With nearly three decades of experience navigating the intricate corridors of India’s civil services, Dr Amar Patnaik brings a rare and invaluable perspective to corporate and business law. Having worked closely with legislations that shaped the country’s economic landscape from the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to the Digital Personal Data Protection Law, he has witnessed first-hand how legal interpretation can either unlock or obstruct business growth. His transition from policymaker to legal practitioner was driven by a simple but powerful conviction: corporates need a helping hand, not a stick to beat them with.
Today, leading his law firm with a philosophy rooted in integrity, strategic advisory, and technological awareness, he guides both domestic enterprises and high-profile foreign clients seeking a foothold in India’s dynamic market. His approach transcends conventional legal counsel, blending domain expertise with business strategy to help clients not just survive, but thrive. It is a vision captured perfectly in the company’s own rallying call – Make in India, for the World.
Insights Success got an opportunity to have an exclusive one-on-one interview with him, where he shared his insights about his journey, leadership, and future visions.
Let’s dive into his thoughts!
Q1. The journey into corporate and business law is a story of both choice and circumstance. What first drew you to this field, and how did those early experiences shape the leader you are today?
28 years of experience in the Civil services dealing with laws and rules affecting the corporate sector and the broader business and Government sectors made me realize that however well a law may have been drafted, there is always a scope for interpretation either to the benefit of the corporate sector or to its detriment.
Since corporate sector contributes significantly to the GDP and is expected to make investments in this regard, one realizes that some of the cost of compliance to these laws is so high that the business becomes untenable or becomes loss-making and the prospect of finding surplus resources for private investment thus becomes even more squeezed.
When I came to the Parliament and listened to the various problems faced by the corporates as raised by members and more importantly, during my interactions with corporates in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance as well as in the Consultative Committee on Forest, Environment and Climate Change.
I figured out that corporate and business law is an area where one can not only help corporates and businesses to navigate the nuances of these laws in order to keep the business alive and profitable but also make a significant impression in the profession. Some of these considerations made me realize that what the corporates need is a helping hand and not a stick to beat them with.
May it be the Insolvency and the Bankruptcy Code or the Company Law or the various financial and economic regulations, everywhere I could see that small interpretational issues could result in huge problems for the corporate sector and the business environment. As a lawyer, one could mitigate this stress and challenge for the client. This drew me into this field.
Q2. Leadership in law often extends beyond legal expertise into strategic decision-making. How would you define your leadership approach, especially in high-stakes corporate environments?
You are right that leadership in law often extends beyond legal expertise into advisory and strategic decision-making. In my current engagements with some high-profile foreign clients making an entry into India, one realizes that mere legal expertise is not what they want.
What they instead would like, is assistance and support from you in strategic decision-making for entry and growth in the Indian market. So my leadership in this field goes much beyond legal expertise into advisory on various aspects, including non-legal matters, to help them strategize for their sustainability and growth in the country.
Q3.How would you describe your leadership philosophy when guiding clients and teams through complex legal landscapes?
A positive attitude towards the client’s concerns and going beyond law to technical, and non financial advisories has given confidence to the clients that the firm is committed to making the corporate sustain and grow on a longer horizon rather than just solving the immediate problem at hand.
Q4. Could you share a defining challenge that tested your resilience, and what it taught you about both law and leadership?
A defining challenge is the plethora of Central and State laws, working sometimes at cross purposes instead of complimenting each other, and in addition, executive/administrative mis-interpretation of such laws. These make legal advisory services very complex and challenging.
What is required is to have patience and talk to the administrators who are implementing the law to interpret the positive aspect of the law with reference to the broader statement of object of the law rather than interpreting a particular section or clause of the law within its narrow confines to the disadvantage of the corporate entity. A two way communication always helps before resorting to a dispute forum.
Q5. The legal landscape is constantly evolving with changing regulations, technologies, and global dynamics. How do you ensure that you and your organization stay ahead of the curve?
With the advent of galloping diffusion of technologies, technological disruptions that accompany such innovation and keeping oneself abreast of the evolving changes is not only essential for maintaining relevance in the legal and the practice but also more than essential to solve a client’s problem in a more positive manner.
The way the technology is evolving, it is difficult for organizations to stay abreast and sometimes, be ahead of the curve, unless they spend time on staying up-to-date by attending Webinars, reading and writing Opeds and also maintaining engagements with different kinds of business’ delegations from time to time.
Q6. Among many accomplishments, which achievement are you most proud of- not just professionally, but in terms of its broader impact?
The role played by me in passing India’s Privacy law or the Digital Personal Data Protection Law, 2023 is one achievement of which I am most proud of not just professionally at an individual level, but also in terms of its broader impact on Indian social, economic, financial, business and political climate. To my mind, it is one of the most important legislations in independent India and will inform every sector and section of economy, industry, polity and society. It provides a new fundamental right in form of right to privacy to citizens which was not there earlier. It helps citizens protect their personal data and have a role in how their data is used and for what purpose. The massive impact of this law across sectors, in which I had a engagement for about two years as a Member of the Joint Committee of the parliament on the Personal Data Protection Bill, has been most satisfying. Similarly, my contributions to the evolving Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 through its subsequent amendments, the new Competition law, the new Insurance law and the Factoring law during the deliberations in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on finance of which I was a member of five consecutive years from 2019 to 2024 have also given me much satisfaction.
Q7. In a field where legal strategy and ethical considerations often intersect, how do you ensure that integrity remains at the core of your decisions?
Integrity and ethical considerations have to remain as the bulwark of legal and even non-legal practice, if your contribution is to be remembered and seen in proper light not just by your client but by the community of your profession as well as the community of the client.
Q8. How do you cultivate a strong, ethical, and high-performing legal team in an environment that demands both precision and innovation?
When the goal is clear that any engagement has to follow strong ethics as a organization-wide culture, it is easy to be within its confines despite pressures on time. The requirement is that the team follows this as a matter of routine and not as an exception. For that, this theme has to run as an underlying silent but dominant culture within the law firm. This is what I ensure.
Q9. With evolving regulations, globalization, and technological disruptions, how do you stay ahead and ensure your strategies remain future-ready?
As has been mentioned earlier, what is now required of lawyers is to read, read and keep reading; listen and keep listening; and think and keep thinking in order to stay ahead of the changing requirements of the eco-system. A thinking lawyer with a domain expertise of law and a fair understanding of the domain of the client’s business is what is required in current times and such strategies are necessary. Mere legal knowledge in a techno-centric society will not be able to solve the client’s problems to the extent that he would like
Q10. What key lessons would you share with aspiring corporate lawyers, and what kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind in the legal and business world?
Hard work and perseverance coupled with a high premium on integrity and ethical considerations while not foregoing efficiency and effectiveness is what I would advise the corporate lawyers to practice in the profession. I want the community to remember me as someone who was innovative while remaining ethical.