Hi, OP here! Thank you for your insight. I wanted to also ask if they are only offering virtual internships right now, since mine is in August and I had the mail saying virtual onboarding. I genuinely did want to be in office in person, so I was hoping to write to them if it was possible to make it offline.

Unpopular opinion, but it needs to be said: legal journalism in India is becoming a bigger joke by the day. The space is increasingly being eclipsed by fan-girls asking Koffee with Karan–style questions, desperately attempting to extract “honest opinions” from lawyers—of all people—about judges, personal philosophies, and individuals.

Anyone who has spent any serious time in this profession knows a simple truth: lawyers do not speak their minds on camera. They have perceptions to protect.

That’s one end of the spectrum. On the other are “party-goers”—cringe to the absolute core, capable of putting even Orry to shame. IYKYK.

To all the self-styled “legal journalists” peddling this nonsense in the name of journalism—you know who you are—stop it. Forthwith. The profession already has enough cringe to contend with on LinkedIn and Instagram. With Delhi Bar Council elections around the corner, the self-promotional garbage is unbearable as it is. Don’t add to it.

The Laxman Rekha must end at Law Chakra’s highly dramatized, crass narration of court proceedings—rife with tacky AI and sound effects—and go no further! That said, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it’s my guilty pleasure when I’m on the can at 7AM!

If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that Mercedes has announced there will be no change in car prices in India. Over 90% of what it sells here is manufactured domestically. The depreciation of the rupee has neatly erased whatever marginal gains this trade deal was expected to deliver. What may still emerge, however, are better value propositions.

Which brings us to a basic life rule. Do not buy a German luxury car unless you earn at least ₹1 crore post tax annually and have at least another crore parked safely as savings. Anything else is fiscal vanity. A German car on EMI with no real savings isn’t aspiration—it’s poor judgment. Forget what bankers, neighbours, or Instagram think. By day two, even you won’t respect yourself when you see that car sitting in your parking lot.

I can only speak to NY - hours are bad, and probably as bad as India or worse. I do M&A, so its probably the worst in terms of wlb in NY but i do have friends in other practice groups that have a much more relaxed lifestyle and get paid the same obv -- I've heard UK firms in london have better balance but no first hand experience. Don't move for work life balance..

Request anyone to please share their review of the International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution [LLM (IADR)] course at National University of Singapore (NUS).

Further, if anyone can shed some light on the Double Degree Programme - NUS Master of Laws (International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution) (LLM (IADR)) & University of Geneva LLM in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS).

Can someone work at Singapore law firms, or at any other place after completing their LLM from NUS, if they have done their 5 year law course from India?

Why do people in PE/M&A teams of most law firms doing mostly very basic SSAs and SHAs have such a snobbish tone? The best PE and M&A works is done by 1-2 teams in any law firm. Rest everyone is doing run-of-the-mill work. Not a comment on this team but it is not even worth discussing.

The way I see it, you should see a therapist and I do not mean that in negative way.
I think maybe due to lack of financial incentives you do not feel motivated to work as you do not see growth where you are so you feel demotivated. Also, you may not be enjoying the kind of work you are doing, combined with lack of connections with anyone at a place where you spend 9-10 hours at may zone you out.
You may have ADHD, but understand this, you are the captain of your own ship, you gotta understand the rewards that will come from your hardwork. That may motivate you.

Have opportunities for the Batch of 2026 in competition law genuinely dried up, or are law firms increasingly reluctant to hire freshers for entry-level roles? Additionally, which firms are currently most likely to offer assessment-based internship opportunities in competition law?

I was in the same boat until a year ago. Every single thing you described was basically me, my entire life.

Then I got diagnosed with ADHD. Suddenly, everything made sense and I learnt what was actually going on. Over the past year, medications and therapy has helped me become more functional.

I am not claiming you have ADHD for sure, but it is a worthwhile thing to consider. Regardless, please see a psychiatrist (not a psychologist) who can actually diagnose you.

Good luck OP. I promise you things will get better.

Legal500 and C&P are fairly genuine.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for very junior associates to be ranked. I had a friend who experienced this many years ago while still an associate. Typically, such associates are not formally nominated by their firms. Instead, when rankings researchers seek feedback directly from clients for the partners (who nominated such referees), the client may independently mention associates if they are particularly satisfied with their work or for whatever reason. Where the feedback is strong and positive, the associate may be ranked. In short, when an associate is ranked, it usually reflects either exceptional capability or a strong relationship with the referee.

