Interview with Mr. Aditya Jain, Advocate on Record, Supreme Court of India & Founding Partner at J&G advocates

After exchange of pleasantries, the interviewer, on behalf of E-Justice India, began interviewing Mr. Aditya Jain (Advocate-on-Record, Supreme Court of India and Founding Partner at J&G advocates).

1.         Interviewer: How would you like to describe yourself to our readers?

Interviewee: I am Aditya Jain. I am Advocate-on-Record in the Supreme court of India. I am, furthermore, a partner at a law firm named J & G Advocate. I have been practicing since 2013, primarily in the Supreme Court and Rajasthan High Court. I have graduated from Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar in 2013. Since then I am practicing law in various courses across the country. My primary areas of practice are commercial arbitration, white-collar crimes, real estate and health care laws majorly. Apart from that, I have also been invited to present my research paper at various conferences on diverse topics such as arbitration, environment law, etc. In my 7 years of practice, I have dealt many cases of the diverse kind, apart from that I have also filled many Public Interest Litigations (PIL) before the Rajasthan High court and Supreme court on Road safety, environmental law and child right. I have also associated with NGO – Muskaan Foundation for Road safety and has been playing a vital role for it.

2.         Interviewer: When did you decide to pursue law as a profession and what made you choose this?

Interviewee: I thought to choose law as a profession in my 12th standard. I thought that; the reason of my keen interest in Law was that this profession requires a lot of understanding towards society’s function and at the same time it encourages me to contribute to the society as a whole. Also, this helps in developing a lot of understanding that how the various system of government works in the country. Simultaneously, the law is a profession which required to be very sensitive towards general issues and in addition, it requires you to be connected at a very grassroots level. Apart from that a lawyer performs a vital part in any other industry, be it a business, be it a health, be it a education. As a lawyer, you can actually play a vital role in a lot of people’s lives, by way of your writing skills and reading skills majorly. Also, law enables you to be a fine citizen of the society, and it equally gives you a chance to know certain things which affect the society as a whole.

3.         Interviewer: Can you tell more about the Advocate -on-Record examination? Also, what was your strategy for preparing the examination?

Interviewee: I decided that; I wanted to practice in the supreme court and for this reason, I have completed the 5 years of practice. I wrote the advocate on record exams in June 2019. The strategy for the preparation of my examination was absolutely simple, I read my subjects very carefully. I was very adapted to the drafting procedure of the Supreme Court as I have dealt with leading cases before the Supreme Court so as I was profoundly aware of that. Apart from that, I was equally aware of the practice and the procedure part of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and I was also aware of professional ethics that is required to obtain in a legal profession to become a fine and ethical lawyer. I think, I wrote this examination primarily because of the fact I want to be part of a leashed lawyer who practices in the supreme court and also, I thought this exam provide me a chance to connect with the lawyers across the various state in my own capacity and this will lead me to enhance my knowledge and experience.

4.         Interviewer: In a very short span of time, you have managed to achieve a lot of success which is very difficult to in the field of litigation. So, what are your views and how do you able to manage all of this? Moreover, can you share the particular challenges you have encountered to reach where you have reached?

Interviewee: So, I have to face a lot of challenges, and my journey was not an easy one. But I always have a strategy with me and always have a plan. As a lawyer I am very proactive in whichever role I am playing, be I am lawyer be I am a citizen. I am always aware of what is going in the society and apart from that I always try to understand the concerns of my clients very carefully. I have been trying to understand the business structure and business model and I have tried to proceed to an appropriate solution to the problem. I am being a solution-oriented, which helped me in being a lawyer, since I think a lawyer is nothing but a social engineering. Basically, a crucial link between justice to the common man and the court system. Therefore, you are too profoundly aware as a lawyer, which I was from the very beginning. Moreover, I regularly read and write a lot, which enables me to hold my business skills.

