Hi
I am a Civil Judge myself. Its been around 2 years I am in the service and I pretty much understand the curiosity around lifestyle and pay scale of a judicial officer, work life balance, pros and cons.

Work Life balance
See, the initial 1 year is going to be a bit hectic as you will be learning everything from the scratch. Starting from the functioning of how exactly a court works to how to handle the advocates to handling your court staff, reading hefty files in Hindi, to handling other court administrative work. You will be the master of your court. Everything might feel intimidating at first because you won't be hanging with people your age, you will be ordering people of your fathers age. But once you get hold of such things its a cake walk, trust me. Most of the things are repetitive. So work life balance is a solid 4/5 here.

Stress/Workload
There's stress and there's workload but its all about time management Once your learn that most of the things are doable. I would give it a 3/5 for stress.

Family life/Social life

Family life ain't that great here. I literally have to wait for the weekends to go out, eat junkies and meet my friends and family. I make a list of everything I need so i can go for grocery shopping in the weekend. As a judge you can't socialize a lot with general public. I have been given strict instructions to avoid going to this famous salon near my house and not been caught eating pani puris in public. I am crying while writing this.
This is by far the biggest con of the service. If you are someone who loves to go out and make friends you should consider joining this service.

Job Security

My job comes with great security until and unless you are caught taking bribe. Still better than the corp sec for sure.

Pay

I earn around 1,50,000 a month which is more than enough considering I am posted in a tehsil.

Holiday

15 days vacation (summer+winter)

13 Days CL

3 Days OL
30 Days EL

Protocol

Judiciary has a lot of protocol. Boy, I can have a whole rant session on that but lets leave it. Its strict man, its strict.

Conclusion

You chose your battles buddy. If your priorities are having a stable life, money which comes with a cost of living in a tier 3 city or may be village and you are okay with not socializing a lot. This service is great. Oh one more thing, judiciary gives sooooo much respect man, people salute you and respect you all the times.

Bang on. Probably also explains why the members preferred not using Sechthey as AoR and **** irony overload *** chose Trilegal instead to represent them (a firm that runs on the steam of associates and partners, many of whom will probably never get a Delhi Gymkhana membership in their lifetime, even if they paid the ₹20+ lakhs and waited) 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Dynasts zindabad!

That tracks. DRAMS is a supporter of Rahul Gandhi, after all !

It will take more than just a movement to dislodge these inept dynasts. Their tentacles are deeply entrenched in the system. People are either beholden to them or in awe of them. The exceptions merely prove the rule. This explains the latitude they enjoy, especially in the courts, and why some lawyers charge upwards of ₹18 to 20 lakhs per hearing, payable in advance, mind you, while others charge a few zeros less, payable only after a minimum 60-day delay, in tranches, and with at least a 30% discount, all of which you learn about only after the fact.

And if only the chamchagiri stopped there.

In a recent hearing before a certain court/tribunal, I watched a counsel with over 17 years of experience roll out the red carpet for a designated senior advocate, one who appears before that forum regularly, who needed an adjournment to fend off multiple provable perjury claims. This junior counsel did not even oppose the adjournment despite holding all the cards. In fact, they actively helped the opposing side and said, “last chance,” with a sheepish smile. That sort of generosity no doubt earns a pat on the back, and perhaps a future client referral from the senior.

The lesson? Our systems are deeply fucked, and Trump, for all his shortcomings, was not entirely off the mark when he described India as a “shithole” country. In many respects, it is. The evidence lies in the numbers. We are not only losing our brightest minds from NLS, the IITs, and the IIMs; people who can afford to live abroad are leaving in unprecedented numbers.

Ever wondered why someone like Virat Kohli might prefer living overseas rather than in one of his villas or apartments in India worth hundreds of crores?

That should tell you everything you need to know about India and about us Indians. The sharp and disproportionate class divide has little to do with Congress vs BJP “misrule”; it points instead to a deeper corruption in our values as Indians. We rape, pollute, shortchange, and kill our own in the name of class, caste, and religion. We feel no shame in using institutions like the Gymkhana, which, before Independence, banned “dogs and Indians” - to signal our social superiority over those without such memberships.

Which is especially rich considering these so-called clubs pay a pittance for land that would otherwise fetch several hundred crores in rent alone.

So, yes, I won’t miss the Gymkhana. I would, however, have preferred the DDA taking it over and running it like Siri Fort. But honestly, anything is better than the status quo at this point.

Audit should also be done of the various "artworks" done using state funds such as the eyesores "designed" by the former CM and those she inspired. One got removed recently from the Salt Lake stadium. An inspired Bose installed a Messi which is now swaying to be a further disaster. He also installed several questionable "gates". Salt Lake islands are dotted with "inspired works"

These need proper audits because funds from MLA LAD and state finances were involved. Also like to know which inspired lot were the beneficiaries of this largesse beyond the smokescreen called PWD, WEBEL and ilk

What about initiating a serious investigation into the PSC and College Service Commission scams? And the former CM herself mentioned that there was a massive recruitment scam in the Forest Dept under her own minister Rajib Banerjee but all was forgotten when he the prodigal son returned.

Also what about the Fire and Emergency Dept scam perpetrated ▮▮▮ and later ▮▮▮?

Kamduni files will likely open. Victim family and friends meeting new CM on Monday. Interestingly, one of the suspended IPS officers, Vineet Goel, was CID honcho handling this ghastly incident. Later Phiroze Edulji who was actually the defence counsel in HC named Goel as "the man" who single handedly ensured the deliberate burial of Kamduni case. Prosecution did the rest.

