Who says OCI holders cannot register with State Bar Councils? Has the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs notification that allows OCIs parity with Indian citizens in the practice of law and to be advocates been revoked or something?

I know of more than one person in the same position as you (British citizen and OCI) who is practicing as an advocate (although both the examples I know enrolled first as Indian citizens and only became British citizens later - but that shouldn't matter in the context of the MOIA notification)

Can only offer generic advice.

1. Know how to read causelists.

2. Memorise, properly, where each court room is.

3. Make sure you read the matters properly - don't ever go to the court without file or without having read the file. This does not mean reading just the Synopsis or the LOD. Go through the complete file.

Since you're with an AOR, the procedural aspects of CrPC, Evidence Act, CPC etc. would not really apply, except when the interpretation/application of any particular section is already in issue in any such case (in which case, you'd just know from the file anyway). So you're expected to know the substantive law - whatever field your AOR mainly practices in..

but objectively, the cutoff for SC/ST seats is much lower than the NRI seats. So any SC/ST candidate should be able to avail that first. Now if there were to be SC/ST seats within NRI quota, the cutoff would be so much more lower, and lower than the ordinary SC/ST seats as well. NRI fees on average is 3-5x the usual fees. I don't think there would be anyone other than kids of mostly corrupt officers or politicians who would be interested in availing those seats. Makes no sense.

How has AI changed the Capital Markets practice? I remember having to do quite a lot of mind numbingly boring tasks earlier until I changed practice areas, but now, I think I would probably be able to do three of these transactions simultaneously with the same filing date and get home for dinner with the family. Is that true? How has the practice changed - especially the work hours, especially in the past year with AI becoming especially proficient in due diligence?

Recent graduate based in Mumbai (T1 NLU, if that matters), decent CV + international moots, average CGPA. Would anyone be able to suggest chambers or seniors who would be hiring or be able to offer advice on how to go about applying to chambers in Mumbai? Whatever circumstances have led me to this are not important, but would physically going to chambers and dropping my CV be in my best interest or a waste of time? Would appreciate any input, as I am certain on litigation, but a bit lost.

So basically are we seeing 4 people split the pie in the competition practice? If yes, that situation will be exploited by the corporate partners feeding work. They can throw scraps for 4 people to fight over. With Nisha, people could stave off that pressure at the expense of growth but keep billables high. All life is just a trade off.

Won’t happen because the firm is on an AI implementation journey aiming to bolster its use across all levels. With that, there is no incentive to revise the pay as the same attorneys that are using the AI are also in-effect training the same AI with their daily usage. Lot of money is being spent on AI adoption. There is already hiring freeze, and hiring for future is also set to go down.

Please do some research before regurgitating press releases people.

It was a very simple case that was primarily prepared for and conducted by the (very human, very expensive) barrister who actually argued the case.

A barrister like this is massive overkill for a case like this and it is almost unheard of as his fees would have been hugely disproportionate to the case (like hiring Harish Salve to argue for you at the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal). He was only hired because the AI firm paid his fees, because they wanted to make sure the case was won, so that they could publicise it (and their strategy worked, because they have got free publicity far outstripping what they paid the barrister).

Hey! Batch of 29 here. Was planning to go into Corp Law and ADR, particularly M&A and Commercial Arbi but everybody around me seems to be trying for the same. As a non-NLU student, the internships i've done till now are average, but i am trying to get better ones in my third year. Saw a lot of threads here saying M&A and corp firms in general are oversaturated, and that ppos or getting placed are getting worse by the years (esp seeing 26' ppos). Can someone guide me wrt which field can i pivot to and focus on for internships and publications so that I have a chance at landing in a good dep of a good firm without peanuts in pay. Was considering niche-er areas such as space law but i need more advice from someone IN the actual market

I just read ▮▮▮ stuff about Lucio AI right now. Can some insiders please confirm this?

Find the link here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bangalorestartups/s/BFLvnkQhnP

If you're genuinely interested in LegalTech, joining a law firm is probably the worst way to pursue it. The LegalTech team at Trilegal is a bit of a misnomer, as it largely involves liasoning with and evaluating external vendors and solutions (partly because of the Lucio investment).

Even other firms like Kco and CAM have innovation teams that don't really build their own solutions. If you're genuinely interested in building something in the legaltech space, joining a startup is probably your best bet.

Knowing your way around AI tools like Claude Code is another thing tho – I think every lawyer, not even specifically TMT ones, should be dabbling in this and try to automate their work as much as possible; because if you don't, the guy next to you will and he'll be able to do significantly more work than you.

