Tips to land your dream law firm internship in your second year

There was once a time when law firms were few and law schools were fewer still, good law firms are still rare but number of law schools have exploded exponentially. A direct fallout has been gradual worries in getting an internship opportunity at the top law firms, in this post I would like to share some tips on how to beat the competition and land the dream law firm internship which may well be the first step in getting absorbed by the same firm or even better ones. I have interned at over six law firms in last 5 years including firms in big four, boutique IP firms, old firms where the furniture could well have been used since time of Wellesley, so whatever experience I have gathered I would like to share it with you all. To get best results try to implement these tips in your second/third year unless of course your father owns the firm; in other words this post target audience is second and third years.

Tips 1: Prepare a Good CV – this is going to be the window of opportunity to showcase yourself to the guy sitting on the opposite side of the table/PC, first thing CV should never be more than 2 pages, people often make a mistake of sending long CVs having 5-6 pages!!! Don’t waste your and the other guy’s time, second follow the CRC (or whatever your college calls the committee which tries to get everyone placed at the end of the 5 year course, conditional to the fact, after they get placed first) CV style sheet every college has its own (whatever you do don’t stray beyond Garamond or Times New Roman fonts, remember this is not a calligraphy contest) and the regular HR guys or the recruiting partner would know by the layout which college you are from, in case you want to explore other styles try to stick to any of the other law school styles, don’t take up style sheet provided by the job portals they are not worth the effort. Now lets discuss the substance in the CV, first the marks, if you are from a name-brand college like NLS, NUJS, NALSAR then a 5 pointer in a 7 point scale would classify you as good property anything less than that you have hard sell yourself, as small tips many CV templates have option of ranks, put in rank if you are within the top 20 anything more than that would devalue your CV. If you are not within top 20 neither is your CGPA above 5 in a 7 point scale then mention your last sem GPA if it is above 5 or even 1 grade better than your CGPA it would allow you to later explain that you are improving over your past performance. For a non top 3 law school aspirant you have to be within top 20 to land a good internship but don’t get discouraged try to follow other tips and you may even outscore your snooty top law school colleagues. After CGPA etc. you have to provide your internship experience if you are in the second year then you must have done some NGO internship, try to also do internship at some lawyer in your first year trial court or HC, of your father is a lawyer try to get certificate from some HC lawyers also. If you were associated with any NGO at school also mention that, you can also get involved with LPOs if available at your law school (also get involved with the legal aid society at the college, these things earn dividends like long term deposits). Describe the experience in one or two lines be specific don’t write everything associated with that internship bring out the main points and highlight your responsibilities and interactions with people and peers. It would be great if you could have a firm internship however small in your first year, but if you don’t have any then it is not the end of the world. After previous experience you need to mention achievements which can be divided into three broad areas curricular achievements, co-curricular achievements and extra-curricular achievements, in the first category you may put academics related achievements like say highest marks/grade in any subjects etc. for co-curricular you need to mention winning prizes at any essay writing competitions etc. and for extra-curricular you have achievements in debate, extempore, quizzes etc. If you don’t have any such achievement yet at college mention some school achievements but it should be unambiguous that they are not university experience and try to get such experience at college (what did you do in last 2 years at college) or at least take out the relevant director of such societies on treat and get some fake certs. After achievements write down any publications that you might have got if you have no hard copy publications upload few of your last years projects on SSRN and put them in your CV as ‘Working papers’, register yourself at conferencealerts.com try to present at least 3 papers a year and mention them as ‘Conference Papers’ after all these publications talk about any positions of responsibility held, special abilities like speaking Mandarin (not cooking or driving). Finally if permitted by space then mention one or two lines about hobbies (keep them safe, don’t put something exotic like snorkeling or skiing). Also remember what not to put in CV unless specifically asked for 1) date of birth (they are not going to prepare your horoscope) 2) your fathers name and profession (unless of course he is a MP or MLA or covered by Art. 312) 3) put any achievements which are 5 years old. Also an old trick if your CV is not interesting enough or is not punchy get hold of a faculty and try to convince him/her to write some sort of reference letter praising you etc. and then put that as testimonial, try to get as many copies as possible.

