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Cut to the question(s)
1. How does the whole contract management scene work?
2. What are the entry points as also barriers to the same?
3. Is my litigation experience likely to help?
4. What are the basics I need to know for an in-house interview?
Please note, I have a litigation work experience throughout. If I am missing out on any points, or if I am incorrectly clubbing contract management openings and in-house vacancies , please correct me and guide me.
Just for clearing any doubts whatsoever, I am definitely not even looking into T1s and the like.
The first thing is that I had the benefit of graduating from a good college. The college name definitely helped in my case, so that may be a barrier for you.
Regarding interviews, note that I joined as a fresher and didn’t ask for a higher position. The interview was therefore a cakewalk since they didn’t expect me to know much about their field and focused on my previous work ex. Also your senior(s) likely will not be very aware of litigation, since in-house people generally jump from corporate. Litigation experience also helps you in the short term, especially if you display interest in the company’s matters. I’d advise you to read on the Companies Act, the Contract Act, and any other laws relevant to the field you’re joining. You can get better quality of work once you show you know your stuff.
Pay depends on what you can negotiate. Since I was being paid by litigation standards, I didn’t get much of a bump. But if you work hard and impress your team, things will look up. I am currently in line to be brought up to market standards, i.e. a several x increase.
Lastly, I’d advise you not to join a contract management team or a big company and rather look for a company with a small legal team. Being part of a small team handling the entire company’s legal requirements has definitely helped me get far more exposure than I would have gotten in a contract management team.