Sakshi Education
Pavani Reddy, her unassuming and undemanding approach doesn’t project her standing. You need a few more details to realise where she really stands today.
Pavani Reddy, who became Managing Partner of internationally renowned law firm Zaiwalla & Co, the first Asian law firm to have an office in Central London, at the age of 36 has always punched above her weight.
The famous client list of her firm includes the Gandhis, the Bhuttos, the Dalai Lama and the Governments of Iran, China, India and Kazakhstan, and she is known for dealing with very tough cases.
She received the “Best in Legal Services” award at the British Indian Awards 2014 for taking Zaiwalla & Co’s Litigation and International Arbitration division to the heights of its industry. This division handles multi-million pound disputes in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Sakshieducation.com finds out more from Ms. Reddy about a career in law, the highlights of her interesting job, and how youngsters can break into the legal profession.
S: First of all congratulations for being awarded a BIA award in the legal services category.
P:Thanks a lot. It indeed was a big honour.
S: Please share a few details about your origins, early years and education here.
P: I was born in a military family, so I had lived in different states until we settled down in Delhi in the 1980s. I did my studies from Delhi University.
S: How did you take interest in law? What made you to opt it as a career at that time?
P:Law indeed was a favourable profession for girls according to many in our times. But, I always thought it was my cup of tea. Completion of Company Secretaryship Intermediate Level stirred my interest further. So, I enrolled for LL.B. It indeed was a very good choice that I had made.
S: What made you go to the UK?
P:I actually went to the UK for my LL.M. However, once I was there, I never got time to enroll for such a degree. I instead secured an apprenticeship with Zaiwalla and Co, and never had to look back.
S: You got the apprenticeship in London law firm with your Indian degree?
P:Yes, I did. Of course, my previous, indirect connection with Zaiwalla & Co came in handy to secure the position. During my law days, I had part-timed for a law firm in Delhi, which was associated with Zaiwalla. I had also worked for some time in an American based law firm in Delhi. I had cleared the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT), which was the basic qualification for non-UK lawyers to practice in the UK.
These two reasons qualified me for a temporary three-month position at Zaiwalla & Co. I had to prove myself. I was asked to give assistance to solicitors of the firm on specific cases, which I did successfully.
I had joined Zaiwalla in 2003 became a partner of the firm in 2005 and then Managing Partner.
S: What factors have helped your growth?
P:I believe focus, consistency and self-confidence have been my mantras. I never wasted my time or doubted my capacity. During my college days in Delhi, I had part-timed with a law firm that was dealing with international cases. That had helped me to enter into the legal profession in London.
At Zaiwalla, I focused on particular specialisations, enhanced my knowledge by doing additional work, and took a serious interest in all the cases that I have taken up. All of this took a lot of patience and focus. Zaiwalla & Co is the first India law firm to have been set up in the City of London, and we are the oldest law firm. Over the years our firm has represented the Indian High Commission, Chinese Government, Iranian Oil company, and various other multi-national companies from India, like the TATAs, Birla, Godrej etc.
I have always believed in myself. For several years, clients hesitated to entrust responsibilities to me thinking that I am young so I could be naïve. I had to face that. Whatever the case or scenario, I always believed in myself.
S: Tell us more about your specialisations?
P:I specialise in corporate, shipping and banking laws, and have been dealing with multi-million pound arbitration cases. I handle a lot of mediation cases too. We are dealing with a good number of Indian cases these days, particularly in regards to arbitration.
S: Which was the toughest of your cases?
P:Almost all the cases our firm handles are very tough ones. But the case we handled recently for Bank Mellat, which is Iran’s largest private bank, was very challenging. The issue in this case involved the measures taken by HM Treasury to ban our client, Bank Mellat, from trading with UK financial markets over alleged connection with the Iran nuclear programme. The UK Supreme Court recently decided that the decision of the UK Government to ban Bank Mellat was illegal and irrational. The decision was made by the UK Supreme Court after the government asked the Supreme Court to go into a secret session for the first in its history, in order to justify the allegations.
S: What are your future plans?
P:We are beefing up our engagement in India and other countries. I will be happy if we can reach out to more Indian clients in the areas of rice and other commodity exporters, shipping, commercial and banking.
S: What are the emerging areas of law?
P:Corporate law, banking law, maritime law, intellectual property rights laws and regulatory and compliance aspects are the emerging areas. And mediation and arbitration procedures are gaining increased traction of late.
S: What is your advice for youngsters who would like to take up law as career?
P:Of course, a lot has changed now compared with our days. Now, we have excellent national law schools, and there are more opportunities for lawyers in India.
My suggestion for budding lawyers or law enthusiasts is that they should focus on a single subject area and gain complete command over that. You cannot be a jack of all trades in the legal profession these days.
If they can be clear about their specialisation and work on that area, they can have a wonderful career in the legal profession.
S: How can Indian law graduates enter into the UK market as well as into the European market?
P:Indian law graduates have to pass the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) to practice in the UK. The same qualification allows them to practice in the European Court as well as in a lot of non-European countries.
Now QLTS exams are also being held in India, and study materials and coaching are also available in India. So, young lawyers can use this gateway to enter into the European legal system.
