I graduated from CLC, DU in 2022, and since then, I have been diligently preparing for judicial exams. Unfortunately, I have not yet been successful in my efforts. I now aspire to build a career in Dispute Resolution or White Collar Crimes and aim to join a Tier 1 law firm. I understand that, considering my current career trajectory, this goal may seem rather ambitious and maybe foolish.

I am genuinely seeking guidance on the steps I should take in the next 1-2 years to achieve this objective. Specifically, I would appreciate advice on whether I should join a chamber, and if so, which practice areas I should focus on to facilitate a smooth transition from a chamber to a Tier 1 law firm as an Associate. Your insights and recommendations would be immensely valuable to me.

Bhai, in a similar situation, I posted a similar query on LI. Except for a few random suggestions like 'do an MBA' or 'try for the judiciary,' I did not receive any genuine advice. Any gossip or random questions get huge engagement, but serious questions are sidelined or purely ignored.

Having said that, it seems that toiling for the next five years with minimal pay seems to be the only way of succeeding in litigation.

First, kudos for sticking with your judicial exam prep—it's tough, but I am sure your knowledge will be useful going forward. Aiming for a Tier 1 law firm in Dispute Resolution or White Collar Crimes is ambitious, but totally doable with the right moves.

Start by checking out PMLA adjudicating authority and Rouse Avenue special court proceedings. Watching these will give you a feel for how things work in real cases. Also, dive into landmark judgments and get a good grasp of the procedures.

Next, reach out to independent advocates in these areas. Offer to work for free initially, just to learn and show your dedication. You'll face some rejections, but don't get discouraged. Once you land a spot, throw yourself into the basics like filing, drafting, and learning court procedures inside out. The goal is to become so reliable that they can't do without you.

Networking is huge. When you brief senior advocates, make sure to connect with everyone—chamber juniors, clerks, and law firm partners. These relationships can open up great opportunities.

Just a heads-up: this profession is super demanding and doesn't always come with big monetary rewards at the start. But if you're passionate about it, the experience and connections you gain will be invaluable.

Believe in yourself and keep pushing forward. Your hard work will pay off, and whether you end up at a Tier 1 firm or continue on your own path, you'll be set for a successful career in any area of Dispute Resolution.

All the best!

Hi, I am from the same college and prepared for judicial services during my time as well, in fact I took coaching from Rahul's IAS in my final year which got over during the pandemic period (hoping you are aware of coaching scene). I was lucky enough (pure luck) to write and appear for interview of some of the states but never made it through. The worst part was the covid period since all examinations got postponed and some were even cancelled (as far as I can recollect). I gave around 2 years of time to me to appear for examinations and after continuous failure in all of them (including PP Examinations as well), I decided to look for job. As a first generation lawyer without any connection, it felt like 1 Vs All types moments. Firstly, through a college friend I entered into a small size law firm practising in all types of general matters and after working there for roughly 5-6 months, I made the in-house switch since the pandemic was still prevalent and as a middle class job security was the foremost thing I was chasing. As luck would have it, I joined an NBFC and worked there for quite some time and moved to Reliance (This was the story part). Now comes the practical part: In my opinion (which I believe you can reject) you should join any law firm having even less matters because that will open many doors for you whether it being interacting with opposite counsels etc., One door will open many other doors, don't believe in any practise area at this point of time, your focus should solely be on joining any law firm or company as the case maybe. Once you have working experience, you can join anywhere provided you have gained some knowledge on your matters. Finding job with a job is a easy task, please use platforms like Naukri and Linkedin and connect with partners, general counsels, Hr etc., that will expand your horizon to look for jobs. These platforms really help, i used to cold email to partners (100's of them) got rejected in 98 of them but made the most out of 2 of them. Your experience of judicial service will help you a lot wherever you go. In one of my interviews, I said my favorite subject is CPC and gave the interviewer one hell of perspective of CPC. Whatever don't let the negativity in this profession affect you, future bright hai tumara, Vakeel ho tum. All the best. Please ignore grammatical errors, I was writing while travelling.

That's extremely difficult. Getting into T1s firms as a fresher from a non T1 nlu itself is extremely difficult. On top of that you're from a non-nlu tag (I'm not judging or criticising, I'm stating how the industry functions. It's a flaw in them that they do so) so it's harder to get in. Plus you graduated in 2022 and it's been years that you had any work ex at all. I'd say the best you can do rn is to try for some chambers and get some years of work ex. Then try a lateral shift (although that would also be next to impossible realistically). Hopefully you wouldn't even want to move to a firm job after spending some years in litigation

All the best!