Prof Madhava Menon always wanted NLU graduates to be social engineers, so he set up NLSIU and later NUJS on that basis. There are indeed some inspiring NLU grads who stood up for social justice and human rights when in law school, then continued that path after graduation. Some role models are Tarunabh Khaitan, Prabha Kotiswaran, Menaka Guruswamy, Mayur Suresh and Gautam Bhatia from NLSIU; Mihira Sood from NALSAR; Deepika Singh Rajawat from NLUJ; Avani Bansal from HNLU; and Rohin Bhat from GNLU.

However, unfortunately, these people seem to be in a minority. In direct contrast to Prof Menon’s vision (who once even barred law firms from recruiting from NLSIU) most NLU grads are working in corporate law firms, advising unethical and corrupt companies. Those practising in courts are defending all sorts of criminals, from corrupt politicians to sexual harassers to those destroying forests and the environment. Not only that but some of them have completely discarded their ideals and are supporting right-wing elements. 😔 The same people who stood up for hawkers and slum dwellers as law students now make remarks saying that they should be evicted to “beautify” our cities. The same people who protested against the CAA now repost Aatishi Marlena’s xenophobic remarks blaming Rohingyas and Bangladeshis for Delhi’s civic problems. 🫤 Compare their Facebook/X posts from now versus their student says. You will literally think that the profile belongs to two different people with diametrically opposite ideologies.

So why is this phenomenon happening?

As someone clueless why would you want to switch from a T1 to a T2 (assuming you are already in the M&A space)? If you’re switching from one area of law to another I understand. Guessing T1 will have better salary and that the work life balance won’t be that different in T1 vs T2. Thoughts?

Thank you for the suggestion. Can you please clarify whether this is a practice for which the student will have to talk to any informal body like the student union or anything similar, or will attendance just not be taken daily during the classes? I do not wish to have a situation where the student will have to drop out midway because he would be told to start attending classes or else. Hope I've managed to convey what I meant.

I am a former academic, now back into law firm practice but hoping to re-enter. I left JGLS because I found it too left-leaning and I could never fit into the snooty Marxist faculty cabal. In fact, you’re a complete outcaste if you come out as right-wing or Centre-right (the latter in my case). However, on a visit to a couple of business schools I found more like-minded people. So my plan is to do a PhD from a B School and re-enter academia as a law and business professor.

Moderators, please read this post fully before moderating and do facilitate an informed discussion on this rare footage where PM Modi articulates his stance on secularism:

https://youtube.com/shorts/sg6MMIkvOsY?si=HbIL88MY2RcmFBo8

As lawyers/social scientists, let's delve into:

a) the root of his issue with secularism;

b) why his views have gained traction in the previous two election cycles;

c) can the dominant counter-narrative against secularism, established by Modi, be overturned not only academically but also politically?

d) are the people and institutions challenging the aforementioned dominant counter-narrative (let's refer to them as the "opposition") approaching it correctly in this election season?

e) why did the opposition fail in the previous two election cycles?

f) what additional mitigation measures should the opposition immedilately adopt to avoid repeating past mistakes (which led to the electoral debacles of 2014 and 2019)?

g) Is the devil lurking in the details? Are there harsh truths in Modi’s remarks that he's exploiting, knowing his opponents lack the courage or capability to confront and address with meaningful policy?

I am currently in my final year here. Roti Park is known for attracting local thugs and other undesirable individuals.

There was even a recent incident where a person, who is not affiliated with NLS, was stabbed there.

Brawls and altercations are not uncommon in that area. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, we strongly against visiting Roti Park due to its unsafe environment.

Doesn't matter. LLM is basically cash cow for US Universities. LLM placements are not even considered as it's not a ranking criteria.

Before attacking me. Read LLM reviews by American Students. They look down on them.

Just like how NLU students look down on LLM.

US LLM is more like a JGLS LLB. Money matters. More than anything else.

Even Harvard, Stanford is not as tough as it looks for LLM.

Do you have the money to pay up?

