Recently started working as a fresher in a Bombay based firm. Team is very generalist. Work is broad. Corporate advisory, employment, taxation, foreign investment advisory, insurance, transactional work, real estate etc. Considering the diversity, I am not sure if it will put me at a disadvantage as compared to being a specialist. Considering, in the future I may be more keen to do transactional work/ hard core corporate law, is it right to work with such a team?
If you're a fresher you're absolutely fortunate to be in a generalist team. Spend a couple of years learning the ropes and figuring out what you love, what you're good at, what doesn't work for you - instead of being siloed into a practice area that is not of your choosing (even if you say you choose it, truth is you simply don't have enough info + experience at this point to make an informed decision).
It's not hard at all to move into a specialist team in a couple of years and wide-ranging experience is always appreciated.
Ask yourself if you're fine being a Jack of all Trades and Master of None 5-10 years down the line. Been working 4 years in a similar team which does general corporate commercial advisory, employment, IP, Insurance, Banking & finance, CSR, Real Estate, foreign investment advisory, taxation advisory/company secretary work (primary work done by CAs and CS'), litigation management, NCLT etc. Never has a day gone by when I didn't learn something new. 90% of the assignments are managed by the team who have to do considerable research before finalising any deliverable. The initial hard bit is the significant number of hours that you have to invest to understand a new topic never studied before. Complex, technical assignments are outsourced to Tier 1/2 firms/advocates who manage the same and I have the privilege of reviewing those assignments.
Personally, I wanted to know and understand a bit of everything, thus the current job fits my dream job. I may not be known as the best M&A lawyer or employment lawyer in India considering I'm a generalist, but I'm okay with that.
One advantage over the top of my head of being a generalist is that I'm able to advise a client entering India from various legal aspects and can act as a one stop shop for being his Advisor for all his concerns.
Test the waters, try everything for a couple of years. If you find a field you want to specialise in and are passionate about, quit and move.
Been working as a fresher in a similar firm working on corp, m&a, projects, insolvency, etc. In the initial years, I believe this is actually the best opportunity you could get, rather than being tied up to one kind of area as is the case in a Tier 1 firm. Testing multiple areas, choosing what works best for you PRACTICALLY in a year or two is anyday a better option.
as a partner at a tier 2, advising on various practice area is very satisfying. you continue to learn on a daily basis and i continue to participate in research with my team (which i enjoyed even when i started my career). You will also feel extremely confident to take on new things. you may never advise on the biggest transaction, but you will enjoy the respect of your clients as you will be able provide a more complete advise. also on day to day basis, if a question is thrown by a client, family or a friend you will never feel that it is outside your subject area of practice. Only down side which i feel after a few years - a specialist does many repeat transactions and may know the market better than you. but then there is never anything which is 'standard in the market' and we lawyers enjoy a good debate across the table.
A wholesome thread on LI. What a refreshing change! Just to add my two cents, for people who may be planning to eventually shift to independent practice, starting their career with a generalist team may be quite good, especially given the reasons mentioned by earlier commentators.
Are there any advantages to doing everything?
It's not hard at all to move into a specialist team in a couple of years and wide-ranging experience is always appreciated.
Been working 4 years in a similar team which does general corporate commercial advisory, employment, IP, Insurance, Banking & finance, CSR, Real Estate, foreign investment advisory, taxation advisory/company secretary work (primary work done by CAs and CS'), litigation management, NCLT etc. Never has a day gone by when I didn't learn something new. 90% of the assignments are managed by the team who have to do considerable research before finalising any deliverable. The initial hard bit is the significant number of hours that you have to invest to understand a new topic never studied before. Complex, technical assignments are outsourced to Tier 1/2 firms/advocates who manage the same and I have the privilege of reviewing those assignments.
Personally, I wanted to know and understand a bit of everything, thus the current job fits my dream job. I may not be known as the best M&A lawyer or employment lawyer in India considering I'm a generalist, but I'm okay with that.
One advantage over the top of my head of being a generalist is that I'm able to advise a client entering India from various legal aspects and can act as a one stop shop for being his Advisor for all his concerns.
Test the waters, try everything for a couple of years. If you find a field you want to specialise in and are passionate about, quit and move.
Just to add my two cents, for people who may be planning to eventually shift to independent practice, starting their career with a generalist team may be quite good, especially given the reasons mentioned by earlier commentators.