I came from a family who is into this profession. My mother father was

the Head of the Department at Pune University, Department of Law. I grew up

wanting to be a teacher.

Jinamoni Baruah

Academic Associate, Symbiosis

Law School, Pune

Alumnus, Symbiosis Law

School, Pune

Batch of 2011

______________________

Interview ______________________

Q1. What are some of your most cherished memories at SLS?

Every day of college has been memorable but one experience that means a

lot to me was working on a research project on Mergers and Amalgamations under

the guidance of Dr. Shashikala Gurpur and Dr. Bindu Ronald. Another experience

I enjoyed was, being a part of the Student Council as the Research Head.

Q2. Any message for the students of SLS?

Honesty, discipline and focus, these are the attributes needed to find your

space. As long as you have these attributes you will be able to know what you

want and how to go about achieving your goals.

Introspecting about the alumni of my alma-mater gathering

together for the Alumni Meet, I had a wonderful trip down memory

lane. Thanks to my decision of opting for civil services, I have seen

many places and in all those places I have always introduced

myself as an alumni of Symbiosis Law School, Pune with the great

pride.

Nostalgia is taking me to the day when I got my admission

at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Thereafter, the days were long cel-

ebrations, be it the fresher’s meet at Ambedkar Memorial (which

was a mini India in itself for students coming from almost all parts

of the country), various festivals celebrated in college premises

with all fervour or cheering “Symbi…..!!!!.....Symbi.!!!!!!

Symbi….Symbi!!!!!” at various competitions. The prizes won, the

songs sung, celebrations made, birthdays celebrated all came to my

mind.

I remember the classrooms where I met friends that would

last for a lifetime, the lectures by the faculties both from college

and outside, who explained the legal concepts by citing their day to

day experiences. Memories are abuzz in my mind of various places

like the library and the canteen where studies stretched on into late

evening during the exam months and the canteen with its

numerable cups of tea and vada-pavs. I remember all those plans

made for a movie, a trek or a party and the ‘katta’ where everyone

spent their free time.

The college holds great importance in my life. When I

joined the college, I was a young boy trying to find his way in this

big world, my college gave me the confidence of taking on the

world. It gave me the opportunity to meet many people and

interacting with luminaries and prepared me for facing the tough

competition out there. It not only taught me the syllabus but also a

new way of life. ‘Symbiosis’, the name says it all. We learnt from

others, taught others and life blossomed.

________________________________________________________________________________________

A Trip Down Memory Lane — Dattaprasad S. Shirsat

________________________________________________________________________________________

Deputy Auditor General, Indian

Audit and Accounts Service

Alumnus, Symbiosis Society’s Law College, Pune

Batch of 2004

_____________________

Memoir

_____________________

Q1. What made you choose Law as a profession and what part of the profession do you like best? In a profession, one needs to be constantly challenged, and law seems like a profession where one can spend the rest of his life learning. The academic experience of it seems exciting and it is also profession oriented, which seems like a rare combination. Besides, law has now become a 'noble business profession' where it allows me to still participate in the business world, yet be apart and better than it in some way. Q2. What part did SLS play in shaping the person you are today? A lawyer needs to have good communication skills, interpersonal skills, analytical skills and perseverance. I firmly believe that SLS has played a major role in imparting the same. Q3. What gave you the courage to start out on your own and how did it happen? Having an experience of more than 18 years and having built a good referral network, I always wanted to branch out and bui ld a team (entrepreneur bug). Q4. Tell us something about Fortitude and the work it does. Fortitude Law Associates is a full service law firm where lawyers from diverse backgrounds have integrated their intellectual capital to provide clients with well rounded and effective legal advice. Our firm specializes in strategic legal and regulatory advice coupled with industry expertise in an integrated manner. Our longstanding relationships with multinational entities and the Indian legal and regulatory bodies provide unique value to our clients. Our Core practice areas include Corporate & Securities Law, Competition Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, JVs & Restructuring, General Commercial Law, International Tax, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Fund Formation, Fund Investments, Capital Markets, Employment, HR and Intellectual Property. Our specialized industry niches include financial services, education, IT and telecom, education, pharmacy and life sciences, media and entertainment, real estate and infrastructure.

__________________

Interview

—————————

Rahul Mahajan

Founding & Managing Partner,

Fortitude Law Associates, Mumbai

Affiliate Firm of Kelley Drye and

Warren LLP, New York, USA

Alumnus, Symbiosis Society’s

Law College, Pune

Batch of 1999

Q5. Any particular project that you are proud of and wish to share with us? Every project has been a learning experience. However, in 2009-2010 we assisted our client based out of France to acquire the animal health care assets of Wockhardt Ltd. The deal was complex and involved advice on corporate, tax and regulatory issues. Moreover, we have recently assisted one of the complex deals where our client, a NYSE listed company, sold its stake which it held in a public listed company in India. Q6. Do you find that things have changes in the educational environment since you graduated? The younger generation of lawyers are very intelligent and they have the right combination of being street smart and the aptitude and the eagerness to learn. Q7. Do you have any advice for the current students of SLS, particularly what they should be looking to get out of their college experience? My only advice would be to make the most of the college resources. Participate in moot courts, write articles for college magazines and active participation in college committees. Also, very important is doing internships. Q8. How important do you think the Alumni Network is for the college and for an individual and on that note do you have anything you wish to say to your fellow alumni? The alumni association is the most important part of an educational institute or an organization. It says a lot about the quality of education imparted in that institute. Part of the reputation of a college rests on its Alumni.

SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, PUNE CARE | COURAGE | COMPETENCE

(CONSTITUENT OF SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, ACCREDITED BY NAAC WITH ‘A’ GRADE)

Kindly keep us posted on your achievements,

joyous occasions, learning and teaching

needs, etc.

at

alumni@symlaw.ac.in

placement@symlaw.ac.in

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Adv. Sampath Bulusu, Alumni Advisor, Symbiosis Law School, Pune

Adv. Shravanth Arya

Adv. Danish Shadab

Adv. Raajesh Kuumar

Adv. Hitesh Jain