What is interesting of course, is that the fees/cost of attending have gone up dramatically in the last 30 years - I don't recall the exact figures, but the current fees are what? Maybe 20x the 1990s fees? I don't think inflation has increased by that much in 30 years (of course, the earning power and starting salaries commanded by an NLSIU degree have also increased dramatically in that time which is why people are happy to pay the fees).

Which suggests that the older batches were actually less elite compared to the current batches. There were certainly several people in my (old) batch whose families couldn't afford even the lower rates of those days and had loans or university support etc (most of them have since done very well for themselves and are financially very comfortable).

Why this sort of elitist lutyens romanticism is this

The problem isn't that they liked The Eagles, Ishiguro or The Manchurian Candidate ( I have never even heard of any of these other than ishiguro) Like whatever you want. The problem is treating familiarity with those things as evidence of some superior intellectual/cultural environment, while casually presenting Bollywood, Punjabi hip-hop, K-pop etc. as the stuff that “wasn't there" while also weirdly looking down on them

And honestly, why is “Gautam Bhatia reviewed George RR Martin!! ” being presented like some civilisation-defining intellectual achievement? At least Modi vs Rahul, reservation, Israel-Palestine etc, CJP are consequential political questions affecting millions of people and it should be discussed , if u are an Indian . You can criticise the quality of those debates, obviously, but discussing them isn't inherently less sophisticated than arguing about Game of Thrones or whatever the current epitome of sophisticated TV viewing experience is.

There’s also a weird superior hierarchy underneath the comment: Western literature + Western music + Western cinema = cultured/elite; Indian popular culture = conspicuously absent; contemporary political conflicts = culture-war noise, and dehati low quality ( I have grown up on bollywood, tollywood films and on bollywood music)

That's precisely the mentality that should be dissected more

You don't have to like Bollywood or Punjabi music. You don't have to like Modi vs Rahul debates. But if the blatant absence and disregard of Indian mass culture is evidence that a student magazine was elite and sophisticated and the presence of Western cultural references is evidence that it was intellectually superior, then you're basically reproducing the same elite cultural hierarchy you're supposedly just observing. God how will u try to relate to the greater population of India by discussing about these great cultural icons of the West , the same reason bjp is still chosen by most is because the Congress became this vassal of elitists with Western taste and western ideas ( which even though more secular and modern) just does not resonate with the masses

Being cosmopolitan is great. Treating Western cultural capital as inherently more sophisticated is not cosmopolitanism; it's just another form of cultural snobbery .

My thoughts:

1. Excellent and well-thought articles, poems and reviews. The students really made an effort. Even making a crossword. No ChatGPT back then, so they must have made the crossword manually. Wow!

2. Westernised and elite taste in books, films and music. Bands like the Eagles and the Who, classic films like the Manchurian Candidate and Trainspotting, authors like Kazuo Ishiguro. No discussion of Bollywood movies, Chetan Bhagat books, Punjabi hip hop, KPop etc. You can tell that the student profile then was quite elite (law aspirants were mostly from big cities and also less reservation those days)

3. Gautam Bhatia frikkin' reviewed George RR Martin!! 😮 These people knew about GoT back then!! Holy F!!

4. Someone wrote a poem called FUCK 377. Pretty progressive.

5. The one thing I found strongly missing are the political and culture war issues that preoccupy law students today: Modi v Rahul, Israel v Palestine, caste reservation, etc. Or maybe I just saw the wrong issues?

https://www.scribd.com/user/6383270/avyakto

tbh, i and 4 of my friends gave it, and theres no standardisation, liek at all, i was asked constitution, IP, contract, my friends test had 4 questions on tax, someone else had entirely corp, so to be on the safer side, just do consti basics, tort law, contract, corp, IP, these were the highest % of questions asked

The only thing I would disagree with is the starting statement on 'how many people got it through connections.' Your statement makes it seem like NLS placement records owe their due to personal connections and not RCC efforts. Not sure if you have even been part of RCC or are making it up, but this is simply not true. Almost every internship/dayz hire are through RCC, the ones that get their internship through connections are few and far in between (and in my experience, they rarely convert it to a job unless it's some high up connections).

Only for the LLB graduates. The BALLB folks somehow get special treatment and ends up getting a job. For our batch, firms had a huge bias for ballb students on day zero and even post day zero, the firms that are being brought by career services are also preferring ballbs with low CGPA over toppers from LLBs

I sometimes find myself wondering about the kind of people that NLS churns out year after year. N.R. Madhava Menon wanted to create 'social engineers', and a person surely cannot be called that unless he has at least some empathy for the predicament or suffering of others. Even keeping aside what Menon wanted, all lawyers need to have some capacity for empathy as otherwise you can neither deal effectively with other people nor carry out the role that lawyers must inevitably play in a constitutional democracy. You do not have that bare minimum empathy. Having gone through 4 years (and counting) of NLS myself, I can only say that you have failed the college instead of the college failing you.

