I also started as an indirect tax lawyer. 2 years at a big four and thereafter four years at one of the best law firms in the country. I noticed that if the core of a law firm is M&A, the focus of the firm would always be direct tax. IDT is basically a support practice for law firms unless it forms one of the core areas of the firm (LKS, ELP). I tried taking on direct tax assignments but it is a completely different beast and it is not easy to just switch. After 6 years in IDT I was quite lost and felt that I did not play any role in the Firm except may be provide support during due diligence or give certain opinions. This is when I decided to make a verry difficult call and switched to litigation. At first, I tried to switch within the firm itself but that did not work out. I eventually quit and decided to join a chamber practice. For three years, I did all district court and high court work and started learning. Do keep in mind that IDT really helps you understand business and it does give you a lot of exposure to various laws. I was grinding for three years until an opportunity came up in another tier 2 firm for a litigation team. I was able to join that and have done quite well for myself since. I still do a lot of customs advisory work but the main focus is on commercial litigation.

If you want to switch from IDT, do it now. It will become really difficult later. You may find that you have to start from scratch again but put in the work for a few years and you will see that it works out.

Sharing a real life experience - have a friend, who was indirect tax lawyer. Joined industry after few years in firms. After that, took over DT and subsequently M&A. Post that, jumped to a large group, became GC for a large business. Try something like that. Remember, IDT has one advantage, it forces you to know the business in great depth and makes any shift in roles comparatively easy. Try it.

I can't believe there are so many people trapped in Indirect Tax trap. I know few Associate Partners and even Partners who quit LKS out of same frustration and I am one of them.

The "Tax Lawyer" is such bad stamp that it frustrates you to the core. Headhunters are just not interested in knowing your talents and no place takes you seriously because it is their incompetence that they dont understand tax.

I was from the top 3 NLUs and got into indirect tax out of sheer coincidence. Being in the industry for so long, I felt my talents and potential was being wasted. Neither there was job satisfaction nor pay parity. If only I had gotten into any other kind of litigation, literally any other kind, all the opportunity doors would be open.

I was so depressed with my life, I had to quit law altogether as I felt trapped and not in control. It has been tough but I have been trying to rebuild my life, everything away from the law ofcourse, coz who will hire me now in law when all I have done is f***ing tax.

Also, the position offered was from ELP. Does it not make sense to consider it even though it's one of the best in this area?

I definitely like tax, especially litigation. So should I consider diversifying ? Like trying to practice other areas of law along with IDT- like DT or IBC? Do firms allow IDT associates to diversify or are they strictly allowed to practice only IDT?

1. There's a fair amount of stable positions now, resulting in less advisory and structuring work. Hopes are on litigation which will start once audits are over. Once you've good deal of litigations, they also generate advisory. Compliance work is getting automated day by day.

2. Monotony would depend on your work portfolio. If you keep on running after new things, you'll be future proof and also have good new stuff to work on.

3 and 4. I guess only KCo has serious IDT practice. SAM, JSA and Trilegal have it but not so big. Not sure about AZB and I think L&L doesn't have it. CAM doesn't have it now. Growth depends on how's growth of practice. Generally IDT is better in work life balance. The challenge with IDT in tier 1 firm is the numbers would be smaller compared with other practice areas so might have impact on growth and comp.

Hi - I am you, just several years on. Exactly the same story. I wish I could back in time self give myself this advice. This is a dead practice area. 3 years is nothing in the long run. I would say make the switch now. Talk to every head hunter you can find and actively pursue a law firm job. Be willing to start at level 1, but join a gen corp / m&a practice area, where the opportunity to grow and move is boundless. Even if you get a small law firm, move out from IDT. Use a year or two to learn the basics of corp law in a small law firm and then apply again for a bigger law firm. None of it is rocket science. You’ll pick it up if you work hard.

You can obviously write well and will be able to handle client communication etc. Try to sell that and be honest about your motivation to switch.

With 2-4 years relevant experience in a mid size law firm you’ll be a good hire for the bigger law firms (as most people in that age bracket are leaving) and there’s always vacancy for good candidates at 2-4 years experience.

All the best! Don’t let it get you down. But do consider cutting your losses now and leaving IDT while you are still so young!

I am a lawyer and a CS. I have worked in Indirect Tax for the past 1 year and I really liked it. Recently I have been hearing that IDT practice is declining and that there's no future. Can someone help me the following questions ?

1. Is the practice really declining ?
2. Does the work get monotonous over the years
3. How is the monetary growth and work life balance, in a Tier 1 firm ?
4. I know that there are very few firms with IDT teams? What are the disadvantages of that ?

I would appreciate if anyone with some experience in IDT could help me with these questions.

If you have the courage, make the shift from IDT to DT.. Internal shift within a Big4 is not unheard of. But, it's NOT easy. I did it after a 1 year stint in IDT at a Big4. It's a HUGE learning curve and you WILL need to take A LOT of effort and put in 10 times the work. It's not easy for us lawyers. But, if you manage to do it, you can get out of the rut. Of course, weigh your other options because, I reiterate, it's NOT EASY. I've given it blood, sweat, and tears literally.

Any filed of law is exciting if you enjoy it. It appears that you are not enjoying the work, it would therefore be better for you to change the stream / practice. But please be aware that you will have to start as a fresher. This might take some toll on you. However, if you choose your stream wisely & depending upon your interest, I am sure you will succeed.

So I have 3+ years PQE in the indirect tax litigation and advisory space and I’m currently working with a Big 4 accounting firm. I landed in the said firm not because of choice but because of circumstances.

For the last one year I have been trying hard to find a good opportunity to move out of the firm. However, I’m not been able to find any respite. It’s getting really frustrating from me to work in the firm(not because of the the people but because of the work as I find myself in a role that was forced upon me because of circumstances, and quite honestly in big 4s work of a lawyer is limited in terms of tax ). Further, the problem is with indirect tax only one firm dominates(LKS) this sphere of law. Other law firms do have work but not comparison.
Hence, the market was very stagnant even before Covid and post Covid it has become even worse T1 firms do have this practice area however, there is no rotation of people because, as mentioned the practice area id very stagnated. Hence, openings are very rare and few.

Now I’m thinking of switching my area of practice from tax to something else(haven’t really decided the practice area yet), because I feel trapped as there has been no growth in my career and I don’t see any in the near future, if I continue with the same practice area. However, the biggest challenge I think is that even if I approach any law firm, I’m branded now as being a tax lawyer. And quite honestly I don’t have a strong grasp on any other spheres of law except indirect tax at this point.

I’m really not happy with my work and it is affecting me tremendously in my personal life as well.

I would sincerely appreciate if anyone could guide me as to how should I go about taking this leep. Because, I’m clueless as to how to approach law firms to hire me in a roll in which I can change my area of work.