Rohit Arora, one of the few young lawyers today who have chosen the route of taxation. He has been working as a Tax Associate with demonstrated skills in the areas of GST, Customs, erstwhile indirect taxes and other business & commercial laws. He has completed his LL.B. from the prestigious Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. Currently, he is working as a Tax Associate with HSA Advocates in their Delhi office.

Here’s candid conversation with Rohit as interviewed by Spandana Nagesh :

How would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

I hail from Rudrapur in Uttarakhand and came to Delhi in 2011 to pursue my graduation. I graduated in Bachelor of Commerce from University of Delhi and thereafter graduated as a lawyer in 2017 from Faculty of law, Delhi University and have been working as a taxation lawyer ever since. I am a keen learner outside work as well and have recently taken up learning to play the keyboard. I enjoy sports and have always been actively involved with swimming and basketball.

We would like to start by asking about your college life. How was it like attending the Campus Law Centre? Do you think that the students from NLUs have it easier as a lawyer than the students from other colleges?

My years at the Faculty of Law were amazing. It has a very vibrant energy. We had great professors who made sure that our lectures were not just that but more and they usually were very interactive. As far as being from a non-NLU college is concerned, I don’t think I faced any difficulties. It’s a fact that they attract better placement opportunities, but, I think, we more than make up for it by hustling to learn. Which is again, a very important learning for any lawyer.

What is your typical day at work like? How can a young lawyer gain expertise in the area of taxation laws?

A huge portion of my day gets spent in doing client-specific advisory work pertaining to Taxation laws. There are also several litigation matters that come up every now and then. The work ranged from drafting replies to show cause notices, appeals, writ petitions, representing clients at various authorities, assisting seniors in various matters to briefing senior counsels and anything & everything which is required. The day also involves regular discussions on the recent developments in the domain.   

How did you decide to make a career in a field as specialised as Tax?

I grew up in a business family and would always accompany father on his visits to our CA. That planted a seed. I decided that I would take up commerce when I grew up.  But even then I did not know that tax would be my calling. When I started interning during my college years, I interned with a lot of firms that were not exclusively dealing with taxation. I worked with the Chambers of ASG Pinky Anand, Athena Legal, ASC Legal, Phoenix Legal and UKCA and Partners among others. Basically, I was trying to know about everything that law had to offer.

But in my third year, I made the shift to tax because of my earlier background in commerce and had kept myself updated enough to know that the GST law would be a game-changer and would bring in a promising career opportunity. It was then that I started working with RSA Legal Solutions full-time and worked there for a year. I moved on to working with HSA Advocates after that and have been working with them for almost a year now. The experience has been truly enriching.

Would you like to shed a little light on the growth of the taxation law as a career option in the near future?

Taxation law is analytical in nature and becomes very interesting once you get a hold of it. And not just that, knowing about the taxation regime of any business gives one a sound knowledge about its inner workings as well. The work is exciting. Post the introduction of the GST law in the country, indirect tax has gained a lot of significance. The businesses are still getting used to the new adjustment and are taking up both the advisory as well as the litigation route to help them cope.

Considering you are an effective public speaker and also enjoy addressing large gatherings a lot, would you like to tell us about some of your sessions and writing contributions as well?

I recently delivered a webinar organized by Lawsikho.com about “How to build your career as a tax lawyer”. I was invited for a Tea and Talk session in my alma mater as well, where I had to guide the students on Career opportunities in Corporate and Tax Litigation. I also contribute a few write-ups to local newspapers and online portals on the latest developments in taxation laws, that is, as and when I get the time to.

What is your advice to the young lawyers who commit a lot of mistakes when they are starting out?

When you are starting out, it is almost a certainty that you would commit mistakes. That’s how you learn. There is always a scope for improvement and you should always take a note of the errors and learn from it.

Lastly, we would like to know a little about your future plans.

I may not have a perfect answer for it yet, but in a little time from now, say five years, I see myself having a stable career graph and a lot more experience. I am only hoping for the best to happen. I believe in taking baby steps and not rushing with things as it is always said slow and steady wins the race.