Pavani Reddy, who became Managing Partner of internationally renowned law firm Zaiwalla & Co, the first Asian law firm to have an office in Central London, at the age of 36 has always punched above her weight.
The famous client list of her firm includes the Gandhis, the Bhuttos, the Dalai Lama and the Governments of Iran, China, India and Kazakhstan, and she is known for dealing with very tough cases.
She received the “Best in Legal Services” award at the British Indian Awards 2014 for taking Zaiwalla & Co’s Litigation and International Arbitration division to the heights of its industry. This division handles multi-million pound disputes in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Sakshieducation.com finds out more from Ms. Reddy about a career in law, the highlights of her interesting job, and how youngsters can break into the legal profession.
S: First of all congratulations for being awarded a BIA award in the legal services category.
P:Thanks a lot. It indeed was a big honour.
S: Please share a few details about your origins, early years and education here.
P: I was born in a military family, so I had lived in different states until we settled down in Delhi in the 1980s. I did my studies from Delhi University.
S: How did you take interest in law? What made you to opt it as a career at that time?
P:Law indeed was a favourable profession for girls according to many in our times. But, I always thought it was my cup of tea. Completion of Company Secretaryship Intermediate Level stirred my interest further. So, I enrolled for LL.B. It indeed was a very good choice that I had made.
S: What made you go to the UK?
P:I actually went to the UK for my LL.M. However, once I was there, I never got time to enroll for such a degree. I instead secured an apprenticeship with Zaiwalla and Co, and never had to look back.
S: You got the apprenticeship in London law firm with your Indian degree?
P:Yes, I did. Of course, my previous, indirect connection with Zaiwalla & Co came in handy to secure the position. During my law days, I had part-timed for a law firm in Delhi, which was associated with Zaiwalla. I had also worked for some time in an American based law firm in Delhi. I had cleared the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT), which was the basic qualification for non-UK lawyers to practice in the UK.
These two reasons qualified me for a temporary three-month position at Zaiwalla & Co. I had to prove myself. I was asked to give assistance to solicitors of the firm on specific cases, which I did successfully.
I had joined Zaiwalla in 2003 became a partner of the firm in 2005 and then Managing Partner.
S: What factors have helped your growth?
P:I believe focus, consistency and self-confidence have been my mantras. I never wasted my time or doubted my capacity. During my college days in Delhi, I had part-timed with a law firm that was dealing with international cases. That had helped me to enter into the legal profession in London.
At Zaiwalla, I focused on particular specialisations, enhanced my knowledge by doing additional work, and took a serious interest in all the cases that I have taken up. All of this took a lot of patience and focus. Zaiwalla & Co is the first India law firm to have been set up in the City of London, and we are the oldest law firm. Over the years our firm has represented the Indian High Commission, Chinese Government, Iranian Oil company, and various other multi-national companies from India, like the TATAs, Birla, Godrej etc.
I have always believed in myself. For several years, clients hesitated to entrust responsibilities to me thinking that I am young so I could be naïve. I had to face that. Whatever the case or scenario, I always believed in myself.
S: Tell us more about your specialisations?
P:I specialise in corporate, shipping and banking laws, and have been dealing with multi-million pound arbitration cases. I handle a lot of mediation cases too. We are dealing with a good number of Indian cases these days, particularly in regards to arbitration.
S: Which was the toughest of your cases?
P:Almost all the cases our firm handles are very tough ones. But the case we handled recently for Bank Mellat, which is Iran’s largest private bank, was very challenging. The issue in this case involved the measures taken by HM Treasury to ban our client, Bank Mellat, from trading with UK financial markets over alleged connection with the Iran nuclear programme. The UK Supreme Court recently decided that the decision of the UK Government to ban Bank Mellat was illegal and irrational. The decision was made by the UK Supreme Court after the government asked the Supreme Court to go into a secret session for the first in its history, in order to justify the allegations.
S: What are your future plans?
P:We are beefing up our engagement in India and other countries. I will be happy if we can reach out to more Indian clients in the areas of rice and other commodity exporters, shipping, commercial and banking.
S: What are the emerging areas of law?
P:Corporate law, banking law, maritime law, intellectual property rights laws and regulatory and compliance aspects are the emerging areas. And mediation and arbitration procedures are gaining increased traction of late.
S: What is your advice for youngsters who would like to take up law as career?
P:Of course, a lot has changed now compared with our days. Now, we have excellent national law schools, and there are more opportunities for lawyers in India.
My suggestion for budding lawyers or law enthusiasts is that they should focus on a single subject area and gain complete command over that. You cannot be a jack of all trades in the legal profession these days.
If they can be clear about their specialisation and work on that area, they can have a wonderful career in the legal profession.
S: How can Indian law graduates enter into the UK market as well as into the European market?
P:Indian law graduates have to pass the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) to practice in the UK. The same qualification allows them to practice in the European Court as well as in a lot of non-European countries.
Now QLTS exams are also being held in India, and study materials and coaching are also available in India. So, young lawyers can use this gateway to enter into the European legal system.
Published date : 18 Jun 2014 12:58PM
