THE INDIAN LAWYER & ALLIED SERVICES
A highly-regarded ‘Wompreneur’ revamping the legal space with her one-of-a-kind venture
Women entrepreneurs are creating values across various industries. And with more and more involvement of female folks in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the business world has undergone a great deal of changes. The legal profession has also witnessed female leaders, who are visionaries and trailblazers in the field.
One such wompreneur is Ms. Sushila Ram Varma who is a dignified Advocate and the Co-Founding Head of The Indian Lawyer & Allied Services. She has been rendering legal services with integrity and excellence to bridge the gap and address pressing issues in this space.
This narrative shines the light on her exemplary leadership that is a beacon of hope to those who look up to her for inspiration. In conversation with our team, she unfurled many facets of her venture to be conveyed to our global readers.
The light bulb moment
Ms. Sushila Ram Varma elucidates that her corporate journey has been quite fantastic and is characterized by the dearth of women in the legal profession when she first embarked on this phenomenal journey.
Prevailing societal stigma often propel women to the roles of mere pastime, presuming that their ultimate destination is marriage and homemaking. However, she finds immense fulfillment in defying these stereotypes, not only persevering in her career but also achieving notable success.
Despite the pervasive mindset of a predominantly male-dominated society at the time, she acknowledges the support and encouragement extended by several influential men in positions of authority. Even judges in higher courts have played a significant role by nurturing her confidence during her early days in the profession, granting her opportunities to argue cases despite her relative lack of experience.
As a female entrepreneur in the Legal Services Sector, she believes that women possess a unique advantage over their male counterparts. Their distinctive perspective enables them to approach problems from unconventional angles, resulting in innovative solutions that defy convention. Furthermore, she emphasizes that the inherent empathy that women bring to their professional endeavors, helps in fostering deeper connections with clients and colleagues alike.
Service portfolio
The Indian Lawyer & Allied Services offers a whole range of legal services that encapsulate both transactional and nontransactional matters across a broad spectrum of legal space. The initial consultation involves strategic advice personalized as per their specific business objectives. Entity structuring, due diligence, establishment of business operations, and ongoing support through the drafting of contracts and service-level agreements, as well as assistance with regulatory compliance are their forte.
Across the dispute resolution process, they adopt a multifaceted approach where mediation, conciliation, litigation, and arbitration, be it domestic and international cases, are part of their practice. Also, they prefer and advocate to go for an outof-court settlement to expedite dispute resolution. The Firm endeavors to educate clients on the advantages of such cordial solutions. However, they never step back when it comes to litigation, and are mindful of the potential time constraints related to those legal proceedings because of the Indian legal system.
In a nutshell, the Firm serves as a holistic resource hub that offers supplementary services through trusted professional partners. These services include business consultancy, tax advisory, financial planning, and secretarial compliances. In addition to this, the clients often seek assistance from the Firm in identifying suitable business partners or securing project finance, further enhancing their holistic support offering
Tracing the roots
Ms. Sushila explained what inspired her to become such an extraordinaire in the legal landscape, “I found law to be extremely interesting and intellectually very challenging. In fact, just before doing my law, I was seriously contemplating business management, as I come from a business family.
However, my Father encouraged me to take up law before doing management. This random decision decided my career path, as once I started law, I found it extremely fascinating. I was also inspired by the fact that lawyers command a lot of respect in society and if they want, they can make an impact in the society.
I noticed that world over some of the people in the highest positions, came from a legal background. This is possibly because lawyers are trained to understand problems, plan strategies and implement the same. The most motivating part of being a lawyer is that our work is always about troubleshooting.
Finding solutions to other people’s problems can be very motivating, especially when you have clients who are grateful for your guidance.” Service portfolio The Indian Lawyer & Allied Services offers a whole range of legal services that encapsulate both transactional and nontransactional matters across a broad spectrum of legal space. The initial consultation involves strategic advice personalized as per their specific business objectives.
Entity structuring, due diligence, establishment of business operations, and ongoing support through the drafting of contracts and service-level agreements, as well as assistance with regulatory compliance are their forte. Across the dispute resolution process, they adopt a multifaceted approach where mediation, conciliation, litigation, and arbitration, be it domestic and international cases, are part of their practice.
