In Conversation with Rushali Srivastava
Manager, Learning and Development at Khaitan & Co.
1. You began your career in law but eventually transitioned into Learning & Development within the legal industry. What inspired this shift, and how has your legal background shaped the way you approach learning and capability building for lawyers?
Rushali Srivastava:
I would describe it as not a transition away from law, but as an opportunity to apply the skills and experiences I had developed through my legal and consulting-oriented work.
Earlier in my career, I had the opportunity to work across areas like stakeholder management across teams, research and consulting oriented problem solving. These experiences made me inquisitive about a different vertical of my skill sets and interest - understanding how people learn and perform effectively.
With my legal background, law firm internships and subsequent LLM, transitioning into L&D in a legal industry felt like a natural progression. I understood the nuances of technical legal know how, but also the importance of professional development in a law firm setup. Having experienced the profession from the inside, I've seen how lawyers often adapt to real life transactions and matters which requires practical application of law, particularly when transitioning from law schools to practice. Law trained me to start with the problem, the audience and the outcome, and I design learning the same way.
Over time, law firms are also now moving from traditional, to being professionally managed while clients are looking beyond technical expertise involving more of layered soft skills like -communication, relationship management and other professional skills. At the same time, the profession demands a high pressure for billables, and a highly outcome-oriented learning experience. It’s important for a programme to be able to answer – How will this programme benefit me and my work?
2. With years of experience working closely with Partners, lawyers, and subject matter experts, what are some of the biggest challenges you have observed in developing the skills and capabilities of legal professionals?
Rushali Srivastava:
I think one of the biggest challenges which lawyers face is keeping their professional developments in step with the demands of the practice. The industry is highly knowledge intensive, but as they grow- the development needs extend well beyond the technical legal skills.
Further, being a heavy billable work industry, learning often competes with deadlines and sudden client demands. This means sessions must be well placed, outcome oriented, relevant and practical. It should connect to their day-to-day job.
In my opinion, learning should be considered as an integral part of professional development rather than something which is just an additional tick mark. Leadership involvement and perspectives into such knowledge sessions and drawing on real-world anonymised practice scenarios also helps in building the learning and growth culture.
The trainings also must help transform learnings into practical applications. Law school does provide strong foundational knowledge, but the realities of practice require judgment, prioritisation and understanding of the client and market requirements.
Lastly, the needs change with seniority. What may be needed for new joiners, might not be relevant for mid-level and senior lawyers. While the former requires trainings covering foundational and refresher courses, focus for the latter would be on aspects like client management, delegation, leadership, and business development.
3. You have designed and executed CLE programs, legal assessments, mock trials, negotiation simulations, and other experiential learning initiatives. How do you design learning experiences that go beyond theoretical knowledge and genuinely prepare lawyers for real-world practice?
Rushali Srivastava:
The focal point in all the conversations with the speakers or subject matter experts surrounding these sessions always includes the question of the agenda of the programme along with how it is going to benefit them in real time.
Incorporating case studies, simulations, transaction situations, or mocks help break complex topics into easier and understandable concepts. For example, a mock negotiation event could involve a real-life client situation where participants assess the issues, develop their approach, consider different strategies and alternatives, and negotiate in real time - requiring them to think on their feet and work towards a practical solution.
Learning also tends to stay with people better when it is built over a few stages rather than being limited to a single session. This could involve some initial engagement with the subject, an opportunity to listen and apply the learning, and then reflection or feedback. This helps take the learning beyond the classroom and makes it more relevant to the work.
Ultimately, the objective is to move lawyers from “knowing” to “doing”- giving them opportunities to practise judgment, communication and problem-solving in a safe environment before they apply those skills in a live matter.
4. Different practice areas such as corporate, disputes, and banking require very different skill sets. How do you identify practice-specific learning needs and translate them into effective capability-building programs?
Rushali Srivastava:
It starts with understanding what lawyers in a particular practice actually do in their day-to-day work. The underlying legal principles may overlap, but the work of a corporate lawyer, a disputes lawyer and a banking and finance lawyer looks very different.
These conversations help identify where the real priority lies. It might be technical depth, keeping pace with legal and regulatory developments, or broader skills such as negotiation, client management and commercial understanding.
Format then follows need. For example, a technical topic may work better through a case or transaction-based discussion, while a practice such as Dispute Resolution may benefit more from simulations, mock exercises or experience-sharing with practitioners. In banking and finance, walking through how a financing is structured and discussing market practice around key documents can make complex concepts far more tangible.
Rushali Srivastava:
AI is making learning more personalised, more accessible and more closely tied to the work itself. Lawyers can increasingly learn at the point of need, exploring a concept while working on a matter rather than waiting for a scheduled session. AI can also support practice, such as role-playing a client conversation, testing a draft or working through a scenario with instant feedback.
For L&D, it also means that our role is evolving. It is not just about creating content or organising training anymore, but also about helping people find and use the right knowledge and technology when they need it. This is where Knowledge Management and emerging legal technologies become increasingly relevant.
Lawyers will also need new capabilities: understanding what AI tools can and cannot do, verifying their output, and using them responsibly with client information.
At the same time, I don’t think technology can replace the human element of learning. In a profession like law, experience-sharing, mentoring, discussion, feedback and professional judgment will continue to be extremely important.
6. Young lawyers often face the challenge of balancing technical legal knowledge with practical skills such as communication, negotiation, judgment, and client management. What key capabilities do you believe young legal professionals should consciously develop to build successful careers?
Rushali Srivastava:
Technical legal knowledge will always be the foundation. Beyond that, I’d young lawyers also to consciously build on few skill sets:
Clear communication, especially in writing: Clients want clear, simple answers, not legal jargon. Explaining a complex position in plain language sets people apart early.
Judgment and commercial awareness: Understand the client's business and what they're trying to achieve, not just the legal question in front of you.
Ownership: Treat each task as your own, think a step ahead and flag issues early. Negotiation and client management skills grow from this, so take every opportunity to be in the room.
Curiosity, openness to feedback: Ask questions early, seek feedback actively and tell your seniors what you'd like to learn. Most will welcome it.
Learning from peers: Informal learning groups, where you discuss what you're each working on and share perspectives, can accelerate your growth considerably.
That said, the responsibility doesn't sit with young lawyers alone. For freshers in particular, these capabilities develop over time with the right guidance, feedback and exposure. Firms and senior lawyers play a big part here. When freshers have opportunities to participate, ask questions and say what they would like to learn, they become more confident in their development.
7. Looking ahead, how do you envision the future of Learning & Development in law firms, and what advice would you give to professionals who are interested in building careers at the intersection of law, learning design, and professional development?
Rushali Srivastava:
I see L&D in law firms becoming increasingly connected to the changing needs of the profession and the business, rather than being limited to traditional training. That means- (i) linking learning of outcomes that matter such as quality of work, client experience and career progression, (ii) using data to understand what’s working, (iii) building structured pathways across career stages, and (iv) fostering a culture of coaching and feedback.
Technology and AI will continue to influence how lawyers learn and work, but I think the human side of development will remain equally important. Peer learning, mentoring, experience-sharing and opportunities to learn from different perspectives will continue to have a strong role.
For professionals interested in building a career in Legal L&D, I would say that having a legal background is a genuine advantage in - understanding the profession, identifying learning needs and speaking the language of the lawyers and Partners you work with. At the same time, you need to develop a genuine interest in creative thinking, designing learning experiences, principles of adult learning and stakeholder management.
Most importantly, you should enjoy working with people and learning itself. I think when you genuinely love what you do, that curiosity and enthusiasm naturally reflects in the work you create.