My friend who was ranked, was an exceptional dude. He later on moved to a white shoe law firm.

About the four questions you are asking. Can only offer my own, personal perspective - this may or may not apply to you. I also agree with the other person who said you should speak to a therapist about it, to be sure.

1. Is this common in early years of litigation?

I'm six years into litigation & no, I have not felt this way, except for occasionally feeling burnt out or wanting to procrastinate over a weekend or so.

2. Do people become serious over time?

Time changes people, but to become serious or to loosen up would also be a matter of deliberate personal choice, I believe.

3. Discipline without motivation — just force yourself to do it over & over, I suppose. I might be wrong. But this is the only answer I've got.

4. Whether you lack work ethic or genuinely don't like litigation — do you feel similarly demotivated/disinterested towards other things? Do you feel inclined to do other things? I knew people who were passionate about other things & they gave up law to take those up full time.

Can someone please explain me, how well does tier 1 firm's litigation teams get paid? and how do they compare with traditional firm practice in litigation like Mulla&Mulla or Karanjawala & Co. or Crawford Bayley & Co.

Which ones are better? Can someone explain me pros and cons of both sides??

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, on student groups protesting UGC equity rules and demanding its rollback, says, "The petition was filed in 2019 because we found the 2012 regulations were inadequate. I am a bit surprised by the reaction. It appears to be a very 'upper caste' reaction to the efforts of the SC, ST, and OBC communities to deal with issues of discrimination. So, it is certainly very disturbing. I am unable to say too much about it because the matter is still pending in court, but hopefully, the SC will deal with this issue in a rational manner. We also think that the regulations are a bit inadequate..."

https://x.com/PTI_News/status/2016104815361994988

Good topic for discussion in international law class!

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/talibans-new-law-legalises-slavery-in-afghanistan-makes-mullahs-immune-10897166

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/how-talibans-new-criminal-code-legalises-slavery-grants-clerics-immunity-13973157.html

Could you please tell more about IP transactional work in KCO and CAM and is the remuneration higher than the other team members who are doing IP litigation or prosecution work? What do the partners in these firms in Delhi look for when they hire at a 3-4 PQE level because at boutique firms people aren’t exposed to transactions.

Insider.

They don't have any TMT team anymore, a lot of their partners made exits in the last 6 months and even before that. 2 of the Partners who left NDA, went on to open their own firm ( TLP ) - also joined by one of the associates, currently SA at TLP. One of their best SA from Bengaluru office - PK, went on to join indus.

Another partner HT went to CAM with some of the associates to Bangalore office. In total this makes 3 partner exits and the remaining partners are kamath who is last person at the firm for their core TMT practice.

One of the reasons for this massive outflow ( with due regards to other practice areas too ), business slowdown as ND changed his strategy and since NDA works as McKinsey* , the lower levels of NDA isn't involved in decision making, even tho they would say they you are being involved.

Tax cut is also one of the reasons, for 26 batch - they are paying 25 LPA, but tax hit massive. Once you push to upper levels of this ladder, the tax cut is more and since there isn't an equity slip or say bonus per say ( comparison with other firms ), why would you like to stay at a firm where only one core person gets all the riches? In par with other firms, the compensation is facard.

Idk about the team. I worked with Ravi & his original team a decade back as a junior, and that was the most amazing experience. I've since moved to a different country but always try and stay in touch with him and some of the team members. Ravi is the best person to work for and genuinely the nicest guy. He's super commercial and technically top notch.

Dole does it's bit. But saffron for all its fire and fury has no organisational heft and resilience at Grassroot level and it is actually not interested. It is happy being a noisy but ineffective opposition. Because Grassroot is like BJD. Without Didi the party will crumble. As and when that happens, saffron can takeover and continue for a very long time.

Just look at Gujarat. True there is anti incumbency. But look at the opposition.

Madam Kindness has a well documented past with Nagpur Bros. Also her party was off and on a formal member of both the NDA and UPA. Same as many others.

It is equally well documented that RSS members are free even encouraged to join any political party they desire including GOP and Reds. It was designed to do this. Vajpayee was brought down by RSS. Advani too got shorted later by RSS when he tried to do a Vajpayee after visiting Jinnah grave.

