Less than one month ago a financial daily caused a stir in the cozy Delhi capital markets world after reporting that the selection of law firms in the disinvestment of Coal India Limited and Engineers India Limited (EIL) had been discriminatory, alleging political nepotism. But as so often there is more than meets the eye.

One year ago Legally India kicked off the project of bringing independent full-time coverage to the Indian legal market. In that year Indian lawyers and law students saw more changes than ever and for the first time these were documented in real time.

Almost 900 articles, breaking news stories, features, opinions and blogs, nearly 6,000 reader comments and 1,000 forum posts shone a light on the inside workings of India Law Inc and law schools.

In that time many stories have come full circle. We look back at the top stories of the last 12 months, where they have gone and where they might go, starting off with foreign firms, new kids on the block and best friendships.

“Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.” The old saying that can be illustrative in the career success stories of many women, and perhaps few places more so than of female lawyers at the Bar.

“Law was often looked at as a marriage degree - three years in law, then you get married,” recalls AZB founding partner Zia Mody about women’s views of a legal career 30 years ago. Since then law firms have gradually fought the profession’s gender bias, arguably more successfully in India than abroad. But there is still a long way to go.

After two months of travels through Maharashtra and Goa, ALMT Legal partner Hitesh Jain will try and break into the local Bar Council elections tomorrow (7 January). But despite Luthra & Luthra partner Vijay Sondhi’s recent Bar Council win in Delhi, this state is going to prove to be a far tougher fight to win.

“It’s a very important milestone in the evolving debate,” says Amarchand Mangaldas Mumbai managing partner Cyril Shroff about the Bombay High Court judgment. “Its ramifications will be analysed over the coming weeks by all concerned.”

But so far the analysis has yielded little in the way of certainty and the sparse judgment has become a reflection of individuals’ hopes and desires, as well as an ill-fitting receptacle for the status quo.

Amarchand Mangaldas has been increasingly turning to the UK and Ireland for talent making three innovative hires in recent weeks alone. So what is the Shroffs’ game plan? Is Amarchand spreading its wings to turn into a global law firm?

“Imagine life without books, without having anything to read. Wouldn’t it get suffocating?” asks Moiz Tundawala, a visually impaired student at NUJS Kolkata.

A number of engaged lawyers have been working hard to address the suffocation by trying to make books accessible to all in the Right to Read campaign.

Putting together a law school conference is hard work. Increasingly law students are taking matters into their own hands and doing it, as the pay-offs for the school and students are tangible.

Practising lawyers have largely expressed support for AZB & Partners and Justice R.V. Raveendran’s shock recusal in the Ambani brothers’ dispute, although several have questioned the timing and causes of the decision.

Are you dreaming of becoming the next Zia? India is the world’s only major legal market where you can still do more than just dream.

Legally India has asked more than a dozen legal entrepreneurs for their advice on how to live that dream.

“If you feel if you are not able to achieve what you want in larger firms with larger brand names, there is enough work to sustain and flourish when you set up on your own,” claims Lex Counsel’s co-founder Dimpy Mohanty.

For an Indian firm, going under the wing of an international firm is not necessarily as appealing as some might suppose and could even be downright dangerous.

Long delays in recovering fees has become an increasing a problem for law firms whose clients are caught in the credit crunch, most recently preventing FoxMandal Little in Delhi from paying some of its staff their salaries.

“Lock-up is a big issue for most firms these days in particular collections on long-overdue invoices,” says Kerma Partners legal consultant Friedrich Blase in New York and adds: “It’s become harder for firms to collect on the work produced.”

India’s new government could be the springboard for the country’s legal system to scale new heights.

The recent Indian elections saw a decisive win for the Congress Party, the stock markets rally, the various economic growth forecasts adjusted and the ­rating agencies ditching their gloomy ­outlook for the country (see ‘Elections’ box).

The optimism within the business ­community here is so heartfelt and the belief in the new government so strong, it is ­reminiscent of the first month or so after Barack Obama’s election victory in the US.

Nevertheless, the data for the start of the year makes for depressing reading. India, much like the rest of the world, has suffered in every major sector (see ‘Figures’ box). The country, as ever, faces incredible challenges.

But amid those challenges, even though they come with a long wish list of demands from their old but newly emboldened government, Indian lawyers are also seeing great opportunities. In India, it is business time.

India needs to enhance its arbitration offerings and overhaul its courts’ processes to give its backlog of cases any chance of closure before the year 3000.

A trip to the neo-Gothic ­Bombay High Court is an entertaining experience that should be on every visiting lawyer’s travel itinerary. Once past the sandbagged machine gun emplacements outside, loosen your tie and spend a few hours wandering about open-air corridors between throngs of locals, hundreds of offices with unfathomable purposes and court rooms filled beyond bursting point.

Also spare a thought for the unfortunate litigants, who will most likely not find the experience as enjoyable.

The running joke in India goes that, if you litigate here, your sons and daughters will inherit your dispute.