Alumni connect: My career journey has been challenging as Law is never static, says Waghchoure

A practising lawyer in the city for the past 20 years with specialisation is labour industrial law, Sheetal Lokhande Waghchoure is associated with banks, companies, educational institutions, NGOs, hospitals and sugar factories. She shares with Dheeraj Bengrut her fascination for law and passion for the legal profession.

Tell us about your academic career.

After my Class 12 in Arts stream from Nowrosjee Wadia College (Pune), I completed my five-year Bachelor of Socio-Legal Sciences (BSL) and (Bachelor of Laws) LLB from Symbiosis Law College in Pune in 1999. I was an average student.

What made you to choose a career in Law?

I come from a family of advocates, so wanted to become a lawyer. My father is a senior lawyer and specialist in industrial and labour law in Pune. My elder sister Tanuja Kolhatkar is also a practicing advocate. The decision to become a lawyer was never forced on me, but it was an obvious one. Since childhood, I saw my father visiting various courts across the country, from district courts, high courts to even the Supreme Court. He would always share his experiences at the courts that fascinated and inspired me to follow in his footsteps.

how was your professional journey after post-graduation?

The system of college placements had just started in Symbiosis when I was pursuing my last year of LLB. Various law firms from across the country visited the campus and was shortlisted to join a solicitor firm Crawford Bailley & Co in Mumbai. I worked with them, but then moved to Pune to start on my own as I always wanted to be with my family and take up hardcore litigation cases.

Tell us about your experience after moving to Pune.

I joined the office managed by my father and elder sister and started taking up cases related to labour and industrial law. The career journey since then has been tough as the profession keeps one always busy. As I look back now, I think I was a very different person way back in my college days. The professional journey has been challenging, as the law is never static and you have to be well read and keep yourself well-informed and updated. I have appeared before various courts in Pune, Mumbai, Satara, Sangli, Ahmednagar and even in the Mumbai High Court. Each case opens doors of opportunity.

What are the highs and lows of your career?

I have got opportunities to handle difficult cases involving high stakes at a very early stage of my legal practice, which qualified me to achieve what I could thus far. The journey still continues, the road ahead is a long one. Lows in the profession have thus far been none, but I can say that with increasing competition in the legal field, you have to be alert and always academically prepared.

Share your upcoming/current projects

In our profession there’s an implied confidentiality clause which does not allow us to divulge cases, but definitely its work, work and more work as usual.

What are your future plans?

Keep walking and keep conquering. Give my best to all the matters that come to me, and give my clients the relief for which they engaged me as their advocate.