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26 January 2011

We got a lot of relevant CVs but were able to deal with them very quickly. We interviewed three strong candidates and hired one. We saved a lot of money and time compared to using a recruiter, and even the quality of some applicants was better.

26 January 2011

Legally India’s jobs site is a tried-and-tested way for qualified lawyers to find jobs directly at law firms, companies and organisations needing to hire lawyers.

26 January 2011

Legally India’s jobs site is a revolutionary way for qualified lawyers to find jobs, students to find internships and for law firms and organisations to hire lawyers directly, cutting costs and time.

05 July 2010

I own a Gaddi dog (an Indian sheep dog) called Sheroo. He is a 120 pound sheep dog who can bring a wild cat or a wolf down. I have kept him for the protection of my cattle. Sheroo is brown, big, shaggy and so obedient and intelligent that he sometimes even writes a blog post for me. Ha! Just kidding. But he is really obedient and intelligent, mind you.

Once I heard of a big dog show in Delhi. I heard the prize money for the ‘Best Allround Dog’ was 50k. Money led me in. It was a big show. So many dogs had come in. I had never seen dogs of such variety.

People bought many dogs too. A dog (a Poodle) got sold for 1 lac rupees. A maid servant, who had been working for a family since the last 10 years and had not earned 1 lac till now brought the Poodle home. The poodle was treated so well by the family. I wish the maid was also a Poodle.

Anyways, I went to the registration desk to register Sheroo.

“Which breed”?, asked the official.

Gaddi kutta hai janab (It is a Gaddi Dog)”, I answered.

“That’s no breed”, he spat back.

“Sir, he is obedient and very intelligent. He guards my buffaloes and cows”, I said politely.

“No. He can’t be registered”, he was indifferent.

“But...”, I tried salvaging but he did not budge. That man was a savage. I saw he owned a Rottweiler. Ha!

Anyway I had a look what the dogs with their trainers did. They did really well. The Poodle had won the competitioin. But I am sure my Sheroo would have done equally well. But he was of no breed. Just a Gaddi dog; very obedient and very intelligent.

When I was returning back a friend who was interning at a large law firm in Mumbai called, “Yaar. They didn’t give me a PPO”.

My friend is not from a National Law School. He was sad, so was my Sheroo.

The Poodle was happy. He was small and a bit dumb too. But he was a Poodle and imported from Britain.

BTW, did I tell you that a foreign degree will hold you in good stead for a law firm job? I wish everyone was a Poodle.

When I went back home I trimmed my sheep like they trim Poodles.

My fellow villagers don't read my blog but they tell me I am unusual and subtly brilliant, even when it comes to shearing my sheep.

05 April 2010

Pre-sript- The links in this post will take you to some invaluable articles. Please do click on them. I have spent quite some time researching for this piece. Links at point 3 and 15 are specially brilliant. Some of you might like to move straight over to point 11, from where the advanced tips start.

Anyone can make a good CV provided you are ready to work for it. Paths are made by walking, not waiting. Touche.

1.) Learn Great English
. Learn to speak english, write english. Learn how English eat, blow their noses and clean their bottoms. But to remain cultured, stick to the Indian culture. It is better, politer and more suave (Poets tend to be chauvinists).

However just to pin- prick your pride here is Wikipedia's article on 'Hin'glish. Don't make the silly mistakes pointed here. BTW as I said, poets are chauvinistic; if you prick my pride with a pin. Ouch! It swells!

2.) Intern in every possible break. Intern after college hours, if possible. There are also online internships possible.

The online internships offered by the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and the Volintern program of Nishith Desai Associates are doable.

3.) Research. Write papers. Write professional blogs. If you want to get into a corporate firm write on corporate law. If you IP is your field get cracking on IP topics. Look for call for papers here. (In your comments you may thank me for this link).

4.) In summers do summer courses. In winters do winter courses. With all this workload you will not remain a SPRING CHICKEN. But still, try doing a SPRING course.

Soon from a chicken you will turn into a hen. An egg laying hen actually. If you do not change, you still will be a productive chick. In your CV you can be really cocky about this.

WIPO has summer courses on IP law. ISIL has a course on international law every year. CCS has short courses for the socially inclined too.

