Hey,

I am a law student at a top Uni and had bagged a PPO after an assessment with a top tier 1 law firm (Banking Team). However, I was to intern with the firm till I graduate, May 2026.

However, they have stopped responding and I have received no response and I am devastated about these affairs as I have looming loans and family obligations to clear with the salary I expected. What is the way forward now? Can someone please help me with the mail ID below - chococolatecheesecake@proton.me

PS I have interned already for an year previously and was told not to sit for placements and my grades are good. I have proof to attest all of the above.

Why don't you approach the RCC of your top tier college?? Like honestly, even if the Internship was not through them, involving them into such issues and possibly taking an action through them will certainly get a solution to your situation. Also those proofs needs to be disclosed in its entirety with your RCC, they can help you better than people here.

If you have mail confirmation, try getting in touch with the HR and see what they’re saying.

Perhaps try to get some information by asking an indirect confirmation like: “When will I approximately get to know regarding further joining details?” or “Will I be directly joining (X) Partner’s team itself?” to gauge the current status of the PPO if you can.

Hang in there though!

A lot of firms go awol with students if they already have a prior relationship with your college. Considering you are from a top uni there is a good chance they have a prior relationship with your college. Reach out to your college rcc, and ask them to handle it from there. if they are still awol, raise it with your rcc faculty head. Usually even in the worst case scenarios they usually respond with this escalation. If not raise it with your mentor/buddy and then loop your partner in (I am assuming that the above scenario only deals with hr)

Hi, this is OP.

Thanks for the messages.

I've lost hope and don't see a point now ahead. The last date for placement subscriptions has ended and I will surely miss out in everything. I've decided there's no point in even trying now as I've missed the train and it's too late. I hate myself now. I cannot tell my parents as they had high hopes for me and we celebrated too.

For any future students, please do not EVER TRUST the offers of one firm, especially JSA . Always keep trying elsewhere everytime. And NEVER miss out on college placements even if u have an offer at hand.

This happened to me many years ago. It is too late but next time make sure you have a signed offer letter (on paper) with a partner signing. Ask your RCC. Mine allowed me to enter recruitment late. Then the firm panicked and called me and I told them I will withdraw from interviews with other firms if I get a signed offer letter from them and I got one.

bruh if you lose hope like this so early on, this field is going to eat you whole.

1. Considering you have written proofs too, you shouldn't be worried at all. Did you try showing said proofs to the HR? Call the HR everyday and ask him/her to connect you with the partner or to give you clarity about your situation. Maybe try connecting with the associates in the team you worked with? In case you were able to make a good rapport with one of them, speak to them and ask them if there is any reason why the partner has suddenly ghosted you.

2. If none of this is working out, fuck the firm. Talk to your RCC or your faculty in charge for the placement committee, explain to them your situation and persuade them to let you sit for the placements. You are in T1 NLU so you are obviously smart and have the goodwill of your college name too. I am sure the RCC will let you sit for exceptional circumstances, this isn't a situation where you are at fault.

3. Worst case scenario, none of this works out, reach out to your alumni, explain the situation without naming or dissing the firm/partner and try and bag an assessment internship. Again a T1 NLU tag will definitely help your case. 2026 is still far away, you still have the chance to secure a placement with/without your college RCC helping you.

Just don't lose hope, good luck!

Hi This is OP.

I am sorry if the person above felt scared because of me! This is probably something that firms dont do for bad PR and if it happened a lot I wouldnt have to create a thread as well. Wishing you the best at JSA! Do let me know if I could be of any help for the processes and interview system as it can be scary as well.

Hi this is OP.

For those saying I didn't get the offer, I actually did get the PPO mail. The firm is the recent JSA Banking partner who left to a lala firm. Literally used to assign so much work and now AWOL bilkul, his SA has blocked me lmao, im so done what do i even do, hr is super confused and so annoying on calls. Can someone help me please?

Hi this is OP.

What other option do I have man? I will miss out on placements. I worked really hard for a tier 1 job, I have looking loan obligations and my parents are crushed because of this. It feels like someone died at home. They're looking at me with disdain right now. Please keep in mind these are the parents who abused me through childhood mentally and physically, and you cannot imagine the pressure and effort I had to take alone with my kfc and other side earned income to pay for stuff. You can't imagine the relief I found when I finally got to be away from home in college, and when I got the offer mail, u can just think what kept my feet off the ground. My parents haven't fed me now that I was home for the summer holidays I had to survive on milk. They hate me. Tell me what other option do I have. If I don't get help here, I have to resort linkedin and I know no other firm will consider me after that. Nobody is offering internships even alumni has gone silent, and I understand it's because of the market. Now as i wait in my hostel for the final days I cannot help but feel defeat, consider this a vent

HI This is OP.

