I am seeing a lot of people talk about they want to quit their well-paying law firm job and enter into judiciary. My question is that what are some good alternatives to judiciary if someone doesnt want to invest that much time and energy post corporates stint? What all are good alternatives to PCS.

P.S. no MBA PR pls.

So go beyond those. Who is stopping you exactly? Do something to make your own lives better, instead of hoping that students/fresh grads would do your job for you. If exploiting others who have got no choice other than to take it is what makes you happy, then why don't you do that instead of whining about other people complaining about your policies and behaviour?

You can't recognise the people who should work for you and that's a fault of our class privilege? Much wow! Train your recruiting teams to do better. Change your hiring policies to recruit only through internship. Once again, if you are hiring the wrong set of people for you, then that's your fault! It's not as if people are clearing a government exam and are being assigned to you. Maybe instead of lecturing others about working harder, you are the one who should work harder and do better at your job.

Hiring you folks? Yeah the hiring teams of corp firms are messing up. They should go beyond nlu/jgls kids and hire people who are hungry.
It is your fault for not making the most of the opportunities you've been given in life. And it is your fault for not recognizing your class privilege.

Read Johann Norbergs Progress Heres a short review cause I know people in law school dont like to read: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rainerzitelmann/2020/07/27/anyone-who-doesnt-know-the-following-facts-about-capitalism-should-learn-them/?sh=7eedee4b3dc1

or read this economist article https://www.economist.com/leaders/2013/06/01/towards-the-end-of-poverty

Having conviction in your polarised opinions dont make them true. Capitalism has undoubtedly pulled millions out of poverty. Does that mean we dont need labour regulation or taxation ? of course not. But youre not about labour regulation or taxation- youre about ending work so you can lounge around and have other people pay the bill. Its a silly point of view if you think about it for more than one second.

If your pedagogical skills aren't producing good lawyers, then they aren't worth anything. The two names that you mentioned have produced countless good students who even after having made a name for themselves, regard their teachers highly. That's not true for Jindal. Let the alumni do something to prove their worth and then give their opinion about which teacher was great for them.

Good points. However, at times, someone may not be necessarily better. PPOs are often a product of how actively the team assesses you. They might be busy and already have other interns, may not have properly reviewed you, the practice area you are interning at may not have enough vacancies, etc. Someone else may be at the right time at the right place.

JGLS placement season:

1. Day Zero - approximately 25 placed

2. Day One - approximately 6 placed

3. PPOs (T1s) - approximately 15-16

4. PPOs (T2s-T4s) - approximately 10

Percentage wise it's terrible, but do note that Jindal is just a factory. A batch has only 100-150 people who are ambitious in the legal field. Still, the placements are at the same level as 4-5 years ago, so yes regressive for sure.

Let's not go all left wing right wing here, the fact is Ashoka claims that administration doesn't interfere in academic affairs, but in past few years it has been made clear that any faculty starting from PB Mehta that is critical of current government is either fired, asked to resign or they resign themselves because of the hostilities.

You’re probably not getting call backs because the banking teams are overworked and don’t have the time to think about which interns to call back.

Actively follow up with someone you worked closely with or reach out to the partner if he/ she knows you or worked with you during the internship.

Hi, firstly, congratulations on interning at three Tier 1 firms! It's not easy to get T1 internships, yet you have received them, which tells you you are an academically oriented person and quite sincere in your work. It is indeed a sad feeling, trust me, when one's peers get those PPOs when one is working sincerely and isn't receiving them. But it would be best to learn that no matter how much you think you are good, there is always someone better than you; this statement helps one move on in life and work hard even more. Not receiving those PPOs is not the end of the world; Day Zero and Day One are still there where top T1/T2 come and select the suitable candidates. The only mantra for qualifying for a day zero interview is good grades + T1 internships. After you prepare for the technical rounds, your knowledge of Company Law, the Law of Contracts, and the Partnership Act will be tested in general, and you will get the job; from this statement, I mean, you still have a perfect shot in getting a job offer from T1 firm, don't stress about a PPO. I would end this by stating that life is too short to worry about what others achieve in their respective lives, appreciate their efforts, and then move on. There are many opportunities for getting an excellent job; learn where to look for them. Like the Great Baba Ranchoddas said, " Don't run after success; always go for excellence."

