I’m from a law university in Kolkata and will be joining litigation around August 2026. I’m still figuring out how things actually work on the ground—income progression, how to choose the right senior to work under, and what practical skills I should build before joining a chamber. Would really appreciate any guidance you all can share.

Choose you practice area first; Connect with your seniors; Go to your nearest district court and ask the court clerks the same question-and they will help you more than you can think of; Start with trial court-since the skills you learn there are summarily transferable till the apex benches; Know that it willtruly be hectic-no money, enormous work, no self-respect, sitting at those crumbly benches of trial courtsall day and then follow the senior to his/her chamber till midnight; Follow only if you have passion for the same.

Do yourself a favour and migrate to Delhi or Bombay. The process is a punishment in and off itself, Cal lit scene is analogous to a zamindari system where everyone puts on a glossy paint of the classic "bhodrolok" all the while the entire system is rotten to the core, and once embedded in this recurring inferno- the doors start closing one after another, you will feel throttled and soon realise the longer that you are in the lit here, the more onerous it becomes to escape the swamp. The system will gobble you up, and all the passion that you had for this thing called "litigation" would be obliterated, albeit through a slow and crucifying process. Why such pessimism? Unless you have strong (really strong) connections or come from a financially provident family, you are going to be exploited left, right and centre with nothing much to gain either in terms of exposure or connections. A few exception might exist, however that is tantamount to looking for a needle in the wild and wide savannas! The Seniors are unbothered, the clerks are beings of the most treacherous kind- everyone is against you from day 1, are presumptuous and most will actively thwart your development as a litigator. No guidance, no money and most importantly- no future prospects. Now toxicity is to be found in other cities as well (perhaps more), yet why do I insist that you practice elsewhere? A man can endure any "how" if he knows the answer to "why" he must endure it, Cal has negligible prospects and it will ruin your best years, you are much better off sweating it out in Delhi or Bombay- both have much better prospects, and you would learn at a break-neck speed (something that simply isn't possible here). Worst part about Cal is that people in the lit circuit here act are pretentious af, they act as if they hold the gospel of truth- they would pass indictments on your abilities (without according you a chance to explain) 24/7 without knowing jackshit themselves! The folks here, in all honesty, would be decimated into oblivion vis-a-vis their contemporaries from other Del/Bom/Madras. Its a sub-par nepo Bar now (earlier it used to be a breeding ground for doyens, how the times have changed!) that is drowning in mediocrity, and is going to be entrenched in it for the longest of time. All the best!