Tips 2: Time the internship – With high competition for internship at top law firms it is important to get your timing of internship absolutely perfect. Usually the law schools vacations are of 8 weeks so you can squeeze two internships of 4 weeks each, preferably the first internship in your second-third year break should be at HC (judge/lawyer) the second should be at the target law firm. Try to find out seniors who might have been associated with the law firm and ask him or her when is the lean period wrt number of interns (a word of caution with the big four there is hardy any lean time), try to see if you could fit yourself at that lean time, if your vacation is not in that period and your target firm is in the same city as your law school then it is not a bad idea to do a ‘Running internship’ which basically means that by the end of the college day (which should be by 2 pm) you should go to the firm and intern and to compensate for the loss of time in the morning stay till say 8-10 in the evening (running internship are very demanding so apply at your own risk). Also sometime in the mid semester breaks (like say Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Durga Puja) the break may be extended to 3-4 weeks squeeze in an internship there, always be at the lookout (much like the facebook newsfeed) about any new developments and plan 4-5 months ahead.

Tips 3: Actual Application – Most applications are by email, some are by hand (some are by reference) while others may be (rarely) by post. Apply at least 2-3 months before the target time as found out by the previous tips. In the application kit will be your CV and a cover letter. This cover letter should be short concise and yet enticing enough that the person wants to go through the CV. A simple sample letter could be like:

To, DATED: The Manager, HR Department, [FIRM NAME] Sub: Request for grant of permission for internship. Dear Sir/Madam, I [YOUR NAME] am [***] year law student from [COLLEGE NAME]. Per the rules of the university, each student is to undergo internships at Law firms, Senior Advocates, Companies, NGOs etc. in order to gain practical experience and be able to understand ‘law in action’. Therefore I would like to request you to kindly allow us to intern at your reputed Law firm for last three weeks of [MONTH, YEAR]. Yours sincerely [YOUR NAME] Enclosed: CV and testimonial

Prepare to apply to at least 10-15 firms, send them emails and if possible also visit them before you do so and talk to the person who usually allots internship, if the person is a partner then chances of getting internship in second year is less, if the person is a new associate then the chances would depend on your persuasion skills (chat up and never take no for no). Try not to take your parents along with you in such internship hunts, it shows lack of confidence. While mailing the applications don’t forget to attach the CV and the scanned testimonials, also try to add personal touch by addressing the receiver by name (if known). If you apply by post then speed post them and if you apply in person then put a date on the cover letter. Also don’t CC the emails at one go, if you are really lazy then at least BCC them. If you are really desperate try CV dropping where you go to an area with high concentration of law firms and then move from one office to another handing out CVs and cover letters (don’t forget to fill up the particulars in the cover letter while waiting at the reception). From personal experience CV dropping is a low risk high value opportunity, chances of success is higher also you get to meet beautiful receptionists throughout the day (who might as well put your CV into shredder as soon as you walk out of the office).

Tips 4: Follow up – There are several strategies to follow up on the application, some call up the person as soon as the email is send thus adding a personal touch to the non personal email communication, others take a long term approach. You may follow a mix of these two call up seniors who may have given you some information about the firm and the wait out for 3 weeks no reply may mean that the application hasn’t been processed, so send in a reminder mail CC to every person you know at the firm and try to get hold of the HR guy at the firm over telephone. If you are hell bent on getting into that firm then you may also pay a visit to the firm. Sometimes the law firm may call you up and try to enquire about timings etc. try to convince the person to send an email also (this would on record also you would get to know the email id of the person which might be different from the address that you had sent your application to).

Tips 5: Irrespective of outcome don’t be stressed out – Don’t get upset if you don’t get internship at the firm of your dream the wide net that you have cast would surely get you a fish, sorry firm or two (you can also land a shark). Always ask for evaluation from firms that rejected you, this would help you to analyze why you didn’t make the cut was it because of inexperience or low marks etc. This way you would be better prepared to apply next time, also there will always be screw-ups as evident from the letter below which was in reply to a written internship application submitted to a mid sized firm when I was in my second year. As you can see I made few mistakes, I forgot to put date (and I was a law student) and I didnt do research on timing my internship and as a result the time I applied for was a holiday at the firm.

