Lunalisa Potsangbam, Partner at MS Law Partners, brings a distinctive perspective to intellectual property law, shaped by an unusual journey from scientific research to legal practice. With a PhD in Organic Chemistry and a research background spanning natural product chemistry and textile chemistry, she entered the legal profession without any formal background in law or IP. Her first opportunity came with Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan, where her technical expertise became the foundation for her transition into intellectual property practice.

Her journey illustrates how scientific understanding can complement legal expertise. Lunalisa explains that her research background allows her to understand how scientists and inventors think, while her legal training helps her understand what the law requires—and what it does not. For her, effective IP practice is not simply about protecting inventions after they are created; it involves asking the right questions, identifying the real IP potential within research, separating valuable information from what need not be disclosed, and educating innovators along the way.

Technology and AI are also reshaping the practice of IP law. Lunalisa sees AI as capable of handling significant amounts of search, landscape analysis and other heavy-lifting tasks, while emphasizing that lawyers must remain responsible for final decisions. She highlights the importance of understanding AI, staying curious about rapidly changing technologies and exercising caution around AI-generated information and hallucinations. Her perspective reflects an IP profession increasingly positioned at the intersection of law, science, technology and innovation.

Her own defining professional moment came early in her career, when she was asked to analyze a complex pharmaceutical patent involving a Markush claim. She transformed the technical complexity into a clear comparative chart that was subsequently used as an exhibit in the submission, and the client won the case. She describes the experience as a turning point that reinforced her decision to build her career in IP. Today, her message to aspiring IP lawyers is equally clear: strong legal fundamentals are non-negotiable, but curiosity about technology, analytical thinking and an exceptional eye for detail are equally important.

Key Highlights of the Koffee Conversation with Lunalisa Potsangbam

• Entered IP law by chance but stayed by choice, transitioning from scientific research into legal practice.
• Her PhD in Organic Chemistry became an important foundation for understanding technically complex IP matters.
• She views IP as a mechanism that protects, builds and ultimately creates business value from innovation.
• A scientific background helps her understand how researchers think and innovate.
• Asking the right questions is central to identifying the different forms of IP hidden within a single research project.
• Educating inventors, researchers and founders about their IP potential is an important part of effective IP practice.
• AI can assist with searches, landscape analysis and identifying technological or competitive spaces, but lawyers must retain responsibility for final decisions.
• Her early experience with a complex pharmaceutical Markush claim became a defining moment in her career.
• Breaking complex technical information into a clear comparative chart helped communicate the matter effectively to senior counsel.
• The emergence of AI is raising fundamental questions around inventorship, authorship and protection of AI-assisted and AI-generated creations.
• She believes India’s IP ecosystem is increasingly moving beyond simply filing patents toward commercialization and creating business value from IP assets.
• One lesson she absorbed from senior lawyers is the importance of an eye for detail, where even punctuation and individual words can affect claim interpretation.
• For aspiring IP lawyers, she emphasizes strong legal fundamentals, analytical thinking and curiosity about technology.
• Her leadership journey began early, with mentors giving her opportunities to take independent technical decisions and observe legal proceedings firsthand.
• Beyond law and science, Lunalisa describes herself as dependable, hardworking and sincere, with a love for music, planning and her Manipuri roots.

▶️ Watch the full episode on YouTube on The Koffee Conversation Show – The Emerging Lawyer and discover Lunalisa Potsangbam’s journey from scientific research to intellectual property law, innovation and leadership.

🎧 Listen to the complete podcast on Spotify: The Koffee Conversation Show – The Emerging Lawyer and explore the conversation on IP, AI, innovation and the evolving role of the modern IP lawyer.