I'm a final year student from a Tier-2 NLU w very average credentials. I had competition law has a subject, in which I scored well, and had one internship in competition law. I think I want to pursue a career in this field, but I don't fit the bill for any 'good' firms (All T1s, LKS, Sarvada, Chandiok etc) that take freshers. So how do I get some experience in this field? Are there any tier-3 firms or independent litigators that I can work with? Any leads would be appreciated, thanks!
Hey, OP here. Just I don't have a great rank, no very significant achievements (moots, publications) etc. Very average credentials. So I know that people with average credentials can start out at a lower firm/litigation chamber and then shift to a T1 in a couple of years, and corp firms are easy to find. Wanted to know if a similar pathway is available for competition law.
That’s not true at all. Please do apply to these firms. Most firms are not looking for outstanding achievements, they’re looking for trainability and general quality of work.
For the love of God, please DON'T join KK Sharma, I have never seen that work out well for anyone when seeking to upgrade to T1 in a while/ after a few years.
May be my ignorance but haven't heard many cases of people from Gaggar having such a route to T1, either. Plus, if my understanding is correct, the pay at Gaggar is beyond terrible.
If you want to start your career in competition ONLY, consider the Research Assistant position at the CCI if the timeline for it hasn't already passed. Alternatively, considering the number of GC jobs floating around and attrition rates prevailing, start out in GC at a good firm (if you think you can wrangle one based on your assessments) and then try to do a practice area shift, 6 months in or so. In my view, you'll be much better perceived then.
OP here, thank you so much for your response! Yes, that was my main question, that in Corp, you can generally start out at a lower firm and easily switch to T1 in a year or two, but was unsure if a similar path is available for competition law. I'm interested in economic laws: trade, investment and antitrust. Both your suggestions make a lot of sense. Thank you so much!
May be my ignorance but haven't heard many cases of people from Gaggar having such a route to T1, either. Plus, if my understanding is correct, the pay at Gaggar is beyond terrible.
If you want to start your career in competition ONLY, consider the Research Assistant position at the CCI if the timeline for it hasn't already passed. Alternatively, considering the number of GC jobs floating around and attrition rates prevailing, start out in GC at a good firm (if you think you can wrangle one based on your assessments) and then try to do a practice area shift, 6 months in or so. In my view, you'll be much better perceived then.
Both your suggestions make a lot of sense. Thank you so much!