I have spent substantial time in the office so hopefully can provide some insight into the functioning and verify the bold claims being made here.

The Good:

1. The firm appreciates work life balance, it is and unsaid rule, but the associate partners and partners are not as bad as their counterparts in tier 1 firms. All of them spend good family time, are down to earth and generally happy. This is very very rare in a law firm. I genuinely cherished that and understood it better once I experienced other firms.

2. They pay you well if you are loyal and on cream matters. They have give 7+ Lakh bonus to people with 3-4 years of work ex. I have seen it and this is not heresay.

3. They give your bonus in 1 tranche, and do not defer parts of it, which happens in a lot of law firms.

4. Because of the above and work-life balance, some of the people are genuinely good himan beings.

The Bad:

1. The firm is a one man show by Mr. Bomi Daruwala, and where there is concentration of power, things aren't always great.

2. People are paid very less as compared to other tier 2 law firms. The concentration of power leads to profits being distributed in a waterfall mechanism. Associates bear a major brunt.

3. You will not be exposed to cream work, Vaish ▮▮▮. The ones they do are staffed with limited resources and are overworked, but often given handsome bonuses.

4. ▮▮▮ It is a predominantly tax firm.

5. The ▮▮▮.

6. The ringmaster is ▮▮▮.

The ugly:

1. The ringmaster conducts ▮▮▮ as the owner of the firm, ▮▮▮

2. ▮▮▮ keeps track of your evening breaks, lunch breaks and even pee breaks.

I'm going to reproduce an older comment of mine. Original comment found at https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/211014-why-is-nlsiu-called-harvard-of-the-east-who-gave-this-nickname-and-when#comment-211287

Speaking of 1998, HotE was used in full seriousness (by the college administration) and as a colossal joke (by the students) even earlier than that.

"I'm from NLS, and studied there in the 90s. Even then, we students used the term "Harvard of the East" in extreme irony (e.g., "How's today's mess food?" "Usual Harvard of the East fare"). If anyone used that term seriously with us, we'd roll our eyes."

We Indians do possess a penchant for hyperbolic comparisons—a curious blend of pride and whimsy that adds a certain flair to our mundane existences. To see the world through such a lens isn't so much a distortion as it is a reflection of our cultural exuberance. Sachin Tendulkar becomes our very own "Bradman," and suddenly, Ranchi dons the costume of Mussoorie. These monikers may border on the flippant, but as they say, different strokes for different folks.

Now, brace yourself for an unsolicited tale that serves no other purpose than to dredge up poignant memories and to provide the occasional chuckle. A tale that ends, as all good things do, in the pitch-dark humor of life's absurdities.

Once upon a time in the bustling bylanes of North Delhi (Mukherjee Nagar), I found myself beguiled by a captivating woman completing her Master's in Economics at Delhi School of Economics (DSE). It was a time of passion and academia, a time when I, too, was in Delhi under the guise of an internship. The internship was merely an excuse and thanks to my unparalleled talent for crafting excuses at work, life was beautiful with impromptu dates with this magnetic lady. Our limited resources ensured that the DSE canteen (sometimes Kamla Nagar market) became our social hub—a quirky combination of Café Coffee Day, Nirula's, and Connaught Place, all combined into one quaint establishment. Our gastronomic pinnacle? The budget-friendly 'Mutton-Dosas,' which fueled both our love and malnutrition.

During one of our many nostalgic walks, she pointed out an enigmatic gate adorned with Gothic motifs—forever locked and corroded by time. A shortcut to DSE, its perpetual closure made no sense to me. My inquiry triggered another life lesson from the one who would eventually slip through my fingers. According to the legends passed down by her professors, this "Gate to Nobel" would only swing open to welcome back a DSE alumnus graced with a Nobel Prize in Economics. Ah, a closed gate with grand aspirations—much like the two of us.

