#MyCLATStory- Sudarshana Basu from DSNLU shares her journey through Law School
In this interview with CLATalogue, Sudarshana from DSNLU shares her journey through law school and talks about her experience of working at a top-tier law firm of the nation focused on securities and financial regulatory practice.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, I am Sudarshana – a first-generation lawyer hailing from a small (yet commercially important) city named Rourkela in Odisha. I completed my undergraduate studies at DSNLU, Visakhapatnam. I presently work with Finsec Law Advisors, a top-tier law firm in Mumbai focused on securities and financial regulatory practice.
How did your CLAT journey begin?
Growing up, I always had an aptitude for Mathematics and Computer Science. In fact, I had even signed up for engineering entrance tests. Sometime before my 12th board exams, I decided I wanted to pursue something different and around that time, a school senior had also taken CLAT. After speaking to her and a couple of other people, I decided to opt for law as a career and signed up for CLAT.
Can you tell us a bit about how you prepared for the CLAT?
Since I knew nothing about CLAT or what the legal profession entailed at the time, I decided to prepare for a year after my 12th board. It took me a lot of time to grasp legal concepts, and I was particularly weak in General Knowledge, which is where my CLAT score took a beating. However, mock tests with CL-LST did help to a large extent. I used to travel to Bhubaneshwar every weekend to attend sessions with LST and eventually, all the efforts paid off (or at least I hope)!
What motivated you to pursue law as a career?
Like I mentioned, I leaned towards problem-solving techniques and had an analytical bent of mind. The legal profession requires you to grasp complex concepts and apply them to life-changing situations, while also allowing you to witness the immediate impact you have made. This appealed to me a lot. Coupled with the fact that this profession needs you to think on your feet and be well-prepared at the same time! I think all of this combined with the ability to have humane interactions made law a compelling choice.
Tell us a bit about your experience at law school. Were you always sure about your end goal?
Being a first-generation lawyer, I was clueless when I entered law school and had no idea how to navigate through half a decade. Hence, it was mostly a trial-and-error approach. But I remember being extremely fascinated by the subjects taught and almost all extra curricular activities from my very first year. So, I took part in everything, from debates to moots to street-plays and even co-managing cricket teams at university leagues!
When it came to academia, since I was fascinated by most law subjects, I decided to explore as many of these areas as I could through internships and moot courts. I was perceived to be a very hardworking student, but I can assure you all I did was pay attention in class which led me to read many authors on the same subject.
I remember the year that my batch entered law school, we also joined the CLAT committee (now consortium) which seemed like a huge achievement for all of us back then.
All in all, it was a good, well-rounded experience which equipped me with life-skills I am forever grateful for.
What would you say sets apart your #CLATStory from others?
I think everyone’s journey is necessarily unique and there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Both my CLAT preparations and law school journey were difficult roller- coaster rides, but they reinforced my belief that I could adapt and excel in any given situation.
You’re currently working as an associate at Finsec Law Advisors. Tell us a bit about your journey from being a law student to working in the domain of securities and financial laws.
Throughout law school, my internship experiences have been extremely diverse, be it consumer litigation, human rights advocacy, competition law, tax, international trade or securities laws.
I knew I wanted to explore different practice areas before jumping into the profession. That was also why I decided not to pursue an LL.M. right away after my undergraduate program as I wanted to be certain of my area of specialization.
I remember in my second year, I had participated in a moot court competition loosely based on the Satyam case. Years after, when I interned with Finsec and the Capital Markets team of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., I was further drawn to the practice area. I was recruited by Finsec after my second internship with the firm.
At Finsec, it has been a constant process of learning and unlearning about the profession and the subject. I have been fortunate to always have found great mentors at all my internships, and at Finsec, I found more than five of them! I have received tremendous guidance and support here, which helped me navigate this very technical field. I handle both contentious and non-contentious matters, and also contribute to policy reform projects.
I think once you like the subject, you will inevitably end up doing well in that practice area, at least out of intellectual curiosity.
Any advice you’d like to pass on to law school aspirants?
Like I said, my journey involved a lot of unlearning, including some very popular myths. One of those myths was that if you spend a preparation year before CLAT, you will end up wasting a year. Another one was that you need to get admission at a top law school to land a decent career or that you need to have a set goal or practice area in mind from the beginning of your law school. Safe to say that I have debunked all of those!
The first and probably the most important step is to take a deep breath and take the plunge. Explore as much you can, because every experience would count towards something valuable years later.
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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