This article is written by Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, LawSikho.

What do you do while waiting for your case to be called? That says a lot about you and what the future holds for you.

It sounds amazing sometimes that a lawyer charges a few thousand or even a few lakhs for a few minutes of appearance before the judge.

Wow. so cool. Lawyers earn so much for a few minutes of work.

Nah. The reality is that on the date of hearing they sit in the courtroom for hours waiting for the case to be called. It is very hard to predict exactly when their matter will be taken up, and it could happen in the next 15 minutes or after 2 hours, they rarely know. 

So they just sit and wait. They cannot take up other matters or argue in other courts while waiting. 

They often have to wait the entire day to get a 5 minutes hearing! 

When you take all the waiting time into account, the lawyer’s remuneration for appearing in a case may not seem so attractive after all. 

Only some senior lawyers manage to get around this. Out of respect for these lawyers, judges often allow them to take pass overs through juniors to appear at a more suitable time, so they can appear in different courts one after another. 

This is only possible when you have a posse of juniors and the judges are lenient enough to give you that leeway. This is a major privilege in courts for a lawyer and can have a big financial impact on his coffers. 

So what do those lawyers who are not influential or do not have juniors yet have to do? They have to limit the number of matters they can take. And they have to wait endlessly waiting for the case to be heard.

So what can lawyers do to make this terrible situation a little better for themselves? If every cloud has a silver lining, and every obstacle has an opportunity hidden, then what is the hidden blessing in this situation? 

What lemonade can litigators make out of this lemon that their career throws at them inevitably?

This is an enormous amount of time, which if put to good use, can make a lawyer very successful. 

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Recently I read a story shared by Advocate Haresh Raichura on Linkedin, about how Justice CK Thakkar, when he was just a junior lawyer, used to draft his arguments and do his research sitting in courtrooms while waiting for his case to be heard. 

This is an old story, can a lawyer still do this given that we all work on our laptops? Turns out that is true, as I was told by several junior lawyers.

Actually, most lawyers said that it is impossible to work in the court on the laptop as it may earn one the wrath of the judges for dishonoring the court. However, a handful of lawyers said that they have been drafting and researching on their laptops by sitting at the back of the courtroom, being careful to type very softly and avoiding noise, for years without any problem.

Those who have the will finds a way to do what they must do. 

Anyway, typing away very fust on your computer in a courtroom, or doing so even on your phone too much is not advisable. You should also ensure that you have a silent keyboard to work in courts. 

Here are my top 5 recommended activities for you while you are waiting in the court for your case:

#1 Read Up

This is a great time to catch up on all the pending reading. You can read up for upcoming cases, or read up on articles you have saved to read later. You can even read the business books you need to read to upgrade your skills and your game. You can even read up from an online course.

Reading is a quite safe activity in the court! Even when you are reading from a phone or a computer, it is non-intrusive, and mostly not difficult to do this very innocuously. 

Also, most judges notice and appreciate hard-working lawyers who are trying to educate themselves, because way too many lawyers are clearly not so diligent or bent on educating themselves!

#2 Watch educational videos 

If you sit at the back of a crowded courtroom, it is safe to plug in earphones at watch some videos from online courses or educational channels on youtube. I find that many lawyers learn the law faster when they watch videos rather than read from books. Given that there are literally hundreds of legal channels these days with thousands of great videos on different provisions of law and case law, it is a great idea to make the best of them. 

#3 Finish a LawSikho course

You can do our LawSikho courses safely in a courtroom. You can carry our hard copy study material, read from your phone app, or even watch some recorded classes. You can even do some of the assignments while you are endlessly waiting for your case to be called.

#4 Make notes for arguments or strategy

If extensive typing will be a problem, the other thing you can easily do is making notes and checklists for the arguments you are thinking up, or strategy you are going to take in a certain matter.

#5 You can use this time to network or do business development

While your phone needs to be on silent, and you cannot speak on a call, you can comfortably use the messaging apps, write emails, post on LinkedIn, and research about potential clients. Why not set up some meetings towards the weekend that could help you to grow? Why not send an email or a message to some journalists offering a quote or a lead in some interesting matter? Why not reach out to lawyers who may be in a position to refer you some matters? Why not send some helpful articles to your potential clients so you can educate them? Why not write a few posts on social media if not write a full-fledged article?

Are you wasting precious time?

Please don’t. There is a lot you could do to get ahead during that time. Still, most lawyers would never have the discipline to use this time productively. You do not have to be one of those lawyers!

The ability to convert unproductive time into productive time is indeed priceless!

Here are some LawSikho courses that you could take up and finish either while you are commuting to work, sitting in flights, or waiting in the court room:

DIPLOMA 

Diploma in Business Laws for In House Counsels

Diploma in Companies Act, Corporate Governance and SEBI Regulations

EXECUTIVE CERTIFICATE COURSES

Certificate Course in Advanced Corporate Taxation

Certificate Course in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

Certificate Course in Advanced Civil Litigation: Practice, Procedure and Drafting

Certificate Course in National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Litigation

Certificate Course in Arbitration: Strategy, Procedure and Drafting

Students of Lawsikho courses regularly produce writing assignments and work on practical exercises as a part of their coursework and develop themselves in real-life practical skill.