No substitute for hard work, tell yourself you are here to stay: Justice Jyoti Singh speaks at Delhi HC Women's Lawyers Forum

"Always tell yourself that you are here to stay, no matter what the situation.", said Justice Jyoti Singh, Judge, Delhi High Court as her advice to young lawyers. ."The keyword is hard work. There is no substitute. More than that, it's the determination in you. Every single day remind yourself that you are here to stay."said Justice Jyoti Singh.Remarking that no phase in life is permanent, Justice Singh urged young lawyers to set an "impossible goal" in life and work towards it.."It doesn't come to anyone on a platter, first-generation or second-generation.. to sustain, you have to do your own job", she said. .Justice Jyoti Singh was speaking at an interactive session organized by the Delhi High Court Women's Lawyers Forum. .The session focused on the theme 'Inspiring Court Room Stories'. The session was moderated by Advocates Amita Kalkal and Aditi Gupta..Accepting your gender and not viewing it as a weakness is key: Sr Advocate and Justice (retd) Anjana Prakash in DHCWLF virtual discussion.Apart from Justice Singh, Kavita Jha, Partner, Vaish Associates also shared her journey in the profession as a first-generation lawyer. .Justice Singh spoke about her initial days in the legal profession as a first-generation lawyer and said that she felt lonely and depressed. ."I used to be nervous to begin with. We had some very tough judges at that time. I used to be super prepared. I used to stand in front of a mirror and rehearse my arguments.", Justice Singh said. .She informed the audience that she went independent after four years and had no case for three months. .Justice Singh acknowledged that as a lawyer, she had the support of her juniors, colleagues and friends. .Justice Singh further said that while she felt that she had a lot of responsibility after she was designated a senior advocate. Her transition as a Judge of the High Court was easier than expected, she observed..She also said that her being a woman lawyer was neither an advantage or disadvantage. .When asked what she would like to change in the profession, Justice Singh said that she would want a mechanism to support young advocates. .On being asked if she preferred being a lawyer or a judge, Justice Singh said, ."Only difference is that as a lawyer, I had to fight for someone. If someone needs justice, (now, as a Judge) I can do it with one stroke of a pen.".Unlike Justice Singh, who said that law happened to her by chance, Advocate Jha said that it was in school that she thought of becoming a lawyer. ."I aspired to be a criminal lawyer. I thought when I would graduate, there would be someone waiting with a brief for me. But life is different from theory", said Advocate Jha who started her career in Kolkata. .She said that although Calcutta was the city of joy, Delhi offered more opportunities and sky was the limit there. .Advocate Jha shared her experiences from her 20-year old litigation career and remarked that she has never regretted her decision to be a litigation lawyer. .She also spoke at length on the satisfaction that she derives from doing pro bono matters. .During the session, on being asked to share to "tips" with young lawyers, Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra said that her father, Senior Advocate KK Luthra, taught her to always respect the Bench and the institution.