Mr Satya Kam Sharma is Advocate-Supreme Court of India, (Chamber of Mr. Satyajit A. Desai & Anagha S. Desai, (Advocate on Record)[since October,2018)
Q: How has been your journey as a Lawyer?
It has never been easy. There were difficult times, but the persistence to become a successful lawyer, helped me to overcome those difficult times.
Q: Students in Law School are more inclined towards getting good grades. What’s your take on it? Do grades have any significant impact on the career?
Grades never make successful people; it is merely a tool in the hand which will help you to get a job. Legal profession is not a job. In the legal profession, especially practising lawyer, it is your personality and skill which will outshine your rather than your grades in the law school. Nobody will ask you what your grade is, but will observe you how you perform before the court, or provide professional service to your client.
Q: What are the skills required to succeed in the Legal Profession?
First is patience, you require tons and tons of patience in initial years of practice as a lawyer. You will get no holidays; work on Sunday, no vacation, no fixed timing. You will have to work till midnight and the payment during the initial years will unimaginably be less. But in the long run the hard works pays and mark my word it pays in dividends. Second—read, read, read…. You have to continuously read law books, research on legal points, case laws, update yourself with latest Supreme Court judgments, and then only you will be able to achieve the greatness of a well-read lawyer.
Third —Drafting— you have to have a good drafting skill that comes with practice, the more you draft better you will get into it.
Forth—presentation—speaking skill—this matter a lot—your presentation skill has to be excellent—the way you present matters a lot—this is the crucial factor which decides the fate of a case and your future.. it also, comes with practice you have to practice a lot—
Q: What according to you are some of the changes that have taken place in the legal Education?
Commercialization of legal education and too much of exams being taken during the academic session, students do not get time to understand the concepts and in-depth thinking which is must for a lawyer.
Q: Non-NLU students often face internship rejection from big law firms? What’s your advice to them?
When you appear before the court i.e. any court and not only the Supreme Court, the Judges never ask you which school you belong to… rather it’s your skill to convince the judges about your case which will win the case. And remember internship merely gives you the exposure of the field, but the practical learning takes place only in the courts when you began to appear before them.
Q: You have also spent time being a professor what essential changes you think should be brought in the legal education system?
There are several aspects on which I feel that there should be changes made in legal system.
Law is basically an interdisciplinary study. There has to some rearrangements made in subjects offered to students. Law should be of one course that is there should be no BA or BBA but only Law course should be offered which should include subjects such as sociology, history, political science etc.
Research on legal aspect must be the basis and further students should be encouraged for in-depth thinking over the subject or the legal topic.
Legal writing and presentation skill should be the focus area.
Newer technologies much be adopted and education regarding IT much be imparted to the students.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you faced while settling your own career and if you made any mistake how the upcoming lawyers can avoid that?
The biggest challenge has been on the financial side, in initial years of practice you do not earn a lot, you have to survive anyhow. But as years pass and you gain experience in the field things short out itself and you gain the confidence. Yes, I made several mistakes. Unless you don’t make mistakes you will never learn and grow in your life.
Q: On a concluding note, what should be your advice to the new generation lawyers?
Keep yourself updated with latest happenings around you in the legal field and learn the advancement of technologies which are being incorporated in the legal field.
My main advice will be to be patient. There is a saying “Tough time never last, but tough people do”