Is a judicial clerkship under an SC or an HC judge useful if I don't plan to go for an LLM but intend to dive into Litigation (Chambers or Lit Firms)? And do the Disputes Teams of law firms value clerkships?
Perceptions are changing. As many would be aware, transitioning from a clerkship in the US courts to US Law Firms results in a high signing bonus and some perks (not aware, but its well incentivized). On the contrary, there is no practice like that in India.
However, depending on which judge you work under, the transition to a litigation chamber (easy) or a law firm (tough and depends a lot on who your judge is) can be workable. Judges elevated from the bar maintain a good relationship with the bar and can definitely help your application to any chamber in that HC or the SC if you ask them to help you transition out. For Law Firms, judges, who in their time as counsels have worked with big law firms, will be able to give a good assessment and recommend you to law firms.
So, if you are planning to go down this path, then perhaps be a little more mindful of the judge you are going to work with. A little more digging may be required if you want to transition out to a law firm. Litigation chambers, in my assessment, should be a lot easier transition to (and is very often the practice among former law clerks). I have only heard of a handful of law clerks who transitioned out to a law firm, tier-1 or otherwise.
As to whether Disputes Teams value the experience, I look forward to listening to other perspectives. I am not an insider but in my assessment the profile of the team i.e. where is the majority of their work, would matter for how well they can integrate you (and you can contribute) into their work.
However, depending on which judge you work under, the transition to a litigation chamber (easy) or a law firm (tough and depends a lot on who your judge is) can be workable. Judges elevated from the bar maintain a good relationship with the bar and can definitely help your application to any chamber in that HC or the SC if you ask them to help you transition out. For Law Firms, judges, who in their time as counsels have worked with big law firms, will be able to give a good assessment and recommend you to law firms.
So, if you are planning to go down this path, then perhaps be a little more mindful of the judge you are going to work with. A little more digging may be required if you want to transition out to a law firm. Litigation chambers, in my assessment, should be a lot easier transition to (and is very often the practice among former law clerks). I have only heard of a handful of law clerks who transitioned out to a law firm, tier-1 or otherwise.
As to whether Disputes Teams value the experience, I look forward to listening to other perspectives. I am not an insider but in my assessment the profile of the team i.e. where is the majority of their work, would matter for how well they can integrate you (and you can contribute) into their work.