Greetings! I am currently 31 years old. I hold a PG in Political Science and have been working as a college guest lecturer for some time. I have been attempting the UPSC CSE for the past few years but have not been able to secure a result.

I do not wish to pursue a PhD or continue in academia, whether as a professor or in think tanks, as I find the field largely thankless, with limited engagement despite the institutional emphasis on publications.

Law has always been a subject of interest to me, and I had earlier considered pursuing it after entering the services, if at all. I have read a lot of threads on Legally India and understand the demands of the profession—the challenges of litigation, the long and demanding hours in law firms, as well as in-house roles. But, I still want to pursue it.

My current understanding of law is limited to constitutional law and the basics of certain statutes. However, I have developed a strong foundation in economics (both macro and micro), & general trade, through my UPSC preparation.

I believe I may have the opportunity to enroll in a 3-year LL.B. program in the upcoming session at a good college (possibly a Tier-2 NLU). I am aware that there may be age-related bias, as I will be around 34 upon completion.

My question is: will it exceptionally tough/remotely possible for me to enter corporate law—especially law firms/in-house—through the conventional route (internships, grades, publications, etc.) at this stage?

If, after three years, I am left with no option but to return to academia, pursuing law would be futile.

I would appreciate guidance and advice, especially from those already working in law firms, the industry, or HR.

Thank you!

Hi, not to discourage you or anything but if you're goal is corporate law then it'll be very difficult to get into, especially at your age. To begin with, 3 Years llb course does not get corporate law placements. The only place where you even get a shot is at nls. But there too the placements are very bleak for the 3 year course and to secure a job in corporate law, you'll have to be in top 10 of your batch (this only gets you a shot at securing a placement at a corporate law firm).

I'll be honest. I'm 34.

Very frankly. I'll not go into technical reasons why you won't get the job. I'll assume you cleared all hurdles and you land corporate law.

You have missed the bus 10 years back.

Assuming you got the job. This is how it'll be -

You will have bosses who will not mentor you properly, because of your age. Because of your age they will not be as frank and free in feedback. They will just slowly get you kicked out or sidelined to be someone else's problem.

At 44 you will still not make partner, because your 10+ years behind. At 50 they won't make you partner coz you too late. Given this, they will see no incentive to hire you, squeeze 20x profits out of you for many years to come. Because your careerpath will be over before it begins.

Secondly, given the stress and overworking and slaving hours, you will become in healthy and burnt out quick given your lack of built up endurance from the past and youth. It's simply a different beast.

My belief is, you will want nothing to do with corp law in about a year or 6 months. You will be exhausted af. Another reason why they may not hire or hire you as a sidelined bench warmer. You will then end up working as a sidelined paralegal, junior to kids 10 years younger than you. You may not admit it, but your ego will not like it and you will be depressed.

Instead do something that's meaningful instead of being amongst such sad creatures who delusional about their stature in society. And contribute to growth of society. Yeah money maybe good, but what's the use if your spouse is sleeping with someone else during gym, or you've never seen your child awake in months, or having missed your father's or mother's birthday or their hospitalisation.

It's a job with money, but family and you will all resent you..you won't have any friends left. Just some 30-50 year olds discussing the Office and Avengers, which is their whole personality.

Thank you!

But, what if I entered, & worked for a few years not only to save some capital but to gain experience & learn how things move around, & then pivot back to academia?Would it still be very implaussible, kinda?

I'm not completely novice.I hold a diploma in banking & finance from IIBF; and understanding of econ. is swaddled with core macro theories; although I concur, there shall be way more to learn in transactions, other than theory.

Thanks again for your message!

You will not get hired. A primary reason why law firms are willing to pay 23-24 year olds large salaries is the expectation (some bosses say it outright, few imply it) that the associates will work through the night, and sometimes 2 or 3 days with barely any sleep. Post 30, you don’t have the health to squander away even if you’re willing to. This is particularly true at the “tier-1” firms.

Another comment here accurately describes hurdles from a partnership PoV but that assumes people think that far into the future - which no one does when hiring a fresher. The other thing that’s relevant is that a 34 year old has lived live a fair bit and will be presumed to not put up with the garbage behaviour many partners engage in. Young adults who’ve never made money before are much likely to put up with that kind of behaviour.

Additionally, while most law firm partners lack emotional awareness, they also will know that hiring you will be a recipe for friction that will likely be unavoidable - a 27 / 28 / 29 year old SA or PA will direct your life more than you can think right now. Call you at 10 or 11 PM asking for a draft by noon the next day. No matter how much one denies it, egos will come into play when you work the hours law firms do.

I won’t bring up the reductions in hiring due to perceived efficiencies from AI - and yes, they have begun no matter what people tell you. Legora and Harvey aren’t cheap. The money has to come from somewhere.

