A lot of people in NLUs are there on loans, and a lot come from middle class families. You don't have to worry about interning only in Bombay, I personally have never been to the city, and I still had a good outcome from college. If you maintain a good rank, you will also be able to cover a certain amount of your expenses for internships as most tier 1 firms pay 10-15k for internships

If you can put in your best, the roi is genuinely unbeatable. Moreover at least the top three NLUs have good funding for moots, adrs etc, so it would also further open up your opportunities both across the globe. Do your work diligently, and the opportunities available to you will be unparalleled. Always remember you have earned your place there just as much as anyone else, and anyone who cares about your financial background this much is probably struggling with something of their own

Don't drop out dude, there are scholarships for these things, you can reach out to people for paid internships as well as early as second year, people don't hesitate to support T1 NLU kids as much as they would for other colleges. The loan, though sounds liek a burden rn but will change your trajectory faster than anything else would if you're going to a T1 NLU. It's worth it.

Let's face it:

- Knowing English + French/Spanish/German + Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Arabic gives better employment prospects than knowing English + Hindi + Tamil/Telugu/Bengali etc.

- People should only be able to speak a smattering of Hindi or Tamil or whatever: not read or write it. And just a basic vocabulary of 100 words: enough to speak with servants, drivers and delivery boys. Because we are in an era when everyone speaks with each other in English.

https://www.ndtv.com/education/cbse-makes-three-languages-mandatory-for-class-9-and-10-from-july-01-11503874

wow, what a journey you've had! Your hard work paid off. Congratulations...Getting into a decent law firm also is a task today... Any pointers? How did that work for you? I'm a first generation advocate too, with 2.5 years of PQE in civil and commercial litigation + commercial infrastructure arbitration. I am looking to switch now because current workplace both personally and professionally is toxic, absolute worst! Working for a dumb and lazy senior is disappointing! Would love to connect to discuss a few things...

A second year here from one of the T1(s) mentioned by OP. Currently I have batch rank of top 5 and some good publications + 2 moots.
Have done 1 NGO internship, 1 internship in a botique lawfirm and 1 under CGSC at Delhi High court.
What else should I do to increase my chances ?

This ^ there are plenty of non-nlu people in tier-1 firms and at the top of the profession in general. Your hard work and character will outshine any college in the world. Focus on giving your best in college and make sure you develop good communication skills and have a good command over the language, these things go a loooooong way (and don’t forget to have some fun along the way - you’re young!). You haven’t been defeated yet, this is chapter 1!

You are not a failure, you managed to get into an NLU a T2 one at that, this achievement in itself puts you in the top percentile of legal aspirants in this country. Be kinder to yourself. The resilience you’re showing right now is admirable and an achievement in itself, please please give yourself some credit.

A job doesn’t define your worth as a human being. You’re young, give yourself time to figure things out.

Life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. As long as you’re on your feet, things can always turn around, as long as you’re alive and kicking your world can always change for the better. There are things only you can give to yourself - one such thing is the realisation that you have time, you still haven’t graduated and even if you had graduated - in this tough market there’s no shame in not landing a job immediately.

Just keep going, you don’t have to win everyday - you only have to win once, and the next day could be the one where you find what you’re looking for. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this but it does get better.

Please do consider the advice shared in the other comments regarding changing therapists and including some exercise - as a fellow survivor of poor mental health, these things do really help. Also if you haven’t already, try to broaden your criteria for the jobs you’re looking at - if you’re limiting your search to tier-1s or a specific practice for example then do consider other firms and practices - experience is so valuable in our profession and it’s much easier to switch jobs or practices once you have a job in hand.

Please take care of yourself, your life is more precious than anything else. I would love to see an update from you here down the line when you land a job so that we have the opportunity to applaud yet another achievement of yours. Rooting for you buddy, good luck and I’m sure it will all work out.

I don't want to give you wishy-woshy feel good advice here but all I'll say is this - get to work on something, anything - even if it means working for ₹10,000 a month at a local advocate's chambers. Make do with whatever best you can at the moment. At the same time, prepare for something bigger - maybe the CAT exam. I promise you, the day you stop expecting that something will magically change for the good is the day you actually start on your journey to a better life.

All these things you mentioned are true, real factors. What I'll say is this (as a NLU graduate) - you're packed with a few hundred people sometimes in places far off from cities, away from your family and reduced to living in a bubble. Things become mundane and that is why you also see so many of these students getting into substance abuse. To keep your sanity, you must have some purpose. It doesn't necessarily have to mean becoming a corporate lawyer at a Tier 1 firm. I know of a batchmate who is a successful musician now and who also does run his own practise. It's important that you intentionally try a few new things whenever possible, and have people you can talk to, even if it's just one friend or a girlfriend/boyfriend.

To pass the AIBE you really just need to know how to read the truck load of bare acts which you will take into the exam hall with you. If you know how to navigate a statute using the list of sections present in the beginning, then you are well placed to pass the exam. Of course, try to skim through your law school notes for each subject at least once since questions regarding landmark cases are also asked in the AIBE. It is a very easy exam so you really don't need to worry. The probability of you missing the exam due to oversleeping is higher than the probability of you actually failing the exam after attempting it.

The role of CBI in RG Kar is deeply suspicious. It is not required to obstinately disagree with city police investigation. But CBI stonewalled at least 38 lines of pursuit that were brought before the Cal HC attention recently. CBI didn't even evade, dodge. Just simply kept silent. Apparently some CBI investigator even received a medal for doing "commendable" work in this case!

Why isn't the Double Engine reviewing the role of CBI officers, their call records etc? Also what explains the intense interest of DYC Court to swoop in and after killing time, return the matter to Cal HC when the main case was literally buried for good? Did CJ TVS pay the price for taking the right but inconvenient call on this case?

