Hello everyone. I graduated from a private law school and have been working as an A0 with a boutique firm since the past 7 months. The work exposure is decent in respect of PE/VC and Gen Corp, however there is no M&A related work. The pay is around 11 lpa and this is not in Mumbai. I like my team however, I have an education loan to pay off and need to help my family with some ongoing medical emergency related expenses. Due to this, I desperately need to switch to a higher paying firm to try and help with managing these expenses.

I wanted to ask all the learned folks here as to whether there will be a discounting of experience and will I be given lesser pay if I switch to a Tier one firm as an A1. Additionally, I have some international moot accolades and good publications. So should I mention these on my CV? I would really appreciate it if someone could guide me, especially wrt what all I should keep in mind if I want to switch to a Tier 1. Thanks a lot!

You need a JRF to get your foot in the door. Today every tom, dick and harry are applying for a PhD without any reason. Just to pass time. So it's better you get a JRF or don't do a PhD without stipend. Even NLUO is better than NLUD since it's provides a 30K stipend to its scholars. NLUD gives it only to the topper of the merit list i.e. one student.

Not worth it. If you can then work for a few years maybe 2, then apply abroad. In the meantime work on the topic you need to research, start publishing and see the criteria for PhD abroad. You don't need to focus on US or UK. You may try at others like Germany, Netherlands, Belgium etc. Having done my masters abroad I can definitely say that doing a PhD abroad is much more appreciated. Drop thinking about doing a PhD from Indian universities.

Mumbai -

Tanu Banerjee (KCO) - Advertising, M&E

Ranjana Adhikari (SAM) - Gaming

Arun Prabhu (CAM) - IPR, Data, Technology

Aparna Gaur (Trace) - TMT

Anu Tiwari (CAM) - Fintech

Nandan Pendsey (AZB) - IPR, Data, Technology, Life Sciences

Kirti Balasubramaniam (Trilegal) - IPR, Data, Technology, Life Sciences

Ishan Johri (KCO) - M&E, IPR

A0 @ T2 firm. Most partners and senior associates are fairly good. While there’s work pressure at times, toxicity isn’t the norm. However, I absolutely despise most of my fellow associates. They’re nothing but a bunch of rowdy, uncultured men. Most of them gel well together but I can never chime into such a group.

What is the way forward? This is definitely one of the reasons why I’ve been contemplating jumping ship.

Asha Agarwal & Associates.

I don't know who they are and what they does, but have seen them on league table beating all other firms in deal count.

I was an A2 at a Tier 3 firm but I left work due to health issues. I specialize in SME ipo work. Now I am rejoining the profession and have landed 3 job offers with roughly the same amount of money. All offers are in Delhi.

Which law firm should I join?

Please share insights about the work culture and atmosphere

Hi! I just saw an Instagram job posting by Delhi based lawyer-influencer @advocate_anugya. I’m keen on a good break in litigation and would like to know if this law firm is the right place to begin. Also, what kind of matters are they doing in Delhi and Mumbai? Is this a chamber like establishment or is it a firm like Khaitan & Co that offers career progression? Where’s their Mumbai office?

I have studied law at a college outside karnataka. I want to enroll in Karnataka bar council. My home state is Karnataka and I have studied 1 to 12 in Karnataka. Karnataka bar council have made the process very difficult for students who have studied law outside the state.

First, they told that they will not enroll and later agreed to accept the application . They told me get verification letter issued from the college. The university sent them the verification letter. Now it is almost 4 months and they have not done the enrollment. I have went many times to ask them about status but they always tell ki they will decide in few days. A few days back they told ki they will put the details on website but nothing is updated. They told that there are 85 students who have studied out of state and decision to enroll them is pending.

There is november judgement from Karnataka HC which states that Karnataka bar council has to enroll students outside the state.

Further, they have put nlu, Jindal and symbiosis in the online application and only students who have not studied from these institutions and studied outside the state are facing problem in enrollment.

