In this thread I will pour out my thoughts (opinions) and experience (facts) of legal profession in General.
I am a 2020 grad from Tier -4/5 law school from a far flung no name Law school in a state. After my graduation, I immediately joined litigation. Needless to say, since our college was not so big, our only focus was Bank PO, SSC and other govt competitive exams. Me and my batch mates had no other plans. I tried a few exams then rested my pen. I joined litigation in 2021 under a senior lawyer in District court.
To my shock, juniors were not paid anything ANYWHERE in India regardless the forum, the senior advocates income and size of chamber. I continued to litigate as I had no other option. Meanwhile I came across few people from better Universities and they told me about Corporate Law Firms and how since I dont have any internships and because I am not from an NLU so I dont stand a chance at getting into them. Made me sad. I still message and reply to people working in law firm in hope of getting some guidance and break. But, I have dropped the hope.
Another issue with legal profession as also highlighted by CJI Sir recently is crazy work hours, be it inhouse, law firm or in litigation , litigation is the most toxic profession with crazy work hours. It really messes up family life. It sucks the soul out of your body and you really start to question your value as an individual and your reason to live. In other words, you hit existential crisis which often leads to undiagnosed high functioning depression.
Hi! I am a fellow grad from a far flung university who made it into a corporate law firm. Switching careers is hard in the corporate world. If you are litigating, a close enough transition would probably be into law firms with a lit team (within the specific niche you are practicing in).
That being said, law in general pays poor. There are very few firms that pay decently and even then, the work life is massively screwed for anyone to establish even some semblance of a balance.
M&A and Gen Corp GENERALLY (READ ONLY) hire if you have some experience in the relevant field. It makes sense from the firm's perspective too. This is especially true if they are hiring someone who is a bit senior. Unless you are willing to go back and start from scratch from a very basic boutique law firm that does this, or have inculcated enough favours within the community that lands you in a spot, or, lady fortune has MASSIVELY blessed you, its a very tough luck to get a GC or M&A team. Also, this is the most sought after team. Most law grads will be gunning to become an M&A lawyer.
For NCLT, I believe chambers do this better than law firms (from the POV of getting into a chamber v a law firm). For SAT, find a financial regulatory law firm or one with a good securities team worth their salt in Mumbai (which is a pretty hard ask). By these standards, NCLT seems to be the best shot.
Also, apologies if these sound harsh. Its just that this is how corporate in general works. Its not like miracles do not happen, but its just that- miracles.
Non-NLU degree is not that valuable (read : worthless) , unless you already have established chamber of your father to work in .
Inflation is so high, cost of living is so high that one can not continue to litigate (or do juniorship) ...
I must have messaged 1000+ people on various platforms by now. Facebook, linkedin , email , telegram even bumble (business) to talk to people. . All in vain .
Bro, it's high time you realize this pathetic profession is not worth your hard work anymore. 2 saal hoagie ghiste ghiste, 5 saal bhi aur ghisoge to kuch nhi hona wala khas. Rather find an alternative asap.
Hi, I would say switching practice at this point is simply a waste of time. Either continue what you are doing, or leave law altogether for greener pastures. The Law field is simply too saturated and biased for any new comers. Thousands, lakhs of students graduate from law colleges every year, with just not enough resources to absorb them in the first 2-3 yeas of their practice at least, and with coming time, given out antiquated and stifling the profession is , things are going to get works for people who are not clear about their career choices.
In this thread I will pour out my thoughts (opinions) and experience (facts) of legal profession in General.
I am a 2020 grad from Tier -4/5 law school from a far flung no name Law school in a state. After my graduation, I immediately joined litigation. Needless to say, since our college was not so big, our only focus was Bank PO, SSC and other govt competitive exams. Me and my batch mates had no other plans. I tried a few exams then rested my pen. I joined litigation in 2021 under a senior lawyer in District court.
To my shock, juniors were not paid anything ANYWHERE in India regardless the forum, the senior advocates income and size of chamber. I continued to litigate as I had no other option. Meanwhile I came across few people from better Universities and they told me about Corporate Law Firms and how since I dont have any internships and because I am not from an NLU so I dont stand a chance at getting into them. Made me sad. I still message and reply to people working in law firm in hope of getting some guidance and break. But, I have dropped the hope.
Another issue with legal profession as also highlighted by CJI Sir recently is crazy work hours, be it inhouse, law firm or in litigation , litigation is the most toxic profession with crazy work hours. It really messes up family life. It sucks the soul out of your body and you really start to question your value as an individual and your reason to live. In other words, you hit existential crisis which often leads to undiagnosed high functioning depression.
Due to crazy work hours,
That being said, law in general pays poor. There are very few firms that pay decently and even then, the work life is massively screwed for anyone to establish even some semblance of a balance.
Infact, I dont want to get into disputes team. Its worst. I want to do M/A , GCA or well, litigate in SAT / NCLT
M&A and Gen Corp GENERALLY (READ ONLY) hire if you have some experience in the relevant field. It makes sense from the firm's perspective too. This is especially true if they are hiring someone who is a bit senior. Unless you are willing to go back and start from scratch from a very basic boutique law firm that does this, or have inculcated enough favours within the community that lands you in a spot, or, lady fortune has MASSIVELY blessed you, its a very tough luck to get a GC or M&A team. Also, this is the most sought after team. Most law grads will be gunning to become an M&A lawyer.
For NCLT, I believe chambers do this better than law firms (from the POV of getting into a chamber v a law firm). For SAT, find a financial regulatory law firm or one with a good securities team worth their salt in Mumbai (which is a pretty hard ask). By these standards, NCLT seems to be the best shot.
Also, apologies if these sound harsh. Its just that this is how corporate in general works. Its not like miracles do not happen, but its just that- miracles.
Unable to sleep since 2021 mid...
Non-NLU degree is not that valuable (read : worthless) , unless you already have established chamber of your father to work in .
Inflation is so high, cost of living is so high that one can not continue to litigate (or do juniorship) ...
I must have messaged 1000+ people on various platforms by now. Facebook, linkedin , email , telegram even bumble (business) to talk to people. . All in vain .