Visionary entrepreneurs are usually the first ones to foray into foreign markets, looking for the expansion of their ideas and gain new experiences. One thing that proves as a hurdle in the process is the prevalence of International Business Laws. It is very important for entrepreneurs to have appropriate knowledge about these laws, because it helps them understand how a specific country runs their businesses and what are the loopholes. And only a good lawyer can alert you of its presence.
Featuring for The Enterprise World’s this issue of The Most Influential Lawyers to Watch in 2022 is Subathra Mylsamy, an International Business Law expert.
AKM – Providing comprehensive business specific legal solutions, customized to your requirements
In this interview with her, let us find out more about her journey in AKM
Kindly tell us about your journey since the inception of the company.
A full-service corporate law firm, A K Mylsamy & Associates LLP is reputed for offering customized legal services and strategic advice to its clients that suit their legal needs and purposes. The firm promises consistency and long-term solutions in a timely and effective manner. Originally founded as a sole proprietorship by Mr. A.K Mylsamy, it became a partnership firm with the joining of Subathra Mylsamy. In 2010, the Firm formally became a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). Alongside the partners, the firm is guided by an illustrious advisory board.
After doing my bachelors in Dr. Ambedkar University, Madras, I completed my LLM in the University of Manchester. Despite being my father’s firm, I joined as a junior associate and worked one step at a time to become the partner. As a partner, I strived to corporatize the firm and ensure its management in a professional manner.
Brief us about the major challenges your company has faced.
Like for everyone else, our biggest challenge was during the Covid 19 pandemic. It changed the way that businesses operated all over the world. Our firm quickly put in place a business continuity plan by using technology – virtual court hearings, video conferences with clients, organizing webinars and leveraging AI to complete regular documentation and contracts. This proactive nature enabled providing continued value-added services to clients including the online monthly newsletter and the IBC web portal.
What are the major contributing factors behind your company’s success?
“Quality” has been the core of our services from inception. Providing lasting solutions to each client in itself speaks of quality services offered by the LLP. At workplace, we on board and retain young talented professionals. Our interns / young lawyers, partners and our experienced advisory board collectively brainstorm to provide effective fool proof solutions which are customized to each client. The energy of the young coupled with the experience of our senior members ensures that the LLP offers quality legal solutions.
AKM strives to follow the four P’s – Practice, Patience, Perseverance and Personal relations. We believe this has contributed to the success of the firm. Staying updated with current laws and a lot of hard work will take you a long way in life. Maintaining a personal connect with each of our clients is key to the growth of our firm.
How do you motivate creativity and innovation in the workspace while maintaining a healthy work environment?
Innovation has been the backbone of AKM. The firm has been keeping pace with the changing times by familiarizing and aligning its services with new technologies.
AKM LLP powered by AKM Research and Analytics Private Limited (AKMRA) was the first to launch an exclusive knowledge-based portal on the law of insolvency and bankruptcy laws. The portal www.ibccases.com is a one stop shop repository for laws, rules, regulations, amendments, precedents and analysis of all provisions related to insolvency and bankruptcy code, available to all.
We endeavoured to integrate law and creativity. Thus, was born the “Law Tree” – an online monthly newsletter which was totally away from the run of the mill legal newsletters. An initiative where art meets law for, we at AKM believe that thinking out of the box is a common thread between art and law.
It is this freedom to think creatively that motivates the team to come up with unique and fool proof legal solutions to our clients.
Share your experience and brief us about the tactics and strategies to build long term customer relationship.
In the legal business since 1964, the firm has become the preferred choice for professional legal services across corporates and individuals. The firm offers legal and advisory services to a wide range of industries from commercial, real estate, hospitality, healthcare, educational to finance and related activities.
We firmly believe that the ability to build and sustain long term relationships with clients is through constantly adding value to their operations. An integral component of “value addition” is the ability to proactively scan the environment and evaluate the implications of an ever-changing legal framework and legislation.
The firm’s reputation is guided by its core values – Integrity, Innovation, Collaboration and Communication.
We believe in integrity in professional and personal lives – adhering to high moral standards in professional advice and communication.
Innovation is synonymous with our Firm. We encourage our employees, associates to come up with unique yet fool proof ideas and perspective(s). Be it our quirky online monthly journal, “The Law Tree” or the one stop insolvency data bank, ibccases.com, thinking out of the box is our core mantra.
Professionals working or associated with our firm are constantly collaborating as a team to maximize synergy of their combined contribution in achieving success for the client as well as the Firm.
We value communication and understand its importance in the success of an organization. We endeavour to communicate in a timely, responsive, honest and respectful manner – both within our firm and to our clients.
How do you see the company and the industry in the future ahead?
At AKM LLP, we always lookout for new avenues and opportunities. Being a Corporate law firm, we have forayed into areas such as taxation.
The ability to be on the learning curve forms the core of any professional career, especially a career in law. Collective brainstorming and constant updation of law keep us going as individuals and a team. Together with technology is keeping pace with changing laws and changing times.
The Firm believes in giving back to the legal fraternity and hence plans to initiate training programs for young lawyers in the future by going beyond the theory of law and inculcating values, ethics and professionalism which will make them a cut above the rest. AKM offers a regular online and offline internship program. The budding lawyers are treated as professionals and every effort is made at AKM to impart the best training to the interns. With its headquarters in Chennai and offices in Mumbai, Bangalore and Coimbatore., AKM LLP plans to spread its wings internationally soon.