Yes - Admission granted

No - Get out.

Money is not easy money. I will give you an example. My batch mates went to harvard LLM.

Fees is (all inclusive)

Tutiton Fees - $90

Living Expenses - $30K

Flights (to and from India, within US for internships) and Miscellaneous - $20K

Totally it's around $140K

US dollar will always appreciate. So considering the current exchange and volatility.

You need 1.3 crore Indian Rupees for a Harvard LLM. Same applies to most US Universities.

Let's say you failed in law school. Even then you can get a top LLM. Just do a clerkship via connections in some High Court and request the judge for a recommendation.

Respectfully, no professional having the experience and profile as claimed in the original post would, of all possible platforms, and considering the connections and networks they would have made during their entire career be:

(1) clueless as to what, of anything is to be done by them with respect to their career now;

and

(2) asking on Legally India, the queries as stated in the original post.

This is my second attempt to re-write Point 3 and 4, hoping it doesn't get contested and omitted again. This forum is to help people make better decisions for their life and I'm just trying to help:

...

3. If you are a person who is just a pure hard worker but cannot engage in office politics, you will suffer. I suffered coz being really good at my work i was dumped more and more of it, while my peers enjoyed the perks of better appraisals and bonuses by doing half the work. Their secret ingredient was usually cowering to seniors or worse, bad-mouthing their peers and juniors to the seniors. I saw it happen first hand many times.

4. You cannot be allowed to be a kind and sympathetic mentor. I was reprimanded again and again as being "weak" coz I was not ruthless to my juniors.

...

Also yeah on-point on the culture aspect. This place is just too orthodox even for Millennials like me but we still persisted coz earlier this place used to have a bigger brand. The Gen-Z and this place cannot grow together.

Moderator i know your concerns, but these are first hand accounts and not hearsay.

This is changing (for the bad) so beware. If you don't live in Mumbai then you won't be able to just go for exams and internals and be done with your llb. Because of the new principal more and more teachers are adhering to strict attendance. It is not as strict as 75% but still not as lenient as it was once upon a time.

1. how are mandates gained by law firm leaders?

2. And, if it is about trust, does that mean that it is extremely hard to create a new client base for a new entrant? If so, how does a big mandate shift from one partner/firm to another?

"They are getting the best possible advice"But does billing rate/total bill become irrelevant? (Since money is just a construct at a certain point for some people.) A client from high places would definitely have the network to know how to ask around, right?

But still. Question stands - and I want to avoid taking specific names of rainmakers unless more irrelevant comments come on -

No anti north indian discrimination is not there. But students only speak in Malayalam (local language of Kerala) amongst themselves and teachers often use Malayalam jokes which makes the college less inclusive. Almost 80% + of the batch is from Kerala or Malayalis born outside Kerala. So there is very less diversity.

US LLMs these days are very easy to get. I mean even people at bottom of my law school are getting admissions in top US Law schools.

But problem is - Application itself is costly and tedious.

Money - You need atleast 1 crore Rs for the LLM and Living expenses, US is the most costly. Even after LLM, US is not immigration friendly and it's difficult to stay back.

These days US LLMs are done by kids who's parents are damn rich or senior Counsels. They use the LLM as a vacation.

If you have money (Rs. 1 crore $130K) then you should do a US LLM it's a fun learning experience. You will get a lot of exposure.

You must be in top of your batch to get a fully paid scholarship to the US. Otherwise it's very easy.

Gen Z cares more than previous generations, eh? Then how come so many clips are going around of journalists asking white American kids protesting about Palestine and the kids don't have a clue? Just privileged white kids trying to be cool, that's all. It's ridiculous to compare them with the anti-Vietnam protestors of the 1960s. Our grandparents were the real revolutionaries, not us.