I interned here this year and, overall, it was a valuable experience. Both managing partners are exceptionally professional, approachable, and genuinely supportive. One primarily leads the corporate practice while the other focuses on disputes, giving the firm a broad and varied portfolio of work. For a city like Jaipur, the quality and diversity of the corporate work is particularly impressive. Ashish Sir, in particular, has extensive Tier-1 connections and brings significant exposure and opportunities to the firm's practice.

The team itself is relatively small, which allows interns to get meaningful exposure. There is one Senior Associate who is knowledgeable and helpful, and another Associate from GLC who is incredibly kind, approachable, and knows exactly how to engage with and mentor interns.

Unfortunately, ▮▮▮

They might be looking to hire, but not from reputed places since they'd have to match pay. The shortlisted candidates that I could see so far are all from smaller firms or not even proper law firms, and tier 2-3 law schools. Even for fresher hirings, they are in talks with tier 3 NLUs this year, unlike the top 3 colleges from earlier years. Major cost cutting it seems.

How exactly does the total number of reserved category candidates shrink? That remains the same. If anything, only super rich can afford NRI quota seats. So every NRI seat that gets taken by a reserved category rich student will mean that a poorer reserved category candidate couldn't get in. That's opposite to what the reservation norms want to achieve.

I think I do my best work when I'm largely working on one matter on a given day. Hate switching between 6 matters in one day - feels like I'm barely making progress on any of them. How do you juggle multiple matters without losing time answering people's questions and doing stupid work?

You do understand when you use the word academia you're referring to being a professor. A job in think-tanks would make you a legal researcher not an academician. Please be clear what you want to do.

If you want to be a legal academician, then LLM+NET+PhD.

If you want to be a legal researcher, you can do that even after a LLB. Intern and join think-tanks. Work experience is more important there. Later on if you want, you can do a LLM in a specialised area or PhD as well, but it's not mandatory.

So, decide. Academia or Research.

Also being an academician includes three main duties.. teaching, research and admin. While being a researcher doesn't include teaching or admin duties.

This is not a snide remark. Look at the team structures closely. The two male partners in question, GC and that ex Luthra appendage, the next in command in both their teams are men. There may have been women Lawyers at junior levels (from erstwhile NKU era) but none of those have made it to the counsel levels under these two partners. Speak to ppl who have worked in these two teams, it IS a boys club. Let’s just call a spade a spade.

Yes. I would suggest working hard at improving your writing skills in the first year of college. I would highly recommend 'Academic Legal Writing' by Eugene Volokh as that has a lot of good advice. You can easily get it for free from any shadow library online such as Anna's Archive. Also read a lot of different things regarding the law, both doctrinal and interdisciplinary, to improve your writing abilities. In other words, read a lot of cases, books, blog articles, and journal articles.

Doing an LLM from an NLU is not a terrible idea, but it is not a very good one either. Try to build a stellar CV by the end of your 4th year (top 5 in batch, great publications, research assistantships, one or two competitions etc) in order to increase your chances of getting a scholarship to do an LLM abroad. One particular scholarship that you could try to aim for is the Alex Chernov Scholarship of the University of Melbourne. A foreign LLM just increases the chances of you becoming a professor at a good law school in India.

Though the path be broken and uncertain, never give up hope!

Because colleges abroad do this: you can opt for single rooms, single rooms with private bath, or shared rooms, depending on your budget. This improves students experience and also adds revenue to colleges. Also incentivises affluent students to study at tier 2 NLUs instead of opting for Jindal or going abroad (in the latter case, saving the country foreign exchange),

Not elitist, but pragmatic: instead of forced socialism and povertarianism.

Payment should not be done by senior. It should be done by the solicitor or the client coming. Seperately to the senior and the junior. Watch the bombay bar association and calcutta bar library reflection videos on YT. The delhi system of paying juniors kills their growth. Useless and horrible system. Should be done away with law and should be punished. There is a reason why bombay calcutta madras counsels were and still are so much better than delhi ones and their drafting is so much better. They grow much faster. Delhi just because financial centre and politics they grow. Otherwise nothing.

This may be the biggest leap in reasoning ever. Can AI be punished for professional misconduct? Does AI have access to the lived experiences, accumulated over years and decades of practice, that actual lawyers in a law firm have?

Keeping the limitations of AI aside, I fail to see why this incident is newsworthy. Pedestrian generative AI such as ChatGPT has for a long time had the ability to do the things which Garfield AI has done in this case. The only reason that the news of the victory in this case is being spread far and wide is that Garfield AI is branded as a 'law firm'. Nomenclature cannot change substance. To be astounded by this piece of news is the same as announcing yourself as bereft of any capacity for critical thinking. I don't like being abrasive, but the sheer number of idiots who consider AI to be the greatest thing for law since language was invented (like you for instance) gets on my nerves.