All the regime friendly police officers at all levels and their ilk in the state administration, prosecution and even judiciary should be exposed. No persecution but definitely prosecuted wherever evidence is strong. Departmental proceedings at least to begin with and not the meandering variety.

I don't know how long the state BJP will be able to stonewall the eager beavers. They have municipal and panchayat elections coming up.

Also the eager beavers, chameleons are in talks with Congress. Green may implode and a significant faction may join up or "return" to Congress. That's a headache for BJP

The new govt has directed audit of all cooperative banks in the state. Good move. Would have been better had they got NABARD and RBI involved. WBAS like other state services have been hollowed out by the Greens so not sure whether they will clean the pipes well.

But yes we shouldn't just have a regular audit. But a forensic audit.

I remember that The Statesman then still fighting strong had done a series on how the Left was refused loans by PSBs for purchasing state transport buses. Then a big lot was bought via various WB based cooperative banks, which were led by Left apparatchiks. It was a scam but no one did much because everyone was involved. Greens furthered this trend when they took over

At least write your query as if you're not half drunk! That's the least you can do while inquiring about serious matters like internships. If you can't do even that, then why would others take your query seriously either? To answer your question, Dialogue takes interns every month. However, they don't always respond to the applications unless they select the applicant for the next level of scrutiny.

how’s the disputes team in mumbai office in terms of work culture & environment?

also how are the team members and partners to work with?

i heard mentors are assigned to interns how are they?

is it worth travelling to mumbai for the internship experience, or is delhi better?

Made a big mistake at work :(. So i work in this firm we all have different clients assigned. So for one of this client i was appearing in district court of delhi, filed vakalat, WS and affidavit of submission/denial, all good then due to some issue this matter got deleted from my internal MIS. Due to i didnt have record of this matter and didnt appear in subsequent dates for like 3-4 hearings. So the judge passed order and our defense is now struck off. Currently the other opposite party's evidence is going on.

Now this is like one of the most premium client of our firm which pays big but recently relationship between the client and our firm has not been much good. If this thing gets our that their defense is struck off and proceedings are running ex-parte, my partner will surely fire me and id be left without job so i cant even tell him about this.

The client doesnt have inhouse legal so they havent figured it out, and issue is i dont have any SA, PA like other associates in my firm, as i directly work with Partner so can only report to him. But i can never reveal this to him.

So what can i do, i know i can file Order IX Rule 7 app. to set aside the order but would this even work after multiple absenses in dates and defense struck off. I fear the judgement be passed against us as our written statement and arguments wont be considered.

Without this job i wouldnt have anything to earn, really made a big mistake, any thing i can do without firm knowing about it? If even application is allowed how much cost may court impose as i would have to bear it out of my own pocket.

Hi, as the headline says I'm doing banking Litigation Inhouse, and dealing mostly with retail loan recovery related work, dealing with laws like SARFAESI, RBB Act, a tad bit but not much of IBC, Arbitration etc.

Need genuine advice on how to go about it and names of firms where it will make sense to switch atleast for a stepping stone?

P.s if you get the urge to says don't switch or something similar, please quit! Thanks!

Considering interning with the competition law tea at indus law, delhi in my 7th semester (october 2026). Please share any leads with respect to conntact or any other advise if it is worth the experience and from a hiring pov. Alternatively, is the dispute resolution team at the delhi office better in terms of hiring?

Hi guys! Sorry for the noob question, but I just graduated and I’m trying to get into litigation. Friends and family sometimes hit me up with random legal queries, and I’m often not sure about the answer right away (though I can research it and follow up).
How do young lawyers handle these chats when you’re not confident on the spot? What do you actually say so you don’t come off like you know everything and give false hope, but still reassure them you’ll look into it properly and get back?

Any practical tips would be great.

I think I can relate to this. Having been out in the field for two years, what I can say is that you'll learn to distinguish your personal and professional life and that you'll gradually be able to speak and interact confidently whenever required professionally even if you remain shy on the personal front. Whenever there are high stakes involved with repercussions being felt by third parties, the added responsibility will help put whatever fears and apprehensions you have at the back of your mind to ensure that your responsibility and duties to your client and colleagues is fulfilled properly. At least that's how I deal with it. Plus, avoiding any sort of overthinking will help a lot.

Related threads:

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/283017-dealing-with-social-anxiety-in-law-firms

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/415924-can-an-introvert-make-it-in-big-law

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/229578-introvert-x-law-am-i-in-the-wrong-field

"As a first step, and in response to the Prime Minister’s suggestion, SILF members have unanimously resolved not to undertake any foreign leisure travel during the current summer vacation period. While recognising that lawyers and staff in law firms deserve a well-earned break during the summer vacations, SILF noted that national interest presently demands that expenditure on foreign travel should be avoided."

Report foreign travels here.

Swati does data only on papers. She only manages the team. Anyone who has worked with this team can confirm this. Same goes for litigation as well. She of course appears before courts but the real work is done by others.

Great place for money. Average place for IT learning. Bad team for learning litigation. Very high attrition at junior level.

Trying to get a rough idea of the current PPO trends across law schools.

Would appreciate if people could share:
• College, Total PPOs secured so far, Firms offering them.

Would help everyone understand how the market is looking this year.
Anonymous responses are welcome as well.

You’ll see repetitive names here and those Chambers are highly difficult to get into.

Join any decent lawyer with mix of HC-District Court practice, preferably junior of a reputed senior (helps to get reference to the senior ultimately), work for a couple of years and move up the ladder.