No, because taking a job at 40 pc less pay in a tier 2 city is tantamount to killing your career. You kids are young, so you wouldn’t understand. Work life balance is nonsense. Even if you work 16 hours a day for 7 days a week you can still find ample time for Netflix, gym etc.

Hi, I'll try keeping this as short as possible. I'm currently in SLS Pune. My academic record is very decent. Internships too have been very good till now (fox&mandal, Hindustan Times, Khaitan upcoming). I know I'm from a pvt college but I confidently yet humbly can say I'm hard working and can just get shit done, cuz genuinely I'm passionate about legal subjects. I'm a first generation lawyer so don't have any contacts like my peers. Hence, I seek all your help glorious & kind strangers! It would be amazing if I could get a reference for an internship with AZB Delhi. (have already applied twice till now but no reply)

I don't understand what you are trying to say. No tier 1 firms or any firm for that matter will pay you the bonus if you leave in March before the bonuses are actually paid out. That's why mass resignations and inter firm movements happen the moment bonuses are credited to the account of fee earners.

In fact everyone who left Indus in even feb/march got their full bonuses and people who joined as late as march got a 1 month pro rata bonus. Idk what you are talking about.

I don't understand what you mean by sucked out previous year bonuses.

I’m currently considering a lateral move and wanted to get some thoughts from those who’ve been through the process.

When applying to other law firms laterally, what has worked best for you:

-Reaching out to HR via email,

-Messaging or connecting with partners directly on LinkedIn, or

-Cold-emailing partners at the firm?

Curious to hear your recommendations in terms of response rate and effectiveness. Also open to any dos and don’ts people have learned from experience.

No one does that. Internships do not form part of formal practice for firms. It's just a mere obligation and branding by the firms, showcasing that they are still relevant in the market. (Only the T1 & T2 are serious about their internship programmes because they prefer hiring freshers from their intern pool). Legal recruiters won't budge to even look into your CV if you don't have at least a year of experience in a law firm or a reputed chamber (in case of disputes/litigation).

Just make notes kid. It ain't school, so don't expect that churning more hours will make you a topper, I mean sure it will help, but you need to go about it more smartly. Like know your subjects, which actually need to be studied everyday and which don't (ask your seniors). There is no strait-jacket formula to use your time, experiment and find out what suits you best. Try out the co-curricular and extra curricular activities and decide for yourself, if it's worth your time or you'd rather read a commentary or revise your notes (honestly, you can do both). There is more time in your hand than you imagine, especially in first 2 months of semester before your assignments and mid sems hit you. Again societies and committees are personal preference but MCC is quite popular (never joined it).

I work out of SAM Delhi, 216 office, and I seriously need to ask how are you all managing nature calls here?

The ground floor ladies washroom is unbearably stinky. The gas-like smell in there is so intense, I actually puked once. It is impossible to use it without feeling sick. I have been trying to avoid it, but it is becoming really difficult to manage through the day.

Is there any alternate cleaner washroom in the building that people are using? Like the washroom near the conference rooms (or is it reserved only for the partners)??

Uphill struggle for you my good man if your aim is a T1 firm. Albeit i do not interact with junis of other firms too often, I have rarely seen anyone from Christ in the T1s I work with. No point worrying now - try and focus on good internships and see if you can convert any. All the best.

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to understand the whole process of getting enrolled with SBC (but I will be working with a law firm). So I understand that AIBE is mandatory to give and once cleared, we get our COPs. But that exam is held in Nov-Dec, so do we need to get enrolled with the SBC beforehand, like when our final college results are declared? Or do we enroll after the AIBE exam? And I live in one state but will be working in another - so which SBC should I apply for?
Also, the requirement of getting a moral and fitness certificate from atleast two persons of respectability and position (not being his relations) - will this include any person in the legal profession, including professors who sometimes also practice or do we need to get it from full time practising lawyers only?

I will push back on this practice-oriented part a little. It is great if you can keep in touch with the industry. But I think this point is going way too far towards advocating for consideration of "industry relevancy" in designing research topics. That will only dilute the quality of the research. Tarun Khaitan has explained why, very well, so I don't need to.

Hey I read the thread and first of all much congratulation to you!! I am currently entering my third year and wanted to get insights and guidance for places to intern, get much clarity on application procedures and generally what as an upcoming student about to reach near the end of his course. If I could get some of your time I would be really gratefull! Please let me know.

Hello all, BO 26 here, I have a 50-50 chance of getting a placement on day zero, but I want to pursue something else, I don't want a corp job, I need some advice, like is it really important, Ik I'm sounding really privileged, i do realise the importance of getting a job, starting my career, but corp law, the lifestyle around it doesn't excite me, idk please suggest what should I do?

What kind of a post is this? No specifics, no potential topic, not even the outlines of one, no plan/suggestion of what kind of journal/blog you want it published in... nothing! seems like a scam where you'd ask the other one to do the work for you. Mods, please delete this thread immediately.

I'll tell this- very few of the empirical legal.research that's happening is not garbage. A notable example of good empirical research is Pranav from NLS.

Btw, Scopus indexed journals take a out an year to get back with the review. So be ready to be frustrated with them as well.

Ameya is a newbie compared to Nitesh and Rajendra. I would not put him in the same pool. His feed of work is internal and he still cannot command the disputes brand of SAM. None after Tejas actually, maybe Ila comes close.