Strongly recommend that you actually read serious literature on RSS, including the critical (not polemical) works but also interact with different levels and outfits of the saffron network. You will be surprised that there is quite a mass who are quite open (you needn't agree with them) and not loony jingoistic caricatures.

I am politically agnostic and a realist. And I was very surprised that I faced least shoe horning by RSS. Yes, certain factions are louder right now but there is always someone in the network which quietly wields and uses the stick.

Y’all are so gullible. Don’t go by media headlines. Only a tiny fraction of ultra luxury vehicles that are 100% imported and non-localised will get cheaper. The relief we actually need is reduction of GST and abolition of LTCG. That will increase out purchasing power.

What really pisses me off if that the Congress never raises middle class issues like this — only Adani, Ambani, woke culture wars and Jai Bhim slogans.

There are persistent and serious concerns regarding the way this team is being run, particularly with respect to leadership conduct, accountability, and the treatment of junior associates.

▮▮▮
Errors are regularly attributed to juniors in order to shield senior team members from responsibility. This has become a recurring pattern rather than an exception, resulting in a working environment where accountability is unevenly applied and junior associates are left exposed.

The approach to discipline further reinforces this dynamic. Associates are contacted immediately—sometimes within a minute of the reporting time—if they are not physically present, and are threatened with financial consequences for arriving after rigid cut-offs. These measures appear disconnected from actual performance or output and contribute to an atmosphere of surveillance rather than professionalism.

Levels of dissatisfaction among associates are visibly high. Characterising this as a mismatch between generational expectations and law firm culture overlooks the fact that associate attrition has been a longstanding issue in this team, well before recent cohorts entered the workforce. The underlying issues are cultural and structural.

A recurring concern is the absence of upward accountability. While mid-level resources are frequently asked to leave the team for lapses (1 SA and 1 PA in the last 1 year), feedback on partners and favoured resources is routinely dismissed or minimised, and leadership avoids examining its own role in the current state of the team. Without genuine engagement with these issues and concrete changes in behaviour, particularly at the leadership level, the existing environment is unlikely to improve.

Don’t join this team unless you’re willing to work 16 hours a day 7 days a week.

The majority of the anecdotes told me it's a good firm to work at. Don't get me wrong, it is, in terms of the exit time and the chill culture. You can leave at any time, even 2-3 pm, there are snacks, people play songs, there are frequent outings.

However there were few things that didn't cut it for me. One of the associates made my life difficult. This person was so passively aggressive and made absurd comments regarding the output. The work was not explained by this concerned person and when reached out to, was so indifferent about it.

One of the partners also has a habit of making rude comments unknowingly. He/she may not notice it, but it surely does affect a person.

Getting back to the work hours, you may leave at 2-3 but there is substantial amount of work, especially in the gen corp and banking teams. The exposure is great, but do not expect a chill time.

The pay is okayish, around 12lpa, I don't know the pay at higher levels.

The funds team seemed very chill and the people were nice too. Wish I interned with them, would have changed my perspective.

Got a rank of 180ish in CLAT 2025. Knowing NALSAR was out of reach I chose GNLU considering growing placements and relax curriculum.
Now majority of the people around me are choosing NUJS/NLUJ. Plus general seats there are also more than GNLU as GNLU has massive reservation.
Should I switch to NUJS in Vacancy ? Will it be worth it ? Are the problems their being solved ?

2024 Tier 1 NLU grad - I did inhouse counsel job for about a year and then joined and have been working in my family business due to an emergency at home. I want to switch back to a inhouse or law firm job (corporate and commercial transactions profile) but I'm feeling very lost where to start. Can someone please guide? Would be grateful if a senior can help or give a referral.

This UGC guideline is about retributive, multi-generational vengeance over historical injustices; it’s about reinstating the capricious sections of the SC/ST act that the Supreme Court struck down; it’s about reversing the presumption of guilt; it’s about inverting the presumption of innocence; it’s about allowing false accusations to go scotfree.

A good tweet from Abhijit Iyer Mitra.

https://x.com/Iyervval/status/2016034652360999022

I am 26 years old and a law graduate (3-year LL.B.). Right now, I am doing litigation at the Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. I am writing here because this feels like the only platform where I can honestly say what I am going through.

The main issue is with me as a person. I was never a very serious person in life. I take things casually, I procrastinate a lot, I am often late, and I don’t take warnings or responsibilities as seriously as I should. Even now, this habit is affecting my career.

