Meet our new faculty member | Smitha Krishna Prasad
June 28, 2021
NLSIU extends a warm welcome to Smitha Krishna Prasad who joins the University as Assistant Professor, Contract Law. Smitha holds an LL.M. degree in International Legal Studies from the New York University School of Law, where she was an International Finance and Development Fellow, and a B.A.LL.B. degree from Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Her primary research interests focus on issues around privacy, data protection and surveillance.
We asked her to share more about her interests and her work.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself/your background?
I am from Bangalore, and grew up in the city. After completing my Master’s program, I worked in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice at Nishith Desai Associates. I’ve spent the past few years working in research, and prior to coming to NLS, I was Director of the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi. I am also a Senior Research Fellow at the Digital Asia Hub.
What are your main areas of teaching? How did your interest in these areas begin?
I am starting off with Contracts. My work has largely focused on technology law and policy, and more specifically on the right to privacy. I’ve spent a lot of my time on the various kinds of arrangements that tech companies engage in, with their users and the several other organisations in the industry – first learning to read and draft these agreements, and then trying to understand the impact that they have on human rights. I am keen to use that experience in the classroom. In time, I hope to be able to teach courses that also deal with the many other aspects of technology and human rights that I’ve worked on in the past few years.
The importance of your chosen subject – Contract Law:
Contract law is a foundational subject for any law student. It is key to understanding how the law treats private / commercial arrangements. At the same time, given the number of products and services we consume on a daily basis in this age, contracts are also a part of everyday life for many of us. Irrespective of the path a student chooses in their legal career, they are likely to engage with contracts and contract law in many different forms, and I’m looking forward to working with the students at NLS on this subject.
Your thoughts on starting your teaching journey at NLS? What are your plans ahead?
I’m excited to be here, and look forward to engaging with the faculty, staff and students, a process which I’m sure involves as much learning as it does teaching. I hope to be able to work with the research community here at NLS, and build on my experience in studying the impact that technology law and policy has on individual rights and our society.