Arjun Doshi of Nirma University

on being awarded by DAAD,

urges law students to create
opportunities if they don’t knock
at their door
Interview by Alok Vajpeyi, Institute of Law, Nirma University
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INTERVIEWS
Published on January 3, 2017By Saba
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An interview with Mr. Arjun Doshi, the recipient of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Award
for International Understanding – Dr. Angela Merkel Scholarship, 2016 awarded by DAAD
to pursue masters program in Germany. He is currently pursuing LLM at the Europa Institut,
Universitat des Saarlandes, Germany specializing in International Dispute Resolution,
Foreign Trade and Investment. He is one of the successful alumnus of Institute of Law,
Nirma University. In an interview with Alok Vajpeyi, he speaks about his work and interests.
 1. Please introduce yourself, professionally
and academically, to our readers.
I am an LLM student at the Europa Institut, Universitat des Saarlandes, Germany specializing
in International Dispute Resolution, Foreign Trade and Investment. I am also a recipient of
the Dr. Angela Merkel Scholarship, 2016 that covers full tuition fees for the LLM and my
living expenses in Germany. I completed my undergraduate studies from Institute of Law,
Nirma University, Ahmedabad with a major in Business Laws. Thereafter, I had the privilege
of working as an Associate for two years in the Dispute Resolution team of Amarchand &
Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. (now Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.).
2. What motivated you to pursue law as a career option?
I am a lawyer by chance, though my background would seem to suggest otherwise. It is
strange that, despite having a legal background, with two generations of my family practicing
law and writing books on legality, I had never made a conscious effort to consider law as a
career option. I pursued science stream in 12th Standard and took an admission in an
Engineering course. I appeared for CLAT and Nirma University entrance examination,
without preparing thoroughly, just as a back-up option. Law as a career option had just
started gaining momentum and I was certain that there will be a paradigm shift in the mindset
which will lead to elevation of its position. What changed my mind to pursue law, as a career
option, would seem superficial and based on reasons not thought out properly, to many.
During the vacations after the 12th Board results, I used to observe my father practice law.
What struck me was the independence with which he pursued his profession. He was a master
of his own and dictated his working hours, which meant spending time with the family at his
free will. It then occurred to me, how about earning a living by profession where could you
freely dictate your working terms! That’s when I decided to pursue law. Little did I know
back then that this choice would give me eternal satisfaction and take me to places.
3. Please share your experience during the five years at ILNU. You were awarded the
Gold medal for the A.Y. 2010-2011 and consistently remained in the top five percentile
of the batch. How relevant are these achievements in the professional world?
I saw the potential to grow with the growing Institution. I saw drastic personality changes and
evolved as a matured legal professional, due to the able guidance of well-educated professors
and in the company of some bright legal minds, with whom I had the pleasure of creating
some long-cherished memories. I tried my hand at almost everything that was on offer. I
committed multiple errors, learnt from the downfalls but never allowed the pressure to
perform get on my nerves. In hindsight, I feel I had the most memorable five years of my life,
personally and professionally.
I must admit that, even in its formative stages, the course at ILNU was very-well structured
but extremely rigorous, which has only gone on to improve thereafter. We were continuously
evaluated, not only by exams but by assignments/projects etc. too. The one thing I learnt at
ILNU apart from law, was the ability to effectively manage time. We could be doing a lot
of academic stuff at one time, but still managed to sneak sometime for ourselves, an art
necessary to be mastered by lawyers.
I believe that consistency is the key to success. And you can only be consistency if you put in
the required efforts and do justice to the task at hand. Recognition and awards are just a by-
product of meticulous planning and execution of the same. I think this mindset helped me to
win the Gold Medal for Academic Year 2010-2011 and remain in the top five percentile of
the batch. Academic achievement showcases one’s ability to work hard. Most structured
organizations use this as a parameter to identify their resources, and most rightly so, since it
would highlight the ability of the resource to strive for the desired result, in absence of any
personal prior interaction. In-depth knowledge of a particular subject could be gained even
when you have commenced your professional assignments. Therefore, consistent good
performance at the undergraduate studies may be one of the parameters (but not the only one)
that could give an edge to someone eyeing for a position in a structured organization. I would
also like to stress on the fact that academic excellence would play a role only to make inroads
in law firms and other organizations, however they fade as time progresses and work
experience takes utmost priority thereafter. For someone who wishes to start independent
litigation practice, grades would hardly count as clients wont fetch for a lawyer in the legal
market based on grades that he obtained at law school! I therefore strongly believe that, an
extra weapon in the armoury, in terms of good grades, does not harm you at all.
4. You have brought laurels for ILNU at National and International Moot Court
Competitions. Do you feel co-curricular activities played a role in shaping your
personality and in forming your subsequent career choices? Also, share your experience
as a Judge of various moot court competitions.
Co-curricular activities will spice up the law school journey to an otherwise mundane
academic routine. It helps you connect with law students across the country and lets you
assess the level of competition, prevailing in the legal market by looking beyond your own
law school. As a consequence, you are made aware of where and how much efforts to put in,
to keep up with the competition.
