Law was hyped up as a profession in the 90s/2000s, based on the promise of impending liberalisation, as well as the promise of an Indian Judicial Service modelled on the IAS. Yet liberalisation has still not happened even 25 years after India joined the WTO, while an Indian Judicial Service is unimplemented since Nehru's time. So that way not only Gen X and Gen Y, but even Gen Z has received limited opportunities after graduating. The other problem is that Indian law firms treat employees horribly and Senior Advocates underpay, so law grads also end up being frustrated and bitter. This is probably where the question is coming from.

I would agree that law is/was a wrong choice for a lot of us. But one can still make up by changing careers, e.g. doing a master's in a different field or starting a business. It's never too late to make a new beginning.

I am a graduate of one of the better NLUs. If I could go back in time I would not have studied law, unless I made it to NLSIU (and only NLSIU). I would have studied for a relatively easy BA degree. After that, I would have done one of the following:

1. Go to the US /Aus/NZ/Canada for a master's. Settle there.

2. Do an MBA: in India or abroad.

3. Study for the UPSC.

I am a graduate of a top NLU. I earn very well and am successful in my career, but my work is unfulfilling. I am also single and lonely. I can't comment on whether I made a mistake studying law, but I definitely made a mistake placing money and professional success over everything else in life.

I wish students have better career guidance in law school nowadays and I wish the hype given to money-making careers by the media stops (LI in the early days too was guilty of it).

I'm sorry because you didn't ask but since you sound unhappy, I want to say that single doesn't mean you have to be lonely. In many ways you have more control over your life, especially if you have economic independence. If the work pressure is gone, it's not too late to do things you love. Usually, that + an open heart and mind will bring wonderful people into your life.

I like being a lawyer, for the most part. When things get stressful, I sometimes wish I'd done something else but I wouldn't say I regret my decision.

Law firms are soul-sucking though, and I hate that I sacrificed my mental health for law firms. It did make me smarter though.

I was a writer on LI many years back. And I am from one of the initial batches from a college from the west of India. 10+ years PQE right now. College was new, while it is one of the top ones today.

Law school was filled with trauma, regret and violence on account of Rajasthan and the Hindi belt being unleashed in full force, with a pliant administration looking on. Students who eve teased and almost molested women are judges today, and top law firm partners.

This is a purely personal take on my time back then. Once career mode kicked in- realised that mental sanity is more important than anything else.

If studying law. Please evaluate how your 5 years are going to pan out. If you don't feel like it's the right place then get out- join somewhere else. Same applies to career as well. You have one life. Don't waste it away. If you don't like something then don't bludgeon your life for it- it isn't worth it.

It's very clear which NLU you are talking about. But other NLUs also had such vicious people.

One of my good friends went to NLSIU in the late 90s and early 2000s. He had to fetch breakfast and coffee for seniors, polish their shoes before moots etc. His seniors also "confiscated" his tennis racket and used that to play themselves.

Another of my good friends went to NALSAR in the early mid-2000s. He faced horrible ragging. In those days, NALSAR was notorious for giving admission to children of powerful politicians through shady means.

In my case, I went to NUJS. There wasn't ragging as such, but there were groups of seniors throwing a lot of attitude and speaking rudely, which too is a form of bullying. In almost all cases, they were rich brats from Delhi.

Finished law in the early 2000s. Started practice in an old solicitor firm and worked in a couple of Tier 1 firms. Made great money, lost it all in impulsive shopping for watches at Phoenix mills. Joined a young and growing law firm a few years back. Some random thoughts to share (please permit an ageing man to ramble a bit, if you don't mind :)).

Law makes sense as a career if, after 8-10 years, you have a clientele of your own and you have some personal and professional independence. I am going to be 40 soon and while I definitely do not make as much money as my peers in larger firms do, I do not regret my choices of studying law, working in a law firm, staying on in India (since some earlier comments talked about leaving this country) and continuing practice. The biggest reason is because the wise men and women I worked for in my early years gave me the prescient advice of focusing on client building in order to achieve long term sustainable success in law. The goodwill you earn from ONE client for ONE well drafted supply agreement will go a long way in your career. Believe me.

The initial years of law (meaning the first 10 years) are difficult, and that has something to do with toxic working environments but even more to do with the enormous lifestyle changes that come from going from college to a law firm. In other words, even if you joined a law firm with a "great culture" (define that as you like), it will not change the fact that you will feel a lot of anxiety and apprehension(s) and sometimes disgust over the career choices you have made. Your daily routine is no longer the same as it was in college; the way you spend your time is hugely different; you spend time with people you CANNOT stand; the clothes you wear will not be as comfortable as your college attire. It is unsettling for EVERYONE. Even if your bosses are lovely people, sitting in an office all day with barely any sunlight and ploughing through large unreadable documents is soul crushing for anyone. Some firms are kind enough to allow WFH / WFWTHYL, most of them do not.