Except they arent protesting mass killings. Name for me please the number of times since October 8 that Hamas has been offered a peace deal and they have refused? tell me how the terms of these deals were unfair? If you cared about mass killings wouldnt you be protesting them as well? instead of celebrating these guys as resistance fighters? People who protest mass killings dont go around tearing down photos of hostages.

haha- who told you this story? did you hear this on msnbc? or on tik tok? or ilhan omars twitter? do you know how to read polls? how does the squad winning in small congressional districts that voted blue anyway impact presidential elections? you do understand that its not the popular vote that decides the president?

Look up these numbers from any gallup surveys in the last few months- keeping in mind there is a lot of time before november- what the most important issues are for voters in america- israel and hamas dont crack the top ten of non economic issues. what are issues that americans think are important? the economy and price rise aside, immigration, poor leadership (bidens age), poverty, hunger, crime, democracy, racism, abortion, moral decline, health care, education, ukraine war, and the courts all rank above israel and hamas.

If Biden loses michigan- it wont be because college students who dont vote anyway didnt vote for him. It will be because of the auto industry and labourers within it turning their back on biden because he prioritised electric vehicles and climate activism above their interests. It will be because of labour. Labour votes. Unions vote. And Trump is catering to them.

If any effect- I think as many moderate voters would be scared off by left radicals doing this campus activism.

the last time an unpopular war swung a presidential election in america was- vietnam? and they had american boots on the ground. Maybe iraq? but not really- dubya had two whole terms after starting a stupid war over ego. There are no american boots on the ground now, theres no draft. Israel and Hamas have been killing each other since forever- american voters dont really care about a neverending conflict at the edge of the world and most have been around too long to naively think there are any good guys in the conflict. Wont swing the election at all. I wouldnt be surprised if members of the squad lost their seats in two years on.

Heres the thing- I think a good test for any kind of political prediction or argument is- can you make a strong case for why your opponents might have support? If you cannot imagine why trump won in 2016 or why trump might win again in 2024- you probably have a biased mediatised view of things. put the journalists you listen to to that test. Can they tell you- why they lost or might lose. if they resort to- oh its because america is racist or stupid or votes against their own interest and all that- consider that this person is not interested in giving you an accurate description of reality- theyre interested in telling you a story that will make you act in ways that they want.

Well well..... be ready with the evidences - be prepared to file suits and criminal complaints for defrauding and non clearance of invoices ..... make all directors and concerned person party individually .... to the complaints and the suits. Ensure you publicise the matter. Spend some more money and voila .... INR 15L credit. This strategy will not work if the company is itself bankrupt etc. You can expect good support from the courts as it is advocate fees. Before doing all this - ensure that the senior most persons are aware about what is happening with you so that if the dealing person is fooling around that can be taken care of. And yes, at times it also happens that the dealing person might be expecting a 'cut'. ;)

AOC won her NY state election by a 43% margin, Ilhan is Minnesota by a sliver below 50%, and Rashida in Michigan by 46%. These radicals seem to have mainstream numbers.

You are right to say that Cornel West won't defeat or even significantly dent Biden. However, it is entirely possible that Biden's loss, if it comes, to Trump may be due to the younger voters (who do not generally vote but are still important minority) being turned off by his status quoism re: America's Middle East policy.

I have received my offer from a corp firm in gurgaon, and just want to know from any women who are currently working in gurgaon about whether they’ve ever faced safety concerns working there. There are no fixed hours in this field and I might have to leave late sometimes - how safe would that be, should I be concerned?

Lots of law firms offer consulting opportunities. You can also start a law chamber and handle banking law cases in courts and tribunals. Maybe your old employer will give you cases?

Finally, why don’t you give guest lectures on practical areas of banking for students? You can approach Jindal, which is very open to this. If you have an LLM, especially from abroad, you can even join the faculty.

The super expensive India Business Law Journal lets you author an article every month for a year subject to the condition that you buy a certain number of copies for distribution to clients and others. The money is ostensibly for the copies but is actually the consideration for the space reserved for your articles which of course carry your photo, name and firm address prominently.

