Internship Experience at Regstreet Law Advisors, Mumbai: Limitless Exposure

Name of the Student

Bhavya Solanki

College and Year of Study

4th Year, Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai.

Name and Address of the Organization

Regstreet Law Advisors, Address: 507, Embassy Center, Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400021.

Duration of Internship

August 09, 2021, to September 30, 2021.

How did you Apply?

One can apply to Regstreet Law Advisors by sending an email to internship@regsla.com. The subject of the mail must be in this format: “Internship – Name of the applicant | Name of the college | Year / Semester | Dates requested”.

The preferred dates must be from the start of the month (exceptions are made to this, albeit rarely). Further, since the firm deals in such a niche practice, it is advised to apply for a long-term internship as it takes some time for the firm to properly equip you with the requisite skillset.

If shortlisted, you would receive a questionnaire to fill with a set deadline which would include questions relating to the firm as well as the practice area of Securities Law and Financial Regulations. I would encourage the applicants to check out the firm’s online website, and its social media handles on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

It would not only help get a sense of their work culture, clientele, and literature but also with filling out the internship questionnaire form. If selected, you would receive a confirmation shortly.

Post-selection, it would be advised to read up on the recent developments in the practice area so as to come prepared for the internship and have an edge. One can regularly check out the SEBI website or subscribe to newspapers for this purpose.

First-Day Formalities, Infrastructure, First Impression

On the first day, you are sent a Personal Data Form to fill out and also given an intern’s worksheet that you need to regularly update. Subsequently, there is an orientation session over a zoom call wherein the interns get to introduce themselves and discuss their interests.

They are also introduced to the firm’s practice in greater detail and given an informative walkthrough of the SEBI website. They also get to interact with the managing partner, Mr Sumit Agrawal, who is always keen to discuss any recent market developments in these calls.

Further, the firm has an intern Whatsapp group which is used to allot work, and share briefs on any recent updates.

Main Tasks

Regstreet deals with the following regulatory bodies: SEBI, RBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, IFSCA, and IBBI. Since it is a boutique firm that really relies on interns’ work, the nature of the work allotted is really diverse. The main tasks involve researching, drafting, making notes, and organizing data.

You may get to attend SAT hearings, as well as be a part of client meetings and conferences with senior counsels wherein real brainstorming happens. This is supremely informative as you get to observe how the research proposition evolves and is subsequently received by the judicial bodies. Further, there are routine interns’ calls to discuss the work done.

Work Environment

Boutique firms generally come with a host of perks like increased involvement and personal engagement. Regstreet in particular strikes a nice balance between over-scrutinizing its interns on the one hand, and completely side-lining them on the other (as is sometimes the case in virtual internships).

A thing that particularly struck me is that the firm focuses on training its interns rather than expecting them to come fully equipped with a particular level of skill set. In that sense, it offers a very conducive space to grow and learn without facing judgment.

You are encouraged to ask questions, as well as pose objections. I was told by an associate, “If you are not asking at least five shamelessly dumb questions on the daily, you are not making the most out of your internship experience”.

Good things

An immediate good thing about interning at Regstreet is that you get to dive deep into the ocean of Securities Law and Financial Regulations. You are able to develop commercial awareness which not only helps you with the internship work but also with other routine interactions in your law school life.

Further, the partner and associates are always approachable at any time of the day. Feedback and suggestions are regularly offered which really help you amp up your work quality. You also get to be closely involved with a matter throughout its different stages if you are a long-term intern.

The partner also takes a few sessions to teach the basics of diverse fields of law. Overall, you are able to build a close relationship with the firm and its members wherein you are offered constant guidance and mentorship. I, personally, could feel an active growth in my aptitude over the course of my internship which I am excited to leverage into my future endeavours.

Bad things

There are no working hours. There is always a possibility to get approached for work at any time of the day, any day during the week. That being said, the firm is accommodative of your personal engagements and you can always inform that you would be unavailable for work during certain times of the day.

Stipend

Performance-based.

Anything Else?

The exposure that the firm offers is limitless as you are given the opportunity to get first-hand guidance from professionals who are the best in their fields. Mr Sumit Agrawal, the Partner, always encourages interns to exploit this exposure to the greatest extent possible so as to make the most out of the internship experience.

As for lessons learnt, due to the specialized nature of the practice, maintaining utmost confidentiality and also being transparent with the progress made in work is really important for interns, which is a crucial work ethic that I got to pick up from the internship.

Source: Lawctopus