"...only a trial court lawyer is a complete lawyer. A trial court lawyer is an artist, while an appeal court lawyer is an art critic."

- Justice Vazifdar

Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/judges-tell-young-lawyers-to-focus-more-on-in-depth-research-39297/

Hi, everyone.

I’ll be starting law school this year and by the time I graduate I will be 35. As I have been told by everyone around me, law is a young person’s game and firms will not look at me as kindly as they will my much younger batchmates.

Is it still foolish of me to want to pursue law? If corp law doesn’t work out then what about litigation or academia? I’ll be 1st gen but I’m independently wealthy with sizeable passive income so the 5-10 years of slog won’t matter to me as much, fortunately.

Would love to know all your opinions and maybe some harsh truths. Thank you.

How and why is this trollish? Alright, some of the opinions are unrealistic (in that the policies would be difficult to implement), but the spirit is lordable. Some of these folks' kids not only went to university abroad, but to school as well! And not any old school either, but the top fee-paying schools with elite alumni networks.

1. Implications for Paul Weiss/biglaw in the U.S.

2. Implications for biglaw around the world, maybe even in terms of what Indian law firms might take from this and how they might behave in the future?

Online coverage from Original Jurisdiction:

https://davidlat.substack.com/p/brad-karp-firmwide-email-to-paul-weiss-about-the-trump-administration-deal

https://davidlat.substack.com/p/paul-weiss-and-brad-karp-cut-a-deal-with-donald-trump-to-rescind-the-executive-order

to those working in m&a teams at t1 firms, i’d really appreciate your insights.

what should i focus on learning, and what kind of work is typically assigned to interns that i should excel at to increase my chances of a callback?

beyond just the work itself, what qualities or skills do you look for in an intern? from your experience, what sets apart those who leave a strong impression?

please help me out!!! i'd really appreciate it!!!! really need candid opinions

Hi OP.

Please ignore the comment of person who says “Stop moping”

You’re absolutely correct. If you’ve just moved to Mumbai, and you don’t have existing social network there, your life will be hell. Everything is expensive and the purchasing power of your A0 salary in Mumbai is way less than you had expected.

If Your Tier 1 boss is very demanding, your work will suck up all the hours in your job and you’ll always return home exhausted. On weekends either you will be busy or your friends will be busy and you won’t be able to meet up.

Some practical solutions I can offer instead of blaming you.

No savings?

Only solution I can offer - if saving is priority, consider moving out of Mumbai.

Life feels repetitive?

If you don’t have loans to repay or any external compulsion to stay in Mumbai, while you’re in Mumbai, go out by yourself on weekends. Explore the place on your own. Take a walk down Juhu beach, go cafe hopping yourself. I know it may feel awkward, but it’s better than sitting at home.

How to Socialise?

If you want to socialise but don’t have friends to go out with, There are pages like Trove Experiences which organise weekend event on pasta making, pottery etc. While the crowd will be mostly in 35+ range, you might end up meeting people your age (try to opt for activity based sessions)

Also, keep tabs on your health. Too many people with serious health problems working in law firms.

All the best!

Stop moping. Wealth is always relative. You are in 0.1% of the country of billions of people. See the half glass full. And you really don't know the life of the super rich. If you think your life is stressful, you have no idea of the stress faced by the super rich. Of course, they have a ton of things you don't have. But you would not want to trade your life with theirs - dealing with high ranking (corrupt) politicians daily, stress of running billion dollar businesses, dealing with bureaucracy for every aspect of the business, the government out to get you at every step in the way. You would have a hard time believing this, but super rich people who run huge businesses actually work 14-16 hours every day of their lives, without weekends. On the other hand, you do your DD/ drafting and go home and get a cushy pay at the end of the month.

And limited access to "privileged spaces for socialising" ?? What does that even mean? So many words and such less meaning. Just go out whenever you get time and get a nice cold beer. I am stunned that you think Mumbai doesn't have enough decent places to "socialise". It would be one of the 2 or 3 good things about Mumbai.

He defends the Government's interests better than any other advocate. There is a reason he has continued in his position longer than legends of the bar (Rohatgi, KKV, Ranjit Kumar).

Some arguments of his may come off as crass sometimes but the same is done only to safeguard the client's interests, though it may cause damage to his own reputation.

As a representative of the government, it is inevitable to lobby on their behalf as well as look out for his own people. That's why he retains the position of SG because he is good at what he is required to do.