I bill this client quarterly. This quarter, the client racked up a 15L bill. This client has secured favourable orders in some of the cases that count. There were no losses. The other cases, relatively, aren't high stakes. There are 20 cases in total, not just one. I have incurred substantial personal expenses for flight tickets, hotel reservations, stationery, printing/scanning, etc. I have to pay my team and external vendors too. They are being remarkably patient and I intend to pay them within seven days - even if I have to dip into my funds. I might have to take out a personal loan to avoid fiscal instability after repaying everyone. I have a hunch that this client is taking advantage of my being stretched and is arm-twisting me for a shakedown/discount. I say this because the client doesn't respond to messages about other ongoing cases. Also, because this client has cleared bills of other external vendors that bill it directly in these cases (including senior counsels). I get the blue ticks but no reply to my updates on matters related to other ongoing cases now. I feel like he's doing ground work to replace me and default on my payments. This client has only one follow-up message on this default. It was sent after two weeks (after the invoice issuance date). It was replied to with an assurance that the matter would be addressed soon. It has been some days since this reply. Has anyone been betrayed or arm-twisted in this fashion by a client after securing favorable orders?

What should I do? I still some have his very valuable papers. I know what you all are now thinking and I don't want to be that person. I don't wish to shred them just yet. I just want to do great work and be paid fully and on time.

A genuine question to the LI hivemind. I know a person who has been assisting my father in his chamber for a long time now. He is around 55 years, knows a lot of the practical aspects of law. He really wants to get an LLB degree so that he can practise in smaller courts and earn a little more. He can't quit his present job because he has got a family to support. I am looking for some lesser known college anywhere in India where he can get enrolled, pay the fees, but will not have to attend classes other than maybe a week in every semester if required. I can help him with his studies as much as he needs to do well in his exams etc. Preferably not somewhere that costs a lot (maybe less than a lakh a year), as I will be trying to sponsor his fees from my own personal savings as a student. This person already has got a Masters degree with English Honours. He is not looking to get a degree by doing nothing, but is willing to work hard on his studies, just cannot attend formal classes for aforesaid reasons. If anyone has got any suggestion, please be help. Please be kind and don't troll. TIA.

@Mod: Please allow the comments here as quickly as you can, will be grateful.

Totally agree with the above comment. On this platform after many years. Found this thread - above msg is to the point. Apart from the left nostril - right nostril specialization in larger offices of the firm there are many more reasons to not join LKS at this point of time. Its too backward an org when it comes to freedom associated with current gen. Me being 10 yrs older could not digest their means. Too much of 'chatai', cheap politics, grapewine, backbiting, promotions based on vested interests, mid level to senior level have their own agendas going on. Toxic culture by the book. The super seniors have done their part and not much interested on what the kids and the senapatis appointed by them are doing. The senapatis have started behaving like the maharajas and are of course of the lowest order. Absolute lack of class. They have just mugged up a few judgments and want to show around how important they are by bashing anyone at their wish - including clients. Many in house counsels who worked in LKS and are now on the other side of the table are made fun of in client-counsel meetings in front of their new colleagues. Interesting !!
House is not in order - Chopping of good resources - promoting only the 'obedient' ones. Not allowing good resources to grow - specially if they have their own opinion and the opinion does not matches with that of the managers.
Filtered messaging by middle mgmt. across the board - what suits the messenger is passed on - what does not, is supressed. (Messenger has grown - as he/she followed the above methods - Currently 2-3 layers of such people are in the org. - so do not expect an easy repair any soon.)
Targeted work allocation: some team members slog and some just do few matters with big billings - at the end of the year/ half year billing is same. Team members are judged on the billings done. There are many other parameters in the HR sheet - though billing is the most important criteria (which is fair from a business perspective). Who does most work is bound to make a few accidents - those will be highlighted - as the person is being targeted. Blunders by the others - even causing crores of losses to the client and client leaving the firm - are cunningly tidied up. Of course gender has a role to play here - but lets keep our eyes and ears closed to that aspect for this discussion. Except a few teams - most are facing the above issues - across the firm - across cities. The above is not 'bhadas' - but well researched, discussed and analyzed view formed!
And yes with the change in legal scenario - introduction of GST - large tax focussed firms are going to be less relevant in the future - what played out in the mature economies is bound to happen in India - very soon - say a decade. Those interested can read about the US, EU and Chinese tax firms.

