The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and Tata group have trained over 100 in-house lawyers from Tata Group companies through a specialised programme aimed at equipping corporate legal professionals with skills in business strategy, leadership and organisational decision-making.
The initiative, conceived in 2022 by IIMA Professor of Strategy MP Ram Mohan and Tata Sons Group General Counsel Sidharth Sharma, seeks to address the changing expectations from in-house lawyers, whose responsibilities increasingly extend beyond legal advice to strategic business decisions.
Explaining the rationale behind the programme, Professor Ram Mohan said that the competencies required of corporate lawyers differed significantly from those expected in private practice.
"The capabilities required to navigate the demands from in-house lawyers including persuasion, conflict management; long-term strategic thinking; understanding how critical management decisions are made; and the ability to build and motivate teams etc differ in nature and degree from those ordinarily required of a lawyer in private practice," he said.
Sharma said that economic liberalisation had substantially transformed the legal profession, particularly the role of in-house counsel.
"This is particularly visible in the growing role of in-house lawyers, who are expected to take ownership of issues that are both legal and strategic or business-related," he said.
He added that corporate lawyers must understand business imperatives, collaborate across organisations and provide stakeholders with actionable guidance.
Launched in 2023, the programme was designed as a three-to-five-day on-campus certificate course at IIMA. Its curriculum includes leadership, strategic thinking, finance, marketing, team building, persuasion, conflict management, crisis management, legal risk management and Gandhian philosophy.
The programme has entered its fourth edition, with participation from over 100 senior and mid-level lawyers across Tata group companies.
Madhav Uppuluri, General Counsel of Tata Consultancy Services, said executive thinking, leadership and influence had become essential qualities for in-house lawyers.
"The Leadership and Management Development Programme, a unique collaboration between IIM Ahmedabad and Tata Sons Legal, is designed to build exactly these capabilities and transform in-house counsel to next generation legal leaders," he said.
Anjali Balagopal, General Counsel of Tata Technologies, said the programme helped lawyers appreciate the importance of multidisciplinary knowledge.
"It broadens one’s perspective beyond law, reinforcing my belief that in-house lawyers need a multidisciplinary understanding of business, strategy and leadership to be effective strategic partners to the organisation and contribute to better decision making," she said.
Simrata Gujral, General Counsel of Tata Digital, said the programme encouraged experienced lawyers to reassess established approaches to leadership and decision-making.
"It helped me look beyond my legal training, rethink how I approach leadership and decision-making, and return to my role with a broader perspective and renewed intentionality," she said.
Building on the Tata initiative, IIMA began conducting similar programmes for the wider community of Chief Legal Officers and General Counsel in 2024.