Both Nitesh and Rajendra have big teams. Work in AZB is more diverse and big ticket, but that does not mean Nitesh does not have good matters.

They held up half of the bonuses for the year 2023-24 for people who left even as late as March 2025. While it may make sense to not pay bonuses for the FY when they left (NOT!) but they sucked out the previous bonuses too.

Hate to be spiteful but really wish them the best for running about their business on loose change/blood money like this (which may actually have meant quite something for a partner with families, dependents, EMIs etc.).

Really hope karma settles it for everyone!

I’m currently in my 5th year of BALLB at ILS, I read that becoming an in-house counsel in any tech company requires at least 2 years of experience, so I need some suggestions as to where I can apply for internships (for this year) and other roles to gain valuable experience that will be beneficial to become an in house counsel. Thankyou!

From what I've heard from my colleagues at other Tier-1 firms in Mumbai, these are the estimated salaries at high billing M&A teams

1. SAM - SA1s fixed component is roughly around 31-33 LPA with bonuses upto 12 LPA.

PA1s fixed component is 45-50 LPA with bonuses going as high as 18 LPA.

2. KCo - SA1s fixed component is 36 LPA with bonuses touching 810 LPA.

PA1s - PA1s fixed component is 55 Lakhs with Bonuses upto 15 LPA.

3. CAM - SA1s fixed component is 28 LPA with bonuses upto 10 LPA.

PA1s fixed component is 45 LPA with bonuses upto 15 LPA.

4. Trilegal - SA1s fixed component is 36 LPA with bonuses upto 12 LPA.

PA1s fixed component is 55 LPA with bonuses upto 12-13 LPA.

5. AZB - SA1s fixed component is around 33 LPA with bonuses upto 12 LPA.

PA1s fixed component is around 45 LPA with bonuses upto 18 LPA.

6. S&R - SA1s fixed component is 36 LPA with bonuses upto 15 LPA.

PA1s fixed component is 50 LPA with bonuses upto 15 LPA.

People who switched two jobs within one year of graduation due to horrible bosses or otherwise, please share your experience.

I have had had experience in my previous and current roles, wherein both the bosses shout mercilessly without any proper reason.

Any one with similar experience please guide,.should I switch or should i wait

A lot gets said about the partners at Bharucha (only talking about the disputes division), and absolutely nothing is positive. Trust me, our friends thank their stars for not working here. Most of my friends find their partners "not too bad" after hearing my stories from work.

Learn and look to move. At this salary, the firm would also know that people can/will move around. Lot of such firms have bulk work of financial institutions or corporates etc. You should try and learn the procedural aspect as it will be big plus point when you around.

On increment, don't fully agree that it will be based on current salary. You should be able to get A1 salary in other places or they may offer you their A0 salary and then move you up the ladder.

My CGPA is not something I am proud of and no matter how I try, I'm stuck at that rock bottom. I had a few diagnoses of a bad mental health too. I do well in internships generally but I think my fear of giving exams gets the better of me and despite great prep or not as good, it just gives off more or less the same result. I do not have publications or moots on my CV but I have a bunch of other extracurriculars. I will be interning at a tier 2 firm but I am too uncertain about the future and I need a ppo to keep me financially stable when my family is well off but not too well off either. My contacts are just okay.

I will be joining HNLU next month...wanted to gather information regarding the university. I hv read somewhere that students there are toxic.is it true? what is the condition of the hostel? what are the facilities? quality of the mess food? do freshers face ragging? Things I should do along with me semester 1 studies to improve me CV? How is the mooting culture over there? Also tell me the other relevant things which I should know.

Thankyou :)

Quality of life, living costs, expenses, career growth, work culture and social life - all factors, Delhi NCR thrashes Mumbai by a massive margin. The rentals, bigger houses at reasonable rents, general expenses, work culture and plenty of options for socializing makes Delhi a definite winner. As far as growth goes, Delhites by and large are happy to see others grow and are willing to help. Mumbaikars, on the other hand, are often jealous and do not like to see others grow, and try to curtail others who seek to grow. In addition, the general rudeness, good lord, Mumbai has got to be the most rude city on this planet. The rude curt way of talking to others, plus a dangerous willingness to readily indulge in violence to convey one's point (not just MNS, even normal Mumbaikars in the local trains or taxi queues), and the know it all condescending attitude, makes Mumbai a nightmare to live in.

PS: Expecting Mumbaikars to come all guns blazing with their usual volley of abuses, insults and remarks like "if you don't like this city which has been kind to people and helped them grow, then leave this city. Shitting upon the place which accepts everyone is pathetic". Go on Mumbaikars, you guys truly show where you come from.

Deuxmoi has forever ruined the way gossip columns are written now.

I work at a London MC. India entry is neither a priority nor a focus area for the firms. They will all make some form of entry as limited partnerships etc., but the move will be akin to shifting their respective India desks to India. Not a major shift in any form or manner. If Indian attorneys think foreign law firms are going to take out six floors in a building somewhere and bump up retainers big time, they're mistaken unfortunately.

90% of toppers study the day or two just before. The main difference with toppers is that they are usually attentive in classes and take notes. They know the prof and what they want. That gives these kids an edge. Usually, the kids who spend the whole semester studying in their hostel rooms have good grades, but you might notice alot of the kids dominating rank lists tend to be all rounds with studies and extra curriculars. Just listen in class. It helps more than you think.