An additional bonus of 2.5 months’ over and above March’s already paid performance bonus has been confirmed to be paid along-with July salary. Everyone in the firm knows that. This additional bonus which is a result of firm’s 10% equity profit pool reserved for employees has been yearly paid for ages and is a permanent feature resulting in high annual bonuses. Surprising to see how someone is trying to make a story out of it when none exists. Its a good thing being done and should be followed by all law firms.

If you want to do more exciting work, then join a chamber. I should think you have the financial security required to slog it out in litigation since you have been salaried for many years now. The other alternative would be to get into a law firm but I am pretty sure you wouldn't like that unless it is a disputes team that you join.

I am a British citizen with OCI (10+ years). I completed my LLB from an Indian university in June 2026 and have attempted the AIBE.

I have 20+ years of experience in another industry and switched to law mid-career. However, I’ve learned that OCI holders cannot register with State Bar Councils or practise Indian law independently.

Questions for seniors:

- What are the actual practice options for OCI holders with Indian LLB + AIBE?
- Can we only work as in-house counsel / legal consultants in law firms, limited to international/cross-border matters?
- What realistic career paths exist for a 40-year-old looking to build a second career in law?

Would really appreciate any guidance, experiences, or references to rules/notifications.

Thank you!

---

I agree. But not for the reasons you state. If you rely upon The Guardian's take on all this, you, specifically, do need to pack your bags. Because you understand absolutely nothing about how professional discipline works. Please read this instead - the post is just about short enough for an attention span of a person like you - if not, please do not hesitate to ask for biscuits:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7475191352117514240/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADbobP8BYXYimSxP3fuldWAbtZ_1ddV7Saw

Can someone verify this?

Here's a copy of the NLS Act : https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/7620?view_type=browse

18(3) states "The 1 [Vice Chancellor] 1 who shall be an academic person and a Professor of Law at the School, shall hold office for a term of five years, which shall be renewable by a resolution to that effect by the Executive Council or upto the age of retirement of the members of the teaching staff, whichever is earlier. Upon the expiry of this term, he shall continue in office until his successor is appointed and enters upon his office."

Where is the 10 years cap mentioned? Couldn't find it in the act at least.

I am right now in 1st year of my BA LLB from lpu, a private university, but I have come to love law and I wish to pursue legal academia. I have heard abt possible job roles in LPO's and thinktanks and legal research in courts. I plan to diligently prepare for CLAT-PG to get NLU for my LLM or something equivalent at least. I have started writing and developing skills needed but I am still improving and I nowhere near even at a level of a novice still I plan to get better before the end of my bachelors. Is the path worth it and even possible for me?

I am right now in 1st year of my BA LLB from lpu, a private university, but I have come to love law and I wish to pursue legal academia. I have heard abt possible job roles in LPO's and thinktanks and legal research in courts. I plan to diligently prepare for CLAT-PG to get NLU for my LLM or something equivalent at least. I have started writing and developing skills needed but I am still improving and I nowhere near even at a level of a novice still I plan to get better before the end of my bachelors. Is the path worth it and even possible for me?

The world’s first artificial intelligence-powered law firm has won a trial against human lawyers before an English court in a £7,000 unpaid fees dispute

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/22/artificial-intelligence-law-firm-wins-court-case-in-england-for-first-time

Though this is in UK, I guess its time human law firms pack their bags!?

Want to know if this is a common or standard practice at law firms: My offer letter mentions a 3 month notice period but does not specify the amount payable in lieu of serving it (i.e. there's no buyout clause or deduction formula mentioned). Does the absence of a buyout clause mean the firm can insist on full service of the notice period?

For context, this is a lesser known law firm paying the bare minimum salary [25k per month] that I'm joining just for the time being as a fresher, with the intention to switch to a better one later (1 year maximum). Please help me figure out how serious firms are (or not) with following notice periods and if there is something I should be worried about later if i need to quit within a shorter time period.