5.) Get great CGPAs. Be in the good books of your faculty members. Bootlick them, if necessary. Or ask them "Sir/Ma'am, can I be your research assistant".

This will sufficiently ego massage them. Scratching their heads, they are bound to ponder, "Have I turned into such a BIGSHOT, that I need a research assistant"?

6.) Moot. TOM should moot. HARRY should moot. DICK should moot. JOHNY with his mouth full of sugar should moot. ALICES in wonderlands should moot. Even if you are bad at it, moot. The drunk PIPO was brave enough to moot. What keeps you at bay?

7.) Get into the College's Law Journal board. Everybody can't be the editor. At least be a member.

8.) Present papers. Go to seminars and make contacts there. You will do well to read this book I am planning to read. It is called 'How to work a room' by Susan RoAne.

9.) Make best buddies with the best seniors at your college. When you meet them say a loud 'Wassup!'. Show some teeth with the lips curved upwards. They might soon employ you.

10.) Do online courses. Attend webinars. Be a sponge. Take in good from everywhere. WIPO, Asian School of Cyber laws etc. have good courses. (Readers, please come up with some more).


ADVANCED TIPS

11.) Intern once. Intern twice. The third time you go there as an associate. Pick a firm whose practice area you will like to immerse yourself in. Follow this advice. Impress. The elusive PPO will be yours.

12.) Make sure 'googling' your name gives great results. We will soon burn our telephone directories. The smarter ones among us will save them as 'antiques' for diverser investment options. However, Google will be your buddy for some more time at least.

If you are on google you are a stud. If you are not you are a dud. Duh!

13.) Attend events. Attend seminars. Be a people's person. If you don't want to get in a pee-pool, get to know people.

I accompanied Mr. Basheer for the NUJS diversity project to Sikkim. He had spent a month there earlier and we were well received. His friends included two, grade 11 kids: Suku Singh and Palzor; the most respected monk of the area, the hotel attendant, the school teachers and the bakery owner, among others. Get the point?

The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell tells us about three kinds of people: The connectors, the mavens and the salesmen. Atleast be one of these.

14.) Develop a good LinkedIn profile. Study what like minded people are doing and shadow them. Do read this article on how law students should use LinkedIn.

15.) Tie shoe laces with the other hand. It improves left brain-right brain coordination. If you are a computer engineer, get to know cyber law. If you are a lawyer learn java and website designing.

Shake things around a little bit. Freshness is good for your lungs and your life. See how creative people can get with CV making.


PS- Or maybe, you could enjoy your life. Do what you like to do. Don't be a fake.
Work in an NGO. Paint.
Write poetry. See how life unfolds naturally.
Naturally. That is how buds flower and cocoons make butterflies.

13 February 2010

 A poem on how law students make a beeline for the Big Law and get CAUGHT.


DASAMAR CHANDMANGAL SWEETS:

Are law students an insect creed? 

 

‘DasAmar ChandMangal Sweets’.

Proclaims the shop; a proud tweet!

However, it is unhygienic.

Hyped flies get hyperactive

Over its over-sugary syrup.

 

On sugar they are hell-bent,

Of sugar jars they care.

They fall on the mithais; snared.

Wings and legs wriggle; the body unable to wriggle out.

Soon the dead flies make the air putrescent.

 

The blood and the smell

Attracts mosquitoes. They drink blood,

More blood. They get drunk.

And fall on the mithais.

And die a sweet death.

 

Noses pucker. A pyre is set

To eulogise the animals dead.

Lo! The fire! It attracts moths.

Wah! The insect creed!

Keeps the tweet, a proud tweet.

 
PS- Well... law students prepare well for the 'insect' tag...interning, publishing and inging a lot. ('Inging' is a new word invented by me...I hope you'll know what it means).

And if you are a thorough-bred insect and want to know how to make your internship turn into a PPO (Pre Placement Offer), please go ahead and support my marketing gimmick by clicking on the link.

05 February 2010

Legally-India-careers-counsel_by-ScarlethWhite-LG Dear Careers Counsel, how do I write the perfect cover letter to swing that high-paying law firm job?