We want LI to be one of the friendliest places on the internet, where lawyers and law students help each other with their career related queries and occasionally discuss other stuff that might affect their lives too. In other words:
1. Be kind, respectful and helpful to each other.
2. Be bona fide, truthful, genuine and curious.
3. Assume the best intention of others.
Therefore, in using the site, you must agree to do your best to uphold these community guidelines.
Note that what you find here is written and moderated by anonymous people on the internet.
Therefore everything you read here is very likely unverified, rumour, speculation and/or downright false.
In continuing to read anything here, you must therefore agree not to take anything you read here as factual and that you will exercise due caution, diligence and common sense before acting on any information you may come across here.
You also agree to report any inaccurate or malicious comments with the buttons. Moderators take action within 24 hours, as required and appropriate under law.
Our full terms and conditions apply too.
Do you solemnly agree to all of the above?
I have been struggling with work since start. I'm not able to complete the task in given time. I make small mistakes which even I feel embarassed of when senior points out. I can't really remember clause wise details, Even after reading the agreement. It's like seeing the whole thing again. I am tired of getting my work discarded because it's not upto the mark. I was told to leave by my partner in previous firm after which I applied at my current place and landed a well paying job. I'm good enough for interviews and leaving good first impression. It's the same circle again within 2 months of joining, except I am getting shouted at and humiliated here. I don't feel happy to work in general anywhere. I feel I'm not made for this and I should quit altogether law.
The problem is I don't have a backup. I come from lower middle class family. As of now I earn more than my father do. But this will not sustain, I will be either removed or my mental health will deteriorate so much that I call quit. I don't know what to do.
One option I see is going in-house in a bank/nbfc. I feel it would be manageable but I have never interned or spoke with someone who works in-house, so idk. I am also worried about career trajectory. Since I don't have any wealth, will I be able to earn enough to afford a house, car and good life in general. I'm worried about my future. What if I suck at in-house too? Am I good at anything? I don't know what can I do. I have already spent 6 years studying and working in law and don't have comfort to learn and earn anything afresh. Can anybody who have been at my cross-road please guide me since I can't worry my family with this and friends won't have any answer.
Only after this you move to things like private placement, debentures, s.179, s.180, s.185, s.186. Given each of this a couple of days. While its a pain staking process and you could still be bombarded with brutal comments, trust me you're making progress.
Once done with this, start with transaction documents, every day spend 15-20 mins on just one clause of a DTD/FA, as basic as the array of parties and recitals, why is the successor added, why do we have permitted assigns, why the interpretation clause, why the business day convention.
Once you get to the operative clauses, spend maybe half an hour daily on let's say covenant to pay, security clause, type of each security and the basics you've covered in the para above will all start making sense.
When it comes to drafting, something I've started recently is maintain an excel sheet with a clause bank of sorts. Add even the most horribly seen clause in the horribly drafted base drafts of banks and financial institutions. Gradually this will help you when you're marking up docs so identify the critical issues and the comments. Spend some time drafting and maybe rehearsing drafting when you see something of this world. You'll I'm sure notice that gradually, you start remembering the transaction documents because fundamentally every fucking B&F deal is the SAME.
Something that helped on the job is ChatGPT to break down concepts to you like a five year old using examples like candies and piggy banks etc. Easier to understand the building block and such the retention is a lot better and you can apply it using he financing parlance.
Most most UNDERRATED, and this goes unnoticed, eat proper meals, hydrate, look after yourself. If you're depleted, your absorbing nothing else other than the trauma at work. Even if it means having a slice of bread and coffee as breakfast, have it. If you run on zero, nothing you do is going to make you a better professional.
And friend, depending on the T1, its not the end of the world. There are just not enough B&F associates to do even the basic jobs, no gloating but they need you as much as you need them. Tattoo this to your head and your pressures outside of work will ease up so you can regain your focus.
Everything said above, please remember, give yourself 6 months at least. This is not a month long exercise. I'm seeing some progress in my work after about 3 months.
Hope this helps. All the best. And if your partners are mauling you outside the purview of professional boundaries, get up and fuck them up and leave. There is no amount of money in this world that would make parents happy if it comes at the cost of their child being hauled everyday. Parents can be surprisingly understanding.