Studying law abroad, or even in India, is clearly not worth it. For you, I mean. Your writing quality makes that fact painfully obvious. However, take credit where credit's due. Props to you for not wasting your parents' money by pumping it into a foreign education which clearly would have given you zero benefit; well, you must have pumped some at least of it in as you have had some study abroad, but you minimised the damage, which is good, so I wouldn't like to see you trolled. Now take that one step (maybe two steps) further: seems like you would have been studying law in Britain (one of the few countries where you do an undergrad law degree and yet about which you can say this objection about too lengthy, considering how long it takes to qualify there). Your mates there would have talked about how university's not for everyone? Well, take that to heart. University ain't for you, my lad, or you'd have learned to write better. And even if you insist on university (if I were your parent, I'd be asking why you're wasting your time), law certainly isn't good for you.

And don't give me this nonsense about working class and all that. A true working class kid, however clever she is (unless she's financially taken care of by a Tata or something), in India doesn't go to law school in Britain (or anywhere else outside India) at the undergraduate level. If you'd truely been working class and written this badly, you could still have been forgiven. But you are a posh type whose parents have clearly pumped money on educating you in an independent/fee-paying school, money (and not least schoolteachers' efforts) which has clearly been wasted.

Basically the title. Sorry if I sound dumb or naive. I’m an upcoming law school student who found this on LinkedIn and got curious. I have seen people mention either different orgs such as the Big 4 or foreign law firms with secondment mentioned. How does it work? And how does a person get one? Thanks!

Everyday is a struggle. Working hard the whole day doing dreary work in a law firm. Paying high prices for everything. Limited access to privileged spaces for socialising — which in turn means few friendships and dating opportunities outside of work.

The super rich just have life so much easier!

Hi everyone, I have my assessment internship with SAM Mumbai this June, and I’m not sure how to make the most of this opportunity. I’m starting to panic a little. When I first interned with them, the team was relatively small, but now it has grown significantly. I previously completed two internships with them in my fourth year, and now my assessment internship will take place at the beginning of my fifth year. Any tips on how to navigate this internship effectively and increase my chances of securing a position?

Student here, close to halfway through law school. I want to know how you figure out your interest in a specific field of law, say Arbitration, Capital Markets, M&A, etc. I did an IP moot and found the field decently interesting, but later figured it's not very suitable for a career. My batchmates are taking part in the top International and National Moots and it really gives me FOMO about whether I will be able to figure out my field or not.

Would really appreciate this. I can’t find the exact clip. Did he sing a song where the word gadar was part of the lyrics? Did he insert the word in the lyrics? What’s the song about?

Genuinely curious because my knowledge of Hindi is next to nil. I only watch the 0.1% Indian comics who speak in English and the American ones.

Let's assume for a minute I agree with the basic thrust of your argument.

If we need a national language that is inherently Indian, then lets pick something that a majority of Indians have to learn. It should be equally easy/ difficult for people from most states, but should also have a large number of native speakers, who can teach the language and help with administration.

I speak neither language, but let's say that Odia or Malayalam become the national language. I will gladly accept either, because it does not give a natural advantage to 40% of this country while being a disadvantage to 60%.

Of course, people from Orissa or Kerala will have an advantage, but they are both smallish states, and I would be happy if they get disproportionate power in the Union.

What say, Hindi fans? Will you accept Odia or Malayalam as the national language?

Imagine you're at the helm of your newly setup firm, or have a direct line to influence your current big/small/medium law MP. What's the one (or more) thing(s) you'd change or fix about how Indian law firms operate? If you're open to it, please share your PQE too - would be interesting to see how folks at different stages of their journey imagine changes and give context to the discussion. Would be incredible if this collective brainstorming leads to some change (or new firms!), or maybe this dies in some lonely corner of LL.

I disagree. Many young lawyers only do basic drafting and researching, or just take dates. Anyone who wants to actually clear DJS will not be able to do proper litigation (since that is the aim) i.e. any appearance in ordersheets will be for the name only.

Can it be expected that a person becomes a full-time litigator and then clears DJS on the side? As if its that easy? This will only mean that those who can get their attendance marked in a few orders here and there, while studying full time, will have an advantage.

Moreover, can the training of magistrates not be made more rigorous?

Many government jobs are about career progression and this will make judiciary less attractive to people who care about this.

If, by the time someone is selected, they are already quite old (considering it takes 2 attempts on average to clear + another 1+ year of the selection process), some people might be 29-30 by the time they hold the chair for the first time! thats not lucrative at all for most law graduates.

AZB Mumbai M&A teams are generally quite good in terms of work culture. The partners are nice, and the more senior associates are also quite helpful to less experienced associates. Of course, you cant be stupid and do bad work repeatedly without improvement and still expect to stick around. I don't think they fire you but it becomes obvious that you have no future at the firm so you leave on your own after a point. But overall, it is a great practice, they do some of the best work and the kind of mentorship you get during the early years of your career is also amazing. Kashish Bhatia, Kunal Kumbhat, Divya Mundra, Vaidyanathan Iyer - all amazing M&A partners who are quite tight with their teams.

