Interview: Advocate Maneesh Kumar Singh | Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, and Corporate Law Expert

Maneesh Kumar Singh is an Advocate with over 30 years of distinguished experience in litigation, practising at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court of India. Renowned for his expertise in constitutional, civil, criminal, and corporate law, Mr. Singh has handled numerous high-profile cases, earning him an exceptional reputation within the legal community.

A significant highlight of his career is his tenure as an Additional Government Advocate, where he represented the state in critical matters, further honing his legal expertise in public and administrative law. His profound understanding of both procedural and substantive law, along with his ability to manage complex cases, positions him as a trusted advocate for clients seeking favourable outcomes.

In addition to his courtroom achievements, Maneesh Kumar Singh serves as a mentor to many junior advocates, actively contributing to the development of the legal fraternity. His persuasive arguments, clarity of thought, and respect for the judicial process have garnered him the trust of clients, colleagues, and judges alike. His unwavering commitment to justice and legal excellence solidifies his status as a leading figure in the Indian legal landscape.

Interview: Maneesh Kumar Singh | Advocate

We recently got a chance to interview Maneesh Kumar Singh. Here’s the transcript of the Interview: Maneesh Kumar Singh

Legal Bites: What motivated you to pursue a career in law, and specifically, litigation? Could you share your journey into the legal profession?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: While growing up, I learnt much about justice and how justice works in today’s society. I chose to practice law to be part of a change process because the existing system intrigued me. Of these, litigation appealed to me most because it is bog and straightforward as it involves actual confrontation with the law. The courtroom is where the law is practised, as opposed to theory, where one gets to feel the brunt of the law, fight for the rights of others and successfully or unsuccessfully attempt to make things right. I initially pursued the interest of gaining knowledge of the law, although as time passed, I became very keen on mastering litigation.

Legal Bites: If you were to give one piece of advice to your younger self at the start of your career, what would it be?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: It does require a lot of time and effort, one must possess a lot of patience to succeed. It is not easy to signalling that you want to start a litigation campaign to achieve success in that litigation campaign.

I would advise my young self to have patience for results and progress and that every win or loss is going to contribute to a worthwhile solid ground. Particularly, the vision of a bigger picture is what I lacked at the start of my career, so that is something that I would like to inculcate in me if I could advise my younger self.

Legal Bites: Can you discuss any memorable experiences you’ve had while arguing in court?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: I will always recall a time when my client was in a very disadvantaged position in the case. This was politically sensitive and connected to individual freedom – it was a high-profile case. As we planned and organized thoroughly as well as built our arguments strongly, we managed to gain a victory. It was one of those moments when you get to see the importance of hiring a good advocate who can change a man’s life.

Legal Bites: What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about being a senior advocate?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: The first one is that senior advocates are shielded from the stress or difficulty that young lawyers experience.

Of course, experience cuts it down a great deal, but no two cases are alike and each case requires a great amount of effort, study and planning.

The other myth that people have regarding senior advocates is that they represent fancy and big cases only. In reality, they address a broad spectrum of legal issues, each with its own unique factors and challenges.

Legal Bites: Many young advocates face financial challenges during the initial years of their litigation careers. How did you navigate the period of low income when you started? What practical advice would you give to law graduates worried about financial instability?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: Painstaking is a way of describing the early years as they are demanding. At first, one must be tight with expenses and grab any chance one can get to gain experience, no matter how little the pay might be.

My suggestion for a person entering early years would be to concentrate on learning rather than on making monetary profits. Create rapport with heads of chambers, and undertake cases on which you will get trial experience, the money will come after people know that you are competent.

Legal Bites: What challenges do you see facing the judiciary in India today, particularly in the context of the High Court in Lucknow?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: The biggest challenge is the rate at which cases are piled up which hampers justice. Justice delayed is justice denied is what I believe. This is a very acute problem in the Lucknow bench as well as the High Court of Allahabad as it is in practically all the existing courts in India.

One of the issues that can be revealed here is that the procedures take much time, the positions in courts are vacant, and the cases themselves are more intricate. There is also increasing demand for the digitisation and incorporation of technology to make the system effective.

Legal Bites: How do you approach ethical dilemmas that arise in your practice?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: It is standard to focus on the ethics aspect whenever dealing with a law firm. Every time I find myself in an ethical predicament, I remember that our principal responsibility is to the court and the truth.

In any case, I do not take the liberty to deceive the court or to cover the truth. Integrity as it has been adjudged is not the easiest price to pay but as the saying goes, the end justifies the means, integrity upheld at every chance following the provisions of the law is the only way the general public and the entire legal profession will regain the necessary trust to forge ahead and ensure justice is served.

Legal Bites: What are your views on the importance of pro bono work, and how do you engage with community legal services?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: Preliminary projects are very important for the noble course of making justice available across the board. It is for this reason that I always ensure that I accept cases where the person(s) involved have no means to hire a lawyer, especially in the areas of human rights and freedoms.

This use of community legal services is one of the ways of giving back to society and being part of the greater call of the lawyer profession which is to serve justice.

Legal Bites: What role do you believe technology, such as online e-libraries like Legal Bites, will play in the future of the legal profession?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: Technology is the future of law. A website like Legal Bites is a boon for students and professionals and offers tremendous opportunities for improvement. E-libraries make available to legal professionals countless legal works, cases, and commentaries within a few minutes without having to search physically.

As the years progress, technology will continue to play a large role in identifying and eliminating inefficiencies in the legal profession thus minimising delays in case management.

Legal Bites: What types of content—articles, webinars, or podcasts—do you believe are most beneficial for legal professionals today? How do you think platforms like Legal Bites are keeping up with these needs?

Maneesh Kumar Singh: In general, legal professionals today greatly appreciate content in different forms such as articles, webinars, and podcasts.

Articles have been developed to give detailed discussions of current problems, while webinars are used to teach as they happen, and podcasts make it easy to learn while on the move. That has been a good trend that Legal Bites has been following these trends to ensure that it makes legal information and continuing legal education available for professionals through different media.

Legal Bites: Thank you so much!