So never give up and never say no.

APPENDIX: Contacts of Law firms (all gathered from public domain, but have been last checked for authenticity in 2007)

Advani & Co. Mr. Hiroo Advani Advani & Co. 10 Thakur Niwas, Level 2 173 J. Tata Road Mumbai - 400 020 Ph- 022 2281 8381	ALG India Law Offices Rakesh Prasad (Partner) 30 Siri Fort Road, New Delhi -110049 (T) 011-26252244 (F) 011-26251585 (E) office@algindia.com rakesh.prasad@algindia.com
ALMT Legal Ms. Statira Ranina ALMT Legal 4th Floor, Express Towers Nariman Point Mumbai - 400 021 Ph# 022 -6636 7044 sranina@almtlegal.com	Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh Shroff & Co. Bombay Mr. Cyril Shroff Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. AMSS, Peninsula Chambers Peninsula Corporate Park Ganpat Rao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013 Ph: 022-24964455 Address the email to CC the email to Jijmon Joseph at jijimon.joseph@amarchand.com and Reeba Chacko at reeba.chacko@amarchand.com
Delhi Mr. Shardul Shroff Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. Amarchand Towers, 216 Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, New Delhi- 110020. 011-26920500 CC the email to Ms. Bithika Anand at bithika.anand@amarchand.com	Amitabh Sen & Co Ms. Sushma Suite 601 F, 5 Hailey Road, New Delhi- 110001 Ph- 91-11-2335-2365.
Anand and Anand Mr. Pravin Anand Anand & Anand B-41 Nizammudin East, New Delhi –110013, Ph: 011 - 2435 0360, 2435 5076 Send email to Ms. Shivagami at shivagami@anandandanand.com	ARA Law Mr. Rajesh N. Begur/ Ms. Anooshree Sinha ARA Law Agra Building, 1st floor 121 MG Road, Fort Mumbai, 400023 Ph: 022-2281 1700 rajesh@aralaw.com anooshree@aralaw.com rowena@aralaw.com
AZB & Partners Mr. Abhijit Joshi AZB & Partners (Mumbai) 23rd Floor, Express Towers Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021 Ph: 91-22-66396880 abhijit.joshi@azbpartners.com CC the email to Rinki Ganguli at rinki.ganguli@azbpartners.com	Bangalore Mr. Vivek Chandy Ms. Malini Raju AZB House, 67-4, 4th Cross Lavelle Road Bangalore 560001 080-22129782 vivek.k.chandy@azbpartners.com malini.raju@azbpartners.com
Delhi Mr. Hardeep Sachdeva AZB & Partners (Delhi) F-40, NDSE, Part I New Delhi-110049 Tel:011 2461 7697 hardeep.sachdeva@azbpartners.com CC the email to Sudha R at sudha.r@azbpartners.com	Bhasin & Co. Ms. Lalit Bhasin Bhasin & Co. 10, Hailey Road, 10 th Floor, New Delhi-110001 Ph- 9111-23322601 / 23315024 lbhasin@vsnl.com
Bhatt & Saldanha Mr. Adil K. Patel Maker Bhavan No.1, First Floor Vithaldas Thackersey Marg Mumbai – 400 020 Ph- 022 2631 4987 e-mail – bhatsald@bhattsaldanha.com	BMR & Associates Mr. Mandeep Singh Great Eastern Centre, 1st floor, 70 Nehru Place, New Delhi-110019, tel - 011 3081 5000 mandeep.singh@bmrtax.com
Crawford Bayley & Co. Mr. Sanjay Asher Crawford Bayley & Co State Bank Buildings Bank Street Mumbai - 400023 Ph – 022- 22663713/22665443/22662660 sanjay.asher@crawfordbayley.com	Dave Girish and Co. Ms. Mona Bhide Dave Girish & Co. 1st Floor, Sithna Building 55 Maharshi Karve Road (Queens Road), Marine Lines Mumbai - 400002 Ph: 91-22-22062192/132 mona@davegirish.com
