: The interview was conducted by Manreet Kaur and Kashika Jain, Editors at CCCPL. Ms Tamanna Bansal reflects on her shift from corporate law and the NCLT to the Centre for World Trade Organisation Studies, driven by the global reach of trade law and her interest in policy-making. She describes the Centre’s work on FTA negotiations, services-trade assessments, and comparative regulatory research, noting strong merit-based opportunities for women. Highlighting growth avenues across research, government, and international bodies, she emphasises the value of rapid legal research, data-oriented analysis, clear drafting, and coordination in policy roles.

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The following questions aim to capture Ms Tamanna Bansal’s reflections on her journey in corporate law:

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Q1. What drew you towards building a career in the space of corporate and international trade law?

Tamanna Bansal: Well, since law school, my inclination has been towards corporate law. The reason is the scope: if we see today, in growth terms, corporate law remains arguably the most lucrative and fastest-growing segment of the legal profession in India. It has more career opportunities like working in the government sector/law firms, individual practice, advisory, in-house roles, and Public Sector Undertakings. The corporate and international trade law not only has scope nationally but also internationally. There was no real inclination towards litigation for me. I focused on corporate subjects only, and I even pursued my LL.M. in corporate law. I then joined the NCLT, and now I have joined the Centre for World Trade Organisation Studies (“WTO Studies”).

Tamanna Bansal: Even if you see the national laws like civil and criminal law, they have scope in India only; to pursue them internationally, you will have to study the law of the country and clear its examinations. But corporate law is uniform everywhere with little changes, specifically arbitration, insolvency, international trade law and has an international scope. Moreover, very less people pursue international law, which makes you stand out from the crowd. I chose WTO studies specifically because I am fascinated with policy-making, and I love research and drafting.

My advice is to study law as a whole without categorisation initially, and then make up your mind for specific law to pursue your master's. Do not categorise yourself into one law, like civil or corporate law, right away during graduation, as it would narrow down the scope. First, find your interest in a specific law field and then pursue the same. Do not narrow down the categorisation because your career is for years, and you need a broad base to build on.

 

Q2. What does your research look like on a day-to-day basis at the Centre for WTO Studies?

Tamanna Bansal: Our research primarily focuses on two areas: one is the trade policies which will come up with other countries, and the other is Free Trade Agreements (“FTA”), which are in the pipeline or coming up. We draft and research the clauses for these agreements. We look at the import and export of services, and we do comparative analysis with other countries to see where India is lacking or leading, and how India can flourish further.

We also participate in ongoing negotiations, review any contracts, and engage in empirical data collection. A key part is identifying the loopholes and providing critiques based on the comparative analysis of the countries.

 

Q3. Do you see any barriers for female students in this field?

Tamanna Bansal: I have not experienced any barriers as such. Women strongly represent in almost every negotiation or policy programme. Selection processes are completely merit-based and transparent, and women regularly top the lists. I see many women successfully negotiating while contributing to trade law and policy. India is progressing in this regard.

 

Q4. What are the growth prospects in this research field?

Tamanna Bansal: You can excel in the research field.

• After doctoral studies, which are mainly given priority in the research field, many go abroad to study deeper into any specific field, i.e. post-doctoral studies.

• Vertical growth within the Centre/Indian Institute of Foreign Trade ecosystem includes Young Researcher → Research Associate → Senior Research Associate → Assistant Professor / Consultant → Associate Professor / Deputy Director. These promotions are now regular, performance-linked, and many happen within 5–8 years if you have consistent publications and stakeholder impact.

• Lateral movement/absorption into the Department of Commerce- With several FTAs under negotiation or implementation, plus new Joint Initiatives at WTO,[1] the Department needs domain experts in services, digital trade, investment facilitation, and sustainability. Former Centre researchers are routinely taken on deputation as Under Secretary / Deputy Director and later absorbed permanently or into the Indian Trade Service through lateral entry.

