Ashish Padhi: The Main Strength of the [Indian] Market Is, in Terms of Legal Tech, Still Nascent So There Are a Lot More Opportunities

Ashish Padhi of Legodesk Technologies Pvt. Ltd..

Tell us about yourself?

I have carried with me the attitude of problem-solving and entrepreneurship since my younger days.

With an Engineering/Law background, I have worked with organizations and teams of various capacities and weaknesses that have helped me shape the way I work and deal with people.

A true believer in “small actions make a big impact”, I always look for problems that need solving.

That’s why, I and other co-founders worked on the automation issues that the third pillar of democracy faces- the legal industry.

What lessons has being an entrepreneur taught you? 

Well, the biggest lesson for me is that you have to trust your gut.

While management gurus teach us that everything has to be backed by research; which is not in any way a wrong concept; however, you might not have the resources ready all the time and hence, you need to do your study and figure out a way that seems most feasible.

For this, you need to have a reliable set of people with whom you can brainstorm and who can guide you on your approach.

If you could go back in time to when you first started your business, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Stay closer to your customers. Sometimes, they have larger issues than what we think might be important to them.

This will help you in finding the most painful problem statement of your customer segment.

A lot of entrepreneurs find it difficult to balance their work and personal lives. How have you found that?

To be honest, I do not think I have cracked the secret to work-life balance yet.

However, I have accepted the fact that there will be days when I have to make amends and probably compromise the way my day is slipping out of my hand.

Thankfully, I have that support from a personal angle which allows me to be a workaholic when it is needed.

Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?

The idea behind Legodesk is inspired by my personal experience and driven by my inherent problem-solving qualities.

The idea was thought of when my family business was entangled in a legal dispute. I saw the first-hand challenges for a person non-versed by law and legal procedures were huge.

This was the moment when I decided to build a solution for those who have faced these challenges.

So, Legodesk started as a blog in 2016 for legal issues to help those who couldn’t afford legal consultants or didn’t know about different legal technicalities.

In 2018, the first version of Legodesk was launched as a cloud-based legal management platform. Now, we are at a stage where we are working with leading NBFCs and law firms to streamline their legal automation operations.

What do you think is your magic sauce? What sets you apart from the competitors?

There is no secret sauce except our approach. We are engineers turned Lawyers which largely influences our perspective to approach the challenges our product solves.

When working on a problem statement, we emphasize more on the root cause of the problem and find solutions to them by keeping costs, simplicity, and scalability in mind.

The standout for Legodesk is the unified approach that helps users and legal teams bridge the silos between their processes.

As a cloud-based integrated software for legal teams to automate their practice, Legodesk world for the niche of NBFCs, Fintechs, Banks, Digital Lenders, and law firms as it helps streamline the debt recovery process; a use case where we shine compared to others.

How have you found sales so far? Do you have any lessons you could pass on to other founders in the same market as you just starting out?

Sales is difficult in any industry but especially when it comes to legal tech, you have to speak the language- both to sell and to show you know your game in the legal industry.

My past experiences working as an intern and a practicing lawyer for a short stint helped me in identifying the challenges clients face which in turn shaped our product.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced so far in your business, and how did you overcome it?

The difficulties of launching a business are well-known. Entrepreneurial issues are diverse and unlike anything that you’ll encounter as an employee at any company.

In Legodesk’s case building the team, raising funds, and getting the initial customers were the main challenges.

Penetrating in an industry where there already are so many reputable players but so little understanding of technology makes it an uphill battle.

However, as we slowly navigate, with the help of our current customers and a passionate team, we are making steady progress.

What do you consider are the main strengths of operating your business in India and the specific state you are in over other states in India?

It is a double-edged sword. The main strength of the market is, in terms of legal tech, still nascent so there are a lot more opportunities.

But, as I said, it makes it difficult to make a quick impression as well. However, when we step out of our state and move to Metros, we see a lot of people appreciating our platform and giving us valuable feedback that makes us strong.

What (if any) are some weaknesses of operating your business within India and your state?

It is a double-edged sword. The main strength of the market is, in terms of legal tech, still nascent so there are a lot more opportunities.

But, as I said, it makes it difficult to make a quick impression as well. However, when we step out of our state and move to Metros, we see a lot of people appreciating our platform and giving us valuable feedback that makes us strong.

If you could operate your business in another state in India rather than the State you are in, which state would it be and why?

We have plans to soon expand and set up an office in Bangalore; solely because of a healthy ecosystem of prospective clients, talent, and resources.

India has an incredibly diverse population. How has the affected your consumer base and business?

We have plans to soon expand and set up an office in Bangalore; solely because of a healthy ecosystem of prospective clients, talent, and resources.

Infrastructure is really important to businesses. How have you seen India’s infrastructure improve recently? Do you see new opportunities opening up?

There is no denying that without proper infrastructure digital platforms like us find it extremely challenging to find their audiences. With the penetration of the Internet in both Tier-3 and Rural parts of the Country.

We plan to set up an Online Dispute Resolution centre across the country which will truly make legal services accessible to the masses.

What do you want to accomplish in the next 5 years with your business?

Legodesk is simple to use and can be readily extended to all stakeholders. Being a SaaS platform, the platform is quite all-encompassing and offers A-grade integrations for legal teams to adapt well.

We have plans to be the leading legal tech provider for every business that works with users directly on a transactional basis- including, eCommerce, NBFCs, fintech, etc.

And finally, if people want to get involved and learn more about your business, how should they do that?

This has not impacted companies like ours whose larger expenses are towards talent compensation and developing human capital.

However, imposing tariffs will definitely be a tricky situation for us when we plan to expand our geographies beyond India where these protectionisms might be reciprocated.

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