The thing that does happen though in all those long and dreary days spent on the laptop in dark offices is that sooner or later clients will start noticing you, paying attention to your views, waiting to get your feedback and wanting to get more of your time. And that is where the real tipping point in your law career starts (and NO its NOT the first salary, the first watch, the first mont blanc pen, the first car, etc).

I mentioned personal and professional independence somewhere up there. Let's talk about personal independence - to me, this is being able to spend time with family and friends, go on (budget friendly) holidays, exercising and looking after your health. That can happen if after a few years you have built a practice of your own (i.e you have your clients and your own work) and you aren't running after some big name partner in a large firm to keep your P&L in the green. Professional independence comes in the form of being able to say no to clients (sometimes literally telling them to bury themselves in a fudge tart), focusing on work that genuinely interests you and staying away from things that are not your concern, growing your practice the way you like. For both personal and professional independence, the degree of autonomy in both are a function of having your own book (the letterhead that you 'owe' your allegiance to is just a detail).

So now that I have finished my little ramble, let me answer the question - my life has turned out the way I hoped for (in fact the clientele I built helped me achieve what I wanted a LOT sooner than I imagined). And if I had to go back in time, I would not change anything. In case this response has proved baffling, my apologies for confusing you. Have a great day. :)

I wish I hadn't let my mom force me to drop Computer Science to take Economics in school. I would've made a great coder. After that, I let my dad force me to do CA, which I failed in miserably. I feel like Law is something i would choose over CA but i still wish i could start coding someday.

Well this takes me back. When I graduated from Law School, I felt I had made it because an Amarchand job was the ultimate target in those days. Then hustled my way through living and surviving in Mumbai, made partner in my 8th year. A few years later, joined the equity partnership, so the money has been quite good - bought a few nice houses, cars, and a sizeable investment portfolio. But lately (post-Covid), been wondering what it was all for. I am actively contemplating a very early retirement - I have made money beyond my wildest (middle-class) dreams. I want to go back to the countryside where my parents grew up and try my hand at organic farming or some such. The next transaction doesn't mean anything for me anymore, so work has really plateaued. But then my wife and kids have gotten used to big city life and its trappings - fancy school, brunch places, weekend excursions, annual foreign holidays - I think this is how they keep you hooked. At least I'm grateful that I don't have debt bondage. I see a lot of younger kids just joining firms (or a few years in) who live beyond their means, and are now stuck in a job they hate just for the money. Its all quite sad.

An uncanny moment. I’m reading the story of my life, set down in another’s words, and lived in a different metropolis. Having done the maths, there is now enough in the savings tank to keep my family in schools, brunches, excursions and holidays for an age. And yet, onwards I trudge, wearied of soul. Why do I still do this, and why do you, brother?

I would have taken PCM in 11th grade and gone to a flying school and fulfilled my dream of becoming a pilot. Travelled the world while flying planes( what else you can ask for in life). I was a state level athlete in my school days but was forced to leave it in 11th grade to focus on my academics.

Became a corporate lawyer and now I do research, drafting and reviewing for 16 hours a day× 6 days a week. (Fun fact: before becoming a lawyer, I never read novel or book out of interest)

Just wish I had a pair of bigger balls to follow my dream back then.

Sorry to say this, but corporate law is the most boring and least creative thing anyone can do in his/her life. I mean what are we doing in life, just doing some advisory shit 24×7. What a dull way to live

My life now:

- Practically semi-retired in my 30s.

- Work as a litigator for an average of 6-8 hours a week, that's all. During certain cases, it can rise to 20 hours a week, but not more than that. I pick and choose my cases, turn down many briefs.

- Earn a comfortable income of approx 75-80 lakhs a year through fees and 20 lakhs through investments.

- With so much free time, lots of time to play sports. Lucky to be a member of one of the premier clubs of India. My drinking buddy is a former Indian sports star, my squash buddy is a well-known CEO.

- Fortunate to belong to an affluent family.

- Have travelled the world.

In terms of regrets, I find law boring and am tired of law. That's why I limit my work. I have an LLM from abroad and loved studying there, but law as an academic discipline and law as practised in Indian courts are completely different. So perhaps I should have done an MBA instead. I was hoping to get married, but the girl I was seeing left me because she didn't like the fact that I was not aiming higher in life and working more hours, given that every second litigator in town earns in crores, owns a couple of flats in London etc. She eventually married an American banker and now lives in New York 🤣

So a mixed life, I guess. Some happiness and comfort, some sadness and regret.