I feel the only way lies to get enroll in other bar council but transferring will lead me to mess where the bci in its meeting has to approve it and I need to get noc.

Can anyone suggest what should I do ?

Hey! So I have interviewed twice with LL and given one written assignment round and now I have gotten a call for another written assignment round. Is this standard? Bec it seems kinda strange. + I wanted reviews of the firm (esp litigation) so that I could make an informed decision if I would be jumping through so many hoops

You’re right about the inevitability of generational change, but in this case, there is a strong link with politics. Barring a few like Vikramjeet Banerjee, NLSIU alumni are overwhelmingly pro-Congress. In some cases it’s because of ideology, in some cases it’s because they and their parents are beneficiaries of the Congress (children of certain bureaucrats and academics).

I think other NLUs missed a trick by blindly aping NLSIU’s left-liberal worldview. This means that their alumni are in direct competition with NLSIU when it comes to receiving favours from the Congress and other opposition parties. Too many people lobbying for the same opportunities. Too many dogs fighting over the same piece of meat. Had any of the other NLUs cultivated the BJP and developed a right-wing ecosystem, their alumni could have formed their own niche, developed their own monopoly.

JGLS should use a group chat.

And as someone who has worked with SM, it would be unwise and very harsh on someone who has given his heart and soul to MCS.

If anything, it was petty politics and the insecurity of other (will not name names) that led to SM leaving.

Firstly, not all his cases are reported, so you don't actually know if he loses "all his cases".

Secondly, most of what get reported are political cases.

Thirdly, he's at a stature where you engage him when you know it's a very uphill battle or a lost cause. And therefore, the fallacy lies here: does he lose all his cases, or does he get cases which have very slim chances of success to begin with?

I've noticed people I was mentoring lying. Liars get careless and end up sending the CV to people who know they didn't actually show up for the internship or didn't actually do the work. I never touched or helped the person again. Luckily for them, they don't work in my exact area so no one asks me about them but you can burn a reputation pretty fast. Much better to be know as the person who did the work and reinvented themself after messing up in law school.

If you're from a bottom-tier college, your grades don't matter because no one trusts their grading anyway. People are looking to see if you are bright and have a good work ethic. That's what you want to be known for.

As someone whose really struggling to find just how to personalize without sounding stupidly overconfident and inflating their actual knowledge - could you tell how to write a 'damn good cover page - for niche practice areas or specialized areas to a firm'. I have a few publications on that front as well if it helps.

Hi, I am from BO27 (T1 NLU, top 25 ranks); however, I don't have good internships. I have one T1 internship, and the rest are decent chambers. I have two T1s lined up in the coming months before day zero. I am concerned about Day Zero due to the decreasing number of opportunities available. Do I have a realistic chance in the coming months to convert my internships into a PPO? With only 6 months remaining until Day Zero, what should I do in my T1 Internships to convert them? What should I do in my T1 internships to convert them?

Prosecution can be decent money and decent work life balance. Branching out, options are limited in house. Litigation is significantly tougher, including due to insane work hours and need for being available at all times. Harder to get into that routine at later stages in life. IP related transactions are good paymasters at T1 but again, hectic deadlines.

Been taken negativity by most people across the bar and bench. Weekends are usually reserved for substantive drafting and reviews and administrative work with some little personal time. Friday nights used to be the best part of the week. Now that matters are likely to be listed for hearing on merits on Saturdays as well, expecting faster burnouts.

Personally know someone who started out as an intern and later got hired in the Delhi office IP team. GPA doesn't matter at all, its about how much your seniors like your work and enthusiasm to learn. Also depends on whether they are looking to hire at a particular time. Take your chances, nothing to lose.

Is it fine to niche in a practice like B&F as early as the 3rd year of law school? How will it impact the trajectory later in the career wrt laterals? Also, consider that I have come to like it from my previous internship experience.

Alt Question: What should be done to strengthen my CV to improve employability in this area of law specifically, as it is one of those subjects which is very sparsely covered in law school.