Not the number of people placed, that is accurate. There are exactly 6 people still left who had signed up for placement from the beginning and have interned towards that goal. If someone wanted to study for the judiciary exam for example and didn't intern at any firm for four years, nor built up their CVs and all of a sudden they wake up before day zero and want to get placed in a T1 firm, then nobody can help them.

This isn’t the sort of thing that can be made mandatory. Private universities and NLUs charge students a fee called a moot court fee - it’s that money that’s used to reimburse fully or partially the expenses of teams. Government universities that do not charge such fees are under no obligation to pay for a moot.

Honestly I’m so done with people who hate on vidhi. It just smacks of envy of the influence and access vidhi has. But you’re not gonna get influence and access by being some ideological puritan. Why on earth should a duly elected government work with advocacy organisations that hate them ? Adult politics is all about working with people who disagree with you and finding common ground. Vidhi has done this very well. Name one policy space in India that has accomplished as much as vidhi!

It’s obviously without peer - and that comes from drafting policy documents and yes - sometimes telling a babu or a minister exactly what to say in a speech.

Possibly. Actually, I'd go further and say, very likely (it would certainly be so if I were the Columbia administration). In any case, I'd take this as redirection rather than as a source of dejection. Doing an LLM in the U.S. is anyway unhelpful, in the sense that your chances for employment there (either as a legal practitioner or academic) are not improved at all compared to not doing one. So your time could be better employed doing something else. There are other countries in which one can do an equally good, if not better, LLM (I am no mindless patriot, so not including India in this, because our graduate level legal education is not worth writing home to mother about for other reasons). Those countries have equally good, if not in some cases better, faculty, resources and postgraduate law study culture than the U.S., who anyway view the LLM students in their unis with the same level of contempt that the NLUs in India do for their LLM students. I wouldn't shed too many tears over this, TBH.

Also, if you need any further reasons not to be too sad over this, I can tell you from detailed knowledge of the U.S. system that LLM students can be at an immense intellectual disadvantage in their universities, anyway. Take just one example: the Philosophy of Public Property seminar that Seana Shiffrin takes at UCLA. One constituency of students for this class is LLM students in Legal Philosophy, true. But that's a very small constituency. The other constituencies include: JD students and PhD students in the Department of Philosophy (remember, UCLA isn't a stand-alone law school like NLSIU, for example, so it has multiple degree-awarding faculties). All these other constituencies (JD and Philosophy PhD) of students have better philosophical training than at least most Indian law students going there (to the U.S., that is) for an LLM. Combine that with the curve grading policy that many Indian universities have copied from the Americans, the complexity of content for a seminar like this and you get a recipe of high chances of not being able to do well. Tell me, considering just one career - academia and considering if you wanted to do that abroad: taking other factors into account (difficulties for getting selected to an SJD (U.S. law PhD programme), these structural disadvantages in the LLM environment, the fact that SJD graduates (even from the best American universities) are basically never hired in the U.S.), why would you even want to go to a system that disadvantages you at every turn, even if they are giving you some faltu (in the larger scheme of things) financial aid amount to study? Seems to me like the disadvantages outweigh the advantages (speaking as someone who has benefitted from LLM-level teaching in a country that is neither the U.S. nor India from someone who did both an LLM and SJD from Yale).

The real issue boils down to only a handful seniors within the non TD camp. Why blame the entire bnf for the lack of self awareness amongst these handful seniors who are living in their own bubble and trying to make life miserable for people within their team and also around them.

1. Yes, absolutely this is awesome news! An unexpected good thing. This is the thing with the Americans and British: they will play around with parts of systems that you least expect them to play around with! Previous quota for government officials? Serious thumbs down. Declaration of ineligibility for government officials now? Also thumbs down, however. Too blanket.

2. The voting pattern clearly shows:

▮▮▮

The question you need to ask yourself is... Why ? If it's important then do it now, if not, then forget about it. People have gotten jobs with and without papers. The only place it's important is academia, and even there it's not mandatory, since some professors who's job depends on writing papers, haven't for a decade. So don't fret. Also, always remember, Quality>Quantity.

CPR was a proper, independent think tank and the BJP ensured that they paid the price for it. Vidhi is just a glorified secretarial agency for the BJP. Please look at Arghya’s sudden position of “decolonisation”. Quite a coincidence that it coincides with J Sai Deepak’s book on the same subject and mirrors the RSS position? Then look at Vishu’s editorials on UCC etc.

This is how a typical Arghya Sengupta newspaper article looks now:

- X is a big problem in the country.