Also, they prefer and advocate to go for an outof-court settlement to expedite dispute resolution. The Firm endeavors to educate clients on the advantages of such cordial solutions. However, they never step back when it comes to litigation, and are mindful of the potential time constraints related to those legal proceedings because of the Indian legal system.
Keeping up with the latest trends
To ensure that the Team is in sync with the legal developments, Ms. Varma advocates for regular review of judgments of the Supreme Court and various High Courts. Recognizing the declining inclination towards reading among the newer generation, she encourages them to engage with legal literature as it is enlightening and empowering for a better understanding of the law.
To encapsulate the knowledge effectively, she promotes and encourages the creation of informative videos and presentations, which are shared on the Firm’s YouTube and LinkedIn Channels. This initiative not only instills a sense of purpose in Team Members but also fosters a feeling of accomplishment. Viewers interested in seeing such presentations, can visit the same using the links below:
TIL Legal Tips
https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCqPs0pHt3wbzQD0GIlqNEPw
TIL Legal Fundamentals
https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCRpX3PDDCU3c3Fmwwqy3CzA
A key tool in maintaining updated legal knowledge is the Firm’s Blog, which was established in 2016. Team Members are tasked with writing weekly articles to stay informed about the dynamic nature of legal changes, with all posts meticulously reviewed by Ms. Sushila Ram Varma, who is also the Editor, to uphold quality standards. The Blog’s success is evident as it ranks among the top 20 Legal Blogs in India, a testament to the Team’s commitment to legal education and dissemination of knowledge.
TIL Blog- https://theindianlawyer. in/blog/
Breaking the barriers
Ms. Varma believes that every profession presents its own set of challenges, irrespective of one’s background. She emphasizes the importance of hard work and dedication in achieving success, asserting that there are no shortcuts to reaching one’s goals.
As a first-generation lawyer, Ms. Sushila Ram Varma faced the additional challenge of navigating her legal career without familial guidance, leading to a sink-or-swim situation. However, she considers herself fortunate to have encountered several fortunate opportunities and supportive individuals within the legal profession, which greatly influenced her journey as a lawyer.
Reflecting on the unique challenges faced by women in the workplace, Ms. Varma acknowledges the added complexity of balancing professional responsibilities with domestic duties. She notes that maintaining this balance can be particularly challenging during times of crisis on the home front. Despite these obstacles, she remains steadfast in her commitment to her career and strives to overcome any hurdles along the way.
Getting an edge over her peers
Ms. Varma humbly refrains from claiming any superiority over her fellow lawyers. However, she ardently advocates for a balanced approach to problem-solving, emphasizing the importance of considering both objective and subjective factors to provide accurate advice and achieve favorable outcomes.
Furthermore, she emphasizes the significance of offering counsel with long-term implications in mind, reflecting the fundamental responsibility of lawyers to safeguard their clients’ interests over time. Additionally, she prioritizes transparency with her clients, consistently delivering candid feedback to clients, whether favorable or unfavorable.
This commitment to honesty has earned her the trust and respect of numerous individuals throughout her career. She mostly handles foreign clients and this transparency has helped her to gain committed clients and get regular referrals.
Her Firm is also a part of a Consortium of Law Firms across the globe operating under the name of ‘Vitale & Partners’ where like-minded business and commercial firms have joined hands to service global clients seamlessly by working with other professionals in different parts of the globe to the client’s satisfaction.
While discussing the rapid change of digitalization postCOVID, she says: “The legal world is probably not so affected by changing market trends. Lawyers will stay and have to follow the age-old practice of advising based on precedents that have been set. The only change that has come in our profession is the use of digital media.
Hence, today we are depending a lot on the digital world, be it our library or software and programs for drafting and research. There are an ample amount of digital tools that help us in our dayto-day practice,” claims the inspiring women Leader.
Adopting as per the client’s need
Ms. Sushila Ram Varma believes in adopting and adapting, advise and strategy as per client’s requirements. Several times, the clients come with a certain concept that is worth considering. In such cases, the legal team is expected to guide them the right way, without giving them any sense of doubt. “We have to make them see the larger picture. I feel if we keep the best interests of clients as a priority, everything will fall into place,” asserts Ms. Varma.
Insights on gender equality
Ms. Sushila Ram Varma is an avid believer that “traits such as intelligence, hard work, and attitude are inherently gender-neutral, capable of empowering both men and women to confront challenges and competition with equal determination.”
