Ami Parikh is a seasoned legal professional with over two decades of experience in both private practice and in-house roles. Currently serving as the general counsel at Asian Paints, her career journey includes significant stints at law firms such as AZB & Partners and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, where she honed her skills in corporate law. Parikh’s transition to in-house roles began with her position as head of legal and compliance at Experian India.
In this Q&A, Parikh shares her experiences and wisdom gained from her diverse legal career. She discusses the challenges and rewards of her current role as general counsel, offering valuable insights into balancing legal risk management with business growth, building effective legal teams, and navigating the complex regulatory landscape in India.
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ALB: Can you describe your career journey so far? What has been the most rewarding aspect of your current role?
Ami Parikh: I have spent the first two decades of my career in private practice with Tier 1 law firms. I started as a general practitioner but over time, I branched out into corporate law with a specialisation in M&A and PE transactions. These transactions spanned across industries, affording me a good understanding of the various legislations applicable to different sectors. I worked on complex transactions, and it was rewarding to be able to structure innovative solutions for clients. The rigorous training in private practice also ingrained a client-focused mindset and a solution-oriented approach.
“Every day brings different challenges to the fore. In a single day, I could be negotiating a complex contract, examining employee issues and responding to a critical compliance issue at a plant. The sheer depth and breadth of this role and the continuous journey of learning is the most rewarding aspect for me. “
In 2020, I transitioned to an in-house counsel role. As general counsel, my role requires me to not only provide legal solutions but also see through its implementation and consequent action. As a manufacturing company, we operate within a complex legal universe, with a plethora of legislations and regulations applicable to different parts of our business. Every day brings different challenges to the fore. In a single day, I could be negotiating a complex contract, examining employee issues and responding to a critical compliance issue at a plant. The sheer depth and breadth of this role and the continuous journey of learning is the most rewarding aspect for me.
ALB: Can you describe your typical day or week as a general counsel? What are some of the key responsibilities and challenges you face?
Parikh: My key responsibilities include building a robust legal team equipped with diverse skill sets that bridge the gap between business objectives and risk mitigation, collaborating with stakeholders to align legal strategies with their priorities /business goals and a forward-thinking mindset that enables proactive compliance. We are consciously moving towards tech-enabled legal solutions that emphasise efficiency and agility, while still maintaining data integrity. As general counsel, monitoring the legal landscape and anticipating trends that have a bearing on our business is a key priority.
A common question for legal departments revolves around demonstrating measurable value. The function of risk mitigation cannot be measured and while that remains at its core, legal departments can no longer confine themselves to a guardian or a gatekeeper’s role. Legal teams that evolve into true business partners, say by re-examining dispute resolution strategies or facilitating recoveries, can fuel business growth and directly contribute to the topline.
ALB: How do you balance legal risk management with enabling business growth and innovation within your organization?
Parikh: India has witnessed a wave of new legislation in recent years, bringing in regulations for previously uncharted areas and updates to long-standing archaic laws. While these changes ensure better governance and consumer protection, companies hitherto unused to this highly regulatory environment can find themselves navigating a legal minefield. In balancing risk with business growth and innovation, my approach centres on 3 key elements: empathy and understanding of the business, prioritisation of the risks and delivering actionable clearly communicated solutions. While prioritising risks, I am expected to not only focus on legal but also foresee associated financial or reputational risks as well. Evaluation of risks across different parameters in terms of likelihood and potential impact allows me to design solutions that are holistic, legally robust and aligned with business strategy.
“I believe that risk management is not confined to a single team. Fostering legal awareness across the organisation empowers and educates stakeholders to recognise potential challenges early on, acting an as effective early warning system for in house counsel. This collaborative approach also supports better decision making with both strategic and compliance considerations.”
As a part of day-to-day functions, the inhouse team encounters a wealth of data points which we analyse to extract insights of strategic value for our business partners. For instance, such data points can reveal trends emerging from our anti-counterfeiting efforts or key lessons derived from litigation patterns.
I believe that risk management is not confined to a single team. Fostering legal awareness across the organisation empowers and educates stakeholders to recognise potential challenges early on, acting an as effective early warning system for in house counsel. This collaborative approach also supports better decision-making with both strategic and compliance considerations.
ALB: How do you approach building and managing an effective legal team within your organization?
Parikh: Building an effective legal team requires a thoughtful approach that goes beyond managing day-to-day tasks. I believe in empowering the team to make independent decisions, ensuring that they feel supported and trusted. It is important that they feel guided rather than micro-managed. A culture of accountability and ownership is essential for a strong functioning team member.
Given the dynamic nature of the business and the law, I ensure that my team has all the required resources that enable continuous learning as well as upskilling. This involves access to the latest knowledge resources, regular seminars with experts as well as weekly discussions on the case laws and new legislations that impact our business. I also schedule regular conversations with internal business leaders which facilitate a deeper understanding of the business for my team, enabling them to align their legal advice with their stakeholders’ goals.
Team-building activities, moments of fun and celebrating professional and personal milestones together build a cohesive bond that transcends the workplace. At the end of it all, an effective team is one that enjoys the process and believes that their work is making them a better professional each day.
ALB: How do you balance the sometimes competing interests of shareholders, customers, employees, and other stakeholders in your decision-making process?
Parikh: My decision-making process is grounded in the principle of ensuring that all decisions are driven by the core values of the organisation. Equally important is fostering a sense of shared purpose which builds trust and ensures that our efforts are aimed at driving the broader objectives of the business.
ALB: What advice would you give to aspiring lawyers or law students interested in pursuing senior in-house roles?
Parikh: The practice of law, whether you are in-house, or in private practice, has grown beyond interpreting the law and answering in the binary. At all levels, in-house lawyers particularly, are expected to bring measurable value to the business and provide actionable solutions. Achieving this requires a deep understanding of business and its commercial objectives fostered through constant communication and engagement with stakeholders. A good understanding of the principles of finance and accounting will add depth and comprehensiveness to your legal advice and will add value to your business partners.
ALB: How do you approach data privacy and cybersecurity issues within your organization, and what strategies do you employ to mitigate these risks?
Parikh: Data privacy in India is a very nascent stage. While enacted, the law has still not come into force, which leaves the timeline of its implementation in the unknown. The government is also yet to release the subordinate rules which will provide procedural steps. At this point, we are in the process of preparing for the implementation of the data privacy law by conducting a current-stage assessment and creating a risk control framework. This involves identifying our data principals, the personal data sets that are collected, identifying business functions that handle personal data and vendors that collect and process personal data on our behalf.
ALB: What motto do you live by?
Parikh: The practice of law is a journey of continuous learning. The world around is ever-evolving, and I like to think that every day brings with it, opportunities and challenges that continue to make me a better professional.