Ridiculous bullying by the right wing! They are making the stupid argument that it is an insult to Hinduism and that she would never wear such clothes in an Eid Mubarak or Christmas ad. 🙄

Bro, it’s the traditional dress of Muslim women to cover their head, whereas Christmas is in winter and it’s too cold to wear such clothes.

> Sudhir Krishnaswamy, for his vision and (largely) commendable stewardship. Ik a lot of kids are gonna jump at me, and yes, campus is a mess cuz of all the construction, but he genuinely wants students to learn shit. His decisions to introduce the 3-year and BA programmes will def age well. He's hired some brilliant & hard-working young profs who offer relevant electives, even under the constraints of public recruitment guidelines. As for responsiveness to student concerns, he has shown that he can take decisions with empathy and alacrity. NLS, for (and due to) all its rigour, will become a factory of competent, (mostly) liberal, free-spirited critical thinkers, and frankly, god knows this country could do with more of them. His tenure will ensure Law School remains numero uno, and very deservedly so.
>
>
> (yes, I'm currently a student and maybe biased; no, I don't like bootlicking)

I have already qualified UGC NET in Dec 2025. Currently working as an Asst prof for 35k/ month. I have not enrolled in a PhD yet. I want to do it in an NLU full time one day. I want to give NET again this December 2026. How would it be useful for me in the future? Please guide me.

Such as in speech, dress, food and social norms? Like speaking in polished English, Hindi and Brahmin Tamil? Wearing elite-coded clothes like Nike, Adidas etc? No beef on the mess menu and imposition of vegetarian food? Everyday misogyny, homophobia and transphobia, through overt hate or microaggressions like misgendering?

Before he left, the Managing Partner briefed all Partners other than Tax and Trade Partners (in person for those in Mumbai and the rest over a VC) to explain to them what's happening now and what will happen in future. He made it clear that he will UNDERWRITE the future for everyone staying back for the next two years. He also said he HAS TO go to the US since his son who lives and works in NY is getting engaged. He can't miss his son's engagement ceremony, can he? If your reporting manager or partner didn't brief you properly on all this, ask him/her why?

Our Managing Partner is definitely SANe.

Under Bar Council of India rules, lawyers cannot form partnerships with Chartered Accountants or any non-lawyer. Here we have 50% of ELP breaking off to join Dhruva, a CA firm. Many of the breakaway lawyers are dual qualified - they are both lawyers and CAs. However, one cannot practice as a lawyer and a CA at the same time. Also, many lawyers in ELP's tax practice are NOT CAs. None of the lawyers in ELP's Trade team are CAs. All the non-CA lawyers from ELP who join Dhruva (including the Head of Trade) will be breaking BCI Rules though they may operate under a sham law firm (like PDA Legal) which will be owned and controlled by Dhruva. Someone will file a complaint with BCI, but nothing will happen. The Managing Partner of ELP and his fellow Co-Founder are leading doyens of SILF, and they will continue to lobby against the entry of foreign law firms. Am I the only one offended by this state of affairs?

And in India? 🤔

https://nypost.com/2026/08/24/business/wachtell-is-forcing-out-canoodling-central-park-lawyer-nathaniel-cullerton-after-viral-smoochfest-sources/

Hi Fraternity - I am planning to switch from one of the high paying T1 to a T2 after a year and a half. At my level that firm pays quite low and I dont want such a massive dip. I think they wont be matching the salary and bonus. How are these salary negotiations done, what should I do in a situation like this. My first transition, hence the question. If someone has had a similar experience or can guide me through then it would be very helpful.

Additionally, we can make this one of the main threads for those who want similar / related guidance.

Thanks in advance!

I'm an unemployed 2026 graduate from a t2 NLU. I was extremely committed doing internships at different places throughout my law school. Without any connections, purely through cold emails.

I did a couple of call backs too, but nothing really worked out. It's been 3 months since graduation, and I'm here at my room, without any improvements. I tried hard, stayed diligent. I thought I was enough, turns out I never was.

Whenever I speak about doing stuff professionally, my mom shuts me up saying you only say things verbally and won't do it. My father is very silent and he also thinks I'm a loser, he just don't say it to me. They supported me all throughout, and nothing to blame them. Idk what to do now.