She observes that contemporary women enjoy greater freedom and autonomy compared to previous generations. However, Ms. Varma cautions against equating liberation with brazenness, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and resilience in navigating life’s complexities.
In her view, a woman’s strength lies in her ability to adapt to or accept challenging situations and leverage them to her advantage. She has encountered numerous examples of extraordinary courage and resilience among women, many of whom are not career professionals but rather ordinary homemakers.
These women, driven by a deep sense of altruism, have achieved remarkable feats through their acts of generosity and compassion, surpassing the accomplishments of many career-oriented individuals.
A culture of positivity
Ms. Sushila Ram Varma asserts that it’s crucial to make your employees content to bring out the best in them. It is also important to keep encouraging the people who work with you to make them feel wanted. She affirms that making people feel wanted or important goes a long way in promoting employee loyalty.
And she encourages them to increase their competitiveness by offering them bonuses on a performance basis. “The modern-day woman is ready to take up all challenges and will not bat an eyelid in the race to the top. Women make great entrepreneurs and leaders. Since women have the tendency to think out of the box, I think they have a better chance at solving complex issues,” reveals the dynamic ‘Wompreneur’.
As a Law Firm, they strive to bring excellence to the table and it will be a continued effort to ensure that we achieve the standards and goals that they strive to set for themselves in the legal world. She wants her Firm to be recognized for quality work, efficiency, honesty and integrity. Basically, she strives to create a reputation that TATA Group have in the corporate world in the context of reliability and integrity.
About the laurels
Ms. Varma advises big and diverse clientele and their success rate in dealing with cases is quite commendable. For their services, they have won several awards and accolades. The following Awards have been conferred upon Ms. Sushila Ram Varma as well as her Firm. Her success narrative has been felicitated and featured in various global magazines in view of contribution to nation building. A few of the prominent Awards are as follows:
1. Impact Recognition: Highly Regarded Law Firm-2024, by Corporate Connect.
2. Outstanding Lawyers to Watch 2023, by CIO Today.
3. Women Entrepreneur Award 2022, by Great Companies.
4. Global Lex-Falcon Award 2022, by LexTalk World.
5. Indian Achiever’s Award 2021, by the Indian Achievers’ Forum.
6. Exceptional Women of Excellence Award 2018, by the Women Economic Forum.
7. Best Boutique Business Law Firm- India 2021 and 2023 for the Asia-Pacific Region, by APAC Insider.
8. Featured in an interview by InnovativeZone Magazine, February 2024
9. Felicitated in the ‘10 Most Promising Women Legal Consultants 2023’ in Consultants Review Magazine, September 2023.
10. Ranked in the ‘The Companies in Focus’ published by The Global
11. Hues Magazine, June 2023.
12. Featured in ‘Dynamic Woman Leaders’ published by Outlook Business, March 2022.
13. Featured in ‘Great Inspiring Stories of 50 Women Entrepreneurs’, published by Great Companies.
14. Featured in ‘Achievers’ World’ 2021, published by the Indian Achievers’ Forum.
15. Featured in ‘LexTalk World Magazine’ 2021, published by LexTalk World.
16. Featured in ‘LexTalk World Magazine’ 2022, published by LexTalk World.
17. Published in ‘10 Most Influential Women Lawyers to Watch’ 2021, published by The Inner Review
18. Featured in FTCCI Review, April 20, 2022
Giving back to the society
Under Ms. Varma’s leadership, corporate social responsibility is all about imparting legal knowledge to the common man. In this vein, they frequently post quality videos on various aspects of the laws that allow people to get a better understanding of the law and the changes therein.
Addressing the question, Ms. Sushila responds, “Probably one of our most important programs is the one we started recently “TIL Legal Tips” which is a weekly program that educates people on legal topics.” This Program is gaining followers rapidly and she hopes that it will empower people on their rights and depth of legal space. The link to the YouTube Channel is given below:
TIL Legal Tips- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqPs0pHt3wbzQD0GIlqNEPw
Words to be conveyed by the luminary
As Business Connect is a business magazine, my message to all readers would be that nothing is impossible if one puts one’s mind to it. All goals in life are achievable if one follows the correct formula of hard work, patience and integrity with a human touch. Also, despite all odds, life is beautiful.