Desai & Diwanji & Co. Mr. Jai Diwanji Lentin Chambers, Dalal Street, Fort Mumbai- 400 023 s.sinha@desaidiwanji.com j.diwanji@desaidiwanji.com	DH Law Associates Mr. S. Srivastava D.H. Law Associates 502, Prospect Chambers, 5th Floor 317/3210, D.N. Road, Fort, Mumbai-400 001 Ph- 022 2204 2493 dhlaw@vsnl.com
DSK Legal Ms. Bernadette Carvalho DSK Legal Advocates & Solicitors 4th Floor, Express Towers Nariman Point Mumbai - 400 021 Ph: 022 6658 8000 bernadette.carvalho@dsklegal.com jyoti.castelino@dsklegal.com	Dua Associates Mr. V.K. Gogia Tolstoy House, 15, Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi-110001 011 23714408 send email to: Ms. Shilpa Singh at shilpasingh@duaassociates.com
Economic Laws Practice Mr. Rohan Shah Economics Law Practice Advocates and Solicitors 1502, Dalamal Towers, Nariman point, Mumbai – 400 021, Tel: 022 66371979 rohanshah@elp-in.com CC the email to Ms. Priya Sawant(9819251484) at priyasawant@elp-in.com	Fox, Mandal, Little & Co Mr. Trivedi Fox, Mandal, Little & Co Central Bank Building, 2nd Floor M.G. Road, Fort Mumbai 400 023 Tel: 91 22 2265 2739 mumbai@foxmandallittle.com
Bangalore Mr. Shuva Mandal FM House No. 6/12, Primrose Road Gurappa Avenue Bangalore 560065 080-25595911 bangalore@foxmandallittle.com	Mr. Som Mondal Fox, Mandal, Little & Co. FM House A-9, Sector 9 Noida - 201301 Tel: 0120 2444567 som.mandal@foxmandallittle.com CC the email to Ms. Nivedita Dhar at nivedita.dhar@foxmandallittle.com
Gandhi and Associates Mr. V. Gandhi Gandhi & Associates 'A' Wing, Nariman Road, Vile Parle (E) Mumbai- 400 057 Tel: 91 22 2614 2237 vishal@gandhiassociates.com	Seth Associates Ms. Karnika Seth Partner & Head, Corporate Practice B-10, Sector 40, NOIDA-201301, N.C.R, India Tel: +91 (120) 4352846, +91 (120) 2500052, +91 9810155766 Fax: +91 (120) 4331304 E-mail: mail@sethassociates.com www.sethassociates.com
J Sagar Delhi Office Maj. Raana 84-E, C-6 Lane (Off Central Avenue) Sainik Farms New Delhi-110 062 India Tel # (91-11) 2955 2714/715/716 Fax # (91-11) 2955 2717/2980 raana@jsalaw.com Email to Amitabh Sharma- Mobile # (91) 9818477640 Extn: 274 Email: amitabh@jsalaw.com	Bangalore Sajai Singh (Partner) 4121/B, 19th A Main, 6th Cross HAL II Stage Extension Bangalore- 560038 sajai@jsalaw.com
Jehangir Gulabbhai & Bilimoria & Daruwalla Mr. Daruwala Rajabahadur Mandion, 20, Ambalal Doshi Marg, Hamam Street, Mumbai - 400023 Tel: 91 22 2263 3132 jgbdadvo@mtnl.net.in	JurisCorp Mr. F. Daruwala Ms. Amokhee Dastidar (09833583208) Juris Corp 1210, Maker Chambers 'V' Nariman Point Mumbai – 400021 Ph- 022 6633 8671/22043575/3576 juriscorp@jclex.com
Kanga and Co. Mr. Ashish Bhakta Kanga & Co. Readymoney Mansion, No. 43 Veer Nariman Road Mumbai 400 001 Tel: 9122 2288 6541 ashish@kangacompany.com CC the email to Ms. Prachi Shah at prachishah@kangacompany.com	Khaitan & Co. Ms. Vandana Singh Khaitan & Co. Meher Chambers, 4th & 5th Floors, R.K. Marg Ballard Estate Mumbai 400 038 Ph- 022 6636 5000 hr@khaitanco.com
Kolkata office Mr. R. N. Jhunjhunwala Emerald House 1-B, Old Post Office street Kolkata 700 001 033-22487000 rnj@khaitanco.com	Kochhar & Co. Mumbai Office Mr. Rajarshi Chakrabarty 17th Floor, Nirmal Building, Nariman Point Mumbai 400021 022-66559701-04 022-66370031-32 legal@mumbai.kochhar.com
