(November 29, 2023) Shreya Sharma, founder of Rest The Case, has combined her international education and entrepreneurial spirit to make legal services accessible in India. Her experiences at Cardiff University and Harvard University inspired her to bridge the gap in online legal assistance. Rest The Case, an online legal aggregator, reflects her commitment to simplifying legal complexities and ensuring that legal help is a basic right available to all.
Down Memory Lane
Sharma grew up in Pune, Maharashtra in a large family of nine. She remembers going to the office with her parents when she was still in school and observing them at work. “I was interested in how passionately they solved problems and I saw them working hard on a business they were growing from the ground up. That inspired me to do something of my own,” she tells Global Indian. She went on to study law at Cardiff University in the UK, and then did a course at Harvard University Summer School for International Relations. “These experiences changed my perception about growth and learning,” she reminisces.
Shreya Sharma
Excited about Entrepreneurship
Watching her parents at work at close quarters, gave her entrepreneurial zeal and Shreya knew that when the time came, her path would be one that makes a difference to society. As she studied law at Cardiff, she realised that India didn’t have too many options for people seeking legal help online, even if the help itself is actually available. “Being a lawyer, I have witnessed how troublesome getting legal help could be in India. Today we strive to make the law accessible to everyone, one day at a time and that is where the Rest The Case’s roots come from,” Shreya explains. After interning in Cardiff University’s Pro Bono Cell, she came back to India and started working on her own entrepreneurship journey. As CEO and the founder of Rest The Case, she has immersed herself in learning the nitty gritty of the business world.
Legal Path
Rest The Case offers legal information in their knowledge bank and verified lawyers (who the team cross checks before putting on the website). A client can filter these lawyers based on location, experience, gender, and if required specialisation so that they can find an apt lawyer, ready to use document templates that a client can fill up and use (these documents are created by experienced lawyers). Apart from this they also offer legal news and bare acts so that you can be completely informed when you require help. “We understand how difficult it can be to trust someone with something so sensitive and we aim to keep proving that we are a trustworthy place for everyone who requires the help of law in whatever way big or small,” she explains. All the listed lawyers are divided into niche categories and filters so that when a person is looking for a lawyer, they know exactly who they are connecting with. They can filter lawyers by pin code, to deliver customised results. Rest the Case also offers an extensive legal resource library, which explains complicated legal terms and makes them easy to understand. This content is written by legal experts and lawyers and therefore making it content that you can trust.
Business Acumen
Starting a business straight out of college came with its own challenges. One major hurdle, Shreya says, was that people didn’t trust her easily because she was so young. “But I continued to show them what I had created and why I had created it. I have always believed that actions speak louder than words and I think when I could actually show people what Rest The Case was creating they trusted us more,” she explains. Outside work she likes to play tennis and go to the gym every day, staying active and including a sport in her schedule eases her mind. “I feel fresher and more active after I have done any of the two. I also like to read and I get very excited when I have a new book. I think it is important to unwind. I do however love to put my effort and mind at work because I really enjoy working, but these things keep me active to keep going,” she avers.
Looking Ahead
Her advice to aspiring young entrepreneurs is simple. “I think what I have learnt is that you should believe in yourself and your work. Only when you believe you can do something will you be able to do it. Same is for the business you are creating; you must believe in your idea and know why you are creating whatever it is you are creating. When you think and believe that your idea will solve its purpose you will be able to create something to resonate with that idea,” says Sharma. Looking ahead she believes that being dynamic and agile in the changing times is the need of the hour. “We wish to incorporate newer variations of the law so that our clients can get the best of what our legal system has to offer. Mediation is a growing field in our legal system today and is slowly becoming a mandate that courts impose on cases. We are designing a mediation feature on our platform to help clients to take up mediation in a systematic and organised manner. We are creating a podcast that will help people understand the nitty gritty of legal information along with our lawyers that are part of Rest The Case. This will help people know about what is happening in the country and what the law says about those things,” she concludes.
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