All of these factors can only be overridden or dispensed away if you get a good partner who is open to unconventional thinking about how lives are lived - and law firm partners like that are exceedingly rare. So, this comes down to the question - are you willing to spend 3 years going you law school when your only chance of success will require immense luck, in this context.

Also, your diplomas and understanding of economic theory will not help your cause. Law firms don’t care about that stuff, much. I’m sorry if my phrasing is a bit blunt. This is not to discourage you or downplay your achievements, knowledge and lived experiences - which I am sure will be more rich and will have helped build more character that most law firm ghouls have. This is an honest opinion of someone who is over 30, and has experienced multiple firms including having a say in hiring exercises.

Thank you so much for your reply!

Will the same be true for In-house, etc. roles?If I did very good in all the semesters & learn a lot during internships, is it possible to land in a fairly paid in-house role, may be in an NBFC,AIF, etc, if not big banks, for same reason you highlighted above?

Thanks again, for your suggestions!

I agree. I feel OP loves money and title more than law. If you really love law join the courts, litigate and after 7-8 years try for the higher judiciary or continue litigating. At your age that's always the best option. I have seen people in their 50s who actually love law and they study at DU, intern, join delhi courts and now really enjoying court life. Anyone who says corporate, definitely wants it only for money and not for the love of law

Then why not shift abroad or start you own venture if you do not have family obligations. Don't stick yourself into something as obscure as law at this age. You might as well end-up wasting up 3 years of your life with no fruitful outcome, if your sole purpose is to look for corporate jobs. 3 years into the profession, I myslef am finding it difficult to switch batch into core law-firm domain, having not started that well after college. My two cents, if if you go ahead, don't overly rely on corproate law jobs post graduation.

Thanks!

But moving abroad requires atleast a handsome capital.I've a few friends who were admitted to a M.Research at good univ. in UK, but life there is not good at all, mostly working everyday, all evening in restaurants, uber, etc., & for living, & getting into PhD is far tougher there, than India..life is tough EVERYWHERE!!!!

It is not impossible to get a job, but from what I’ve experienced in the industry- law is an exceptionally difficult field, more so when you are first gen with little connections. You will have to put on a good fight to achieve your goals. That said, don’t pay heed to anectodes much. Be brave and ready to face challenges. And try to do well during college.

Don't misguide them. There are barely any above average jobs for freshers, let alone some older than 30. OP I suggest join litigation, it will not judge you on ageism. Also if you feel the need for power and privileges than attempt judiciary after gaining said experience. DO NOG JOIN CORPORATE.

I'm not sure how relevant this would be to you, but I'm a 27 year old soon to graduate from a 5-year program from an NLU. I've received a PPO from a T-1 firm and had a considerable gap after high school prior to starting college. I did not face any difficulty in the hiring process, nor did I face any ego issues that others speak of even though people my age and younger were SAs. Maybe I lucked out with the teams or was secure enough to know that my late entry into law was not a reflection of my competence, but no one ever cared about my age while I was interning across multiple T-1s, T-2s and boutique firms. I also know of someone who started a law degree at 26-27 (so graduated at 30 approx.) and recently became an SA at a T-1 as well.

All I'm saying is, if you are someone affected by working under younger people in-charge (nothing wrong with it) or have issues with putting in the long-hours due to your age, you will not get hired. Not because of anything else, but simply because you are not compatible with a law firm life anymore. If you are willing to work regardless and are okay with working under those junior to you, I'd say no harm in trying. You may not make partner, but even with the advent of AI, law firms remain in need of work horses.

You sound like someone who has made up their mind and is only looking for reassurance to validate the said choice. So based on my experience, I'd suggest that you should go for it, since at present you sound quite stuck. Its up to you to decide if you're okay with making this choice or remaining where you are.

Also, at the risk of repeating what others have already said, your background in economics and political science won't do much for you if a career at a law firm is what you're looking for. Law firm work, at least on the transactions side, is largely about due diligence, legal research, and drafting, in that order. So the only way to learn these skills is to intern, since even law schools rarely teach these skills well. Hope it works out for you!

Thanks for the reply!

I find no problem in working under younglings but superior in experience!

But, if one puts equal effort & dedication into the job, why wouldn't they become partners due to age?it takes 9-12 years to become a partner na, generally ofc, I understand there may be so many other factors.

I don’t know why the thread is so negative. There have been other older threats where the posts have been much more encouraging.

If you put your head down and work, keep your ego aside and have the genuine desire to grow and learn, I don’t understand how age could be a problem. The battle will majorly be internal- taking orders from ppl much younger than you but that’s totally up to you. Once you’re in the system, your work and attitude will decide your future. Getting in might be a little hard considering the ageism that exists and recruiter’s perception about your fragile ego, but that’s going to be everywhere unless you start something of your own.

If law is something you really want to do- go for it and try getting into NLU Bangalore if you can. I’m sure you’ll meet at least 1 person around your age.