Even I have noticed something similar. When a good-looking guy or girl comes around, plain-looking colleagues get visibly uncomfortable. Whereas, when good-looking people meet other good-looking people, they form a union that makes everyone else at the firm jealous. You cannot debate it. This is objectively true.

If you need to decline, decline. It is your right and unless you breached some term, it would be unfair of anyone to hold a grudge. Going along for fear offending someone may lead to regrets. Calling the partner if you have a line with them makes sense. You need to be confident you don't want to join them in the near future though.

Is it considered acceptable? No

How much detail? Just say personal reasons/got an opp that better aligns with your professional goals

call recruiting team? Absolutely No. Just send a polite mail to the HR apologizing for the inconvenience.

Does this burn bridges? The firm might blacklist you for future opportunities but if you are declining an offer now then you should not be thinking of joining the firm again in future.

I was a part of their Batch 16 programme. I had been allotted a mentor and had also attended weekly sessions for about 1.5 months (part of batch 16 programme). It was a pretty fun experience. They also checked in between the mentorship period to ensure everything was going on smoothly, that was really nice. The mentor also helped me with my CV and career development/ trajectory.

Hope that helps :)

Unfortunately, no. Also, if you're someone who doesn't have prior experience (or know someone within the firms who can vouch for you) it's unlikely that any firm will break away from their policy and make an exception for you. Also, if you're early in your career, you're better off starting at a tier 2/3, you get to learn a lot more and your switch to tier 1 is easier.

Tier 1 M&A partner here. I think it's always better to get a foot in the door and then work your way through opportunities. We routinely get from folks in forensics or any of the Big 4 or in house roles. It's not ideal but can get an interview. When some of these do convert there may be some discount to one's experience (I took a discount earlier in my career when I switched from tier 2/3 law firm to tier 1 because corp/M&A was only a part of what I'd do and hence exposure was less). So my take is:

1. If you can get into a tier 2/3 law firm, it would be an easier way to a tier 1 (if that's the ambition, not suggesting that it should be) than through legal forensics. If that's not a possibility, I'd suggest you take what you can and actively network then to find opportunities at a tier 1/2/3 law firm, if that's something that you'd still be interested in/have your heart set on it. Do try and land tier 2/3 roles than tier 1 - the exposure you'd get would be worth a lot and you perform better when you make a switch to a tier 1 later (generally, compared to someone starting at a tier 1 firms);

2. Not really but there could be some discount to your PQE; doesn't matter in the long run.

3. Take what you get, upskill, network, apply for interviews. You'll have 2-2.5 year window within which you can make a switch to another practice area at a tier 1/2/3 law firm (can't speak for others but I'm more likely to interview someone who's working somewhere (and is adjusting to work life from college life) than someone who chooses not work till something suitable comes by). The ability to work with people, whether you like them or not, is extremely valuable and highly underrated. There's also a chance that you might like what you do. Legal forensics might not sound glamorous but getting really really good at a niche while having a solid understanding of a variety of practice areas, for me, is the holy grail.

Lastly, and I'm not quite sure how to say this without it seeming like I'm discounting your worry but - things generally work out, they may not always go to plan but in retrospect, I wish I'd have worried less about all this stuff. Hang in there, it's generally a fun journey.

BJP Bengal has several advocates among its winning candidates. But no one appointed as law minister. Yet to appoint FM. Maybe the frontrunner Sanjeev Sanyal will be both FM and LM.

Everything waits for Delhi nod. Hence no cabinet expansion yet. Centre will also expand cabinet. WB will follow thereafter.

Saw the news that the new West Bengal government has appointed an additional advocate general, government pleader and senior standing counsel but not the advocate general. What is happening? Any ideas on why the delay and who is in contention?

The new government Kerala and Tamil Nadu and Assam have all appointed AGs.

If proximity to GIFT City is a factor in selecting University, then try GNLU. It’s after all a specialised institution for law, their students also get internships in Tier 1 law firms, Gujarat Maritime University operates from the same campus and it’s just couple of metro stations away from GIFT City.

Also, RRU has that self obsessed BimPa, thereby making GNLU or any other University an obvious choice.

From my personal experience, it took me 3 months after graduating to get a job in Privacy. I have some work experience as of now. But it's very hard to get into the field. Once you do, the talk is mostly about getting certifications, and you need to know more than just GDPR and DPDPA if you want to stay afloat. Work also gets really boring. So, if you can try to utilise the free time given to you to know other fields of law or go deep into TMT, it might open you up for better opportunities in a firm (especially with better pay, freshers are paid enough to survive in the cybersecurity field).

The words "good, healthy" and "boundaries" are words in a foreign tongue to commercial law firms in India. Please understand that and start life on that basis. Working in an Indian law firm means your health and your personal life go to die. Getting married? Be ready to be asked if it can be avoided/postponed to later in life. Mother's funeral? Carry the laptop, maybe you don't have to work, or wait... perhaps you actually do... sorry for your loss and all that mate, but business is business. Brother's wedding? Type an email related to a deliverable surreptitiously while the priest is chanting the mantras. Child's school is conducting a parents' evening where the French teacher wants to complain that little Johny's been ragging in class and the Maths teacher wants to complain that if his marks don't pick up, he'll fail the board exam? Let the kid's other parent deal with it unless you want the golden prison doors unlocked and to join the lines of unemployed up and down the country. Oh and don't forget - don't give a flying fuck about Johny's behaviour in French or marks in Maths except to the extent required to administer the obligatory tongue lashing and moderately hard slap on the arm (neither of which will ever happen, be honest with yourself, because no child, however badly behaved, should be tortured into staying up as late as you return home).

