Akash Dalvi is a law graduate from ILS Law College and has done his masters from Ajeenkya D.Y. Patil University. He has also done diploma courses in Labour Law & Labour Welfare, Arbitration Conciliation & Alternative Dispute Resolution System, Cyber Law, Medical Jurisprudence & Forensic Science, Taxation Laws, Corporate Laws and in Human rights & International relation.
He is the Founder & Managing Attorney at Dalvi Law Firm, Pune. His area of practice & research includes criminal law, copyrights, patents, designs, cybersecurity, media & entertainment law, ADR, Civil Litigation and Labour Laws. He has represented clients in District courts as well as High courts & various tribunals in India. Here is the transcript of the interview with Mr. Dalvi.
Akanksha: Legal studies were not always recognized as they are today. Earlier it wasn’t considered to be a good career option. What motivated you to choose law as your career? Please share your experience.
Akash Dalvi: Though my original plan was to be a Doctor, Law totally came out of a blue. After getting fewer marks in Medical entrance I didn’t get admission in the desired medical college which I wanted so rather than wasting a year my Father who is also a lawyer suggested me to take up law though I was quite reluctant at first but rather than wasting a year I eventually took admission in ILS Law College, Pune. Though coming from a Science stream it was bit different in the first semester of law but eventually, after 1st year I started getting keen interest in law subjects.
Akanksha: Being a first-generation lawyer, what areas of law do you feel are experiencing the most growth, and why?
Akash Dalvi: Though I am a second-generation lawyer. The area of law which I am finding it really booming and fascinating is Cyberlaw and IPR after this lockdown the cyber-related offences is going to get an increase, also many boutique law firm is coming up which is primarily dealing and specializing in Media and Entertainment Law, Sports Law, Fashion Law etc of which all of them are related to IPR.
Akanksha: You have successfully set up your law firm, yet, you might have faced some challenges in doing so. What challenges do you think does one face in setting up their own law firm? Do you think it’s a very time- taking process and involves a lot of struggle? What advice do you have for legal entrepreneurs? What advice would you like to give to people who are facing difficulties and challenges in their legal journey?
Akash Dalvi: After completing my Law Degree I straightaway joined a senior’s chamber that specialized in criminal matters in District Court Pune. After doing junior ship there for about 6 months I wanted to explore more aspects of law rather than sticking to one so I went to Bombay High court and started learning and observing the skills and knowledge the senior lawyers possessed there. During my time in High court, I learnt about various Tribunals and how various cases are filed in this tribunal. After spending a brief time of about 7-8 months in High court I came back to Pune and started practising with my Dad. Though my Dad is looking only into civil matters, the client who used to come having any criminal or labour issue my dad used to refer them to some other lawyer who was specializing in that matter, which did not please me because I was of that opinion that if a client comes to a lawyer the lawyer should give solution to his problems. That’s the reason I wanted to expand my area of practice so I started getting guidance from senior lawyers who had expertise in different areas of law and at last, convinced my dad to start a law firm with me. Starting a law firm is easy but making it work and getting a team which shares the same goals as you is difficult. The advice which I want to give our young law entrepreneurs is to first try to learn something from EVERYTHING pertaining to law because the law is quite vast and it’s impossible for a lawyer to learn every law, so try learning something from everything pertaining to law. Try to socialize more and sharpen your communication skills, use more LinkedIn to increase your lawyer social circle.
Akanksha: How did you establish your law firm? Kindly share your journey from opening of the firm to its establishment.
Akash Dalvi: I always use to get fascinated about being an entrepreneur and did not want to work under someone else. After learning about different aspects of laws I somehow convinced my Father to start a firm with me, though my father was reluctant to this idea of mine so he put a condition to me before starting the firm he said that ‘ You have to earn at least three lakhs rupees in the next two months then we will decide whether to start the firm or no’ so I took this as a challenge and worked my ass off and to be frank I managed to earn only 1 lakh 70 thousand. I informed my father that I couldn’t manage to earn the said amount and I thought that he will decline my idea of starting a firm but instead he said that he is proud of me and was testing me whether I can earn money independently and can give payments to my firm’s associate. So after convincing my Father I started looking for associates to join my firm who can share the same goals as me. Though it was bit difficult to get experienced Associates because they did not agree to the salary which I was offering them. So I came to the conclusion to hire fresher advocates and make them understand the basic working of the cases and to increase their pay scale gradually with some passing of time.
Akanksha: Since your firm has recently started its working, what all challenges did you face due to the COVID-19 outbreak? How did it affect the working of your firm?
Akash Dalvi: The biggest challenge I am facing in this Covid scenario is making payment of the Associate because the clients are making delays in paying the fees. Also due to this Covid-19, it is impossible to open the office with full capacity, so all the research work and appearing before the court is assigned to the associates to do from home.
Akanksha: The intensive use of mobile devices has widened the mobile ecosystem and the content generated is likely to pose new challenges as happened in the incident of “Bois Locker Room” What is your opinion on that? Please share your views.
Akash Dalvi: “The locker room incident is deeply disturbing. It’s so shameful how these boys are objectifying women but later on, it was found that the girl who exposed the chat herself posed as a boy to find out people’s reactions. Yes due to easy availability and intensive use of mobile devices the young generation is getting involved in many bad activities and I think educating the young generation in school about the evils of social media would turn out to be beneficiary and will help in the long run.
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