- The roots of X started in the 50s and continued till the early 2000s. Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh themselves admitted their failures in tackling X.

- X has reduced a lot since 2014 and the present government has taken steps (acknowledged by the World Bank) but more needs to be done.

- Our recommendations are…

- This can help achieve the dream of Vikshit Bharat.

Your criteria for college selection is the antithesis of a good education. And you are asking us to recommend a college that is so poorly run where students will never have to show their faces in class or do anything that leads to personal development? Why are you doing this to yourself and to us? Do yourself a favour. Prepare for NLSAT-LLB or CUET-UG in whatever time you have left and join a decent place where you will have a nice academic and friendly experience. You are too young to waste your adult life that has just begun by joining fraudulent colleges where no regard is paid to your professional and personal development.

In other words, the ministers, as people’s elected representatives rightfully exercised the powers conferred upon them by the constitution by instructing the bureaucrats to do what they are bound to do under the constitution. I’m sorry, but what is the problem here? You may not like the privacy laws and how they were drafted. Fair enough. But the process followed was exactly how a democracy is supposed to operate. Vidhi did nothing that other civil society groups have not done before and after. Also, Vidhi has done a lot more than just being a part of the drafting of the privacy laws. No need for such blanket denunciations.

What kind of people are you! You claim to be like the best western universities of the world, but behave like the dirtiest local politics players in India. I have studied at a reasonably okay western uni for a number of years - enough to know some of the inside gossip of it - and nobody gives a fuck about the equivalent of this inane nonsense. Faculty generally care about whether they'll be allowed to continue researching and teaching in the way that seems best to them, students just will advocate for anything that they feel the uni isn't giving them just as they would under any regime. We certainly would never have thought of going on an anonymous social media site and publishing something like this, and even if we had, we'd never have assumed (like you seem to be doing) that it would interest anybody at all!

how do you even get hired "directly"? through a contact?

anyway, i am unsure how an employer may think of you. If you are being offered substantially low compared to your peers, anybody would be sus about your hiring making it difficult for you to negotiate. And jumping to another t-1 role would mean stagnating your growth. Its a tough spot. Catching up is diffciult but never impossible. Deliberate on other factors too, i.e., how much you like your job, WLB, location etc, and then compare to your job offers and see if the pay difference actually makes sense. If it does not, maybe stick around and be patient for a few more months until you get that hike which would make it easier for you to switch

A more relevant question here may be as to whether Indians’ participation (government or non-government) in international academic programmes like these has delivered any meaningful result for governance in India so far. Otherwise, all that is achieved here is the mis-use of public money to subsidise a bunch of careerists.

It can get that way. Allow yourself to feel it. Feel bored, hate your work, hate your life. Don’t think about getting over this feeling immediately. Meanwhile, be a little extra kind to yourself. Maybe get a present for yourself, clean your space, hang some warm light in your room. Try going back to something that gets you excited for the future. I was really frustrated with my life months ago but I like looking at nice houses, gives me something to aspire to. If life still gets you down, think about what you really want and bring some change. Hope you feel better.

If I were you, I would complete one year at your current firm and then switch, even if the current place attempts to increase/normalise your pay. I wouldn't be able to trust Partners who are willing to stiff A0s because this shows that there's obviously not enough work around to meet targets. Most T-1s don't have any reason to stiff A0s/A1s because it's just not worth the money purportedly being saved. As long as you have experience at a T-1, it is very likely that the next place simply gives you a regular A1 band salary without thinking too much about it. Good luck.

Out of curiousity, are you in an IP team?

Top tier. That’s why he has two university wide portfolios- CoE & CPO. Wherever there is a crisis, KL is brought in to clean it up. His war on drugs has almost completely eliminated drugs on campus. He has streamlined the EO. Boy! You should have seen how EO was run by IG. Surely KL is Raj’s right hand and an efficient and trusted lieutenant.

Like most things Indian, definitions come after the catastrophe. What is a student union and how is it different from a student council or association? I am just as perplexed as others. But the sense I have gotten so far of the situation is that, banned or not, you can still have bodies with student representation in them and these bodies can be organised through direct elections in their respective institutions. The distinction is that these bodies are not unions in that they are not autonomous and their respective institutions have a greater measure of control over them than they would have over a student union.

But according to this news published in 2018, << https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2018/Nov/21/after-28-years-polls-will-be-back-on-college-campuses-1901210.html >>, student union elections had been re-introduced. Cannot say if this was reversed later.

