Indeed Non other than Pandit Ayush Gaur or Ayush Pandit…😎 He's like the GOAT of investigative journalism in India! This guy's been uncovering scams, exposing corruption, and bringing about real change with his fearless reporting. From hardcore crimes to politicians and bureaucrats, no one's off-limits for him.

His investigations have led to landmark judgements in the Supreme Court, and he's widely recognized for his work. Students from top media colleges are following him like a guru, and it's not hard to see why. There's even a viral video of university students wanting to become investigative journalists just like Ayush Pandit – it's inspiring to see young minds looking up to him as a role model 💪.

With his team, Pandit Ayush Gaud has done some game-changing operations, and it's clear he's making a real impact in the field. If you're into journalism or just want to know what's really going on in India, Ayush Pandit is the name to watch 🚨.

If you want to have a taste of the work done by Pandit jee here is a link of a rare podcast that will give you goosebumps.

https://youtu.be/xKKT1FsMt-U?si=g9Itw9fgAGLctTqj

Wanted some insight into what is the exact career trajectory for an individual who decides to pursue a career in a practice area like derivatives law.

I understand it is a niche practice and that there may be only a few large companies that engage in such transactions. I also presume they do have their own teams that handle the derivatives contracts such as ISDAs CSAs, GMRA, and CDEAs and hence there may be only a handful of firms in India that specialise in this practice.

Additionally what is the scope of working in roles in organizations such as Société Generale, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche bank and other companies that do have various legal roles in this particular practice of law.

Would like any insight on this practice area.

i recently learned that most Tier 1 and 2 firms give internships through connections and i found it surprising, i use to think that getting an opportunity through connections was possible for less paying/prestigious stuff and that big firms would not engage in this kind of stuff since having possibly incompetent workers could attract disrepute at best and ruin them at worst. obviously i was wrong in assuming this but i want to discover the true extent of my naivete

The team once earned a reputation for quality, professionalism, work-life balance, and more. However, it has now devolved into a chaotic, non-transparent, and unreasonable environment. I still appreciate my colleagues and some of the partners, but the issues are being driven by higher-level partners. Below is a list of the key problems; feel free to add your own thoughts.

1. Irrational, Non-Transparent, and Disgraceful Bonus System

Under the previous policy, those who recovered 6x their salary were awarded a 200% bonus. For instance, someone with a salary of 20L + 5L who recovered 1.5 crore would receive a 10L bonus. Now, the bonus has been capped at 100%, meaning many people earned less this year compared to the last. Current Senior Associates are receiving more as A3s than they did last year. The company expects no complaints because, apparently, we don’t have families to support, loans to pay, or vacations to take. It’s a clear kick in the stomach. To those at other law firms: SAM Competition Associates are now available at a discount.

2. ▮▮▮

▮▮▮

3. Nepotism and Centralized Decision-Making

Nepotism is rampant at the top. There are people in key positions who rarely show up to the office, yet we’re paying them from our billing. They make decisions without consulting other partners. We've heard other partners complain about these so-called collective decisions, but no one has the courage to speak out. Nepotism trickles down from the top, filters through the middle imparting knowledge, and continues down to the coming A2s. The only partner (female) who had balls to take our stand left in 2024.

4. Strict Ban on Work-from-Home (WFH)

There’s now an absolute ban on WFH within the team, as the partnership doesn’t trust their employees. One of the three verticals has imposed this ban with no flexibility. Instead, people are forced to take leave so the firm doesn’t have to sponsor WFH. It’s both frustrating and demoralizing.

5. Mandatory 9:30 AM Clock-In Policy

The new 9:30 AM clock-in policy was introduced after an associate was late to an impromptu internal meeting. Partners, however, can enter at any time as they supposedly work around the clock. My colleagues often work harder than partners, staying up late into the night or waking up at 6 or 7 AM to prepare drafts. Then, we’re expected to be in the office, on time, at 9:30 AM sharp.

6. ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮

One ▮▮▮

7. No Retreats

Self-explanatory.

If you do not have money, do not go to Japan or US and pay us instead OR pay us out of reserves OR pay us out of senior partners’ salaries because they do not even come to office. At least pay us what you owe – no more no less.

My lovely colleagues, I hope you can leave soon. New joinees, please don’t, you will easily get better pay and environment at someplace else.

Hi. What is the average salary for an in-house counsel in banking? Please let me know for 0-4 yrs of experience, 5-10 years of experience and 11-15 yrs of experience for understanding the market trends, considering a Nalsar/NLU or GLC graduate. Please help since I am assessing an offer from Axis Bank with 10 years of experience and 13 lpa offer.