KPMG Mr. Sunder Sarma KPMG House Kamala Hills Compound 448 Senapati Bapat Marg Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 022-39896000 ssarma@kpmg.com	Krishna & Saurastri Mr. Sunil Krishna Krishna & Saurastri KK Chamber, 1st Floor (Behind ICICI Bank) FPTM Marg, DN Road, Fort Mumbai – 400 001 Ph- 022 6655 0606 krismark@vsnl.net
Lakshmi Kumaran and Sridharan Mr. Lakshmi Kumaran Lakshmi Kumaran & Sridharan B 6/10 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi – 110029 011-41299800/ 011-41299819(direct line to HR) Send email to Prachi R Vaidya, Manager HR, at hrd@lakshmisri.com	Lall & Sethi Mr. Upam Singh Lall & Sethi Advocates M - 19A, South Extension II New Delhi – 110049 Ph: 011 - 2625 3906, 2625 7845. usingh@indiaip.info info@indiaip.com
Lex Nexus Ms. Binita Hathi LEX Nexus 24-B, Rajabahadur Compound Office No. 112-D, 2nd Floor Ambalal Doshi Marg, Fort Mumbai 400002 Tel: +91-22-22659969 binita@lexnexus.net	Clairvolex Ms. Aarti Khatri, 709/710 Tolstoy House, 15-17 Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi-110001 011-23716565 hr@lexorbis.com , aarti@lexorbis.com
Luthra & Luthra Law Offices Mr. Rajiv K Luthra Luthra & Luthra Law Offices 103, Ashoka Estate, 24, Barakhamba Estate, New Delhi – 110001 Tel: 91-11-4121 5100 Email: delhi@luthra.com CC the email to Ms. Ruchi Chopra at rchopra@luthra.com and Roydal Simon at rsimon@luthra.com	Majmudar & Co. Mr. Akil Hirani Majmudar & Co. 96 Free Press House, Free Press Journal Marg Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400 021 Ph: 022 6630 7272 careers@majmudarindia.com akil@majmudarindia.com CC the email to Ms. Geetha
Malvi Ranchoddas & Co. Ms. Girija Balakrishnan Malvi Ranchoddas and Company Yusuf Building 3rd Floor M.G. Road Mumbai - 400023 Ph: 022 66331801 girijabalakrishnan@malvirco.com	Mr. Meharia Meharia Reid & Associates 9 Old Post Office Street Second Floor Kolkata – 1 Tel: 22484261/6365 e-mail – kolkata@mra.firm.in
Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe Mr. Shardul Thacker Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe Mulla House 51 MG Road, Fort Mumbai-400001 Ph: 022 22044960/22875121 shardul.thacker@mullaandmulla.com mullas@vsnl.net	New Delhi Law Offices Ms. Sunita Narhari sunitha@ndlolegal.com New Delhi Law Offices Rajendra Bhawan, 5th Fl., 210 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg. New Delhi 110 002 Ph# 011-23221416 ndlo@del3.vsnl.net.in send email to rakesh ojha at rko@ndlosouth.com
Nishith Desai Associates Shameela Zaidi Nishith Desai Associates 93-B, Mittal Court Nariman Point Mumbai 400 021 Ph: 022 6669 5000 shameela@nishithdesai.com latha@nishithdesai.com	O. P. Khaitan & Co. Ms. Bela Maheshwari O P Khaitan & Co. Khaitan House, B-1 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024 Tel: 91 11 2433 7516/7 Ms. Ritika rpal@opkhaitan.com
P & A Law Offices Mr. Anand Pathak P & A Law Offices (Pathak & Associates) 1st Floor, Dr. Gopal Das Bhavan, 28, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi - 110 001 Ph: 011-2373 8793, 2335 7345. Ms. Priyadarshini Dev priyad@palawoffices.com	P.H Parekh & Co. Mr. P.H.Parekh/Mr. Sandeep Parekh/ Mr. Sameer Parekh P.H. Parekh & Co. Parekh Chambers, 30 School Lane, Bengali Market New Delhi 110001 Ph: 011 2331 1553 recruit@phparekh.com