That's bullshit. Vidhi pioneered the model by cozying up to ministers. Bureaucrats who did not want to outsource to them and their corporate interests were forced to do it from their political higher ups. How do you think the terrible privacy laws were drafted? Bureaucrats managed to scuttle it repeatedly until Vidhi was brought in.

Hi, I am confused between pursuing a career in Tax law , preferably international tax and M&A. Whch one is more intellectually stimulating, satisfying and financially rewarding. Please help me define the kind of career both will lead to. Also, I want to keep the option of moving abroad open as well. Any opinion would be helpful. Thank you.

How did placements go for BO25 at T1 NLUs-- NLS, NALSAR, NUJS, NLUD, GNLU etc? I have been hearing from many seniors that the numbers have not been anywhere as good as 2023, but slightly better than 2024. Can someone shed more light on this? In all likelihood, I will have to sit for campus placements, so it would be quite helpful if I have more clarity on market trends.

You can have tea with them while they smoke. Cigarettes and chai is a match made in heaven for these smokers. No one can deny some tea with their ciggy, especially in winters.

Generally chai shops outside sell cigarettes, take them to these shops for the break. If the break is taken indoors at a smoking area, then I have no suggestions for you.

I did a 3-year LL.B. after my BA, but was clueless as to my career trajectory during law school and could not land good internships back then. After graduating I prepared for several regulatory body and bank exams but could not crack them, struggled to find work, faced mental health issues and took therapy. Thankfully now I'm much better but have to deal with a two and a half years worth career gap with only 1.5 months of LPO experience. I want to pivot into a law firm job ideally in the area of GC/M&A, I am following Khaitan’s M&A Academy on YouTube, but need practical exposure through internships, which mostly require active students. Working under an advocate isn’t feasible due to low pay and health reasons. I am willing to work from scratch and even intern if possible. I just want to somehow get my career restarted and back on track. I'd appreciate any guidance. Thank you

Here you go: https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/419079-switching-from-t3-law-firm-to-a-think-tank-policy-group#comment-422137

Do your due diligence on the place you are joining. Reach out to people, especially former employees and understand the work culture in that specific team. Am aware of plenty of horror stories worse than law firms tbh. Don't want to scare you, but be mindful and get into things knowing what you're getting into. All the best!

I graduated in 2024 and, after four months of unemployment, secured a job at a Tier 1 law firm. (For clarity, this was a direct hire—not through a PPO or campus placement.) However, I was offered only 50% of what my A0 peers are earning.

I believe my performance has been fairly decent so far, but I don’t expect an exceptional increment this year—certainly not enough to bring my salary in line with other A0s in my team. Given this, I have a few concerns and would appreciate some insight:

1. Am I doomed?? I’ve heard that your first paycheck largely determines your career trajectory. Does this mean I’ll always struggle to catch up to my peers' compensation, even when switching firms?

2. if I switch to another Tier 1, what kind of increment can I realistically expect? given my current pay, even an A0 offer at market rate would be a significant jump.

3. when is the right time to switch? considering bonus payout timelines etc

Would appreciate any insights

I had made a post before about UGC Regulations 2022 and PhD after UG.

Now after a month of emailing and calling up numerous universities I found that Christ University follows the rules and I am eligible. Plus they allow part time PhD.

But the thing is when they released their vacancy, it was only for Pune and Bangalore cities not the NCR christ university.

I was looking forward to going to NCR. I have many friends there and advocates under whom I can work while doing PhD.

I dont know anyone in Bangalore to share rooms with or any advocate under whom I can work, it is an unfamiliar place.

I talked to other universities they said they have draft rules of new PhD regulations and will update but did not say when.

I asked christ university they said they might release the vacancy in december 2025.

I am lost, I need counsel 😭

what do I do?

Can someone not file a PIL urging the court to direct UGC to tell the universities to follow the rules.

I feel ranting is all these students care!!!

They have no other work to do!!

Look calling urself a “Helpless and Depressed student of GLC” means you have nothing else in your life to do!

U have based your entire identity on the college! And all u need is the college to get better so u can get out of depression! Grow up kid ! And get mature! All this nonsense must be stopped! U under the power of anonymity feel that starting an outrage against the college will gain you your self respect and remove u out of ur so called depression and helplessness! Seriously!!!

Being helpless becuz of a college doesn’t make any sense!!!

And ranting and starting an outrage is all you have done! Instigating people for something!!

Putting allegations is real easy but having any substance i dont feel so!

And its funny calling yourself a helpless and depressed human!! Seriously how can a college make u that????

TW (for LI folks who wish to avoid the inevitable trolling that will result from this): Story about incident that happened many years ago at a swanky school.