• International exposure, top performers get nominated for the WTO Young Professionals Programme,[2] UNCTAD/ITC [3]short-term consultancies.

• Academia & think-tanks- With a solid publication record and a PhD, doors open at various reputed institutions.

• Private sector / specialised practice is also an option, which can be exercised.  

 

Q5. What specific skills from your time at the National Company Law Tribunal have been most transferable to your work at the Centre for WTO Studies?

Tamanna Bansal: From my time at the National Company Law Tribunal (“NCLT”), three specific skills have proven immensely transferable to my current role in the Services team at the Centre for WTO Studies:

1. Deep-dive legal research and drafting under tight deadlines, NCLT, I assisted various Hon’ble Judicial and Technical Members in researching complex issues and drafting orders/judgments under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 and the Companies Act, often producing briefs of the cases listed in court and precedent compilations within 24–48 hours for urgent admission or resolution-plan hearings. That same intensity and precision is directly applicable here when we have to quickly analyze new WTO dispute reports (e.g., India’s domestic regulation disciplines in accountancy or legal services), draft India’s notifications or clauses under various agreements, prepare trade policy reviews on policies of different countries, or prepare background notes or proposal or provide amendments of clauses in Free Trade Agreements for the ongoing services negotiations.

2. Understanding regulatory impact on business and economic outcomes-While researching insolvency cases, I constantly evaluated how legal provisions affect creditors, debtors, jobs, and the broader economy gave me a practical, business-oriented lens. In the Services team, this helps me assess how India’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Policy  (“RCEP”),[4] or bilateral commitments[5] in modes 1–4, actually impact sectors like IT-ITeS, tourism, healthcare and professional services and how we can craft requests/offers or domestic-regulation schedules that protect policy space while remaining WTO-consistent.

3. Multi-stakeholder coordination and translating technical legal analysis into policy-friendly language- At NCLT, I regularly interacted with Hon’ble Members, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (“IBBI”) and statutory regulators, and had to convert highly technical financial/legal submissions into concise, actionable summaries or draft orders for the Bench. At the Centre, I apply the same facilitation, drafting and consensus-building skills when coordinating with the Department of Commerce to formulate India’s negotiating positions.

In short, the NCLT experience trained me to research fast, think commercially, and communicate complex law in a policy-relevant way, exactly the skill set needed to contribute effectively to India’s services trade strategy and negotiations.

 

Q6. With several published papers, what advice do you have for young legal scholars on selecting a relevant research topic and getting it published in a reputable journal? What does your research workflow look like?

Tamanna Bansal: Thank you for the question. Although my publications so far are concentrated in company law, insolvency and e-commerce regulation, mostly based on my work and experience in corporate law. The process I followed to get them published in journals like the RGNUL Financial & Mercantile Law Review and NLU Jodhpur’s Scholasticus is exactly what I now use for trade-law papers. So here is the advice I give young legal researchers:

Advice on Choosing a Topic & Getting Published

1. Start with what you see every day — but add one original angle:- All my published papers came from live NCLT files I was researching and drafting orders on. Instead of writing a generic article on the IBC, I narrowed it down to “How the Chandigarh Bench actually works in real M&A cases” or “How provisions and time limits were interpreted by NCLT, specifically the Chandigarh Bench, in insolvency cases as provided under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016”. That bench-specific empirical insight made the papers immediately original and useful for practitioners and academicians to read.

2. Target good International or National peer-reviewed or student-edited journals first:- Journals like RGNUL RFMLR, NLUJ Scholasticus, GNLU Law Review, Trade Law & Development, ILSA Journal, etc., are respected, Scopus/UGC-CARE listed in many cases, and much more open to young authors. They also give detailed reviewer comments that improve your draft.