Gimmick. When Anubrata Mondal was arrested etc and entire network of illegal toll booths involving local bodies was uncovered by TV9 Bangla. But the new state govt merely issued instructions to shut them down. What about penal action and recoveries? Why isn't the state vigilance going after the complicit govt officials? What happened to the illegal rice mills and tax evasions by Anubrata? If AB can invite FIR for making threatening speeches, then what about Anubrata and his abuse of local police and open trumped up narcotics cases? Why aren't narcotic cases getting reviewed by this govt and action taken against those govt officials who pursued malicious prosecution? What about pursuing the trail to political actors who strung up those cases?

If the govt were truly serious then just these 3 IPS officers wouldn't have been suspended. So many health, forensic, municipal etc officials were involved. CBI was clearly complicit in hushing up the RG Kar case. Why this token, piecemeal (non) action?

I have my independent practice, which stands on the strength of the clientele I won through my advocacy and success in negotiations and courts of law. In my over 15 years of practice, I have consistently applied for every meaningful government and PSU panel, only to be told outright to come with a reference letter from no less than a minister or senior law officer, or to try again after gaining “more experience.”

While all this is happening, there are sons and daughters of judges, bureaucrats and ministers running multi-crore law practices sustained almost entirely by Union of India and PSU panel work. WTF, Tushar! Isn't the BJP better than the UPA1/2 in matters like this?

Despite my practice, I still have the time and — dare I say — the experience to do good work with State panel and PSU matters. But alas, in comparative terms, one could argue that I am “unemployed.” It is only natural that anyone in this position and under these circumstances would feel rubbed the wrong way when he or she is equated with a cockroach by those call the shots.

An eminent jurist, whom I will not name for obvious reasons, recently described lawyers in my situation — especially those who also do RTI/activism work (I don’t) — as “cockroaches.”

Earlier, I had my doubts, but now I am convinced that pursuing a career in litigation was a stupid call on my part all along. I say this because, in this country, there are judges who not only test your case on merits, but also on your pedigree and parentage. I would not, for any client’s sake, want to appear, even with a good case, before a judge who thinks I am a cockroach!

Rhetorical question: could this, even partly, explain why certain senior advocates charge tens of lakhs of rupees for hearings that may not even last two minutes? Has the standard of judges occupying high positions been deliberately kept such as to preserve an uneven playing field?

Asking this here because too shy to ask anyone at my firm - currently 29 and an SA at a T1 and planning to have a kid. None of my peers have kids, heck most aren't even married

As a woman lawyer (disputes), how do women manage pregnancies and firm dynamics? Are firms giving maternity leave benefits (I have no clue and have never enquired)

If you get pregnant as an SA, does it affect your promotion chances to PA? are you set back by one year regarding promotions?

How is it to join back? Do people treat you differently?

Any guidance would be helpful

NFSU - A strategic institution for India

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/nfsu-strategic-institution-for-indias-forensic-ecosystem-union-home-secretary/articleshow/131127068.cms

Agreed - time to wise up. Your UK university may not even exist in the near future, rendering any earlier degree completely useless. Imagine having a degree from a university that doesn't exist.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/sep/10/kent-and-greenwich-universities-to-merge-in-attempt-to-improve-financial-viability

Good points. In UK, this is not the first one. Earlier Kent and Greenwich also announced a merger citing financial difficulties.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/sep/10/kent-and-greenwich-universities-to-merge-in-attempt-to-improve-financial-viability

If humanities are losing their lustre (or have already lost it), then what happens to humanities-heavy NLUs in India?

Here’s your answer from the Guardian. The report says King’s will now move close to Yale in the QS rankings, because of STEM output. All about expanding STEM and hacking into rankings.

Cranfield, the smaller, highly focused postgraduate technology and management college that has its own airport.…

Prof Dame Karen Holford, Cranfield’s vice-chancellor, said she expected the combined university to grow as a result of the merger, helped by a boost in international league tables from totalling up KCL and Cranfield’s research output.

…

Because of its size and lack of undergraduates, Cranfield does not appear in most international league tables, while King’s ranks 31st in the influential QS world university rankings. A provisional ranking for a combined KCL-Cranfield projects it to be 21st, close to Yale University.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/may/15/kings-college-cranfield-stronger-together-surprise-merger

As both the comments say, KCL bought Cranfield to bulk up STEM. They will just rebrand Cranfield STEM research as KCL research. KCL is humanities-heavy, apart from its excellent medical school. This doesn’t help its overall rankings, because STEM gets you the big research and citation scores. Also, the humanities departments at KCL have been involved in controversial woke culture wars (Palestine, trans rights, etc). Doesn’t help rankings and drains resources.

Any civil judges who are currently in service/probation care to shed light on

(i) Current pay scale and nature of benefits

(ii) How are the service conditions in cities/towns apart from Bangalore?

(iii) Nature of daily work and working hours, quality of advocates etc

(iv) Any other tips!

Judges from other states are welcome to share their insights pls!

Hii, I have interned once at KCO. Since they mostly have a one internship policy, can i directly ask for a ppo interview? I've absolutely no idea about the process, should i mail the hr requesting them to consider me for a ppo interview or does the firm shortlist the eligible candidates on their own?

As a starting point, stop thinking about it as "ass-kissing" or something negative. It's just building relationships with people and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you don't abuse relationships or deceive people.

There are lots of books, but for eg, try Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. Treat the advice like a skill - and practice it. Just because you watch a Youtube video on how to a bowl a googly, doesn't mean you can do it well (or at all) the first 50 times you do it. But stick with it and I guarantee in two years you'll be places you never thought you would be. But it has to be genuine - as in, genuine interest in other people. It can't be faked or people will sense it.