Interview: Advocate Shivang Yadav | Expert in Criminal and Arbitration Law

Shivang Yadav completed his LLB from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. He has an extensive publication record both nationally and internationally, including contributions to the London School of Economics, the University of Oxford, NLU Jodhpur Patiala, and other prestigious institutions. With around 40 publications through his work at LiveLaw, he later served as a judicial clerk under Justice Tara V Ganju at the Delhi High Court. Currently, Shivang practices at the Allahabad High Court alongside his senior, Mr Raghuvansh Mishra, while independently handling private matters in criminal, family, arbitration, and various civil cases.

Interview: Shivang Yadav | Advocate

We recently got a chance to interview Shivang Yadav. Here’s the transcript of the Interview: Shivang Yadav

Legal Bites: What inspired you to pursue law?

Shivang Yadav: Initially, I decided to pursue law when I was in 9th standard. CLAT was popular at the time, and my uncles and family friends told me a lot about it, saying it was a new, developing industry with a nice package and a viable career opportunity.

Legal Bites: From having your work published internationally and nationally, which specific area attracted you the most, and why?

Shivang Yadav: I authored my first paper during my first year of college, which led to the habit of writing that has resulted in about 75 publications. Because of my keen interest in criminal law, human rights, international law, and constitutional law at the time, most of their core rights—including the right to privacy and many more are included in my publications.

Legal Bites: What strategies did you use to increase the visibility and impact of your publications, which everyone should follow?

Shivang Yadav: During the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked as an intern at Vidhi, where I gained valuable knowledge on research methodology. This included how to formulate research questions, how to conduct them, and what the minimal approach would be to resolve the issue and arrive at a conclusion.

Therefore, you should first stay up to date on the issues that are currently affecting society, then choose one that interests you because it will motivate you to conduct more research, and finally because you should be knowledgeable about the subject, prepare advantages and disadvantages. The introduction, background, international perspective, Indian perspective, my contribution, and conclusion were the four sections which I utilized to split the topic.

Legal Bites: What were the primary challenges encountered during the publication process, and how were they addressed?

Shivang Yadav: The main problem, to be honest, was that I had no experience in this field and did not know anyone with a background in law or research. The first thing I needed to do was work on my English because I had a lot of grammatical errors in my writing. To overcome this, I used various applications, read newspapers, and contacted my college seniors for advice.

Fortunately, they were always there to help. Additionally, make an effort to learn as much as you can about the subject to enhance your understanding. For example, you can gain valuable insights into international issues by visiting the Oxford International page, the Harvard Law School pages, and other reputable sources.

Legal Bites: What advice do you want to give someone who wants to work as a Legal Clerk?

Shivang Yadav: Since a judicial clerk's job is to write down orders, we must ensure that they are formatted correctly, proofread the orders for grammar errors, help the lordship with all of its research, and prepare speeches if the lordship is attending any social functions and prepare case briefs for all the listed matters.

Working in such a position requires you to be diligent in your work because you are a part of a larger system. You ought to be on guard at all times!

Legal Bites: What were some key lessons you learned from working closely with a High Court judge that every legal student should follow?

Shivang Yadav: Make sure to read every file carefully. There is a word called skimming; you should not skim the file but read it. Whenever you read a file, you should develop a question: why, what, and how. All these questions should start coming into your mind if the statement is being made in terms of why it is being made, how it is being made, for what it is being made, how it will help my proposition, how it will get a verdict in my favour, why am I doing this, and each and everything you are putting in the file should be supported by a document.

If we are putting a date in that document, it should be supported by the annexure from where that date is coming because you can’t predict what question will be asked from the Lordship.

You should be ready all the time. One thing that I have learned is that learning theory is good, but the true law and the functioning of the court could be learned from reading the judgments. Read as much as you can because it will consist of the proposition, the issue, contentions of the petitioners or respondent side, and analysis from the Lordship after hearing both parties.

By reading the judgment, you’ll get a holistic view of any proposition in law, which is very important.

Legal Bites: Can you describe your typical day as a lawyer at the Allahabad High Court?

Shivang Yadav: At 10’o clock I reach the court since all the bench sits at that time. The court session lasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the proceedings conclude, we adjourn to our homes and relax. Next, our chambers open at six o'clock and stay open until 10:30 or possibly eleven, but on most days, we are free by ten o'clock.

At the Allahabad High Court, I currently practice criminal, arbitration, and other miscellaneous matters. The Delhi High Court serves a different function than this court.

Legal Bites: What techniques do you use to communicate complex legal concepts to clients who may not have a legal background?

Shivang Yadav: When it comes to litigation, being truthful with the client is the most crucial thing to do. The client may come and go, but your integrity endures, therefore never try to take advantage of him for financial gain. Upon meeting with a client, you should thoroughly review the files and provide him with an accurate assessment of the case, including its strengths and weaknesses.

Litigation in the legal sector is a very tiny world, therefore while we will do our best, the decision to engage us in the matter rests with you. If your advertising is poor, you may initially have a flourishing practice but ultimately fail. 

The best thing to tell a client is that, in addition to being honest about any shortcomings, they have the option to consult other lawyers. However, if they choose you to represent them in court, they will trust your expertise.

Legal Bites: What advice do you want to give someone who wants to be an independent counsel?

Shivang Yadav: First of all, litigation is quite difficult; you must have complete motivation and dedication for it. It is up to you to choose your practice location. It's fine if you choose to practice in Delhi; however, if you're from another state, you should choose between practicing in that state's court or Delhi.

You can begin your first practice in two ways. You can either begin practicing in your state's court and building relationships there, which will lead to the automatic receiving of matters, or you can work for three to four years in Delhi, then return to your state's court after gaining experience and start your practice. The networks and contacts you'll make are crucial since they will only aid in your clientele development.

Having clients will make it more likely that you will be given cases to represent them in court. Prioritize learning over rushing into things in the beginning. Going with the flow is important in litigation, as it's not a race. Both happy and bad days will come.

Legal Bites: How do you stay updated with the latest developments in law to ensure you provide the best advice to your clients?

Shivang Yadav: We utilize digital platforms; rulings are shared via WhatsApp group, and the Allahabad High Court maintains a website where rulings are published for our perusal. Second, I read legal sections in newspapers and inquire to see if there has been any ruling on this.

Legal Bites: In your opinion, how do online platforms such as Legal Bites assist young lawyers in staying updated on recent developments?

Shivang Yadav: These websites are the only sources which help a lot. It proves effective for lawyers who have busy schedules. If any lawyer gets a break of 5 minutes can open such portals to get information and that is too accurate.

Legal Bites: Do you consider extensive online libraries such as Legal Bites to be a convenient resource for accessing information on a wide range of topics in one place?

Shivang Yadav: Platforms like Legal Bites provide recent updates and one can utilize the resources from the online library.