The Making of a Group General Counsel | Tapan Pati on Law, Business & Leadership

What does it really take to build a career as a General Counsel and eventually become a trusted business leader? In this episode of The Daily Lawyer Podcast, we speak with Tapan Pati, Group General Counsel, Godrej & Boyce, about a career that has taken him from law firms to senior in-house roles across some of the world’s best-known organisations. Tapan shares why he has never changed jobs simply for a bigger title or salary, and why he has consistently chosen greater complexity, new challenges and deeper learning instead. He also reflects on the advantages of beginning a career in a law firm, describing it as a training ground that can give lawyers an “unfair advantage” through the breadth and depth of experience it offers. The conversation goes well beyond career progression. Tapan takes us inside some extraordinary professional experiences, including negotiations with the Government of India during the COVID-19 pandemic and speaks about what lawyers learn when they work across jurisdictions, businesses and cultures. Chapters: 00:00 Teaser: Titles, Complexity & the “Unfair Advantage” 01:35 Introduction 03:56 From Law Student to Group General Counsel 07:00 The Law Firm Years & Building Strong Foundations 12:13 Making the Move In-House 14:44 Choosing Complexity Over Bigger Titles 17:06 The Johnson & Johnson years 18:30 Negotiating with the Government of India during COVID 20:55 The Group GC Role 22:35 Does Law Firm Experience Give You an “Unfair Advantage”? 28:07 What It Really Means to Be a Group GC 33:10 Working on the Godrej Family Settlement 35:08 Does Law School Prepare You for Legal Practice? 39:07 What Networking Actually Means for Lawyers 43:05 How a General Counsel Hires Lawyers 46:51 AI-Written CVs, Young Lawyers & the Job Market 48:59 Why Lawyers Still Need to Read 50:30 How Lawyers Should and Shouldn’t Use AI! 55:30 AI Adoption Inside a Corporate Legal Team 58:46 Closing Segment Also available on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music About The Daily Lawyer Podcast The Daily Lawyer Podcast is a growing archive of conversations about the profession of law - the careers, choices, people and ideas shaping lawyers and the legal industry. Connect with us: Contact: [email protected] Website: https://thedailylawyer.in/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailylawyerig/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-v-krishnan/ This episode is part of our General Counsel Series, in collaboration with Zoho Sign. Connect with Zoho Sign: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zohosignofficial/?hl=en X: https://x.com/zohosign?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zohosign/ YouTube: @zohosign Explore: https://www.zoho.com/en-in/sign/ Subscribe to The Daily Lawyer for more conversations with General Counsels, law firm leaders, founders and professionals shaping the future of the legal profession. #TheDailyLawyer #TapanPati #GeneralCounsel #InHouseCounsel #LegalCareers #CorporateLaw #LegalLeadership #Lawyers #LegalProfession #LegalTech #CareerAdvice #GC DISCLAIMER This podcast is intended solely for informational and educational purposes. The views and opinions expressed during the conversation are personal to the speakers and do not represent the official position of any court, institution, organisation, client or other entity. Nothing discussed in this episode constitutes legal advice or should be relied upon as a substitute for advice from a qualified legal professional. Laws, judicial decisions and procedural requirements may change over time. Viewers should independently verify the applicable legal position and obtain professional advice for their specific circumstances. Watching or listening to this podcast does not create a lawyer-client relationship with the guest, host, The Daily Lawyer or any associated person or organisation.