In the fast-paced, narrow and unacquainted avenues of legal practice, few shook the legal corridors. They contributed in their way, just like Devina Das, the Founder and Legal Advisor of That Unconventional Lawyer. A name on everyone’s lips in the legal corridors of India and beyond, Devina is the embodiment of a law firm that is modern, elegant, and strategically astute, one that traverses boundaries, breaks moulds, and defines what legal assistance is and should be.
As the founder of TUL, Devina has not only reshaped the boundaries of legal consulting for startups and multinationals but has also raised the bar for how leadership, technology, and empathy can combine into a potent force for industry change. Her work is a testament to what happens when legal acumen marries business fluency, and when both are applied with subtlety, rigour, and imagination.
The Beginning: Where Law Met Curiosity
Devina’s path into law was not strictly the path of trade; it was a course founded in a deep inquisitiveness, and through which the aspects of all circles of knowledge and schools of thought were filtered. “I’ve always been interested in the way that legal systems drive entrepreneurship, policy and innovation somewhere else,” she reflects. Her initial fascination with the intersection of law and business rapidly turned into a professional focus on accuracy, equilibrium, and direction.
What sets her journey apart was not so much that she studied law, but how she put that education to use. Instead of pursuing traditional litigation or large-firm corporate work, Devina identified an unmet need: commercial, strategic, and relevant legal services in a high-growth business context. That realization evolved into building TUL, a solution crafted for international startups, scale-stage companies, and in-house legal teams in need of jurisdiction-specific and detail-rich advisory services.
Her motivation is a conviction that law, when used thoughtfully, can actually facilitate growth, rather than simply stand as a gatekeeper. That culture established a blueprint for the remote-first, global legal consultancy, focusing on precision, flexibility, and strategic foresight.
The Philosophy Behind TUL’s Success
The three TUL principles are centred on accuracy, adaptability and optimizing technology solutions to meet business needs. These are not buzzwords; they are woven into every transaction, every advisory situation, and every piece of litigation support the firm undertakes. “TUL is where the practice of law is not a silo, but an integral part of doing commerce.”
“We don’t see legal advice as decoupled from commercial results.” “Each clause, each filing, each strategy is crafted to move the client’s operational and strategic goals.”
It’s this commercial fluency and legal depth underpinning TUL’s methods, whether creating contract systems that work across jurisdictions, navigating the regulatory landscape of nascent industries, or providing litigation-ready documents to bring to law firms, that makes it unique. It’s a blend that has won them clients across geographies and industries, from SaaS startups and fintech companies to social enterprises and digital platforms, along with this team’s way, a culture rooted in rigour, responsiveness, and mutual respect.
Another thing that distinguishes TUL is its cooperative ethos. And so it is that, working on an outsourced basis, the firm is truly “plugged in” to the business, serving more as an advisor and business partner than a simple vendor. And it is this position that has allowed it to forge long-term relationships across sectors, securing repeat engagements and trust in a splintered legal world that doesn’t come easily.
Adaptability by Design, Not Necessity
Unlike many companies that operate on the fly, TUL was designed with agility from the ground up. Operating under a remote-first, process-driven model, the firm delivers frictionless service across time zones and diverse legal regimes. This enables lean yet high-powered operations, where responsiveness and quality are not at odds, but are instead in harmony.
Flexibility at TUL is not reactive, but systemic. “Our platforms are built to connect regulatory tracking, knowledge flows and jurisdiction-specific workflows. It means we’re not just fast, we’re structurally capable of handling complexity,” Devina says.
In a space where jurisdictional specifics can break deals or delay litigation, TUL’s ability to execute across borders is its real edge. That sounds pretty complex. The company relies on standardized, modular systems, ensuring that legal solutions grow with the company. Whether clients are moving into new territories, entering into joint ventures, or establishing licensing models, TUL supports them by providing a scalable, strategic, and compliant legal structure.
Leadership Rooted in Mentorship and Strategy
Why one of Wall Street’s leading dealmakers thinks leadership is more than banishing fear. Devina’s philosophy of leadership runs counter to its legacy of building institutions based on hierarchy. At TUL, leadership is not measured solely by tenure, but by clarity, ownership, and reliable execution. “I’ve consciously developed a small, efficient team where everybody has their little piece of the territory and is proud of accuracy,” she says.
At a remote-first company, collaboration is no accident; it’s highly intentional. The TUL team works through structured touchpoints, shared document systems, and strict feedback loops focused on quality without micromanagement.
What’s especially distinct is Devina’s mentorship-through-autonomy approach. She urges her team to tackle challenging assignments, immerse themselves in the client context, and shape their commercial mindset. The outcome is a team that is not only legally skilled but also business-literate —an invaluable combination in cross-border work.
She adds, “Client satisfaction isn’t about over-servicing or under-promising. It’s about alignment, anticipation, and trust. Our clients know that we’ll not only meet their needs, but also highlight what they haven’t thought of yet.”