Paras Kuhad & Associates Kolkata Mr. Niloy Pyne 41, Chowringhee, Komal Building, 2nd Floor, Kolkata 700071 30287607 (direct line to mr pyne) niloy@paraskuhad.com pkakolkata@paraskuhad.com Bombay Office Ms. Sheila Shetty 903 Peninsula Towers Peninsula Corporate Park Ganpatrao Kadam Marg Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013 022-66695959 sheila@paraskuhad.com	Poovayya & Co Mr. Sajan Poovayya Poovayya & Co. 12/2 Haudin Road Bangalore 560 042 sajan@poovayya.net
Rajinder Narain & Co. Mr. Ravinder Nath 14 F, Shivam building, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110 001, Tel: 91 11 23 31 3232 inbox@rnlegal.com	Saha & Ray Mr. Avik Saha, Saha & Ray, 3A/1 Hastings Chambers, 7C Kiran Shankar Roy Road, Kolkata –700001. Ph: 22426439 aviksaha@saharay.com
Singhania & Co. Mr. Ashish Singhal Singhania & Co. 83-C, Mittal Towers Nariman Point Mumbai – 400021 Ph- 022 22049773 mumbai@singhania.com	Kolkata Office Mr. Pulak Bagchi (Partner) Call at 22492759/22295093/22295088 and find out the address and send brochure Email: calcutta@singhania.com
Thakker & Thakker Mr. B.J. Thakker Thakker and Thakker Nirmal, 20th Floor (Opp. The Oberoi Towers) Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400 021 Tel: 91 22 6630 8000 bjt@ttindia.net	Titus and Co. Mr. Manjeet Titus 4 TITUS HOUSE, R-4 & R-77A, LEVELS 1-4, GREATER KAILASH-1, NEW DELHI - 110 048, Tel: 91 11 2647 0700 titus@titus-india.com
Tottenham India Law Associates Mr.Deepak Bhattacharya Tottenham India Law Associates A-170, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024 Email to Chaman Lal Kalia clkalia@hotmail.com	Trilegal Mumbai Office Mr. Karan Singh 201, Phoenix House, 462 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel Mumbai 400013 022 2481 9999 karan.singh@trilegal.com CC the email Ms. Parveen Khodaijishah at parveen.khodaijishah@trilegal.com and Ms. Anjana Mahimkar at anjana.mahimkar@trilegal.com
Delhi Office Mr. Sameer Guha E-514, GK II, New Delhi 110048 Tel: 91 11 5163 9393 sameer.guha@trilegal.com Bangalore Office Mr. Atul Gupta 2, Cassa Grande, 18/3, 3rd Cross Road, Nandidurga Road Extension, Bangalore 560046 080-41515252/5210 bangaloreinternships@trilegal.com bangalore@trilegal.com	Udwadia Udeshi & Co. Ms. Marie Udwadia & Udeshi Thomas Cook Building, 2nd & 3rd Floor, 324 D N Road, Fort Mumbai – 400001 Ph- 022 2288 3345 udwadid@uubindia.com uubom@uubindia.com
Wadia Ghandhy Associates Ms. Bindi Dave Wadia & Ghandy N.M. Wadia Buildings 123 Mahatma Gandhi Road Mumbai 400 023 Tel: 91 22 2267 0669 bindi.dave@wadiaghandy.com CC the email to Nikeeta Kaspale at nikeeta.kaspale@wadiaghandy.com	Zeus Law Associates Ms. Prerna Kohli R - 89, Greater Kailash - I, New Delhi - 110 048 Tel No. : +91 11 4173 3090 Fax No.: +91 11 4173 3094 Mobile No: +91 9810335347 prerna.kohli@zeus.firm.in
SNR ASSOCIATES Mr. Rajat Sethi K 40, Connaught Circus New Delhi – 110 001 Tel: +91-11-4289 8000 Fax: +91-11-4289 8001 rsethi@snrlaw.in CC email to Sudip Mahapatra at smahapatra@snrlaw.in