Yeah, my 5+ remark is more appropriate for Delhi tbh. However, unlike transaction teams, the bonus ends up making a difference and even partners in a disputes team versus an M&A team will see a sizeable gap between pay. 10+ years is a more appropriate 'safe' timeline for both Bombay and Delhi.

Correct. Teams like AZB and CAM solely rely on the face value of their senior partners in both Bombay and Delhi. Other firms like Rashmikant and Mulla in Bombay and Karanjawala in Delhi also have their own coterie of partners who are known. Great places to learn but your trajectory won't be as far as you'd think if your surname isn't relevant. Most matters in these firms will also be commercial in nature so if you plan on learning different facets of law, good luck.

W.r.t. WCC, I have not directly worked/interned with or seen these teams up close and personal but from what I've caught on from classmates/colleagues, most teams actually don't do proper WCC as much as they do mainly compliance work. As you've rightly pointed out, core criminal practice cannot be equated to WCC teams as the myriad procedures/courts/work remains unknowable to a WCC Associate. However, good WCC teams do seem to give you weighty matters in PMLA/SARFAESI for example so that's that.

Tasks wildly depend. Matters, based on listings/dates can pile up. Certain days are slow, others are extremely tedious with a lot of nervousness for filing your rejoinder in time before the filing department shuts shop, or if matters are clashing and your arguing counsel is not present in your courtroom. (Bombay folks can relate to commuting from CR. 16 to CR.16A) Your most typical task as an A0 and A1 will be between diligence of documents, research and/or support work for seniors like drafting.

In contrast to this, there are NO slow days in Delhi Disputes if you are in a decent-sized terms in terms of filing. Days which seem slow actually bother you and you check and recheck your case-diary entry list or calendar to verify in case you missed a meeting and will be blasted for it by your seniors.

Two questions that are unrelated to the substance of this post:

1. Was the "[AI generated]" flag inserted into the title by the OP or by the moderators?

2. If the moderators inserted the flag, on what basis was this done? The use of the m dash? Or the bombastic, quasi news coverage-like tone of the post? Or both? Is it that the two factors in conjunction point in the direction of AI or something? Or do you have some positive proof that this was generated by AI such as an AI detection tool? If so, what tool are you using and what is its reliability?

NB: I am not the OP in disguise. The only reason I opened the post was actually the flag, because the fact is that my career ambitions are such that what does or does not happen at a T1 disputes practice is information as irrelevant to me as Sherlock Holmes found the workings of the solar system to being a detective, though I will acknowledge that one person has given a very good answer which I hope those for whom this is relevant will find useful.

Although this is already quite nicely written, just to add to it; most of the disputes teams operate in a very limited sphere of law where the Senior Partner has built a reputation, which is counterproductive for the growth of young lawyers (A0-A2) as it severely limits their exposure to different areas of law (can’t emphasise on how important it is, if you actually want a successful career in Disputes, be it in a Firm or a Chamber).

Also, WCC at Firms is a sham of what actual criminal work looks like in Courts. If you have the slightest inclination of practising criminal law then you’ll have to start with Chambers and at District Courts, there’s no way around it regardless of what people may tell you.

All the best!

-A0s and A1s, depending on the teams, are burdened with diligence, basic research and/or delegating interns to do work that their SAs have asked them to do. A lot of the things you have mentioned will be part of your daily work as a Disputes Associate. Depending on the firm, you will also be involved in publication of articles w.r.t. precedents or general research publications.

-Drafting and all happens at all levels and even team heads give their say in the final draft more often than not (micromanagement level differs). It is NOT a one-day job unless its an urgent application. In a sane disputes team (there are less than you'd like to think), the work goes upto a Partner who reverts to the counsel/client firm and back, if necessary, for further revisions. Basic memo work is handled by juniors.

-In smaller firms, associates may get more court exposure and directly participate in briefing unlike T1s who take senior counsels just to mention or adjourn.

-Partners in these firms usually have less experience than a fresher at an advocate's chamber. If you dream of building face value as an arguing counsel, Disputes firms are definitely not it (with a few exceptions who actually became senior counsels themsleves lol). A lot of partners/senior partners CANNOT argue or are NOT CONFIDENT in arguing. (FYI, if you are a law student sneering at this, you'll realize how difficult it actually is to make relevant submissions before a High Court Bench.)

-In Bombay, some old-school firms tend to send freshers for administrative/compliance work before the Prothonotary (OS Registrar).

-Urgent tasks land on your plate all the time, especially when arbitration matters come up.

-For a lot of budding litigators, the answer for your last question is a resounding 'NO'. Most disputes work is clerical at junior levels and becomes briefing/solicitor work at senior levels. If you don't mind being a briefing counsel as part of your career trajectory, then disputes is good because you get paid better than litigation at the start. Cannot say the same for litigators with 5+ years of experience who usually start outearning their corporate peers by then. This curve, however, is very steep. Not every litigator can survive the court experience. Many prefer stability (LOL) compared to the complete uncertainty of litigation.

It's Friday. Weekend is almost here. If you have a life (debatable, given your practice area), maybe you're winding down. If you're in disputes, you're probably still at your desk drafting something.

Either way — this one's for the students lurking here who have romanticised the idea of a Tier 1 disputes team. We see the LinkedIn posts about the big wins, the Supreme Court appearances, the landmark judgments. But no one talks about what Tuesday at 11pm actually looks like.

So — disputes lawyers at T1 (CAM, SAM, AZB, Trilegal, KCO, NDA, whoever) — please indulge us this weekend. Genuinely curious:

On any given day:

- How many matters are you actively juggling? Is it 3 or is it 13?

- What does the task list actually look like — research notes, written submissions, plaints, replies, vakalatnamas, cause list tracking, client calls, all of it at once?

- Is drafting a whole plaint or a writ petition a one-person, one-day job? Or does it go through 5 people over 3 weeks?

- Who does what — what does an A0/A1 handle vs what actually goes to the SA or partner?

- Is court attendance a regular thing or mostly for seniors?

- How many "urgent" tasks land on your plate after 7pm?

Also — is disputes at T1 actually what students imagine it to be? Or is it mostly document review, research memos, and chasing advocates on record?

Drop your honest take. No names needed — that's what this forum is for. You'd genuinely be doing a service to every law student who's building their entire career plan around "I want to do disputes at a T1."