We want LI to be one of the friendliest places on the internet, where lawyers and law students help each other with their career related queries and occasionally discuss other stuff that might affect their lives too. In other words:
1. Be kind, respectful and helpful to each other.
2. Be bona fide, truthful, genuine and curious.
3. Assume the best intention of others.
Therefore, in using the site, you must agree to do your best to uphold these community guidelines.
Note that what you find here is written and moderated by anonymous people on the internet.
Therefore everything you read here is very likely unverified, rumour, speculation and/or downright false.
In continuing to read anything here, you must therefore agree not to take anything you read here as factual and that you will exercise due caution, diligence and common sense before acting on any information you may come across here.
You also agree to report any inaccurate or malicious comments with the buttons. Moderators take action within 24 hours, as required and appropriate under law.
Our full terms and conditions apply too.
Do you solemnly agree to all of the above?
I know the city isn't known for its competitive compensation packages, but I am trying to see which firms fare better than the rest.
Thanks!
Chennai legal market is mostly from Tamil Nadu, unlike Bangalore, Delhi or Mumbai.
Chennai has local law firms. Even the big Names are basically local practices. National Competition virtually doesn't exist. Students from all NLU's/Top Private Universities across the country, irrespective of language or state of orgin work in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi.
This is rarely seen in Chennai. Even JSA, Khaitan, SAM offices in Chennai are mostly from South/Tamil Nadu. They are mostly from Sasta, Chennai law college and TNNLU - all TN colleges, There is very less diversity there.
Mostly lawyers from Tamil Nadu or South Indians work in Chennai law firms, while this is not the case in Bangalore.
Bangalore, Mumbai etc are more diverse and has national competition in the corporate legal services market, which is absent is Chennai.
Because of this lack of competition, salaries are low.
Chennai is a very underrated commercial market. It houses most of India's physical foriegn investment in the form of Automotive manufacturing plants and other top industrial parks. It more of a industry Oriented economy. Chennai is also second to Bangalore for its IT industry. Tamil Nadu as such is the most industrialized state, and second to Gujarat in terms of economic growth. With many other tier 2 cities in the form of Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy and industrial towns like Salem, Erode, Tuticorin, Hosur etc the legal market in Chennai isn't restricted to Chennai alone. It encompasses a wider legal practice encompassing these places too, whether in the form of M&A, disputes etc.
Chennai legal practice Coming to corporate work, the Chennai Bar has traditionally been a top disputes oriented practice for centuries. This is understandable considering that Madras HC is among the 3 oldest Chartered High Courts in India. High stake corporate work for TN/Chennai has been mostly done by Bombay Solicitors for close to a century since Bombay was always the commercial capital of India and that is where the practice of a transactional attorney took shape in india historically. That translates to why the Chennai bar did not have a fledgling corporate practice for a larger part of the 20th century, while it was doing wonders in the disputes practice
However, the scene has been changing in the last 15 years with many corporate lawyers being ex lawyers at several big indian corporate law firms returning to Chennai to either start their boutique practice or starting a local branch for Mumbai/Delhi firms. At present, SAM, CAM, Indus Law, Dua, AZB, Khaitan, ICUL, JSA, Tatva Legal, Kochhar, Fox Mandal have a thriving corporate practice largely due to the positive economic atmosphere in the state that has been regularly attracting a big chunk of foriegn and domestic investment in the state.
Pay
Yes, pay will not match Mumbai because Chennai is obviously a cheaper city to survive. You don't have to pay 40-50k for a 1rk near your office like you have to do in Mumbai. You will be getting a great 1bhk/2bhk for 18-24k near your Chennai law firm offices. Starting salaries in the national law firms will be around 40-50k and other top local law firms like HSB is 35-45k and that grows with pqe. So you will be able to have a decent life with savings as well if you budget properly.
Diversity
Chennai is a metropolitan city with a cosmopolitan culture unlike the general false perception that the City is anti North Indian. There is large population of marwadis, gujjus, Jain's and bora muslims that have settled in Chennai for centuries. The locals aren't hostile unless you criticise/mock the culture and language or CSK (lol). Yes, it is true that the diversity is lesser than Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore which is largely due to geography and weather and not due to a dearth of employment opportunities. A UP person would prefer Mumbai rather than Chennai similar to his a malayali/tamizhan preferring Chennai over Mumbai.
Most firms like JSA, KCO, SAM and CAM pay between 45k to 60k per month for freshers.Firms like AKLC, Vivriti and h&b pay 35k.
Senior Counsels pay between 25k and 60k