Putting Goa on the global map

Milestones at LawMate.in
# Bagged the finalist prize for Lawards - Innovation in Law award
# Secured second runners-up position at Global Start-up Competition in the field of Law organized by Gujarat National Law University in February 2016
# Has official collaboration with CIBA for assisting entrepreneurs with business legal services since August 2016
# Was finalist to the Berryl Nasse Young Woman Entrepreneur Award 2017 by the British Business Group
# Has signed MoU with Gujarat National Law University, India as mentor to Legal Incubation Centre and assist their student start-ups in May 2017
# Has proposed for collaboration with Economic Development Corporation (EDC), government of Goa and a request letter submitted to the chairman and managing director of the department

She got the privilege to be the first and only Indian who was awarded as finalist to Lawards - Innovation in Law Award at Mexico City. Rachol based Gautami Govind Raiker's one-year-old start-up ‘LawMate.in' bagged the finalist prize on July 20 at Mexico City. "My prize was the free trip to Mexico and a certificate," smiles this 26-year old entrepreneur who topped from Kare College of Law (Margao) and actually lived her dream of becoming an entrepreneur soon after. It was in July 2016 that Gautami set up her own firm - LawMate.in - that offers legal advice to new entrepreneurs who cannot afford to hire a traditional law firm. "I wanted to help those who like me, dared to take the plunge and create their own start-up - LawMate.in as a low-cost legal counselling service for entrepreneurs.
"I wanted to take advantage of my studies and experience and, at the same time, contribute to develop the business fabric of Goa, advising those who, like me, want to start their own business, but cannot access to traditional advocacy for lack of resources," reasons out Gautami who was happy to get an acknowledgement for her innovative initiative in the very first year of its inception.
LawMate aims at providing business related legal services to entrepreneurs at a click of a button, offer effective and quick business legal services at a reasonable monetary value and help in business registration, drafting legal documentation, registering trademarks and auxiliary legal services.
LawMate is involved in business registration (sole proprietorship, partnership), drafting legal documents and auxiliary legal services, company registration (OPC, LLP, Pvt. Co.) and registering trademark. It is a platform for students to think on innovation and entrepreneurship, for knowledge enhancement on business compliance for law students offering start-up-friendly pricing as the founder Gautami is uniquely positioned brining-in prior experience of a TBI and business law Start-up companies.
These unique features made LawMate stand out among the participating firms across the globe. "Using technology we are giving access to justice or service to people in the legal sector. As of now I don't have employees on board. We have law students who are mentored to handle cases of our clients individually. We offer customised guidance," states Gautami who has so far advised more than 60 start-ups through CIBA and out of these 20 got registered in Goa with her help. For one of her client's Gautami has also filed a patent for a new product derived through processing of soybean.
Law Schools Global League created LAWARDS with the support of Ontier, aiming to discover and promote early innovators who are disrupting the legal services industry in ways that help promote the cause of justice of underserved communities. In this first edition, the initiative has truly shown the global need for technology based solutions and the power that social innovation has in the legal sector. There were 20 plus innovative proposals coming from all over the world. Gautami made Goa proud by being the only finalist from India.
Crossing each milestone in her academic career with flying colours, this student of Fatima Convent and Chowgule College showed inclination towards logic. Admitting that she fondly recalls, "I was drawn towards this profession for reasons unknown since childhood and I always wanted to be a lawyer."
While studying law, Gautami climbed the ladders of success one by one - never missing ranks throughout her academic career. Gautami was the recipient of R G Kare scholarship for ‘Academic Excellence Award' for the academic year 2012-2013. She was awarded scholarship and rolling trophy instituted in the name of late Adv H M N Gaunekar for ‘Best student Advocate of the Year' and also awarded Ram Krishna Salgaoncar Scholarship for achieving highest marks in fifth year LLB (HONS).
The brightest star in college, this year Gautami has completed her Master of Laws (LLM) in Intellectual Property Rights. For her LLM dissertation project, she chose the topic, ‘Regulatory Impediments to MSMSs in GOA due to inadequate State action. "I am suggesting a module to the State government to implement single window system for obtaining business licenses hassles free. And also, guidelines on maintaining list of licenses required to be obtained by the entrepreneur (from any sector) in Goa," she briefs.
Gautami founded ‘LawMate.in' officially in July 2016 for providing business legal services to other start-ups. Her brief stint as junior executive at G R Kare College of Law and as project co-ordinator at Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration (CIBA), Verna came handy in understanding the problems faced by common people. She also worked as legal executive at Eclipse Infotech Pvt Ltd at Taleigao for few months but job was not her ultimate goal.
"I worked for some time with Adv Prakash Prabhudessai and Adv Avduth Arsekar too," states Gautami who won prizes in moot court competitions across the country.
"All these exercises helped a lot paving my way," admits Gautami who has become an ideal example for students of law who can try and carve a niche for themselves like her.