Academically, I first completed PCM and then did B.Tech because I thought that was my interest. Later, I realized I was more interested in politics and law, so I went on to complete my LL.B. from CLC. It has been about a year since I finished my degree.

I had some good internships, and I believe I have decent knowledge of law and a good understanding of the basics. I usually know what the law requires and what arguments should be made. But when it comes to actual work, I don’t feel serious or driven. My senior gives me work, but I am very slow in research and drafting. Even when I understand the issue, my output is not up to the mark.

Office life also feels very monotonous. There are hardly any juniors. Mostly it’s just me, and another junior who comes only once or twice a week. There is very little interaction or discussion, and that makes the work feel even more dull. I don’t know whether I don’t like litigation or whether I just lack discipline and seriousness.

Financially also, I am not earning much right now. Still, I don’t push myself to work harder or improve my speed. Instead, I end up wasting time on my phone, scrolling reels, and avoiding work. After that, I feel guilty, but the cycle repeats.

Another big concern is family responsibility. Soon, my family may depend more on me, and logically I understand that I should be serious about my career. But even after knowing this, I don’t feel that sense of urgency from inside. That scares me.

When I look at my friends and batchmates, many of them are very serious about their careers. They are constantly discussing cases, law, opportunities, and growth. I don’t feel that same drive, and I don’t understand why.

So I want honest perspectives:

- Is this kind of phase common in the early years of litigation?

- Do people become serious with time and experience, or is this a personality flaw?

- How can someone build discipline when motivation is missing?

- How do you know if you genuinely don’t like litigation, or if you are just struggling with work ethic?

I am not looking for sympathy. I just want to understand whether this is something others have faced, and how they dealt with it.

where do you get your info from, literally nobody mentioned a word about how much he pays, he is a great man and you can idolise him all you want but showing sass over someone not knowing how much stipend a particular advocate who has been independent for less time than a 4th year law student has been in law school speaks to some weird illusions of grandeur.

A video of Madhavi Jadhav, a Nashik Forest Department staffer, has gone viral on social media since Monday morning. In the video, Jadhav is seen lashing out at Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan for not mentioning Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's name in his Republic Day speech

"Girish Mahajan didn't take Dr Ambedkar's name in his speech, whereas the names of those people who were not responsible for democracy and the Constitution were frequently mentioned. Why was the name of the person who deserves the real honour of the Republic Day not taken during the speech?" she asked.

She accused Mahajan of trying to erase Dr Ambedkar's identity. "People like me can get government jobs because of Dr Ambedkar. I will not apologise," she said and dared the administration to suspend her...

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief and grandson of Dr Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar, spoke to Jadhav over the phone. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "Today, I spoke on the phone with Madhavi Jadhav (a forest guard), who publicly protested against the vile mentality of BJP minister Girish Mahajan in Nashik. During the call, Madhavi Jadhav narrated the entire sequence of events to me. Minister Girish Mahajan's actions constitute a crime under the Atrocities Act. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi Nashik West Committee is currently attempting to file a complaint with the police regarding this matter."

He added, "If the police do not register this case, I myself will draft the necessary legal documents and compel the police to register the crime. The RSS-BJP is consistently insulting Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. We publicly condemn the actions of the BJP and Girish Mahajan," he added.

https://www.freepressjournal.in/pune/who-is-madhavi-jadhav-nashik-forest-officer-who-interrupted-girish-mahajans-speech-for-not-mentioning-dr-babasaheb-ambedkar

I fully support legalising suicide and the sale of cyanide pills. It is better to be gone than live with diseases like Alzheimer's, terminal cancer , or failing health in old ▮▮▮. It's painful and humiliating. ESPECIALLY in India, where we pay tons of taxes but don't receive quality healthcare and palliative care, be it in the private or public sector. As Raghav Chadha said Parliament, taxes like Sweden for services like Somalia. Moreover, no one will be there to care for us, as all our children will run away abroad, because we will make sure that they don't slack off in school or college like we did (and we will anyway be able to afford their fees, as established lawyers).

to ▮▮▮ who have a problem with this. First see someone terminally ill or someone with dementia, and then talk.

For Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa, I filled an online application and got enrolled in some 15-20 days. My law school was in Maharashtra but even outside Maharashtra graduates had the same process and timelines.

Just enroll in a Bar Council where your law school was, or an efficient one like BCMG.