5.         Interviewer: What according to you, are the areas where the legal system in our country needs to improve?

Interviewee:  The legal system as a whole need to improve everywhere. The criminal justice system definitely requires an overhaul because as if now its functions are not fair to victims as such, as it is majorly accused oriented. So, I think we need to devise more programs to offer compensation to the victims and to make sure that we have better judges and fine lawyers and for that I think too we necessitate to train the legal fraternity as a whole. We need proper training programs for lawyers before they get enrolled and before they start practicing in various Trial Courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court. Also, regulation and powers of Bar Council of India needs to be enhanced, and I personally think that the Bar Council of India failed to regulate the conduct of lawyers as a whole. Accordingly, we need to improve the criminal justice system for that we need to focus on timely delivery of justice because as they say “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”, so I think we require a lot of judges and a lot of better infrastructure, off course we need the government to contribute in infrastructure. Moreover, we need to improve the hiring procedure of the judges, be it a lower judiciary, be it a higher judiciary, we need to appoint best of the best so as to make sure that we able to deliver justice to a common man. Besides, I equally feel that we need to improve awareness of the laws in general, which a common man does not have. We need to make sure that the legal concerns regularly telecasted through various programs by way of various platforms such as television and print media. So as to make sure that every citizen of the country aware of his or her rights and duties.

6.         Interviewer: As you have a keen interest in startups, what are your views on legal entrepreneurship and what are the skills needed to be an entrepreneurial lawyer?

Interviewee: You need to understand that what kind of infrastructure is required for a particular startup. As I said earlier you need to comprehend the business and a vision and mission very well. A good lawyer takes up to a client, but a great lawyer understands the business of a client. Therefore, if you will be capable to understanding the business of the client secondly, you should be able to align a strategy with the vision and mission of the clients. Startups primarily fails because they don’t have a robust legal mechanism to secure the contracts and secure the contractual obligations. So, I think we require lawyers well versed with the contractual law and who are majorly solution-oriented and able to take up on a client’s business interest.

7.         Interviewer: Do you feel any change in your career from being an employee in many chambers of law offices to become an independent law practitioner? And what was your experience working with a different eminent lawyer?

Interviewee: I have worked with the various eminent lawyers of the supreme court, and I am also connected with the lawyers across the country by way of my initiatives. I attended the various conferences, and I think we need to have better lawyers and we need to make sure that lawyers should well connected to each other through various platforms. Also, I believe that there should be a free flow of knowledge. Knowledge is something which should not be clutched in the hands of money. Legal knowledge should be made available free of cost wherever possible by the government and the respective state government. The most substantial thing is information and information should be free and fair. Secondly lawyers should be considered as social engineers and a vital part of the society because they contribute in justice. And as they say justice, education and health should be provided free of cost to a common man so that he can fulfill his aspiration. If we cannot provide justice to a common man then we failed as a democracy

8.         Interviewer: As you have said earlier about your area of practices. So, what are the most satisfying and enjoyable aspects of your job that you cherish?

Interviewee: The most enjoying and the most cherished aspects of my profession is that it offers me a chance to actually understand the business and aspiration of my clients. Secondly the most enjoyable area is that I am being represented my clients before the court of law and conveying my client message and concerns to the judges. I think this is enormously important that you should able to understand what client is seeking from you and then you should be able to convey clearly to the court what relief are you seeking. And this has been the most satisfying part for me.

9.         Interviewer: What is your wisdom and success mantra for the young and budding lawyers?

Interviewee: My wisdom and success mantra for young and budding lawyers across the country are be focused and work very hard. Try to devote as much time you can, to read, to speak and to write. If you able to read write and speak clearly, with a clear mind and clarity of thoughts, I think you can become a good lawyer. Do not limit yourself in any way and do not feel yourself dishearten from a normal course of things. As a young lawyer first, you should not worry about money and keep the prime focus on learning and clearing your basics. Also learn the procedural laws very well, be it criminal law, be it civil law, if you have these two things back up your hand you can become a good lawyer but as I say to be good lawyer focus should be initially on learning in the first three years.

10.       Interviewer: Any message you would consider to give for E-justice India?

Interviewee: E-justice India is a pioneering initiative and it has performed a vital role as a platform to delivering key information to the students and the legal fraternity at large. It is a good platform and it is playing a great role in making sure that awareness to every person in society is spread in a fair manner. Furthermore, it comes with a new initiative to engage and enlighten law students on various aspects of the law.