Also wanted to know if there's any chance this can be negotiated to be reduced to 1 month? I know it sounds stupid (because firm's policy can't be altered for just one person right?) and unlikely to be accepted and obviously gives a bad impression but idk if I'm doing the right thing right now

The ability to pull off the move also depends on your college brand if you are still from a decent legacy college it is possible, move to NCLT/ Corp Dispu5tes and leatrn IBC by heart, do 2 or more pure NCLT disputes in a firm, then study corporate law in details , apply to a boutique firm whoich does gen corp and NCLT and preferably hires only one intern for both areas , learn Gen corp work there then in the next internship apply for Gen corp at a firm with corp disputes also in your CV , note pul

Assuming the venue is free (govt auditorium) and FICCI arranged 1 night at a 5 star hotel for maybe 10-15 outstation speakers, that’s still a massive markup. What for exactly? The likes of Ambani and Adani showed up only because Mamata called them, rather than FICCI. What did FICCI do then? Just branding? And is this how they charge governments and other clients for organising events? Is their brand that valuable?

If this is how much they charge I wonder what their salaries are like. Because they have a lot of policy positions that lawyers can try for.

https://www.thestatesman.com/cities/kolkata/suvendu-opens-tmcs-corruption-file-on-bengal-global-business-summit-in-assembly-1503609303.html/amp

https://theprint.in/india/bengal-cm-says-mamata-govt-gave-over-rs-324-cr-to-ficci-for-biz-summit-indicates-breach-of-rules/2967904/?amp

Yeah bro which batch out of the last 5 batches have had "good placements" from a T1 metric ? How many times in the past 5 years have we outperfomred NLS, NALSAR, NUJS, NLUD, GNLU, NLUJ ? Not even once. If anything I am one of the guys interning at a T1 firm (can't disclose due to obvious reasons) but when I talk to other interns from T1 NLU(s) here, they are playing a completely different game than us.

If you look up Linkedin, you will find that the number of people formerly working there far exceeds the number of people currently working there. What could that mean for a 5-6 year supposedly boutique firm?

Also, Sandeep, otherwise quite a decent person if you ask anyone at Touchstone, did not have an amicable exit despite being the founding partner. He quit a year ago (https://www.barandbench.com/news/corporate/app-founder-sandeep-das-joins-touchstone-partners) and seems to be doing quite well now.

How horrible can you be? Do you have no sense of shame? I hate to say this, but I honestly wish you would experience the kind of mental health crisis this person seems to be going through. You genuinely don't seem to be able to understand what having mental health difficulties caused by work environments can feel like. Please go eat some grass.

Moderators, I am surprised you allowed this in. Even with the redactions, it's a horrible comment. Please undertake some deep introspection. Please also force the one who approved this comment to resign, and replace him or her with somebody who is more judicious in applying your moderation policy, which makes very clear that you cannot put others down.

Relax. He will be in this position for another 3 years or so (till September 25, 2029) which is when his second term ends. At best, the NLSIU Executive Council (EC) might give him an extension for a few months to complete the ongoing construction projects or if the selection process for the next Vice-Chancellor gets dragged for some reason. The real question is who will (or should) succeed him in 2029? While the NLSIU Alumni Association may want another alumnus (such as Prof. Arun Kumar Thiruvengadam, Prof. Mrinal Satish or Prof. N.S. Nigam), there will likely be intense lobbying for this position as the NLSIU Executive Council (EC) has representation from Supreme Court Judges, Bar Council of India (BCI), Government of Karnataka and the NLSIU Faculty. Each of these constituencies tends to push and pull in different directions when it comes to the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor.

There are no corruption charges against him. Only some wild accusations made by clueless students on social media who do not understand how University finances work. There is legitimate criticism against the scale and speed of his expansion plan and the consequent problems such as overcrowding in the hostels. To be fair to the University, they have expanded the off-campus housing options and students from the postgraduate programmes and older batches should see that as the norm for the next 2-3 years. The construction of new hostels in the 7 acre plot (next to Ambedkar School of Economics) is the immediate challenge and he is doing the rounds with government officials and private donors to raise funds. It is evident as day-light that the ongoing redevelopment of the Academic Blocks (OAB and NAB) will take another year or so.

On the Rhodes Scholarships, I have personally interacted with both of the students from NLSIU who have secured them in 2025 and 2026 respectively. They have won the scholarship because of their authenticity, academic excellence and motivation. Let us not insult these bright young people by claiming that Sudhir 'lobbied' for them. In fact, the 2026 Rhodes Scholar was at the forefront of the recent student protests about hostel issues.

On academic standards, current NLSIU students can crib and complain as much as they like. The fact is that NLSIU now has the best possible faculty composition under Indian conditions. They still have to learn how to co-ordinate better for multi-section teaching and give more time to the students outside the classroom. Even Sudhir's worst critics accept that he has done a remarkable job with faculty hiring. The trick was simple. Hold selections for faculty positions every year and select people based on teaching requirements. On this count, the work done over the last 7 years (and counting) will outlast his two terms as NLSIU Vice-Chancellor.