Moot Court and debate competitions are the most essential to a lawyer, since it develops
oratory skills and spontaneity. It allows you to work in a team consisting of members with
varying degrees of mindset. I was fortunate enough to have team members, who never failed
to motivate me to improve at various stages and from whom I have always learnt. As a team,
we have cherished the laurels we brought for ILNU in various national and international moot
court competitions. When you are a part of the team that wins an award, what follows apart
from recognition is a great sense of pride and confidence. Additionally, since the team
members spend a lot of time together, preparing for the competition, they invariably become
very close friends and share the bond for life.
Personally, I have benefitted immensely from co-curricular activities. It helped me get rid of
fear to speak in public and communicate effectively to convey my message. I still remember
those times when my hands and feet would tremble if I had to speak out in public and would
fumble more than I would speak. The biggest take-away of this exercise is that I opened up. I
also got hints of pursuing my career in litigation, since I would burst with excitement at the
prospect of arguing in a moot court competition. Also, the seeds of drafting were sown, while
we were preparing the memorials and I have only developed thereafter.
It is always a matter of honour to be invited to judge moot court competitions organized by
various law institutions of the country. It is always intriguing to go back to what you loved
doing the most as a law student, but in a different role. While judging a moot court
competition, I look for a participant who is clear with the facts of the case and can provide a
logical reasoning by applying the law.
5. You have extensively researched on contemporary topics of legal relevance and
earned numerous publications in your name. You also won the third prize for LCC
Bridge Mediation Essay Competition. Could you please elaborate on vital tips to write
research papers and essays?
Writing a research paper is hard. There, I admit it! Most of us hit a writer’s block when we
first start writing a piece, and I must say it is a terrible feeling. But, after experiencing long
bouts of frustration that comprised of thinking?writing?giving up and repeating it, I
undoubtedly agree that it is not a wasteful exercise at all. The way I approached writing in
law school was that I saw my class assignments as potential research proposals. I would
cover whatever limited scope the class assignment demanded but later dug up more to
convert it into a research paper. A small tip here: begin with looking at the bigger picture and
then narrow down your scope to choosing a topic that’s contemporary and debatable.
Choosing a broad topic is not productive as neither readers nor publishers are interested in
research pieces that are outdated or are already settled. However, write on a topic that
interests you rather than writing on a topic that the publication house is interested in! When it
comes to actual writing, I give great attention to works of different authors and compare their
writing styles. I read up research papers available online written by professors of reputed
universities around the world to see how they structure their arguments and conclude an
opinion. I believe, this habit has till date helped me to present an idea as clearly as I think. In
a thoroughly researched paper, worthy of publication, all material available on the topic is
critically evaluated/analyzed, properly acknowledged and a conclusion backed by logical
reasoning is given.
6. How did you develop an interest towards arbitration? What would you advice to
students who want to pursue Arbitration as a career option?
It was always exciting for me to see how neutrality of forum for dispute settlement could
influence the business environment of a developing economy. It was further fascinating that,
how an arbitral tribunal consisting of arbitrators, which is an extra-judicial body, is given the
judicial function to adjudicate disputes, mostly by way of national legislation. This is an
improvised way, invented to ensure that, businesses are attracted by the country by
comforting the foreign investor in the apparent neutral dispute resolution mechanism.
Therefore, state-established courts complement the functioning of the arbitral tribunals. As a
law-student, it was enthralling and at the same time, challenging which prompted me to
expose myself more to this field of law. The more I wrote articles and attended conferences,
the more my interest gravitated towards it.
We are living in exciting times, where world is looking towards India, as a potential partner
to undertake huge business transactions. India has taken huge strides to make environment
conducive for foreign investors to commence business relations with it. As a consequence,
the arbitration regime is sure to expand too. Arbitration is a very specialized field which
requires specialized training and knowledge but is probably the only field that allows legal
practitioners to simultaneously practice at international and domestic level. It has increasingly
broadened its wings to incorporate various subject areas and slowly crept over the roles of
state courts, in the event of dispute resolution, especially when there is an involvement of a
foreign entity with private or government organizations. I believe that the next thing, after
obtaining sound knowledge of arbitration, is to attend conferences/workshops (even during
professional assignments) that throw light on recent developments and changing techniques,
to cope with the international practice. Since businesses have become ever more international
in focus and reach, the lawyers, who work for them have to adapt to a more global approach
to ensure that the interest of the client is neutrally protected in cases of dispute.
7. You were the first one to break the barriers and get selected at Amarchand from
ILNU. Could you throw some light on the selection process at Amarchand and what
helped you in acing it?
My internships with law firms had helped me identify the process of application,
quintessential in absence of practical guidance. ILNU had also taken considerable steps in
imparting soft skills to appear for the interviews. The selection process is extremely rigorous
and elaborate, especially when it comes to fresh law graduates, since the firm is also making
an investment in training the candidate. I sent an application to the HR department of the firm
with a crisp covering letter. Once an application was short-listed based on my credentials and
interests along with their requirements, I had a telephonic interview. Thereafter, I was asked
to submit a detailed questionnaire, which forms the basis of the assessment of the all-round
development of the candidate. I spent considerable time on filling up the questionnaire and
substantiated responses with my real life examples, because that would virtually showcase
my character and personality. Subsequently, I was interviewed by the Partner. This interview
is a mix of legal and personal questions. One has to be thorough with the basic knowledge of
subjects, future goals and specific details forming part of the CV. The entire process is time-
consuming and sometimes would take around 3-4 months. So, patience is the key.