This isn't quite as high stakes, but a classmate of mine called our high school Maths teacher 'Mama' by mistake during her (classmate's) first week at school, in Grade 9. Apparently, this Maths teacher looked remarkably like said classmate's mother, classmate was new to the school, saw Maths teacher from a distance and it just slipped out. Story had a happy ending, though: (a) classmate secured the top grades in 10th and 12th Maths board exams; (b) classmate did well, both on the Maths section of the general SAT, and in the subject test Maths SAT; and (c) the Maths teacher in question (who taught us throughout our high school careers) was one of the teachers who wrote recommendation letters for my classmate to apply to Uni of Chicago at the undergraduate level to read Economics and Maths (she was admitted there, and has successfully completed her degree from UChicago). Did the teacher write about the incident where she was mistaken for the student's mother on the reference letter? If so, did that help the admissions officers at UChicago? All insoluble mysteries of life, I am afraid, but still fun to speculate about.

Could legal sector liberalisation solve the disparity?

https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/rs-75-lakh-top-package-in-iim-lucknow-placements-600-job-offers-secured/ar-AA1AdTCj?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

That's definitely not true. In a typical M&A deal, both banks and law firms have a similar commission, ranging from 2-3%. Thus, if a firm earns 500 crore, an investment bank would also earn 500 crores, if not lesser. Thus distribution is where things take a turn. An inv banking associate would get paid in bonus, of about 1 crore, whereas a law firm associate (who is actively involved in the deal) could possibly earn 1.5 khoka.

"Employees of the Government of India and Indian State Governments are not eligible for any Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships. This includes civil servants in central services (such as IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, and allied services), state govt services (including state civil services), and bureaucratic staff employed in central and state ministries or departments," this year's application said. ....Each year, Indian govt officers make up between 30 per cent-40 per cent of the applicants picked by the United States-India Education Foundation."

So does this mean a law firm associate has a higher chance than an LLB-pass IAS officer or judicial clerk or NLU faculty or NHRC researcher--- when the reverse was true earlier?

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/trumps-funds-freeze-hits-fellowship-for-government-officials/articleshow/118770370.cms

The Donald Trump administrationannounced on Friday that it had canceled $400m in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University in New Yorkbecause of what it alleges is the college’s repeated failure to protect students from antisemitic harassment.

The announcement comes after Columbia set up a new disciplinary committee and initiated its own investigations into students critical of Israeland its war on Gaza after Hamas’s own attack on Israel. That move by the university has alarmed advocates of free speech.

It also comes at a time of widespread backlash to American universities by the Trump administration and conservatives more broadly who see the higher education sector in the US as dominated by liberals and ripe for a rightwing attack on its influence.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/07/trump-administration-cancels-columbia-university-funding

I’m looking to get started with freelancing as a lawyer on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. If anyone here has experience, I’d love to hear your insights.

Some questions I have:

- What legal services work best for freelancing? (Contracts, research, compliance, etc.?)
- How do you price services as a beginner?
- Any challenges to watch out for, especially with international clients?
- How do you handle legal restrictions on offering services across jurisdictions?

Would appreciate any advice from those who have navigated this space. Thanks in advance.

During our typical meaningless late night hostel conversation the topic of money in law firm vis-a-vie in-house came in. I being desirous of work-life balance was fan of in-house jobs while my friend was into law firms just for the sake of money. I remember him saying the difference in wealth between in-house counsel and partner becomes so stark that I won't be able to match my lifestyle at all if I am in in-house role. Today both of us are associates in a T1 law firm and we make good money. But one of our friends got into consulting and is making way more. Now I am thinking of going into consulting.

At the same time, I regret not going to IIT or top engineering schools when my school friends, who were below or par with me in school, made it to top engineering and B schools and make more than me (even in in-hand pay).

I remember R Madhavan who said that after reaching certain monetary threshold ( in crores ofcourse) you just stop comparing yourself. It really makes no difference how much you earn. So my question to partners at law firms is that have you stopped comparing yourselves with folks who make more than you like fellow partners, senior advocates, friends who are now in different fields etc. Does reaching a certain level of wealth stop your sighing for more?Or this comparision and sighing at greener patch continues. Be honest with answers. Thanks for taking time to read this.

Because conventionally the CJI leaves matters concerning NUJS to the SC judges from Bengal.

He will also have a brief tenure as CJI.

He also supersedes Justice Soumen Sen, who was openly accused by Justice Abhijit Ganguly of favouring Abhishek Banerjee.

The present issue of concern is the appointment of the next VC.