Navigating the Balance Between Law and Client Expectations
TUL is adept at transforming legal limitations into an organized space for agency. And the most significant of these is distinguishing between high-level commercial objectives and detailed, enforceable legal strategies that can withstand challenge in all jurisdictions. This is particularly important for early-stage and scale-up organisations working in regulated or emerging sectors.
“Clients come to us with very ambitious, time-bound goals. Our job is to turn those ambitions into legal strategies that make sense,” Devina explains.
When it comes to advising, that means creating documentation that is clear, actionable, and scalable. In litigation, it’s about the procedural rigour one can put in place and how to manage evidentiary flows and filings to fit the jurisdictional quirks. And the commitment remains throughout: legal accuracy without being dull to business.
TUL’s litigation support is particularly nuanced. In addition to drafting and research, the team assists in developing case strategy, recasts pleadings to match procedural needs, and ensures internal consistency for documents. This strategic value provides a true benefit in bet-the-company matters and distinguishes TUL’s approach to support from more cookie-cutter outsourcing models.
Building Sustainable Legal Systems
Sustainability is no longer a soft value; it’s a legal obligation, a business priority, and a company task. Devina and her crew fully embrace this and weave it through their legal advice.
From the use of sustainable sourcing clauses to the introduction of ESG-linked contract conditions, TUL advises our clients on how to integrate environmental stewardship into the core of their legal infrastructure. This includes areas where sustainability is not (yet) legally binding but is unmistakably becoming a legal and reputational risk topic.
Lawyers should assist their clients in preparing for a world of increasingly strict environmental governance.” When my instincts rise, I think accordingly, and that is where it starts, that you anticipate rather than reacting,” Devina elaborates.
Inwardly, TUL is a reflection of these virtues. Its low impact and digital model reduce operational waste and allow the entity to grow responsibly. Adopting a ‘remote-first’ model is more than just an opportunity for flexibility; it is an architectural choice, aligning the business with low-resource, high-impact consulting.
Technology as Infrastructure, Not a Tool
TUL embeds technology into every aspect of its service delivery. From document management solutions and cloud-based collaboration platforms to structured workflows and data compliance processes, it all hinges on technology as the foundation of consistency, scale, and security.
“We’ve built the organisation to work across jurisdictions. Systems is what it takes beyond tools,” says Devina.
Now, you can achieve end-to-end version control, quicker turnaround times, and live updates for your clients, allowing you to move away from old-school ways. For cross-border issues, this efficiency is not merely helpful; it is a necessity.
Furthermore, the use of secure systems by TUL enables clients to search and access, at a secure level, organized archives of past work, making “legal memory” an asset rather than a headache. It’s legal delivery for the digital age.
Legal Systems in a Digital World
From e-contracts to virtual testimony and digital evidence, the legal world is changing, and TUL speaks the language of digital jurisprudence.
“We deal with clients in tech-heavy industries. Whether it’s platforms and compliance, digital transactions or decentralised systems, we are creating legal age-old principles that work for the new age reality,” Devina adds.
Even litigation support has been forced to adapt. TUL maintains support for virtual filing and remote affidavits, incorporating procedures for both users who will have access to digital courts and those who do not. Not only does this expedite the turnaround process, but it also helps maintain the procedural integrity of ASC meetings in non-traditional environments.
The legal world is changing, and TUL isn’t merely adapting to that change; it’s helping to shape how contemporary legal systems operate in our digital world.
Gender Inclusion – Beyond Representation
As a female founder in a male-dominated space, Devina’s approach to inclusion is strong and practical. TUL’s organisation systematically removes many of the obstacles that women encounter, from presenteeism to unclear career paths.
“The backlash against my efforts to make law firms more accountable. We’ve tried to flip that at TUL, not just policies, but culture,” she points out.
She also coaches women lawyers on how to present themselves strategically, not only in terms of legal skills. From handling tough feedback to speaking up in high-stakes situations, Devina coaches young professionals on career-defining moments that law school often fails to adequately prepare them for.
“The goal isn’t to make women fit in, it’s to create systems where they can thrive without having to conform,” she adds.
Advice to the Next Generation
Devina offers clear and grounded advice for young lawyers, particularly women. Don’t be afraid of being different. “Law is vast. And if there is no path you want, create it. There’s also room for tech-law and policy advising, as well as global consulting. There is no rule to follow the mould to be successful.”
She emphasises that competence must come first and confidence second, but both are crucial. “Being rigorously prepared and executed will get you a lot further than performance will ever get you,” she says. And also maybe most importantly: “Never remain in places that don’t respect what you do. Respect is the floor, not the ceiling.”
A Vision of Success
Looking to the future, Devina’s vision for TUL is one of silent greatness and longevity. She seeks to expand the firm’s work in cross-border structuring, litigation support, and scalable advisory systems for high-growth companies.
However, scale is not an end in itself. “We are refining, not broadening. Each new project should demonstrate the same level of clarity and consistency for which we are known,” Devina Das says.
She also still takes an active interest in mentorship, including personally reviewing individual work, steering team members, and working to mould the next generation of thoughtful, commercially balanced lawyers.
“If we can continue to make work that’s structurally strong, strategically right, and quietly admired, then, in our mind, we will have succeeded.”
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