I started late and graduated from an NLU aged 25, with low grades. I am from Delhi but had no contacts in the legal world. I wasted four years in a mediocre litigation chamber under a rubbish lawyer, earning peanuts. I quit after nepo kids much younger than me were surging ahead. I then got a lucky break in the field of IT and IP law, in an area which was obscure back then but today is all the rage. I am presently earning 75 lakhs a year in hand, with excellent working hours and working from my family home in Delhi, with no rent to pay. I have fantastic contacts today. Most importantly, I am very happy. I get time to go on holidays, pursue hobbies etc. I think I am better off than many of my friends in corporate firms.

I don't mean to sound like one of those annoying people on LinkedIn or that LawSikho guy, but just wanted to tell you that age is not a factor. Work hard and try to take advantage of good opportunities that come your way. Good luck!

make the switch. you don't have any real sunk costs, you're only a first year law student and mount carmel and nls are WORLDS apart. the difference in resources, opportunities and brand name is HUGE. age is quite irrelevant to most recruiters/llm and scholarship officers. congratulations and good luck.

You should join NLSIU. You can easily start a legal career at the age of 26. There will be many others who would have dropped 1-2 years to attend NLSIU. In the long-run, an additional year will have no bearing on the development of your career. I speak from personal experience. I joined when I was nearly 20 and graduated when I was nearing 25.

Hi there

I completed my 12th in 2008. Dropped out of engineering, did odd jobs, took law as a plan B and completed LLB in 2018. Then I did LLM and worked in a depressing job for about 15 months and started my law firm career in November 2020 aged 29.

You will graduate from NLSIU aged 26. If somebody like me could make it to a T1 law firm, you will too. If law is what you really want to do, make the switch, work hard, learn all you can from NLSIU, get good grades and don't look back.

Don't care about the public opinion on what should be your personal career choice. I don't think law firms will care if you graduate a couple of years late due to this decision. They will gobble up talent from NLSIU.

But make sure law is what you really want to do. NLSIU is a great place to learn and make sure you make the most of your time there. There may be personal consequences of your decision and you should take those into account (e.g., convincing parents about what you want to do) but don't let it be a stumbling block on what could be a satisfying legal career.

All the best, I am happy you are taking steps to arrive at an informed decision.

Age does not matter brother, do what you want and think is best. A good friend of mine completed his 5 year LLB when he was 24.5 in age and didn't even take a law job, took up a lucrative administration job and is now preparing for Judiciary. Whereas I will be 23 next month and have been working in a Law form for 3 months.

People come in all varieties in law school and that shouldn't affect you.

For anybody with any doubts, let's use international comparisons to clarify exactly how silly and time-wasting (for the OP) this question and agonising over age is, especially with regards to NLSIU:

- UK: Taking your current institution over NLSIU is like an LLB kid applying to UK unis taking English and Scottish Law LLB at Aberdeen over BA in Law at Cambridge.

- U.S.: Choosing your current institution over NLSIU is (all financial factors being equal) like taking a J.D. at Notre Dame over J.D. at Yale.

here are several examples from National Law Schools (such as NLS, NALSAR, NUJS, etc.) where students aged between 21 and 25 have gone on to work with top firms in India and the UK. This does not hinder your prospects in a law firm; on the contrary, the maturity and sensibility that come with age can slightly enhance your opportunities. So go for it. While I dont think there will be any bullies who will troll you for your age. If there are, ignore them.

Take it with your eyes closed - even if you choose to do the 3 year law course after this you will land up graduating later. NLS is a no brainer - professional course over random BA anyday. That is only if you are interested in studying law. Firms won't care about your age as long as they think you can do the job and it's not relevant for litigation unless you want to be a part of the judiciary. All things considered it's totally worth it because you become a part of a small elite group of individuals which you can't buy your way into.