Ananya Bharadwaj on her Triumph as a Gold Medalist, MUNer, Assistant Professor, Lawyer, and Author
In this conversation with CLATalogue, Ananya Bharadwaj shares her path to triumph as a Gold Medalist, acclaimed MUNer, accomplished Assistant Professor, distinguished Lawyer, and a prolific Author.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Ananya Bharadwaj. At the moment, I am an Assistant Professor at Amity University Jharkhand, where I teach Corporate and Commercial Laws. Concurrently, I am pursuing Ph.D. at KIIT Deemed to be University, focusing on Laws related to Copyright.
I successfully passed the UGC NET examination in 2020 and I have previously worked as a Research Associate at the Competition Commission of India, an Educator at Unique Law and as a faculty member at School of Law, KIIT Deemed to be University.
My teaching and research experience spans over more than six years. My academic qualifications include a B.B.A.LL.B(IPR Hons) degree, an LL.M.(Corporate Law) degree from National Law University, Odisha, where I received the University Gold Medal, and a Diploma in IP & Management from Gujarat National Law University (GNLU).
Moreover, I have authored a book, edited 5 books and have written numerous articles published in various National and International Journals.
What motivated you to pursue law as a career?
My Grandfather was a lawyer and so is my father. I come from a family of lawyers across
generations. So, I was always motivated to pursue a career in law, but academics was not my first choice. I wanted to practice law and appear for cases in the courts but in my final year of B.B.A.LL.B., I decided to pursue LL.M.
generations. So, I was always motivated to pursue a career in law, but academics was not my first choice. I wanted to practice law and appear for cases in the courts but in my final year of B.B.A.LL.B., I decided to pursue LL.M.
I also managed to get an offer with scholarship for LL.M. from Manchester University and the Queen Mary University of London, UK but due to some constraints I decided to join National Law University Odisha and bagged the Gold medal for being the batch topper. After that I enrolled myself for Ph.D. and cleared NET. Once I started teaching law, I enjoyed the interpretation, the research and was thrilled by the challenge of teaching law students.
How were your initial years in law school?
As a student I was always inquisitive and studying law pushed me to explore and interpret
more. I participated in Moot Court Competitions, Debate competitions and Conferences.
School of Law, KIIT University Bhubaneswar provided me a wonderful platform to uplift my
personality and have a wholesome law school experience.
more. I participated in Moot Court Competitions, Debate competitions and Conferences.
School of Law, KIIT University Bhubaneswar provided me a wonderful platform to uplift my
personality and have a wholesome law school experience.
I was part of organizing moot court competitions, trial advocacy, seminars and conferences. I was even part of ILSA (The International Law Students Association) an Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) now called Enactus.
How did you become interested in Model United Nations, and what motivated you to become an avid MUN participant?
It was in my 3rd year of Law School that I participated in my 1st Model United Nations
Conference which was organised by IIT KGP. I was given Venezuela in UNGA and the topic was “State Sponsored terrorism”. I didn’t win any award in the conference but it definitely
motivated me to go for more.
Conference which was organised by IIT KGP. I was given Venezuela in UNGA and the topic was “State Sponsored terrorism”. I didn’t win any award in the conference but it definitely
motivated me to go for more.
It was my 2nd MUN at ISM Dhanbad in UNHRC that I won the best delegate award (1st Prize) and since then I never looked back. I have participated in more than 40 MUNs as a delegate, Chairperson and Secretary General. The best part about MUN was it helped me become a better speaker, researcher, and moderator.
I also got the opportunity to meet Mr. Shashi Tharoor at KiiTIS MUN where I discussed about the latest international law issues from India’s stand point. In my opinion, every law student must explore MUNs because it helps us develop our speaking and research skill along with an in depth knowledge of international law and functioning of the United Nations.
How different was your experience during LLM from that during your undergraduate days?
I did my LL.M. from National Law University Odisha in Corporate Law. In graduation, my
Subject specialization was IPR which was good actually as I got to specialize in both the subjects.
Subject specialization was IPR which was good actually as I got to specialize in both the subjects.
During my graduation, I was more into exploring various opportunities after law and focusing on extracurricular activities while during my post-graduation I was sure about venturing into academics and focused on developing my teaching skills.
NLUO provided me a perfect platform for the same as we were assigned to take up few lectures along with faculties. I also served as the secretary General of NLUO’s 1st MUN and organized it in collaboration with IDIA (Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access) for which I even received a letter of appreciation from Late Shamnad Basheer Sir.
You’ve had quite a diverse career trajectory. What drove you towards academics?
Yes, I have had various short career stints. Post my LL.M., I started practicing Law at my
father’s chamber then I joined KIIT University as a faculty after which I joined the Competition Commission of India as a Research Associate.
father’s chamber then I joined KIIT University as a faculty after which I joined the Competition Commission of India as a Research Associate.
Then I started teaching online with UniqueLaw and presently I am an Assistant Professor at Amity University Jharkhand. So, I have had a handful of experience as a practitioner, academician, and researcher. But, out of all I enjoyed teaching the most.
From my personal experience I can say that dealing with law students and helping them develop a career in law is definitely a thrilling experience. Along with teaching I have given time to research because I believe teaching and research go hand in hand. Being into academics provides me with the time and resources to research and publish my books and papers in various journals.
How do you approach the process of researching and writing about complex legal concepts in your books?
After publishing my papers in various International and National Journals, I started contributed chapters for books. Later I decided to write a book and even call for chapters for books with topics those were not much explored and were contemporary.
I have co-authored a book on “Cybercrimes against women in India” and have edited 5 books out of which 2 are published by International publishers and 3 by National Publishers.
I have always tried to explore the unexplored and discuss the points which are not addressed previously. An upcoming book of mine is based on “Companies through the lens of Competition Law” where I have tried to analyze 10 companies exiting in India with respect to dominant position, abuse of dominance and how they have emerged victorious in the Indian market or whether they have failed to meet the Competition norms in India.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers who want to publish books on legal topics?
Firstly, choose a topic which is not redundant and is contemporary. The topic should be such that it must interest the readers and provide a different prospective from the existing ones.
Secondly, self-publishing is not always bad. If you have resources, you can self-publish and
also approach publishers like Springer, Satyam International, Taylor & Francis and various
national publishers with your book proposal and get them to publish it.
also approach publishers like Springer, Satyam International, Taylor & Francis and various
national publishers with your book proposal and get them to publish it.
Either you can author a book or be an editor of a book. In both the cases you have a high responsibility to deliver a content which can be appreciated by the law fraternity and which
shall be valued and help further research in the field.
shall be valued and help further research in the field.
This interview is a part of our series #MyCLATStory where we interview law students and legal professionals.
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Ruchika Mohapatra
Contributing author
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