I sure hoped I knew this was the case when I first interned with them!. They are being so wierd right now with the placements about to commence and me missing out leaving me in a loop? If they want to retract the offer they should inform atleast no so I could apply elsewhere?

No sorry, this doesn't make any sense. If you've actually got written confirmation that you are GIVEN A PPO (not some vague assurance that you might be considered or you will be interviewed for one), you're usually asked to respond to the same in writing CONFIRMING that you're ACCEPTING the same. Once you do so, you'll be bound not to sit for any other placements and if you do so, your PPO will be revoked. This is how it works at every T1 firm and with every college. So please don't come in here and try to mislead people saying "oh, don't trust the PPO offer, sit for other placements" because that's the procedure followed and can have disastrous consequences. Maybe blame yourself for miscommunications/misunderstandings about something this important, i.e. they never actually offered you a PPO in writing and just told you not to intern elsewhere?

Anyway, what are you even reaching out to them for once you have confirmed the PPO (i.e. what are they ghosting you about)? If it is about the internship, again, have never heard of anyone from a T1 uni being asked to do a rolling internship for a year. If it is about a one month internship or about location etc, maybe they need more time and they'll tell you a few months later. Have never heard of this happening to anyone else.

HI this is OP,

Yes they did offer a PPO IN WRITING IN MAIL yes, not just to not intern elsewhere, but a PPO, a Pre Placement Offer in clear terms of an offer to be made of me joining in XYZ date at this team when i submit the document and shouldnt intern elsewhere and have been selected. But in the same mail was asked to intern year long, but now they arent willing to confirm I have an internship or assigning work. Please let me know if I could be more clearer? I do not intend to mislead anyone with any sort of inference or conclusion to be made from my circumstance, I am willing to help anyone navigate a PPO process. But i am asking seniors to help me in mine>>

Buddy, vague assurances of a PPO are NOT a PPO. Maybe should've kept your RCC in the loop or been clear about the steps from the beginning, demanding a PPO in writing which you confirm via email, and you wouldn't have been in this situation. Maybe learn about the process before trying to get others to fuck up their own PPOs by sitting for placements against express instructions of their firms, m'kay? 😘

Hi this is OP.

I CALLED them persistently and they always say the partner haven't informed anything and don't say anything further. Do you want me to just enter the mumbai office without any ground or permission? How do I go about that.

Thanks for following through btw really helps someone is concerned

I think your response is a bit premature and you need to take a step and calm down.

If this is jsa or for that matter any firm, in my experience at rcc, firms do not respond unless they need something from the college/student. A lot of them go awol until the very last minute. Take for example tri internships, once they confirm, unless an rcc member calls and follows up for whatever reason they do not get back to the student until the time of orientation. It's the same case for a lot of firms, sometimes they may not even pick up our calls and go completely awol, but in my experience they always pull up at the last second.

You still have a year left till you need to join, if you're from a t1, I'm assuming NLU, a lot of the rccs across the NLUs work similarly, they would either be looped into the ppo offer, or the ppo offer was routed through them, or if as the firm requested you to sit out the placements, rcc might've been involved in procuring the undertaking. If your rcc has failed to do any of the above, then frankly raise hell.

But first and foremost reach out to them and ask them to get in touch with the firm, firms often discourage students reaching out to them

Hi pls do submit a detailed complaint to the State Disciplinary Bar Council with all the records and emails. File the complaint against the Partner, praying for monetary compensation and revocation of his bar council license. Once he gets a notice from the Bar Council, some sense should come to him

Hi this is OP.

While this sounds like the "legally actionable" way forward, I fear this would result in a passive blacklist amongst all law firms from hiring me, considering most (read - a lot of) business practices are unethical anyway. I just want some clarity on the situation.

As mentioned before, I have a good academic background, have great internships and publications, but have missed out on placements due to the due date passing by, and ofcourse the HRs arent offering internships anymore and alumni is silent.