I want to place on record my serious doubts and reservations that you used it merely for "proofreading". That implies that it helped you sort out subject-verb agreement, spelling issues, wrong usage of homophones and other syntax issues. The way that some language has been used here indicates otherwise - the word patterns of a few sentences, the way sentences have been begun, etc, indicates a writing-style quirk common to many AI programmes that throw out a lot of product per day.

I am not doubting your ideas or experience, however. Just stating the fact that the labour you put into writing this is not proportionate with the expectations you have from people - to give up their time to read and respond to it, and additionally that your doubling down is even more unhelpful to your advocacy of what is actually a very worthy and important cause.

https://www.reddit.com/r/clat/comments/1s32gqt/cnlu_patna_vc_faizan_mustafa_slapping_cnlu_student/?sort=new

What was the reason if any one from boys hostel can confirm the same?

Hi, mid-ranker from T1 NLU here. With the current corp job crisis, I'm evaluating options beyond the NLU->Corporate pipeline. Was thinking about primarily litigation/disputes focused firms known for having a non-toxic work environment and decent renumeration. Places like P&A, Tuli, Zeus, Phoenix, Touchstone etc. Would appreciate any help in this regard, and advice as to where to intern, places that are hiring, teams that might be opening up etc.

this argument collapses the moment you think about why reservations exist in the first place. sc/st reservations are a constitutional response to systematic exclusion from education, property, and public life. the logic is: the playing field was never level, so you can't just say "top 1000 ranks" and pretend that's neutral. you can disagree with whether reservations are the right tool for correcting this. fine, that's a real debate.

but NRI quota has zero comparable logic. there's no historical exclusion being corrected. there's no structural disadvantage being addressed. the only thing that qualifies you is that your parents have money and live abroad. that's it. one is a policy rooted in social justice (however imperfectly implemented), the other is just buying a seat and calling it something else. equating the two isn't a gotcha. it's just conflating completely different things.

A3 at T1 (Mumbai) - ~55 Lakhs with ~35 in equity (ETFs, direct stocks) + ~16 in Mutual funds and remaining in cash. I am not from Mumbai, so rent and cost of living has eaten up a lot of my salary. I think my Delhi counterparts would have saved atleast 80 lakhs because of low cost of living.

I interned at Ikigai Law late last year and had a really positive experience overall. The work environment is quite professional but also very approachable. People are generally open to discussions and feedback, which makes it a good place to learn.

In terms of work I got exposure to a mix of research and drafting. The assignments were meaningful not just routine tasks so it helped in building a solid understanding of the subject areas the firm focuses on (especially tech law, data protection and general corporate). Overall, if you’re interested in hands-on experience, it’s definitely worth considering.

I am in a T2 NLU, 6/10 sem. Got decent grades, moots, and some publications, interned at Chambers of Gsanks, Ms. Katju, and some other seniors in commercial, white collar crime, arb and tax. I got these internships entirely on my own. I am a first gen, no one even in the distant family is in law. Got no connections through college or school seniors. I am an introvert, I talk when someone initiates, but I always get the work done.

Choosing law was a sudden decision, and now I am in a position where I do not know what to do with my future. I would have liked to join some law firm or some chambers, have been sending in applications for the last 3 months and haven't even secured an internship for july. I research firms, partners, and advocates, read about their work and articles, and send personalized mails. My friends who secured T1 internships were always through some connections. It's tiring to question your worth with every application. It has started to feel like a mind-numbing task.

I was able to crack some good internships previously, got an upcoming internship at the Chambers of Mr. Datar. I know that I am capable and deserving. I stumbled into an associate from a previous internship, and she was excited to meet me, and kept appreciating me and the work I put in during that internship. But I still get overcome with the feeling of being worthless.

I am not sure about choosing one practice area, I want explore. But I feel like if I want a stable job in hand after graduation (which I really really want) I need to focus on one practice area. I want to map out some way to land a decent paying job before I graduate, and hopefully in some chambers.

I would really appreciate it if someone would share how they navigated a similar situation, and secured a stable future with a job or practice area that interests them.

Your caste, more often than not, will prove to be a deterrent to your progress—not so much because of how the world is, but because of the insecurities you may carry with it. Generational disadvantage often translates into a poverty mindset, which can be difficult to dislodge without reading widely and engaging with sharp, thoughtful minds. Your surroundings matter.