I think top tier law firms place tremendous emphasis on whether the candidate could fit
within the working culture of the organization. They look out for a candidate who is willing
to learn and contribute, by striving to achieve the desired objectives of the team. Precision of
thought process equally plays an important role, therefore, clarity about future plans and what
you expect from the organization should be clearly spelt out, when given an opportunity. It
allows the recruiter to see through the stability and certainty of the candidate to hang on for
considerable duration.
8. Please share your experience about working at Amarchand & Mangaldas?
I was given considerable responsibility in terms of dealing/coordinating with the clients,
drafting Petitions/Applications/Notices/Replies/Rejoinders, to name a few and appearing
before the Courts. The range of drafts I had prepared during my stint was very broad,
involving peculiar subjects of law and the multiple levels of review of any court related
document ensured an error-free and precise draft. To get an opportunity to draft court
pleadings at the threshold of your legal career goes a long way in shattering the popular myth
that beginners at the law firm hardly get to draft anything and are only involved in research!
I was given the independence to develop new lines of arguments, best suited to the case and
then discuss the same with the senior and/or the Partner and sometimes, designated Senior
Counsels too, so as to decide whether to pursue the same. I had extremely friendly,
approachable and supportive Partner/seniors, who always had ears to my opinions. What I
learnt was an eye to minute details and being prepared on questions, which prima facie would
not seem too important for the matter on hand. Nevertheless, that may turn out to be the
decisive point which would tilt the balance in ones favour, in a closely contested matter. It
taught me to be prepared for everything that is even remotely attached to the matter, since
you never know that the Judge hearing your case would be more interested in knowing what
you thought was irrelevant or less important for the matter!
Working in a structured organization like Amarchand enhanced my skills of working in a
team. It is important to realize the importance of members forming a part of the team, since it
leads to divergence of opinions ultimately converging on the best solution possible. I learnt to
respect the opinions of the team members and in the process, opened my mind to different
approaches, which would have otherwise remained uni-dimensional. I was able to appreciate
the commercials, from the point of view of the client, behind undertaking the decision to
litigate or not. To sum up, my experience at Amarchand had been thrilling and intellectually
enriching, since I had a fabulous mix of working in a sophisticated work environment
(popularly known as the corporate culture) along with regular court exposure.
9. You are the recipient of prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International
Understanding – Dr. Angela Merkel Scholarship, 2016 awarded by DAAD to pursue
masters program in Germany. How did you receive the same? What made you choose
Europa Institut, Saarland University?
My stint at Amarchand proved to be very helpful in streamlining my general interest in
dispute resolution methods. I was fortunate to be working on complex matters that dealt with
international commercial arbitration and parties challenging foreign awards in India. It was
only during this time that I started to recognize the need to dive deeper and gain a solid
understanding of laws governing dispute resolution. As major institutional arbitration centers
are situated in Europe and in my brief professional career, many agreements that I dealt with
involved an Indian and foreign entity approaching one of these institutions for dispute
resolution, I was convinced that a European LLM should be my goal. I believed that an LLM
with a specialized focus on dispute settlement and international trade law would enhance my
skills as a future legal advisor and chisel my professional personality. Saarland University,
was one of the few universities that gave a specialization in International Dispute Resolution
along with Foreign Trade and Investment. Moreover, field visits to European and
International Arbitration Institutions as part of the course work became a major motivation to
apply to Saarland. What was unique about the program was its cross-disciplinary nature that
not only covered courses on European Business Laws, but also extended to teaching
fundamentals of economics and efficient dispute resolution in a transnational context that
could help me have a comprehensive hold over commercial laws in general. What acted as
the icing on the cake was my chance at DAAD sponsoring the LLM as part of the Dr. Angela
Merkel Scholarship.
I began to prepare my application for the DAAD scholarship two months in advance of the
actual deadline. The application for the scholarship is primarily divided into pre-interview
and interview stage. In the pre-interview stage, standard application documents i.e., the
application form, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation and updated CV are to be
submitted. Statement of purpose depicts the interest, mind-set and the personality of the
applicant and conveys the reasons for pursuing the LL.M. Thereafter, shortlisted candidates
are called for an interview, arranged by a panel of Indian and German professors along with a
DAAD official. The interview assesses the knowledge of the applicant in his/her area of
interest and involve a few behavioral questions based on the achievements listed in the
applicant’s CV.
10. What would be your message to budding lawyers and law students?
Experience every opportunity that knocks your door, because you don’t want to rue the
missed opportunities later. However, if they don’t knock, create them (It is better to have
multiple options than to dangerously rely on one). In the process, enjoy, learn and most
importantly, make memories!