WHO ARE WE?
Say the word ‘Lawyer’, and the image that comes to mind is that of a person in a black robe, going about their business of arguing a case for their client in court. Traditional courtroom practice, however, is only one of the many things lawyers do nowadays. We, the founders of BlackRobe, are living examples of the rich, rewarding and diverse careers that qualified lawyers can follow today.
We are a team of experienced lawyers who share a passion for teaching. All of us have attended India’s top law colleges, and some of us have earned Master’s degrees from globally renowned universities based in Europe. We have excelled in diverse career paths, which include a professorship at India’s top private law college, a managing partnership at a renowned law firm, providing legal counsel to a major financial institution and even commentating for the IPL!
While our skillsets are diverse, our shared goal is to mentor aspiring students of law in navigating the challenging world of law school entrance tests and admissions. To achieve this goal, we have partnered with Management Career Makers (MCM), one of India’s leading coaching institutes in the field of hotel management entrance tests. Their 22 plus years of experience and operational expertise will be a valuable asset in our effort to create India’s premier test preparation institute for law aspirants.
And this is why our name, ‘BlackRobe’ pays homage to the traditional image of a lawyer and yet also communicates our vision of mentoring young minds for a career in law
MEET OUR FACULTY TEAM
Ms. Jyoti K
Ms. Jyoti K, the co-founder of MCM, has over two decades of experience teaching students to prepare for different entrance tests, most prominently hotel management. She is a tireless educator who has, over the years, delivered thousands of hours of high-quality lectures. She earned her MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi - one of the Premier Management Institutes of India. As a student, she excelled in academics at all levels: She was a topper in Delhi University in B.Com (Hons) from Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi. She scored 93% in class 12 - ISC Board and was ranked 8th in India. She scored 90% in class 10 - ICSE. After her MBA, she took up corporate jobs with Times of India and Standard Chartered Bank and held senior management positions at both these organisations. One fine day, she gave it all up to pursue her one true passion: teaching.
Shantanu Kanade
Prof. Shantanu Kanade is currently an Assistant Professor of Law and a Research Fellow at the Centre for International Legal Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University. After practicing law with top law firms for 7 years, including stints with major international law firms, he has ventured into law academia to fulfill his deep passion for teaching. Shantanu has been associated as a mentor with some of the top coaching institutes in the law entrance test preparation space, where he has helped students with legal reasoning, law-related general awareness and verbal ability. Shantanu holds a B.A, LL. B (Honours) from Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, a MA (Diplomacy, Law and Business) degree from O.P. Jindal Global University and an Advanced LLM in International Dispute Settlement and Arbitration from Leiden University, Netherlands.
Vishal Hegde
Vishal Hegde is the founder and Managing Partner of Airavat Chambers, a Mumbai-based law firm that specialises in dispute resolution. Vishal has 9 years of experience as a practising lawyer. After working with a real estate developer and a senior counsel for a few years, Vishal ventured out to build his own practice. At Airavat Chambers, Vishal advises on a wide range of disputes across various courts and tribunals all over India. Having earned his Master’s degree from a globally renowned law school based in London, Vishal has had a close association with academia since coming back to India. He is regularly invited by law schools as well as online education providers to lecture on a diversity of topics. Having felt a deep satisfaction in sharing his knowledge with law students and a general audience alike, Vishal is now passionate about mentoring law aspirants. Vishal earned his B.L.S., LL. B degree from the prestigious ILS Law College Pune and an LLM from Queen Mary University of Law, London.
Ms. Rabiya Sharief
Ms. Rabiya Sharief is an experienced educator who heads the Srinagar centre of BlackRobe. She has been practising as an advocate at the Jammu and Kashmir High Court for over 3 years. She has a deep passion for making education accessible for all, especially the youth of Kashmir. She has over five years of experience in mentoring students for law entrance tests conducted by the Central University of Kashmir as well as national level entrance tests such as the Common Law Admission Test and the All India Law Entrance Test. She has also worked as a teacher at Cambridge International School and Hamza Educational Institution. She has completed her graduation and LLB from the Central University of Kashmir. She also holds a B. Ed degree and a Master's degree in political science.