3. Always include primary data or case analysis that nobody else has- My strongest papers used orders passed by the Chandigarh Bench that were not widely reported. Moreover, empirical data should be collected and analysis of it should be included in whichever case it is possible, makes the paper strong as it is the first-hand information which is been provided to the readers. Thus, I would say access and systematic analysis equal instant publishability.

4. Write clearly, keep citations disciplined, and respect word limits- Student-edited journals generally don’t prefer long articles or papers. My successful submissions were 6,000–9,000 words, properly footnoted, and written in readable English.

My Actual Research Workflow

1. Topic identification (1 week)- While assisting the Bench or reading law-related material, I kept a notebook for noting recurring legal controversies or contradictory orders and used it to pick one that had relevance and would fill the gap in the ongoing research available.

2. Collect primary material (2–3 weeks)- Identified the audience from where the data can be collected in case of empirical research, and collected the relevant data.

3. Literature review + finding the gap (3–4 days)- Downloaded every relevant secondary material from the website from different authenticated sources and databases, made a spreadsheet of outcomes, timelines and reasoning patterns.

4. First draft (10–15 days, mostly weekends)- Introduction and main idea of research written first, then fill in the rest of the sub-topics and the conclusion of the research.

5. Internal review- Showed it to the people associated with the topic having knowledge of it, or to senior colleagues, for frank feedback and insights.

6. Submission strategy- Submitted to journal (mostly International as well as National, clearly mentioned “not under consideration elsewhere”). Revised and resubmitted quickly when reviewers asked for changes.

7. Post-publication- Uploaded on SSRN and LinkedIn, so that people recognise the work done by you and reach out to you.

So my core advice to young scholars: don’t chase ‘complex’ topics; chase the topic you have unique access to, analyse it rigorously and target the right journal.

 

Q7. What specific legal databases, economic models, or software tools are essential for the empirical research you do? How has the emergence of AI tools affected the process of research?

Tamanna Bansal: My research today is almost entirely India-centric services, digital trade, and investment facilitation, so my core toolkit is very focused. The essential legal & trade databases, economic models or software tools I use literally every day are WTO iLibrary, DocsOnline, and the WTO Analytical Index, I-TIP Services, India’s Trade Policy Measures portal, Commerce FTP archives, and the new Services Export Promotion Council database, OECD STRI regulatory database and World Bank WITS, Manupatra & SCC Online. The other quantitative tools are Excel, UNCTAD services trade data, Stata, and Tableau Public.

The AI tools have changed everything as they help in gap filing or finding out an answer to a question in seconds, which you would try searching for hours. It helps in finding out the literature review of the topic and can help in converting the large documents into summary-based documents for easy reference.

 

Q8. Based on your experience, what is the biggest misconception students have about working in policy and research?

Tamanna Bansal: From my own journey and from mentoring several interns and young researchers, the single biggest misconception students have is this: ‘Policy/research jobs are mostly about reading, writing papers, and attending conferences.

In reality, 60–70 % of the job, especially in a place like the Centre for WTO Studies, is coordination, research, translation, and learning new concepts each day.

Students imagine policy work is slow, reflective, and academic. In government-linked research, it is fast, inter-ministerial, and deeply practical. The research and writing skills matter immensely, but the ability to listen to ten different stakeholders, distil disagreement into clear options and communicate complex law in plain English (sometimes in Hindi) under deadline pressure is what actually moves the file.

So my standard advice to students is: deal with the topic in which you have interest and train yourself early to become a drafter, coordinator as much as a researcher, because those are the real key points which would help in the day-to-day policy area.​____________________________________________________________________________________________________​

Tamanna Bansal serves as an Associate-Legal at the Centre for World Trade Organisation Studies, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, where she contributes to shaping India's trade policies, Free Trade Agreements and participates actively in trade negotiations. Previously, she was a Law Research Associate at the National Company Law Tribunal, where she gained extensive experience in corporate law. She is currently pursuing Ph.D. in corporate law and has established herself as a dedicated researcher, having published multiple papers in national and international journals.