Notorious for livening up the somber world of a law-firm: Khaitan & Co's Kalpana Unadkat

 We wonder what it feels like, being in the shoes of a big-shot legal expert…

Being a corporate and M&A lawyer is very fulfilling. My clients believe a good M&A lawyer is essential to executing difficult transactions. In the last two decades, I have been confronted daily with new situations and challenges.  An M&A deal usually has almost all aspects of the law and exposes human nature in all its hues, which makes it impossible for me to get bored.  As laws change, business conditions change, clients’ expectations change, I am constantly learning something new even after 20 years in this profession.

   Topmost echelon in the topmost law-firm- starting at a time when women in the legal game were unheard of. Has the journey been smooth?

It has been very interesting journey for me. Initially, there were no women who I could look up to as role models, and no family in the legal profession. It was not an easy decision for anyone to want to be a solicitor, least of all a woman. It was not unusual for women to do well as law students but for a variety of reasons they didn’t seem to get as far as to be acknowledged as leaders of the Bar.

While I was blessed to have clients who appreciated my professional work and my gender was never an issue, the work environment was not kind to ambitious women. Understanding organizational dynamics, recognizing barriers to entry to complex power networks and building workplace relationships, all of which were key to progress in any organization were huge challenges without mentorship.

When I moved to London, I found myself being one of the few ethnic minority women lawyers in an international law firm. The challenges that I saw in India in the 1990s were layered on with significant differences in the working environment and culture. After a decade in London, just when I felt that I was beginning to get comfortable in a leadership role, I was back to India.  Clients and colleagues see me as a professional but I am also a “hands on” mum and I am determined to maintain the professional and personal balance.

   To what extent do you think the industry has opened its doors to woman, if at all?

While young women may feel that they still have not been given their due, I must say that we have come a long way. We now have more than a handful of women partners in the largest law firms in India and in the international law firms, something that was unimaginable in the 1990s.

There have always been challenges for me - I have not let that interfere in my goals.  Of course the rules were written by men for men and I don’t expect the rules to be changed just because I am a woman, but I believe that women now have a better chance than ever before to demonstrate their value to an organization, and an increasing number of organizations are realizing the value that women add to the workplace.

    Having interacted with women across the globe, what revelations have you witnessed? How has that enriched your perspective and struggle?

After having interacted with various women leaders in multiple jurisdictions, I realized that most of them have faced similar challenges - be it the workplace environment or social boundaries. The key is having a mentor to guide you through this maze that can overwhelm us.

     What are the mantras that you have followed through your life that you would like to share with the aspiring women leaders of today?

Women have empathy and an innate ability to connect at a personal level and that is a gift that keeps giving. Successful women focus on their goals and have perseverance to identify and overcome barriers.

If we stay within our comfort zone, do what other women have done before us, the barriers and challenges will grow, not just for us but also for the next generation.

Being a leader is not about giving orders in a hierarchy.  It is about persuading a group of star performers who constantly question, debate and even oppose initiatives.  Women are beginning to be influential in their own way, perhaps differently from how men influence each other.

    How important is it, rewarding women's achievements? What role do awards play in the women's movement? 

When an organization recognizes a woman’s achievements, it is not just symbolic recognition of breaking a barrier.  Great organizations will use the occasion to thank women achievers for making the organization a better place by their contributions. This is an occasion for everyone to demonstrate how grateful the organization is to these women for overcoming the barriers and challenges and encourage all women to believe that they can be leaders.