Mario Andretti, a successful Italian-American racing driver once famously said, "Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

Undoubtedly, productivity is never an accident and Ragini Shah, Founding Partner of Literati Juris is a leader whose success amidst the Intellectual Property (IP) industry is a pure testament to the wise words of Mario Andretti.

Ragini is a self-made, first-gen entrepreneur who co-founded Literati Juris in 2018 with Rahul Dhote in order to strengthen the legal space in IP by providing legal services in Traditional IP as well as Media & Entertainment Laws. Today, under her impressive leadership, the company has emerged as one of the country’s leading IP service providers.

To know more about Ragini’s inspirational leadership journey, here are some snippets of an exclusive conversation between her and Women Entrepreneur India.

Give us a brief overview of literati juris. What are the major features about your ip expertise as a patent lawyer that you want us to majorly highlight through this article?

Literati Juris is a full-service IP Law firm including traditional IP, Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications (TMT); and allied practices. We cater to all facets of IP, right from filing & prosecution of patents, trademarks, copyright, designs, trade secrets and geographical indications to transactional matters, strategy building, portfolio management and litigation. Literati Juris serves clients from various domains, to name a few: healthcare, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, basic mechanicals, engineering, IT Software, amongst others.

Our strength stems from our efficient team of lawyers and paralegals that possess over 20 years of experience in the field. This energy and commitment to complete projects in the prescribed timeline is something that our clients really enjoy and appreciate.

Currently, as the awareness of IP has increased especially through times of COVID, companies are now seeking for more than simply to file and protect their IP. They are focusing more on enforcement of IP and ensuring an absolute market monopoly than ever before!

From drafting patents, filing international IP applications to litigating matters, we have managed to carve out a niche in the field of Intellectual Property, both in Indian and international.

Take us through your educational and professional background. How did the journey lead you towards the realm of intellectual property law?

I was introduced to Patent Law in the 8th standard, and over time I only became more certain of making it my career. Towards this, I pursued a degree in B.Sc. specializing in Life Sciences & Bio Chemistry from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai along with a Diploma in Forensic Sciences. Following which, I went to Government Law College, Mumbai, where I pursued my bachelors in Law. While doing so, I also started my first job as a Patent Analyst, shortly moving on to becoming the HoD of Patent filings at the firm.

This climb in my career secured my scholarship at UC Berkeley, California where I obtained my LL.M degree in IP and Business Law. Being in an international class with students from over 42 countries, we gained valuable perspective on international IP practices.

“As the awareness of IP has increased especially through times of covid, companies are now seeking for more than simply to file and protect their IP. They are focusing more on enforcement of IP and ensuring an absolute market monopoly than ever before!”

Soon after Berkeley, I worked with an American law firm as a Junior Partner, leading their Patent Law Department.

After gaining considerable experience abroad both professionally and academically, I decided to move back to India and establish my own law firm with my ex-colleague Rahul Dhote, who I’m glad to call my Partner at Literati Juris. While I come with my fair share of IP expertise, Rahul has enviable experience as a core litigator in the field of Media & Entertainment Law. This unique blend of practises gives us an edge to stand distinct in our industry.

How Has Your Professional Growth Journey Been So Far? What Facets Of Your Personality Or Your Leadership Style Have Helped You Propel The Company Further?

My professional journey has been a pleasant rush, with a mix of stead-fast, excruciating yet exciting experiences all at once!

All in all, every step of this journey has been most enlightening and I regard my mentor and seniors for always being there!

As a leader, I work to ensure autonomy within my team while guiding the them towards delivering with quality and creativity. It goes without saying that my team deserves great credit for their tenacious efforts that have led us to where we are today.

What roadmap have you set for yourself and your company in the near future?

Recently, ASSOCHAM awarded us as the BEST EMERGING FIRM OF THE YEAR, this motivating win is a testament to our growth and efforts. Currently, we have four offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Baroda, we aim to grow our team further and our practices wider!

Ragini Shah, Co-Founder, Literati Juris

Ragini Shah is an IP expert with ~10 years of experience in the field of patent law both internally at Literati Juris and externally with lawyers and the Indian Patent Office. She is rigorously engaged in assisting clients with legal and business matters.