Mr. Tarun is an Assistant Professor (Research), Gujarat National Law University(GNLU), Gandhinagar. He is a member of the GNLU Centre for Sports and Entertainment Law (GCSEL) and was appointed by the Government of Gujarat as a member of the drafting committee of the Gujarat Sports Development Code. With a teaching and research experience of 5 years in the area of Sports Law, Tarun has been invited as a resource person at various prestigious universities in India like DNLU, Jabalpur, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad, Institute of Law, Nirma University, Swarnim Gujarat Sports University, Vadodara to name a few. He was the co-editor of Sports and Legislature, GCSEL’s journal on sports law and policy and was recently appointed as a Peer Reviewer of Extra-Cover, The Sports Law Blog of India. Tarun is an alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi (B.A. LL.B. (hons)) and GNLU (LL.M. in Constitutional and Administrative Law). Currently he is pursuing his second masters in Sports Law and Practice from the prestigious De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom. He has 2 Government of Gujarat research projects under his name in the area of Sports Law and Policy and has published articles for various journals and blogs.
1. Hello Sir, Please Introduce Yourself to Our Readers? Please Tell Us Something About Your Pre-College Life?
Hello! My name is Tarun and I am an Assistant Professor (Research) at Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar and also a member of the GNLU Centre for Sports and Entertainment Law (GCSEL). I hail from Dehradun, did my schooling from there and then came to Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi where I did my 5 year integrated B.A. LL.B. (Hons.). Post Jamia I got through GNLU for my LLM which I completed in the year 2016 in Constitutional and Administrative Law. Now I am pursuing my second Masters in Sports Law and Practice from De Montfort University, United Kingdom.
2. What inspired you to choose law as your career?
Frankly law was nowhere in the scene….actually, nothing was. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was always a backbencher and sports was something that always attracted me. Use to look for these periods which I could bunk and I realised that I am bunking all of them so I should change the drill and look for periods I should attend!
Anyways, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by very well-educated people in my family who injected some kind of sense in me and after a lot of deliberations, we decided that law is something that is coming up and I should give it a shot. Thankfully after a streak of disappointments, I got through Jamia and I thank my stars that I did because the experience was very enriching. I met some very interesting people who shaped my entire life. So there is no fairy-tale behind my entry in the field of law.
3. Tell us a bit about your study time during college life.
Come again?! Study time? Ask most of the students at law schools right now and surely you will get the same reaction. It’s always one night before the examination and I was a part of the same club. It was quite an exclusive membership.
4. What areas of law fascinated you the most?
Sports Law & Constitutional Law when I was in law school and now its sports law ONLY. But if you want to understand it, it’s important to have a grip on all the subjects because sports law is an amalgamation of all the law subjects. So to everyone who is reading this interview, you like it or not, please get your basics strong.
5. How important do you think mooting or any co-curricular activity is in shaping one’s future career in law?
Very important! All co-curricular activities have their own benefits and one should experience all of them. Unfortunately, a lot of emphases are given only on mooting which I think is not the right approach. Academic writing is something that is not given a lot of weightage in law schools in India and that’s an area where our focus should be. A lot of laws need a fresh perspective and writing can bring that change. If you want to write please read as much as you can. I did not do that in law school and because of that I suffered when I started my career. So the growth has to be 360 and thus just focusing on one aspect is not very healthy.
6. How Did You Plan Your Internships and How Did You Go About Applying for These Internships?
All my internships where litigation. I was fortunate enough to work under best lawyers in the country. Networking really helped me cracking these internships and I want to stress on this aspect. Please make sure that while you are interning, network as much as you can. It helps in getting you opportunities. I understand we hesitate but one has to cultivate this skill if you want to get work. Students now are smart and they understand the fruits which is quite positive. Be there on LinkedIn or any other professional networking app. It has done wonders in my career and I am sure it will be beneficial for others as well.
7. Tell Us About Your LL.M Experience at Gujarat National Law University.
I was a little hesitant as I was from the “non-nlu background”. It was a thing back then don’t know if that still prevails. Maybe I should thank my stars for meeting some of the best people. The whole experience was quite enriching both at a professional and personal level. Definitely things were different but that difference was for good. The time span was very little but 2015-2016 at GNLU, as a student, was one of the best phase of my life. Football, had a roommate cum closest friend who was from Goa (so now my trips to Goa are free! Be with the right kind of people :P) and what not. Can’t explain it here!
8. A Law Student Tries to Focus on The Element Of ‘Quantity’ And Not ‘Quality’? What Are Your Views on This?
In some cases it’s true and that’s not the right approach. You will be known for the quality of work and not how much you do it. Let me give a football analogy. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a number of goals but if you ask a football fanatic, she/he generally remembers his bicycle kick against Juventus. That’s because of the quality of that goal. I am not undermining quantity but please focus on one thing and give it your best. Because of one quality work you will get a lot of work (quantity). Vice-versa might not happen.
I think choosing academics has been the best choice and experience. It keeps you young, makes you tolerant, and suppresses your ego. Every evening I am at the football field with students and that’s the highlight of my day. I get time for things that I want to do which is very essential.
I think I am adaptable and that has really helped me in achieving whatever little I have. You need to read the environment around you and make amendments to your approach towards life and work.
10. What Would Be Your Parting Message to Our Readers Who Are Primarily Law Students and Young Lawyers?
PLEASE enjoy your law school life because it’s never going to comeback. That does not mean you lose focus. “Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. So, keep moving, keep learning, keep growing. See you at work.”~ Denzel Washington.