I’m only in my second year, but here’s what I’ve learned. If you're studying outside Calcutta, breaking into chambers here is tough. Calcutta University law students intern year-round, thanks to lax attendance rules, and they turn that into jobs. For outsiders (whether from a Tier 1, Tier 2, or non-NLU) it’s a different story. The issue isn’t competition; there’s barely a culture of taking interns in the first place.

From my limited experience, having interned in Calcutta twice (including at a Senior’s chamber) and later at a policy firm in Delhi, I’ve seen the difference. I also have an internship lined up with a reputed AoR after my second year, so I’ll likely be in a better position to compare. But in most Calcutta chambers, there’s little meaningful work for interns, and at times, it makes you wonder if the entire process is just a waste of time. This is where local colleges have an advantage. They have more free time and can afford to sit idle longer. Ironically, that works in their favour.

As for criminal lawyers worth their salt - Phiroze Edulji (recently designated) is excellent. Sandipan Ganguly and Milon Mukherjee are a pleasure to watch in court. Not strictly criminal, but if you can get into S.N. Mookherjee’s chambers, please do it. The man is an inspiration.

[To be clear, I’m only talking about jobs through internships. Otherwise, it mostly comes down to contacts and direct applications. And honestly, applications rarely ever get called for.]

How is the work culture at AZB? As bad as made out to be? Heard ▮▮▮ everything is micromanaged or is it misogyny against female founder . Some threads claim people in certain teams are “nasty”. One thread claims, firing of associates at early stages of careers happens. Is it true? ▮▮▮

The population of Delhi is 33 million, which is almost 1.5 times the whole population of Australia, whose land mass is bigger than India!

But if you look closer, the vast majority of people are poor or middle-class, living in cramped spaces (which explains the population density). There is a group of around 10,000 people in Delhi who can properly be considered elite: luxury cars, big houses in nice areas etc.

My question is this: do most people in this group know each other, or are separated by just a few degrees? Common elite schools, common elite colleges, common elite clubs etc? Is Lutyens Delhi like a small town that way, where everyone knows one another?

BJP arrests Alt News.

Mamata arrests vloggers.

Congress arrests journalists in Telangana.

Uddhav Sena arrests Arnab Goswami and demolishes Kangana Ranaut’s office.

Now Shiv Sena does this.

What future does FOE have in India? Maybe AAP is the only party that does not do this?

Could you help me out ? I am doing a PhD in data privacy, along with teaching. The reason why I did my PhD in data privacy is in case i don't get a permanent teaching position, since academia is packed and nepotistic, I may switch to data privacy jobs. Is it possible ? Or am I taking the wrong approach? Should I do some extra courses during my PhD ?

While a lot of you are against the idea of academia as a career, please also provide the best alternative options. It would really help if you guys could give your views.

Please note: 1. I love research; it does not bore me, but doing monotonous work does.

2. My interests lie in Public policy, ESG, and Space Law. I find fields like M&A, Cap markets, etc. too dry (Personal opinion, please don't come at me. I'm only here to figure stuff out)

3. No family background in law.

4. I'm turning A1 this August, so I would like to pick passion over money.

5. Would prefer hybrid roles.

THANK YOU,EVERYONE, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ/ GIVE YOUR VIEWS.

If presence was strong, they would have paid.

Presence can be constructed by marketing tactics, whether it’s strong or not is debatable but can be inferred from their actions. If presence was strong in reality, they would have paid. The answer is hidden in the fact that the presence only seems to be strong, but they are not paying, so is it really strong?

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Look at the desperation and embarrassment all NLU students feel when they are reminded that all of them are state universities, with no special status. They are dying for some imaginary special status, trying hard to prove they are different from other state universities.

In my limited experience and on ground knowledge, caste is very much a factor for votes at least in Telangana and Andhra - Reddy, Kamma, Kappu, Velmas, Gouds ! Casteism galore. The Bar Council elections are a good place for you to get a feeler into the systemic indoctrination of the caste system in Telangana and Andhra. However, I do agree with your view that Southern states were earlier focussed on population control and it’s unfair that they are now having to retract from their previous stance. Distress calls of all the southern CMs Revanth Reddy, CBN, Stalin to have more children in the wake of delimitation have been growing louder.

If they are working; pay them. If you don't think they are worth the stipend why even accept those interns in the first place then? Do you want us to take a seminar in your firm on how to take interviews? I'll help you for free bro

Maybe if you improved your selection criteria and skills youd actually have smart people and maybe some day you'll be profitable enough to afford paying 5-10k a month.

For outsiders reading this and wondering what the context is, let me try a simple recap.

