Law makes you a realist, says young entrepreneur and lawyer Sonam Chandwani

Young entrepreneur and lawyer Sonam Chandwani, Founder, KS Legal and Associates believes that young talent are striving to bring about a change in the society and a lot of entrepreneurs are choosing to become house lawyers.

Chandwani shares more about being lawyer and her entrepreneurship journey.

Notably, KS Legal & Associates, as a start-up offers a platform for lawyers to grow with an exciting new practice, provides services comprising of corporate law and dispute resolution services that is effective and tailored to fit for purpose for their clients.

Elaborating upon her decision to pursue law in the first place, Chandwani reveals that while people go to law school for multiple reasons, she always had a knack for problem solving and helping others navigate through rough waters.

“This natural tendency drove me to the world of law and there hasn't been a dull day yet,” she adds.

India has about 1.3 million lawyers and yet several people either have no access to justice or cannot afford legal services.

Speaking about what made her aspire to be a lawyer, Chandwani further reveals that while there is a high concentration of lawyers in some parts of India like Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, people in other regions are found scrambling for legal assistance. This is because only one in every 1,000 Indians is a lawyer.

“The solution lies not only in increasing the number of lawyers, but ensuring quality, affordability, accessibility and open mindedness in embracing technology in the legal space will do wonders to the industry and it's stakeholders,” she elaborates.

On the other hand, Indian legal regulator's and politicians must recognise the prevalent flaws and work towards reforming it, she opines.

In a country riddled by its own socio-economic injustices, becoming a lawyer has a lot to do with childhood idealism.

Chandwani opines, “Most of us starting Law School possess raw idealism as a result of social injustices that we witnessed or read about in our young age. However, there is a disconnect between what is ideal and what is happening. This, I believe, is where law plays a pivotal role.”

She further explains that as a lawyer one comes across convoluted situations on a daily basis which heightens one's maturity, patience and persistence in handling matters of significance.

“In other words, it makes you a realist,” she says.

But does the country need more lawyers?

“From the attainment of Independence in 1947 to the prohibition of Triple Talaq in 2018 - lawyers have brought a much required change to society,” she says, adding, “However, lawyers cannot independently establish significant tasks without the support of the judiciary, among many others.”

Calling India’s economy as suffering from a ‘doubel-sided problem’ she adds that there are over worked judges and court staff on one hand and underpaid but fewer number of qualified lawyers per capita on the other.

“Despite these problems, I believe that transparency of legal processes and adoption of technology by law firms and courtrooms is likely to increase disposal of cases through enhanced efficiency. Countries like USA and UK have successfully adopted legal technology and have seen positive results. Therefore, in India, we must emulate this entrepreneurial spirit to see a legal industry more relevant to our times,” she adds.

With cases like Kathua raking up the nation, how important is law in upholding justice in the nation?

The word rape, Chandwani says, makes her cringe.

“No amount of condolence letters, angry Tweets or walkouts by Members of the Parliament can compensate for another life lost to this heinous crime. But rape is an epidemic and the legal professionals are not shying away from it.”

She concludes, “Due to the Kathua and Unnao rape incidents, our government expeditiously passed stringent laws punishing the guilty. The executive has done his duty, the judiciary is doing theirs, but have you done yours? The law is important in setting a tone and tolerance level for a crime but it is the society and its people that can eradicate crime from its roots.”