“Litigation Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint”: Neeha Nagpal on White-Collar Practice, Leadership and Building a Career at the Bar

Neeha Nagpal is the Founding and Managing Partner of N & Company Legal, a commercial litigation firm. With extensive experience in white-collar crime, PMLA and commercial disputes, she has represented clients in complex matters before courts and tribunals across India.

In this interview, she speaks about her journey at the Bar, the changing white-collar enforcement landscape, leadership in litigation and advice for young lawyers.

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1. What drew you to a career at the Bar, and how did you find your way into commercial and white-collar practice?

I have often said that my path chose me, I didn’t consciously choose it.

Growing up, my father always impressed upon me the importance of understanding the law of the land. I was also fortunate to have Mr. Arun Jaitley as a mentor long before I even understood what mentorship truly meant. He was my father’s closest friend, and his intellect, generosity and belief that law could be a force for meaningful impact left a lasting impression on me.

That sparked my interest in studying law, but everything that followed has really been my path choosing me.

As for white-collar and commercial litigation, my journey was shaped by opportunity. I was involved in the 2G spectrum matter, which was India’s first truly large-scale white-collar prosecution. That experience exposed me to the complexities of corporate crime, financial investigations and regulatory enforcement, and from there the practice evolved naturally.

2. White-collar and PMLA enforcement has expanded sharply in recent years. From a defence practitioner’s vantage point, how has the landscape shifted?

The landscape has changed dramatically, particularly over the last decade.

Investigative agencies today are far more sophisticated, better resourced and considerably more proactive than they were earlier. That has undoubtedly strengthened enforcement.

However, from the defence perspective, one reality has become increasingly apparent – often, the process itself becomes the punishment.

Investigations are lengthy, trials take years to conclude, and it is everything that happens in between that profoundly affects individuals and businesses. Questions of bail, attachment of assets, freezing of bank accounts and reputational damage frequently arise long before guilt or innocence is determined.

We have also witnessed a significant increase in overlapping proceedings. A single set of transactions can trigger investigations by multiple banks, multiple FIRs, proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate, investigations by the SFIO and parallel regulatory actions. Managing that multiplicity has become one of the defining challenges of modern white-collar practice.

3. With criminal law moving from the IPC and CrPC to the BNS and BNSS, what changes matter most for those entering criminal and white-collar practice?

The transition to the BNS and BNSS is significant, and for young practitioners the most important lesson is to embrace procedural change.

One of the biggest shifts is the greater emphasis on digitisation. Service of summons through electronic modes, including email and, in certain situations, WhatsApp, reflects how criminal procedure is adapting to modern realities.

The BNSS also introduces timelines in areas where delays were once routine. For instance, discharge applications are now expected to be decided within a prescribed period, which has the potential to improve procedural efficiency.

From a white-collar perspective, another important aspect is understanding complaint cases. Agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the SFIO file prosecution complaints rather than police charge sheets. Under the new framework, the opportunity to be heard before cognisance assumes even greater importance, making procedural strategy just as critical as substantive law.

4. How have client expectations around dispute resolution evolved, and how does a litigator balance a hard-fought outcome with a client’s commercial realities?

Clients today are far more commercially aware than ever before, but understandably, they also want the best possible outcome.

Our role is to balance aspiration with realism.

Every client wants a complete victory, but as lawyers we have to objectively assess the facts, the client’s own conduct, the available evidence and the legal rights that can realistically be enforced.

Litigation is not simply about winning arguments in court. It’s about helping clients make informed decisions while protecting their long-term commercial interests. That balancing exercise is often one of the most challenging aspects of practice.

5. As Managing Partner, what have you learnt about leading a litigation firm that you did not expect going in?

The biggest lesson has been that leadership demands even more hard work than individual practice.

People often assume that as you become more senior, your workload reduces. In reality, the opposite is true.

You have to lead by example. You remain responsible not only for your own matters but also for mentoring your team, managing clients, building the firm and making strategic decisions every day.

You also discover that leadership requires you to wear many hats – you are a lawyer, mentor, manager, strategist and sometimes even counsellor, all at once. It has taught me that success brings greater responsibility, not greater comfort.

6. As a woman in a demanding, litigation-heavy field, what would you want the next generation of women lawyers to take from your experience?

The advice I would give applies equally to women and men, because excellence in this profession ultimately knows no gender.

Be patient. Work hard. Stay curious. Be sincere in everything you do.

There are no shortcuts in litigation. Credibility is built over years, through preparation, integrity and consistency.

For young women especially, I would say don’t allow anyone to define the limits of what you can achieve. Let the quality of your work speak louder than anything else. The profession rewards competence, resilience and perseverance over time. To sum it up, I’ll say, be so good- they can’t ignore you!

7. For students drawn to litigation, particularly white-collar and commercial disputes, what advice would you offer on building a lasting foundation at the Bar?

First, master the fundamentals. There is no substitute for a strong understanding of procedure, evidence and statutory interpretation.

Second, cultivate curiosity. White-collar practice sits at the intersection of criminal law, corporate law, finance, accounting and regulation. The more you understand business and commerce, the better lawyer you will become.

Third, be patient. Litigation is a marathon, not a sprint. Your reputation will be built one brief, one hearing and one client at a time.

Finally, remember that integrity is your greatest professional asset!