Time, that cunning sculptor, eventually carved canyons between our paths. We became two strangers bound only by the fragile threads of memories. A few years later, fate led me back to Delhi for work—a voyage that stretched into a reminiscing weekend. And there it was—the still-locked gate, now sporting a fresh coat of silver paint. Perhaps applied with a touch of desperate optimism, it waited for the day it could welcome home a laureate adorned with Swedish gold.

So you see, DSE remains a sanctuary for the study of economics in India. As for the other departments, I wouldn't venture a guess. But what I can vouch for is that the gate, like many of us, stands waiting—frozen in anticipatory glory, serving as a darkly humorous monument to life's grand plans and harsh realities.

What's the point of being a who's who if it's coming at the cost of someone's health. If you aren't healthy be it physically and mentally no money is useful. Even if you might be considered successful professionally , your life won't be a success story if you are a crore instead of 40-50 lakhs 10 years down the line but you missed out living your life and sharing time and moments with with your parents your family . 15 years later paisa hoga but time nahi hoga ya fir your family members . So, yeah bhaad mein jaaye becoming a "who's who."

LW view:

https://thewire.in/education/ashoka-university-trivedi-centre-gilles-verniershttps://twitter.com/sharik19/status/1701484409764139233

RW view:

https://twitter.com/nalinmehta/status/1701519801066377467

Recently, we've been working on a deal with ▮▮▮ on the opposite side. But man how arrogant those guys are turning out. We've missed the signing date by a week now because they can't reach towards agreement even on smallest of points. Is it just me or has anyone else also felt that while dealing with ▮▮▮ on transactions?

While a lot of people work towards achieving glory, that's not the case with all the people. If just working hard would've made people happy then LI wouldn't be filled with rantings of depressed lawyers. It's all about finding out what a person enjoys. Some like fame and money at the cost of time, and to others, those are not so much important as having a balanced life in which they don't have to constantly keep cancelling plans with friends and family just because everything is urgent (though it's not).

Totally agree. Law firm structures are totally apathetic to human needs. While the firms have total control over what the retainer resources do they don't even have the decency to provide basic necessities, such as afternoon meals. If you can't give it on your own money then at least make some efforts to have a facility where associates can buy decent food that is affordable.

People working in law firms have to work pretty hard and it should be the least expected thing to have substantial savings for that amount of hard work. But the situation is becoming worse and and worse. Rents and inflation are skyrocketing but still retainer amounts are a decade old because nobody wants to loosen their purse strings even a tiny bit.

No Banking Finance is not exactly same as project finance, depends on the partner and what type of clients he/she has.

Banking finance partner doing project finance transaction can be one setup and project infra partner doing some financing work can be a different setup.

No, I feel that Dipika will be preferred over Sahni and Sreejith because her second LLM is from Harvard. Sahni has no foreign degree and is not even an academic, while Sreejith's foreign degree is from Finland or some such place. JGLS wants someone with an Oxbridge/Harvard degree, to show off to parents and law aspirants. Dipika's first LLM is from Dalhousie University in Canada, which may not have made the cut as far VC-ship is concerned, but her second LLM from Harvard puts her ahead of these two, even if she doesn't have a PhD.

Mos importantly of all, Dipika is an entrenched part of the establishment since inception. No has has taught at JGLS for longer than she has. She joined as founding faculty.

So she is my bet for being the next VC.

I've done 3 tier I internships in the banking and finance teams and have not gotten a single callback. What is it that I'm doing wrong? In my second tier I internship I kept getting work after work without break and was appreciated for good communication and research. There was barely any communication in the other two inspite me sending requests to meet/for work.

I know my skills are not worse off than my peers who've gotten PPOs, so what can I improve or do?

