Interview With Mayank Shekhar | Founder and Director at Legal Bites

Introduction

Success leaves clues.

Finance Strategists sat down with Mayank Shekhar, founder, and director at Legal Bites. Mayank shared some of his thoughts on past and present experiences that helped shape him and Legal Bites into today's successes.

Who is Mayank Shekhar?

Q: Who are you and what’s your background?

I am Mayank Shekhar, Founder, and Director at Legal Bites. I was born in a small village in the state of Bihar, India. My primary education has been quite unstable due to the lack of affordable and accessible resources in my native area. I was finally able to approach a solemn environment under the tutelage provided by Bishop Westcott Boy's School, Namkom, Ranchi. After the completion of my secondary education at this prestigious institution, I headed over to Delhi to finish the essentials of effective schooling. It was not until my graduation years that I was finally convinced of being faithful to my ideas and providing them with a true direction.

My journey as a law student at Amity University has been greatly influential in building the consequent plan of action. Under the guidance of esteemed professors and the availability of an ideal platform, my vision was greatly encouraged. This was the time when I formed Legal Bites and it has been growing since. My post-graduation in Law from the University of Delhi, New Delhi is halfway to completion which shows you my designation as a student.

Q: Who has been your biggest influence, and why did they have such a significant effect on you?

I believe that nothing encourages us like someone else's good words and actions, even the quietest and smallest ones. One of my inspirations is Swami Vivekananda whose ideas about the power in oneself have always driven me to push my limits. It is extremely important for a learner to continuously trust in him/herself while assimilating the spirit of others and still preserving one's individuality. Further, his strong belief in the spread of education and learning among the masses as a sole criterion for economic development has surely been of utmost significance. In the contemporary world, I have been particularly enthusiastic about Steve Jobs' constructive idea on the concept of teamwork. The ability to trust and support every person's accomplishments and work in close consonance with even a small group of A+ players can help build a great work atmosphere and produce great results.

My father's contribution as a mentor and his sustained efforts towards providing a comprehensive education while obliging every other responsibility has always been a source of inspiration. While growing up, I was taught from his acts that working extremely hard with a sense of duty and accountability with a genuine intention can help you reach the pinnacle of your dreams.

Q: Knowing what you know now, what would you have told yourself when you were in your twenties?

A surge in demand might deter the content capacity but one should make sure that the quality of work published is genuine and informative. Do not compromise on technical requirements while keeping the content top-notch. This leads to having enough capital to sustain and build a futuristic infrastructure. Legitimate security of educational accessibility, explanatory notes, and original subject matter would prove to be real investments for the subsequent projects. Failure to adhere to this can lead to duplication of work thus, having to reboot the whole project. The proportions or sections that are vital and mostly inaccessible to the masses should be focused upon to resolve the anxiety of many. The technicality was a major challenge when I started and continues to be a taxing but indispensable part of my endeavor and I have been continuously trying to learn the mechanism that goes right from the piece of writing until publication. Business analytics are never stable, and you ought to work accordingly.

What is Legal Bites?

Q: What is Legal Bites?

Legal Bites is an Ed-Tech platform launched in 2016. It aims to extend a fundamental approach towards law, encompassing areas relevant to the common person. The primary motive is to make the concepts of law transparent and coherent. A vivid description in various articles covering aspects of police encounters and public pressure, capital punishment, crimes against minorities expanding over space and habitat as well as real estate, the platform works in close consonance with the contemporary demands.

From offering critical insight into concepts of nationalism and justice, democracy, and social responsibility to the crucial topics of pollution and health, it covers a wide range of indispensable subjects. The website also offers opportunities in the form of competitions, jobs, and events relevant to the legal fraternity.

Q: What makes Legal Bites different from other legal blogs?

A. We are a conglomeration of people from different legal backgrounds, consisting mainly of students as paid interns who are assisted on a regular basis while ensuring valuable content development through mutual effort.

B. A domain-based representation to ensure complete influx and transfer of user-friendly information. Interactions with the employees on a regular basis to ensure openness and a cordial atmosphere for the exchange of ideas.

C. We believe in creating genuine content which is both reliable and affordable. Maintaining the trust of our readers is the ultimate goal that leads to a loyal readership.

Q: What led you to start Legal Bites?

According to the 2013 data published by the Bar Council of India, there are around 950 law schools and approximately 4.5 lakh law students across the country. Every year approximately 60,000 to 70,000 law graduates join the legal profession in India. With the emergence of the new decade, the essential concept and ideal of law have been interpreted widely; a cause for the corporate sector to step in.

The complexity of laws and regulations with liberalization has led to a myriad of contradictions, leading to innumerable amendments and better outreach. These instances of social privilege, to be able to reach the multitude in an affordable manner, instilled in me the passion to create a credible source that is plain, comprehensive, and unambiguous. The necessary tools required for the evolution of the legal industry to keep up with the transitional globalizing world including the need for a proper legal database that could cater to all aspects of the law.

Needing special privilege to access books or notes to promote growth seemed unacceptable in a world where inclusivity is the need of the hour. Ultimately, the creation of a reliable source in the form of a website that has researched content and a well-oriented outlook became imperative.

Q: What has the experience of building the business taught you?

The list is inexhaustible, and I say this because even a small fraction of what I know today wasn't really known back in 2016, and to complement it all, the lack of pecuniary advantage was of elementary concern. Some of the things that I would like to focus on and rely upon and have been some of my tenets for a fundamental approach towards life are humility and sacrifice.

The building of an organization involves great passion and zeal with a keen insight into every detail and the scrutinization of a reforming era. Respect for every colleague and workmate to collaborate and contribute towards holistic development and not compromise on the principles of civility and deference should be an active priority every day.

Encouragement on every step of the way ultimately increases the span of mutual loyalty and bears significance. Staying strong through life's hurdles and preventing every personal attack from interfering with my work are my canons of morality. My conclusion through it all has been that nothing comes easy. There is always a huge amount of toil and sacrifice that needs to be endured to achieve even a fragment of your dream in this exceedingly competitive world.

Q: Where do you see things headed for you in the next 5 years?

We aspire to become the most feasible and user-friendly Ed-Tech platform that can become a vital proponent of our developing economy. The projects that we have in mind include our launch of tutorial videos that might not be very instructive in nature. They would mainly focus on addressing questions of potential relevance to the modern day. The videos or audio clips would be provided free of cost, enhancing outreach. I take it as my responsibility to make law transparent and intelligible.

For more information, see legalbites.in