This is often compounded by substandard education, which is itself a significant hindrance. If your sentences are not properly articulated or punctuated, you risk being confined—by circumstance—to the lowest tiers of opportunity. Ask yourself: is my writing clear, precise, and capable of leaving a strong impression on a reader who might otherwise be inclined to help? Use AI. It has democratized access to tools for self-improvement.

There is no simple solution to something you are born into, other than dropping your surname entirely or adopting something more generic. Many have tried, with limited success. Those attuned to caste markers are often quick to see through such changes, or shameless enough to ask for clarification if in doubt.

It is a matter of fact that upper castes tend to have an advantage in age-old professions like law, particularly in litigation. Your caste background, however, may carry less weight in full-service, tier-one firms—especially within non-litigation or advisory practice groups. Aim for those opportunities—they tend to reward ability more consistently and offer a comparatively smoother path for those who can demonstrate merit.

So AI might embellish.

I’ve said it didn’t, in this case. You’ve acknowledged that, and then returned to what it might do, marking my post “contested” and your ad hominem attacks “featured.”

At this point, the moderation, purely as a matter of impression, looks less like a check on accuracy, and more like a way to preserve the status quo.

No worries. That tells its own story...

Btw - I used AI to proofread this response as well :)

All of this is fine to preach on social media forums. But when you practically go to litigate and say this, they will laugh in your face and throw you out. Why would they pay 20k to a fresher when they weren't even paid a penny ? Why would they pay 20k when they get someone for 10k ? Why would they pay 20k when they don't even pay anything to interns ? This 20-30k BS flies only for high earning Delhi HC or SC lawyers. Which also relies heavily on connections. So keep preaching this BS here, and not fight for the rights to minimum wage for young advocates with the governments.

But if we get into it deeper, NLS, NLUD, NALSAR are the only ones that can be considered an out and out law University. No one looks at the others and says oh yes they are law Universities. IITkgp is an IIT first, DU is more commerce, arts and humanities than law first, symbiotic is more MBA than law first, Jindal definitely is know for its law school but that's not the only school that carries it's reputation. So in the end, we should focus more on the "actual" law Universities and not universities that have a law department.

Exactly lmao. Most of these guys are apologists for a system built on circumvention. Neither are actual applicants "nris" In a true sense and nor does comparing them to caste quotas help their arguments. Caste quotas are still grounded in merit, with the idea being to propagate equity through affirmative action. Now someone explain to me which part of the nri quotas have either "equity" Or "affirmative action". If clat really is that " Luck based" (I disagree, clat being luck based is a fiction propagated by unprepared students who believed their superior english would carry them through) then why not give everyone a second chance; why only those who can afford a 12 lpa fees???

Tuli records my worst experience yet. ▮▮▮ vapes in team meetings, and senior/principal associates of the coverage department cannot handle differences of opinion professionally. ▮▮▮ Even if you work 12 hours a day, you can't leave before Neeraj Tuli leaves. ▮▮▮ withhold your stipend ▮▮▮

I don’t know why other NLU students are silent. They should support him.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tnnlu-student-refuses-to-take-down-blog-critical-of-supreme-court/article70778920.ece/amp/

I gather that it is standard for the T1 and some T2 law firms to discount experience when an experienced candidate is moving from another firm. How many years do they normally discount? How does the compensation aspect translate? Do candidates find it embarassing when they are taken on at a lower designation than their peers?

This means:

- NIRF heirarchy of NLSIU>NLUD>NALSAR is reinforced.

- Tier 2 status of NUJS, NLUJ, GNLU and NLIU confirmed.

The tier 2 colleges can either throw a tantrum about this, or critically introspect why they are behind. In the case of GNLU, financial help from the Modi government has not translated into faculty quality. In case of NUJS, successive corrupt admins and apathy by the TMC government have downgraded the college from tier 1 to tier 2. In the case of NLIU, one corrupt VC is all it took to sink the college, along with a stupid government decision to open a second NLU in Jabalpur and spending funds there instead of helping the present one.

Finally, the problem of TLC-educated VCs not hiring good NLU alumni faculty remains a problem across the board. Sudhir Krishnaswamy and C Raj Kumar are the only contrary examples. In SK’s case, he has in fact systematically weeded out the TLC deadwood.

My guess is that the survey is sent to HR managers. For IIT KGP or Symbiosis, an HR manager at Microsoft or HSBC may upvote all departments and take a holistic view, but for NLSIU or NLUD, he or she will only upvote law.