I was in a similar spot (not this bad). However, I believe this advice will help you (PS- someone close gave me). Sleep well. Just figure out a way and sleep well (Tip: watch sunsets and sunrises). Relax. Do breathing exercises and physical activities that will take your heart rate up. Try becoming physically fit. Rest, things will fall in place. When your prospective employers see you as a fit and able person who is sorted out in life, they will inevitably hire you. Just get sorted in terms of mental and physical health first. Everything is connected. Your mental wellbeing is affected by your lack of employment. But reverse is also very much true. So about time you adopt the reverse methodology in life. Trust me, it works well. All the best. Prayers and Blessings.

I received a PPO confirmation in the first week of April (my interview was in the last week of March). I received an email confirming the PPO, asking me not to intern with other firms and for accepting the offer as soon as possible.

Can anyone who has already been through the process (2024 batch and before) tell me when the 2025 batch can expect the details of the package, joining terms, etc.? Any leads are welcome, thanks!

Its depressing and demotivating, but the sad truth is that even the so called most prestigious and international journals are routinely offering nominations, shortlist mentions and recognitions for a price.

If an event is planned for the award then it is extremely likely that more than merit has gone behind an award.

Even most of the 100 under 100 type of awards :) are managed.

Not sure about the specific unis you mention, but overall, it matters a lot. And not just for admission into an LLM, but even for scholarships/financial aid required to take up the opportunity. A friend (with no work experience) got into a prominent University of California system law school's LLM, and got several thousands of dollars in financial aid from the law school thanks to high grades. Not sure if you are thinking about UK LLM's, but if you are, grades are of vital importance in the admission process - from my experience as someone admitted to a UK LLM, possibly even the be-all and end-all in them making admission decisions. Therefore, if you are looking at a foreign LLM, just try to get the very best grades/GPA you possibly can. The higher, the better. My advice is to always think like the admissions selector would when looking at extraordinarily high quality applications. Suppose she sees two applications, one with average GPA but good work experience, and another with outstanding GPA (4/4 or whatever) and equally strong work experience. Which does she chuck in the bin? Obviously the first.

For HC, you don't need 15L per hearing, to be honest.

Keep in mind, a lot of criminal law advocates practicing in HC do not specialise in bodily injury crimes. White collar crimes, sure, but nothing like murder.

There are a lot of renowned lawyers I've seen who, frankly, have glanced over finer points of trial/evidence/facts and have focussed only on what the SC has said on interpretation of one phrase. Both aspects are important. Especially in a murder case.

For something like this, I'd recommend Sidharth Luthra or Rebecca John.

If your briefing counsel is also someone who specialises in murder/bodily injury crimes, it would definitely be better. Rajiv Mohan comes to mind. PK Dubey also - but he has become a senior two years ago.

Wadia by a mile. Their B&F team is tier 1 equivalent in the Mumbai circuit and you willl be able to shift to bigger firms in a year or two because of the reputation it has in the aforementioned space.

Nobody really respects Saraf or Luthra in the tier 1 market so avoid both, if possible.

Basically title. In the past few days, we have seen that the voter turnout has not been as low as previously thought and many absentee voters may have been Congress supporters. We have also seen Rahul Gandhi move from Amethi to a safer seat like Rae Bareilly and Priyanka Gandhi abstain from running. This suggests that Modi may win a third term and the prediction by some that INDIA will win 300 seats and Rahul Gandhi will be PM may not be correct. Many Congress supporters on social media are very depressed.

Thus, I am getting very worried that Modi will win a third term. Do y’all share these concerns? India desperately needs a left-wing government that will follow principles of socialism, secularism and gender justice as envisaged in the constitution, but we will get the opposite it seems.▮▮▮