That’s exactly the freaking point. It’s not charity. They’re in it to make money and work for their clients. If you’re not in it for that- you want them to pay you when you don’t do the work- why exactly are you the moral person in that scenario.

If you don’t want the firm taking a cut - you could go start your own practice. But you’d have trouble landing clients like they do - that takes work too. That’s how any law firm works. Has no one thought about this stuff more than one second?

My boss scolded me very badly for wearing a Titan watch. He said in our firm one can’t wear watch brands worn by taxi drivers. He said “you better wear a good watch next week else I will throw that watch out the window”.

I was looking at Tissot as an option, but I still don’t want to spend so much on a watch. So I wanted to know:

1. Can I buy good quality fakes of foreign brands, or will people find out?

2. What is the least expensive acceptable foreign brand? Is Tissot the bare minimum?

Capitalism lifts hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty. Tell me when you have a better alternative. It’s not exploitative for people to ask what you’re doing with the time you’re billing them for. It’s like the bare freaking minimum- you want folks to pay you for doing nothing- that’s injustice. Who cares what’s cool ? I care what’s right.

You’re spending just as much time on here. Get over yourself. This is what y’all do- when someone makes an actual argument about what the way to lead a good life would be or what expectations should be from work- y’all get personal and call the opposing side old. As if you’ll never be old. Idiotic.

Oh, please! Then why did Sudhir join a private university run by Azim Premji? He should have stayed back at NUJS! I think Sudhir will leave overnight if Navin Jindal offers him the job, as the salary is much higher than what he currently gets. Also, Raj lives in Delhi, which allows him to network with VIPs. Sudhir would love to do the same.

You’ll definitely regret having such a lackadaisical attitude towards work in about 10-15 years when your peers will be the who’s who of their respective practice areas. People do initially feel such feelings when they first start but eventually they grow out of it and give all to their work. Those who don’t believe in the mantra of how work is worship fall way behind and don’t realise until it’s too late.

Be brave and work as hard as you can.

Both are wrong, and banal, metrics, imho. Who is this law teacher that is known for all their students to have achievements? Some are good, some are exceptional, some are mediocre. That is true for every law teacher.

Did they teach passionately, and get the students interested in the subject? Yes.

Were they good scholars who made critical interventions in the class? Yes.

Did they make you think critically about the subject and have a wide ranging knowledge of the discipline? Yes. That's all maters.

What you purport is not the case anywhere in India, not least Jindal.

Doing some assessment internships/internships or working as trainee at some firm could not be riskier than sitting idle and waiting for an opportunity to come at your doorstep. I believe it's better this way. And just imagine if you keep on applying and you still don''t receive any response for a month or two. You could have otherwise used this time to add some experiences in your CV while simultaneously applying for jobs.

In today's market, you will have to reflect it to the recruiter that you are willing to put in all your efforts and even struggle for that matter (by doing internships) till the time you don't receive an offer. Yes, the market has become ruthless. If you want to enter it, start getting your hands dirty as soon as possible.

And you can definitely get an internship converted in offer with cut-throat experience in your interest domain. Just be clear with the partner of the firm that you are here for getting recruited. Humbly ask after/within a month, for the feedback and prospects of working with them. Many law firms and their partners are there to just exploit people. They can ask you to work as assessment intern for 3 months by paying 5k a month. Avoid such firms. They are completely sham.

You're wrong. NLSIU is just as well known as NUS or Peking or Tokyo. In fact, it's MORE well-known. I have met foreign law students in moots who were in awe of NLSIU and knew it as the law school that has won many tier 1 international moots. Also, NLSIU alumni are now professors at Oxford, Columbia etc, plus partners at Magic Circle firms. How many NUS/Peking/Tokyo alumni are there? I don't think many. Japanese and Chinese people are also extremely weak in English. Then you have the huge number of Rhodes scholars from NLSIU.

So I think the "Harvard of the East" title is justified. NLSIU definitely lags Harvard in the quality of hostels and building infrastructure. I accept that. But it's comparable in terms of student achievement and quality of education.