Can you tell me how do I navigate from here on now. I get the part of "not the right place to start at" but I'm grateful that atleast i have a job right now and pays well with good WLB. But I still need an answer, not just hey you started on the wrong foot.

i have enough time to focus on myself but on parallel - i really want some genuine advice on where and when i should make that next step.

When did you switch to law firm / in house? What factors did you took into account? What's your current PQE? Where did you initially started your career at?

If you could answer these, I can atleast make a small corner of this massive jigsaw Puzzle infront me rn - which is have no clue about. Or, whatever path or say personal experience you can share which were a countering factor to make these switches and all.

Thanks

Before You Consider Agama Law Associates, Read This

If you are a fresher or an early-career lawyer considering Agama Law Associates, please do your homework before accepting an offer. The following is a compilation of concerns and experiences that have been reported by people associated with the firm. These points are shared so that prospective applicants can make an informed decision.

- Corporate and litigation are completely separate teams: the corporate practice operates from Powai, while litigation operates from Nariman.
- Compensation is a major concern: freshers are reportedly hired at the Associate Trainee level at approximately ₹25,000–₹30,000 per month. The 12-month traineeship reportedly comes without any bonus eligibility.
- Retention after traineeship appears uncertain: after one year, trainees may either be asked to leave or, if retained, move to approximately ₹45,000 per month. There is reportedly no guaranteed fixed bonus.
- Bonus is minimal: the Diwali bonus is reportedly around ₹15,000–₹30,000—meaning that even after a full year, it may not amount to one month’s salary.
- Limited conversion of trainees: there are concerns that the firm relies heavily on external recruitment and cross-hiring rather than converting its own trainees into long-term associates.
- Internships are reportedly unpaid.
- Work-life balance is poor: there are reportedly only 22 leaves a year, with Saturdays being working days. Taking leave—particularly around long weekends or travel—can reportedly invite direct questioning from partners.
- Micromanagement is a serious concern: work is closely monitored, and trainees are reportedly required to attend early-morning matter-update sessions on multiple days each week, sometimes around 9:00 a.m., which can interfere with existing deliverables.
- Salary progression is slow: if the reported ₹45,000 salary continues through the second year and the subsequent hike is capped around 20%, an associate could reportedly be at only approximately ₹54,000 per month by the third year of PQE, before deductions such as TDS.
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- Time entries are reportedly altered: there are concerns that billable hours entered by associates may be reduced by senior management, potentially presenting to clients that work was completed in less time and at a lower cost than actually recorded.
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- Capital markets exposure is limited: if your objective is to build a serious capital-markets practice, note that the firm’s work is reportedly concentrated largely around SME IPOs. Do not assume that joining will automatically provide broad exposure to mainboard IPOs or sophisticated capital-markets transactions.
- Mandatory events can come at a cost: employees have reportedly faced salary deductions for not attending firm events, including events scheduled on Sundays.
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- Promotion reviews can be particularly discouraging: employees have reported that promotion discussions can become highly technical, with minor mistakes being disproportionately highlighted and overall competence questioned. The perception among some employees is that these reviews are used to justify delaying promotions or limiting compensation increases.
- Leave culture is reportedly inconsistent: there are allegations that senior personnel take multiple international holidays while associates continue working, and that leave requests may be difficult to obtain. Employees have also reported being placed on demanding matters immediately before planned vacations, resulting in work spilling into their leave.
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- Even basic workplace amenities may disappoint: employees have reportedly been expected to use milk powder rather than fresh milk for tea/coffee.
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- Offsites are reportedly far from relaxing: employees have described long sessions involving personal disclosures, mandatory early-morning activities such as 6 a.m. yoga, and limited recreational activities. There are also allegations that employees are expected to bear various expenses themselves.
- Particularly concerning are allegations surrounding offsite “face-reading” sessions: it has been alleged that face readers have been brought to offsites and that partners have personally discussed individual employees and their perceived potential with them. Prospective employees should consider whether such practices are consistent with their expectations of workplace privacy and professionalism.

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As an RGNUL alumnus, this was hard to hear. There were always obnoxious kids in this Uni who were mysogynestic and highly problematic, but clearly the standards have fallen further. If the Uni does nothing on this (which would be characteristic), some authority somewhere should just pull the plug on Ragnool.

Without going into the specifics of Saraf, IMHO law school and law firm story will slowly get over. Not just AI but law firms have enough and more people now. Lawyers from past 3 decades continue working in these firms and unfortunately revenues have not grown significantly. Saturation point has been reached. Only way law firms can continue hiring is by cutting cost - either retire senior partners or cut down on salaries for all.