Aditi is a first generation lawyer practising since 2012. Having gained experience in the fields of law that piqued her interest, she recently started a boutique law firm, Halan & Co., and specializes in venture capital, private equity, M&A, general corporate and entertainment law. Besides being a lawyer, Aditi likes to read, play ultimate frisbee and practise ashtanga yoga. “My journey as a lawyer has been atypical. Law school was really fun. I worked with one of the pioneers of Intellectual Property Law in India, Mr. Tehemtan Daruwalla, for close to 2 years, as his apprentice. He instilled a love for the subject in me – quoting Kabir and Shakespeare while effortlessly explaining fundamental IP concepts. I decided to be a Corporate Lawyer during my time as a Paralegal at AZB & Partners, while working with Zia and her sharp, ambitious and inspiring team. Once I graduated, I decided to start differently. I took on a role at a small startup law firm. This not only gave me hands-on experience to the most complex work, but also exposed me to functions my contemporaries were not given the opportunity to handle – operations, business development and negotiations. Having represented over 15 startups, I developed a keen interest in the world of entrepreneurship and starting my own venture someday. My work slowly led me to work at Trilegal, one of the best law firms in the country, where I represented investors. It gave me a holistic understanding of how private equity investments work. My background in IP coupled with my love for cinema pushed me to build an Entertainment Law practice and I’m looking to grow it. I have no lawyers in the family, even in distant circles. So, I am a raw, first generation lawyer, figuring out each step on the way, while others around me grew up with “A for Amendment, B for Bail”. This is one of the biggest struggles I’ve had, more so since I started out on my own. Being a woman in the field is challenging as well – people aren’t used to women leading. It will take time and nuanced conversations to reach neutrality, and I’m here for it. To all those young girls thinking of taking this on – do it!”