Arushi Gupta, Head IP and Media Relations at Areness talks about her journey so far in this conversation with EBC/SCC Online Student Ambassador Richa Bhandari who is currently pursuing law from UPES Deharadun.
- Can you please tell our readers a little about yourself, and why you chose law as a career?
Hi. I completed my formal education from St. Paul’s and pursued BA LLB from Amity Law School, Indraprastha (IP) University. While at school, I always participated in various debates and MUNs. I would not say I could always foresee myself as a lawyer, but eventually after Class 12 board exams when I started preparing for various entrance exams, I prepared for law school entrance exams as well and that is when the subjects and the realm of law seemed more appealing to me.
- Let us talk a little about your time at law school. How would you describe your formative years at Amity Law School?
Being a first-generation lawyer, I was not acquainted with the field of law. Initial years of law school were a little overwhelming for me as I had to put in a lot of effort in discovering and understanding the entire industry. I interned at various courts to understand the practices and also made sure I study hard enough to not lose out on my basics.
So, my years at Amity Law School were more focused on academics and grabbing the right enough knowledge and skills required for the profession.
- After completing your graduation, you worked as an Associate at Jurixin Advocates and Solicitors as well as Legaleria Law Offices. Please tell us about your key learnings as a junior associate fresh out of law school.
My time at Jurixin as well as Legaleria was more focused on learning the basics of legal profession. I went to District Courts as well as tribunals like Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). While the tribunals like DRT gave me enough confidence to speak in front of the Presiding Officers or Recovery Officers, I also gained procedural clarity. Since the tasks assigned to me were not restricted to a particular subject-matter, I had the opportunity to explore various practice areas.
What I would always remember learning from my initial years is that there is no shortcut to learning and success, each of these are connected to each other and the only way to achieve both is hard work and perseverance.
- Can you tell our readers, as to what changed your mind and convinced you to pursue a career in the field of IP?
While I was working at Jurixin Advocates and Solicitors, I starkly recall myself vetting various agreements related to some sporting event taking place in India. What attracted me most was the licensing of various broadcasting rights and the intellectual property (IP) associated with these agreements. As funny as it may sound, that day I spent the entire night reading about various forms of such agreements and researched the key role IP plays in it.
Since that very day, I have constantly made efforts to procure knowledge and certifications in the area of IP and I still strive to do so.
- Let us now talk about your experience of working at Singhania & Partners LLP where you had worked for more than 1.5 years.
Singhania & Partners LLP (S&P) is the place where my career took a desirable turn as I could pursue the field of practice that I, since the time of Jurixin Advocates and Solicitors was trying to shift to.
Since IP, as taught in law colleges, is much different from IP in practice, the foundation of basics of practice in IP was laid at S&P. Since I was working under the senior partner and had to directly report to him, I was awarded with the opportunity to work on some of the niche areas of IP intersectional subject-matters pertaining to food sector, publishers, e-commerce sector, etc.
There was immense amount of learning as well as expansion of horizons of the thought process while assessing the legal problems at hand in a practical scenario.
- Shifting the paradigm of questions, there is a sudden rise in the field of IP. What would be your advice for IP enthusiast, keeping in mind the pandemic situation?
I have recently learnt that no difficulty should be seen as a challenge but always be perceived as an opportunity. The pandemic has brought with itself new challenges and questions in the field of IP, which are a learning and exploration opportunity for the IP enthusiasts as well. From patent waiver of vaccines to counterfeiting of PPE kits and other equipment, no aspect of IP should be left unread or without research.
Along with this, there are numerous webinars as well as online courses that the aspiring IP professionals as well IP enthusiasts can be a part of. All I would suggest is to read as much as possible and keep oneself acquainted with fast-changing environment.
The good and bad of IP is that it changes and adapts to the dynamic environment really fast, and that is something that each of the enthusiasts should be able to fathom and grasp.
- Lastly, let us talk about your journey as the Lead: Intellectual Property and Media Practice at Areness. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
The journey to the lead, has been really unpredictable as well as invigorating. After I was shortlisted at Areness, my entire role and career took a huge leap. From being an associate to the lead, not only the responsibilities grew, but the entire perspective took a complete rejig. I handle the operations with my team as well as the clients. I have always been pushed to be better and more skilled at the existing tasks as well as take up new tasks that may require a totally different skill set.
With immense support and encouragement from my seniors as well colleagues and team at Areness, I see myself as being an essential part of growing the operations of the firm and delivering the best services in the realm of intellectual property. By honing my skills in both operations as well as client engagement, I look forward to being an asset for the firm.
