Former MMB Legal Partner Talha Salaria sets up own firm Lawyers At Work Says the time is right

Former MMB Legal Partner Talha Salaria has set up her own law firm called ‘Lawyers At Work’ (L.A.W.). The firm has been operational since June 2012 and is based in the Koramangla area of Bangalore..The existing team has three lawyers including Talha. The other two lawyers are Sandeep M., who has over 5 years of experience in the real estate space and Bhavana Chakragiri, who is a Company Secretary and a lawyer. Bhavna moved with Talha from MMB Legal..Speaking to Bar & Bench, Talha said, “We are in advanced discussions with a couple of candidates with specific transactional experience and expect one of them to join us soon”..Talha is a graduate of National Law School of India University. She started her career with J. Sagar Associates and worked with them for more than six years before moving to MMB Legal. Talha was one of the founding team members at MMB Legal and worked at MMB for almost five years before setting up her own law firm..Bar & Bench spoke to MMB Legal Partner Mahesh Madan Bhat on Talha’s departure from the firm. Mahesh said, “Talha will surely do well! She has the necessary expertise to take this endeavor to the next level. We at MMB Legal wish her all success in this avatar.”.Talking about the growth plans at MMB Legal, Mahesh said, “Our internal mantra as an organization has always been on ensuring all-round professional growth (be it legal work, office management or business development), encouraging one to do what they are passionate about and ensuring a great work-life balance & office environment! The current team of ten lawyers come with varied background experience – industry, law firms, independent practice, corporate secretarial and even business – and we will continue to ramp up the team to meet client needs / industry requirements.”.Mahesh added, “We will be concentrating on strengthening (and expanding) our client base in the Sports, Real Estate, Retail, HR/Staffing, F&B, Energy and Transportation sectors, where we have the necessary experience and are seeing activity in various forms, such as joint ventures, institutional investments, acquisitions, exits etc.”.Bar & Bench spoke to Talha Salaria about her decision to set up her own law firm, her vision for the firm, the increasing visibility of women in the legal profession and her experience at MMB Legal..Bar & Bench: What promoted you to set up your own law firm?.Talha: The time is right for me and ten years from now, I do not want to have any regrets and say “I wish I had!” After having worked in a big firm such as JSA and performed a pivotal role in the growth of MMB Legal, I have the capability and the experience now to establish a quality driven institution and this is spurred by the support of our strong anchor clients..In order to achieve this, having a good team is key. The first member of that team was Bhavana, who moved with me from MMB Legal to L.A.W. and has proved to be a valuable asset..Bar & Bench: What is your vision for the firm?.Talha: The firm’s vision is to establish an institution, which is not one- person centric, and to have a pan India presence..Bar & Bench: What will be the firm’s areas of focus?.Talha: The firm will continue to focus on existing areas of practice including private equity/venture capital, IT/ITES, real estate and education..However, the areas of focus will grow as the team grows and each person brings with him/her a specific skill, enabling the firm to become a full services law firm..Bar & Bench: Very few women lawyers have set up their own law firms. Your thoughts..Talha: In our society even today, it is the women who manage the household and the key responsibilities at home. Coupled with that is the fact that ultimately, whether by virtue of circumstances or desire, bringing up children is primarily undertaken by women. Therefore, there is often a compromise that women make..And setting up a law firm is a huge commitment..Bar & Bench: Do you see an increase in the visibility of women in the legal profession? .Talha: The achievements of women in the legal field are definitely increasing their visibility and I would say that as more women are now at the helm in different capacities, it provides the encouragement and impetus to the younger women to follow. This, in my view, also provides an environment wherein there is a better understanding of the specific requirements of women in the professional world. Therefore, I see the role of women increasing in the legal field and look forward to more women breaking the glass ceilings!.Bar & Bench: You worked at MMB Legal for almost five years. How was your experience at MMB Legal?.Talha: When we had set up MMB Legal, the basic premise was to establish an environment which is fun and full of camaraderie, without compromising on the quality of work. We managed to establish that. I had a lot of fun and the experience was invaluable.