One of our friends, a lovely bright and introverted third year, took an extreme step last week, plunging us into sadness. His demise followed months of therapy and personal issues, none of which should be relevant to the issue at hand. While people on site (students, friends, warden) did what they could, he could not be saved. This presented the need to discuss crucial lifesaving measures we can take to learn from this incident and save lives in the future.

Unfortunately, some seniors took this as a chance to weaponise a tragedy and put on a circque de soleil of drama and over the top theatric to posit students and admin against each other while conveniently forgetting to talk about the role they have had to play in inculcating a toxic and isolating environment in the hostels and outside.

as someone employed in the public sector, earning 18 lakhs p.a. as my starting salary + getting 42 days paid leave every year, i find it funny how everyone here is so excited for a week off (which also will vary on implementation) - we need to have better demands from offices in india! this is too little, but of course a step in the right step direction.

Losers? Bro most people in such firms are stuck in the rut not because the love working long hours at the cost of health and being treated like a "resource".

They either do not have an option (due to personal, family etc. constraints), or are absolutely unaware of what to do apart from this, because of limited access. I have rarely seen someone doing it cos they love it, including Partners. They are stuck because it's too late for their age or EMIs.

Unfortunately such law firms thrive on this phase every human more or less goes through.

In the US, they also have this thing called a "Senate", where both California and Vermont have the same number of seats. The Senate (equal to the Rajya Sabha, broadly) is more important than the House of Representatives (broadly = Lok Sabha) in a lot of ways.

In India, the Lok Sabha is everything, the RS has little power. Your 1st Year Law Student analogy doesn't hold.

Bring in proper checks and balances, make Tamil Nadu (or Tripura) have the same political power as UP, and then, OK, lets talk population and PR.

Sit tight, this might be a long one.

So, last September, while I was sitting in my cubicle at a boutique law firm, endlessly sending out personalized internship applications for March 2025, I kept getting rejected within a week—either with a polite “we can’t accommodate you” or, worse, no response at all. That’s when an idea hit me.

What if I changed my college name to an NLU? Not NLSIU or NUJS, but something within the top 10.

Mind you, my CV was solid—internships with senior advocates, a top-tier IP firm, and a Tier 1/2 corporate law firm. The only thing I changed was my college name, along with a fake name, phone number, and email. Everything else remained the same. Then, I started spamming the exact same firms I had previously applied to, but this time as a "student" from one of the top-10 NLU.

Oh boy, the results were not surprising at all*.*
Not only did HRs actually respond, but I also landed interviews with firms that usually have a interview and assessment process for interns. Some of these were the same firms that had earlier rejected my application, claiming they didn’t have slots for my preferred month. Suddenly, they did. And not just boutique firms—this included some of the big law firms run by LaLas.

All it took was changing my college name, and suddenly, I was getting internships left, right, and center.

The game is rigged, and honestly, I don’t even blame the players meri hi galti thi ki CLAT main achi rank nhi aayi NLU ke liye.

HRs at law firms, please—learn to vet candidates properly. Do background verification before handing out internship slots or interview calls like candies to students from NLUs. You’re working at a law firm, for god’s sake.

OP here. There is a PQE4 at my firm but she also happens to be 30+ due to which I can’t relate with her.

Sadly, no, I went to a T3 law school which was a 3 year law school, 90% of my batch was people who’re 30+ as well and most of them are litigation lawyers who work on Saturdays and are unavailable.

Bahahahah. What kind of fantasy are you trying to sell to these kids. Just STOP ! Academia, especially in its current state doesn't work like this. Your experience and your qualifications have zero influence. I know people who did their LLMs and even PhDs from abroad, and apart from a few universities like Jindal, no one is taking them. Even today PhDs from DU, BHU are preferred..why ? Because it's all about the connections. So don't spend lakhs to get a degree just to try getting into indian academia. It's better to use your degree to get a job, that is more relevant than the broken down system of academia.

Look at the number of applicants, vacancies and how many end up being selected. Majority of those selected are alumni, or have some sort of connections with the existing faculties, or have some political backing. You have a better chance of spending 5 years in court and succeeding than spending 10 years in academia and still not getting a decent chance. People don't talk about this much, but right from your masters, to phd, to post doctoral, to assistant professorship depends more on connections than on your merit. That's why we are getting shitty teachers, cause they are getting selected based on favours not on their quality of teaching and research.

I am an US LLM graduate with around 9 months of work experience at a boutique law firm that specialises in Civil and Commercial disputes. I am looking to switch and would be grateful if anyone can help me with understanding about current openings in law firms in the disputes team. Should I wait for the bonus period to get over before I start cold emailing? Thank you

there is no hiring pattern as such. Folks thought by March, 2025 - there would be a freeze but there are teams which have given callbacks and what not. They do very little campus and are more heavy on the PPO route. As long as its before November, 2025 - I dont see much of a problem.