That said, Symbiosis has a large alumni base with many Senior Advocates, lawyers at foreign law firms etc. So good reputation on its own.

Ultimately, we're a lot of people competing for too little. Another problem is the sheer neglect en masse, despite being a large population.

You'll have to compete with these multi-gen faces, who already have aplenty and are positioned to take away more. But you seem like a wise old-ish(?) Chap with a creative legal brain. You'll fight bigger battles. Hope you win.

Alongside, one makes peace with what they want and have, in the materialistic sense. This is the greatest struggle. And it seems like the coming waves might not sustain all lives.

Listen.

You're going to get hit by rampage of folks who talk about "merit". Truth is law firms are nepotistic and generally like their own kind. It makes sense commercially too as it aligns with who their clients are. In effect this means there are caste barriers. Expect people who drink the cool-aid to say no.

Diversity even for progressive firms is limited to gender or LGBTQ. This aligns them with foreign firms and some foreign firms had hard vendor codes on diversity which extended to the Indian law firms they worked with. This means indian firms adopted DEI on a very American and British understanding of it.

Speak about caste or even religion, prepare to see raised eyebrows. Dont think this forum will help you get the botton of your question.

This post will get drowned out.

Thanks for clarifying, no offense was intended.

Unfortunately AI rarely just proofreads and has a tendency to embellish and bullshit and sensationalise, which makes readers attuned to it doubt the perhaps authentic experience behind the post. Most would surely be happier to see an unproofread post than the sloppy AI writing that seems to have flooded the entire internet (and we generally aim to moderate responses criticising posts' spelling or English level as trollish).

Not really as most have that one ragging or failed attempt of which’s story. And it’s fun and laughter thus not becoming antithetical. With my batch passing this year, this sentiment is mostly phasing out.

Essential thing is, there is no malice and there is no force used. The first question asked by the roughest looking person would be “bhai tu comfortable hai? nahi hai toh chale ja koi zaruri nahi.”

About the za, there used be a time when it was like the Wild West. But these days, especially being new student, be careful as Telangana’s drug law enforcement is on steroids.

- Jindal: #1 in India for 7 years in a row, but a big jump from #78 in the world to #35 in the world.

- NLSIU: Again ranked. Also a big jump in global ranking, from #201-250 band to #101-150 band

- NLUD: Debuts at 201-250 (where NLSIU was previously).

- NALSAR: Debuts at 351-400

- IITKGP, DU and Symbiosis also feature

Here's a detailed analysis of parameters:

- JGLS scores well in H-Index in citations and a good rating in academic reputation. Jindal pushes profs to publish in Scopus journals and they get good feedback from QS surveys sent to foreign universities, because of their tie-ups. This is their hack.

- NLSIU is ranking solely on the strength on employer reputation. Possibly good feedback from foreign law firms and MNCs, who were sent the QS survey.

- Ditto for NLUD and NALSAR.

Thus, faculty research at Jindal and alumni accomplishments at the top 3 NLUs are doing the trick.

Coming to DU, Symbiosis and IITKGP: once again, it is employer feedback that is pulling them through. What's less clear is if the people who filled up the survey were referring to the universities as a whole, or just the law school.

https://www.livelaw.in/lawschool/news/jgu-ranked-35-globally-law-qs-world-university-rankings-527826

https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/law-legal-studies

11y PQE with a mix of inhouse roles (MNC + PSU) and law firms (boutique + T1). Started actively saving since 2017, have reached around 60lacs plus approx 50g gold. This is solid heard earned money, started from a T4 town with no financial support from family. Currently a PA1 in T1, planning to move inhouse again. It's not worth the pain!

if the law did allow it, which it did with management seats until 2011, we would have auctioned the seats

unfortunately, it does not allow so we take the NRI Spon route

have a look at the financial statement of your uni, its usually available on their website, take a look at the precarious nature of the financial balance, NLUs are self financing institutions, most NLUs dont have any buffer, some of them came perliously close to accounting bankruptcy during covid. IIMs also work on simial rmodel, but they have much better financial reserve.

check out NALSAR in FM time, see how the reserves changed, that is a model case, unfortunately others (except a very few) do not follow a simialr path, so most NLUs are living hand to mouth. just cust off one semster fees and the entire edifice collapses

Hint in this list, after ▮▮▮…

https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3ec0490f1f4972d133619a60c30f3559e/uploads/2026/03/2026031688.pdf