Exclusive G2 interview with Abhijit Joshi – Part 1

On the twenty-third floor of one of the tallest buildings in Mumbai’s business district, Nariman Point, the office of Abhijit Joshi, Senior Partner and CEO of law firm, AZB and Partners, looks at part of the eastern expanse of the metropolis. He can see the grey battleships in the naval dockyard and a landscape dotted by the sprawl of red tiled roofs, the shining white dome of the museum and the dwarfed tower of the Rajabai Clock Tower in the Bombay University complex. All that has significance for him—the university gave him his law degree; somewhere in that landscape stands the building in which he spent his childhood, close to his grandfather's Gujarati-medium school which his father later ran; and the frigates in the dockyard remind him of a battle-ridden corporate world in which he now makes a living. Inside his office, two canvases by his wife, Neeta, sit beside various accolades that have dotted his career. G2 spent an afternoon with him to find out a little more about this man with a mission.

Did you always want to be a corporate lawyer?

No, I did not. My father passed away when I was nine years old, after which there were the expected family disputes and my mother and I often visited lawyers...I guess I observed a few things, but I never wanted to be a lawyer at the time.

After my schooling at New Era High School, I graduated in commerce from Sydenham College and wanted to do business. So, I ventured into garment exports and failed miserably.

I then began to study law at Government Law College and simultaneously joined a family-11m law firm, Amarchand Mangaldas. I found I was enjoying it and before long was doing 17-hour days.

Amarchand Mangaldas handled a lot of institutional work—companies like IDBI and ILFS. That helped guide me into corporate law.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

 I entered the legal profession when India was in a most exciting phase, the early 1990s. The economy was opening up. Foreign companies were allowed to return, the first cola war had begun, there was the first GDR issue and the first private power projects were being sanctioned.

But more importantly, technology was advancing rapidly. Within a short span of time we went from telex to fax to computers and email. At the time it was difficult because we did not quite know which law applied to what—the laws were also evolving. Corporate law is especially exciting because it interfaces with a range of aspects of law such as land acquisition and environmental issues. As one grows in corporate law, one is more involved with negotiating large deals—one must weave the commercial interests of clients and the legalities involved. Roles evolve. Now things come to me only when there is a problem but in the early days, we would do anything.

You have been described as an innovative lawyer. Innovation is not what one associates with the legal profession.

Innovation in our field is a rarity. I feel we need to step out of the brief and take a look at the broader picture if one is to pick out a better, more efficient solution to a problem. Once one gets a grip of the law and the spirit behind the law, one can think out of the box. I distinctly remember a question at a law examination, many years ago. The question, which was built on a certain case, went on and on, into two whole pages. Most of the students thought at the time, that the answer should be equally long if not longer. But it turned out that the answer was a simple sentence: Equity cannot be converted into debt and therefore the rest of the argument does not stand.

Who is your role model?

I do not have a role model. I believe that I should strive to achieve my potential. If I can extract my full potential, I shall be happy. My aim is to be true to my conscience and to my job. I don't want to follow anybody. I believe I am still underperforming.

Visit https://www.apsense.com/article/exclusive-g2-interview-with-abhijit-joshi-part-2.html for second part of this conversation