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If you're looking at it purely from a job perspective, then the teams with the highest attrition usually have the most vacancies: Capital Markets, Funds, and Banking & Finance. (but there is a reason for high attrition that's the caveat)
If your goal is simply to join the largest practice groups, because more roles in the industry then look at General Corporate, M&A, and PE/VC, as they tend to have the biggest teams.
Also, moots aren't the be-all and end-all. You can always compensate with strong publications, ADR competitions, research work, and other achievements. That said, moots are one of the most valuable experiences in law school. A single moot can teach you more about a subject than an entire semester because it's the closest you'll get to actual legal practice as a student. So definitely give them a shot.
Can you suggest which other areas can I look at alongside B&F, & IBC? Or area which I can smoothly switch if things went south with B&F?
And, are moots that important? Can it not be compensated with decent publications?
Thanks again!
Coming to your point about starting in a commercial bank: in India, there honestly aren’t too many legal banking roles available. If banks like ICICI Bank or HDFC Bank visit your campus, you should definitely aim for them. Otherwise, they usually don’t offer internships outside their campus hiring programs. So practically speaking, it makes more sense to target law firms in India and abroad.
As of now, a good Tier-1 BnF experience can open doors to multiple foreign law firm opportunities later on. So ideally, aim for Tier-1 law firm BnF teams, publish on regulations that directly impact financing and deal-making, and try getting internships with teams like Economic Laws Practice or Dentons they may start considering applications from third year onwards. Once you have those names on your CV, start cold-emailing Tier-1 BnF partners strategically. (custom mails)
Also, build experience through moots, especially in IBC. That combination helps a lot.
You should also start applying for vacation schemes at foreign law firms whenever eligible that can genuinely become a golden ticket.
Overall, just stay extremely aware of what’s happening in the market. Don’t isolate your learning entirely to BnF because the future of the practice area, especially at the junior level, is not fully predictable. And honestly, while BnF is very well paid, it can also get quite boring. Try finding at least one area of law you genuinely enjoy alongside it.
I wanted to know how do I develop my profile to suit for this practice area & apply for internships.
I want to work at commercial banks from the very start.
Please help by suggesting measures.
Thanx