The bitingly humorous, the inspirational, and the plain useful make up our picks for three best comments this week. And then there is the honourable mention, for the benefit of the males of the species.
Comment of the week: Some can act, some can sing and dance, while others master the art of pulling those actors, singers and dancers out of the BigLaw closet, this reader applauds.
NLSIU, AMSS alum pens elegiac ideas novel baring hard-hitting truths of law firm, college life
By wise guy — 26 June 2012 at 13:57
So that's Amarchand associate #765242324 that has got fed up of law and pursued an alternative career because of working too hard. Surely, the Shroffs deserve praise for bringing out the budding writer, dancer, singer, actor, politician, chef and sportsman in so many lawyers?
2. There are no shortcuts to hard-work, says “Mid-Tier Law School Alum” calling for the company of newer law schools’ graduates at work. Are the juniors listening?
CNLU improves placement record with LPOs, AIR, law firms, as faculty fumbles figures
By Mid-Tier Law School Alum — 26 June 2012 at 01:32
I'm an alum of one of the mid-tier law schools and responsible for hiring interns in my firm. I've been reading a lot about the law school rivalry. My opinion is mixed...
These new law schools lack quality in huge numbers. Some of the students are really bright and they are the ones who end of being placed..some of them will just find their way into decent law firms in a couple of yrstime..that happens - it took me 2 yrs to make it to the top tier. That happens when u are in the initial batches. Infact, the fight is increasing for the initial batches.
I see students from the top tier as well and what sets them apart is the rigour of law school. That is the sole thing lacking in the new schools..the ones placed (by placed I mean in good places) are the ones who struggled through the five years - both because of dejection that the rosy picture of law school that they had was wrong and fear that if they rely on college, they would have no where to go. These are the ones who have fire in their belly!!
The students of these new law schools lack the capability to work hard and slog it out...
Trust me people, every firm would love to give PPOs..it takes a lot of time, energy and money to conduct campus interviews otherwise. But the problem is that we don't get quality interns from the new law schools.
My advise to my friends out there in the relatively new law schools: please develope perseverance and patience to sit down for long hours. Don't be foolish by being complacent about life...I and many others out there would love the opportunity to work with you guys, but only you need to learn HOW to work hard!!
Good Luck and God Bless!!
3. LI ed Kian Ganz gets scammed by notary; reader helps and produced handy notary rate-chart-cum-fresher-guide for everyone’s reference
The Mint-LI Column: Lawyers, propagating the worst aspects of Indian bureaucracy
By Limited cost — 26 June 2012 at 14:59
Notary charges vary, but at most lower court complexes a notary would charge 10-20 bucks to bless a document. Add another 50 bucks tops for the chap who’ll insert your name on their template and print it out for you. So 50-100 bucks should do it! In the future, just approach one of the numerous boards announcing “NOTARY” in big letters. And if it helps, even Indian lawyers get duped often by that bunch – so no need to feel too bad about it.
On a separate point, do not trust them with your original documents ever – they may affix their “photocopy attested” stamp on your original and argue that they stamp countless colour photostats everyday. And of course, you cannot complain about it to any authority.
And… In this week’s honourable mention, a reader points out anon blogger Dude Diligence’s trademark and unabashed sexism with an all-male cast of three law firm stereotypes, which could have warranted a blog post of their own.
FEATURED: The 5 Stereotypes you meet at every law firm
You missed -
Creepy dude - sad sack who could never get a girl to talk to him at university. Now leers, hovers and sits extra close to young pretty women who are compelled to work under him. Particularly likes to go with them for meetings and DDs outside the office. Likes telling really bad, often inappropriate jokes to these young women so they have to turn their grimaces into something that passes for laughter.
Gasbag - Rushes around the office trying to look important and sound important. Sits such that you can see that he has a cool laptop or cool shoes.Pontificates about derivatives, the economic crisis or anything else that is in vogue. Depending on whether he thinks that swearing or being propah makes him look cooler, he punctuates all his sentences unimaginatively and loudly with his swear/ politely offensive word of choice
(and interns will sometimes place bets on how many times he will use this word in a 5 minute monologue). He's also the sort who is always telling you how well he is doing, how much he is earning, how he just got a raise and how high profile partners/ clients love him. The gasbag is always a prolific name-dropper.
The Toad - This one is loserdom personified. His only skill is mastery of sucking up. He will go to the managing partners' office with an ingratiating smile, and often even offerings like his wife/ mother's handmade jalebis. He's always begging people for a 'chance'. He is always very bad at his work but very good at passing off interns/ junior associates' work as his own. He's rather good at surviving until he decides to back the wrong horse.