Whether or not you make that sacrifice or should do so are not questions on which I should give a judgment. That's just how the status quo is, nothing indicates that there'll be a change and therefore, you need to decide for yourself. You know that the foreign law firms ain't coming - they aren't stupid - so the Lalajis gonna rule us for a while longer. Simples.

Best of luck and have fun, either way.

Kids at NLUs and JGLS literally want an A+ for writing of the level of a 6 year old. It seems NLSIU is the in only one not inflating grades, because of Sudhir's orders?

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/us/harvard-grade-inflation.html

Shows the sincerity and seriousness of the students that this case reached all the way to the SC.

https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/here-is-why-supreme-court-carved-out-an-exception-for-stray-dogs-in-nalsar-campus

Different partners service differences bodies of Meta! Varun Sir mostly does IG and FB related Litigation. Swati and Shashank cater to Whatsapp and some other intermediary platforms. While Swati does some litigation, Shashank does advisory work. Mostly opinions. Compliance work is limited to solving clients complaints on WhatsApp, removal of content etc is mostly inhouse. No contractual work. Swati also does Dara protection work but too clerical no litigation related things. Hope this helps...

https://x.com/gautambhatia88/status/2056876490248331441

This was almost 20 years ago. Times have changed. Today’s youth are a lot more sensitive. You will be ostracised if you make a comment at a black football player or cricketer, be it at a stadium or while watching with friends on TV. In fact, NLUs are highly progressive and inclusive spaces today, where neither explicit comments not microaggressions based on race, caste, colour, ethnicity, nationality, religion, creed, gender, sexuality or medical and mental conditions will be tolerated. But the comment shows it was not always like this. You have to wonder if some Gen Y people from NLUs who are today partners, leaders and whatnot still harbour certain prejudices.

Thank you for making this point. It is this Hyderabadi (and by extension, Telangana and Andhra) mindset, which prioritises caste and community over merit, that holds back Hyderabad from becoming a major legal hub, on the lines of Delhi and Mumbai. Sure, casteism and community favouritism is a problem all over India, but it hits a different level altogether in the Telugu states.

I joined a Tier 1 firm with almost 3 years PQE this January and I negotiated very badly and have ended up with less than a lakh gross salary per month which is a very low figure I know.

And I just feel very dejected and sad at the bad deal I got and I want to know if there is even a possibility of getting an increment before the next FY rolls around as I wasn't eligible this time.

I of course work like crazy, do my best but my salary is making me depressed. I also like it here for the most part

Can anyone help me out on this?

Bhai pehli baat
Tu failure nahi hai
Tu bas thak gaya hai

Aur honestly jo tu feel kar raha hai na woh bahut saare final year law students feel karte hain but koi bolta nahi
Especially T2 T3 NLUs mein placement pressure aur comparison insaan ko andar se tod deta hai

Do saal se try kar raha hai matlab tu give up nahi kar raha
Failure woh hota hai jo koshish hi band kar de

Aur competitive exams ka scene bhi brutal hota hai
Har attempt ke baad lagta hai life ruk gayi hai
Par ek exam clear na hona aur life kharab hona dono alag cheezein hain

Ab practical baat sun

Abhi tera dimag survival mode mein chal raha hai
Isliye tujhe future sirf dark dikh raha hai
Stress itna zyada ho gaya hai ki tu khud ko objectively dekh hi nahi paa raha

Toh abhi life solve nahi karni
Bas system stabilize karna hai

Sabse pehle
Room mein bandh rehna band kar
Roz bahar nikal
Chahe 20 minute ke liye hi sahi

Gym join kar
Haan genuinely
Maza aayega isliye nahi
Discipline aur structure ke liye

Body jab completely stagnant hoti hai na toh thoughts aur bhi poisonous ho jaate hain
Workout ke baad brain literally thoda calm hota hai

Dusri baat
LinkedIn aur dusron ki achievements dekhna kam kar
Wahan sab log apni highlights daalte hain
Koi apna breakdown post nahi karta

Teesri baat
Tu abhi permanent conclusions temporary phase mein le raha hai

Final year ke placements miss hona feels like end of the world
But law mein careers weirdly delayed bloom bhi karte hain
Bahut log 25 26 tak settle hi nahi hote
Kisi ko litigation mein time lagta hai
Kisi ko in house role milta hai later
Kisi ka switch hota hai
Kisi ka startup chal padta hai

Tu abhi bas tunnel ke darkest part mein khada hai
Isliye exit dikh nahi raha

Aur ek aur important cheez
Tu burden nahi hai
Tu bas isolated hai

Insaan jab stress mein hota hai na toh usko lagta hai sab usse aage nikal gaye
Par reality mein bahut log quietly struggle kar rahe hote hain

Abhi bas ek kaam kar
Next 30 days ke liye life ko tiny goals mein tod de

Wake up on time
Gym
1 hour applications
1 hour exam prep
Eat properly
Sleep properly

Bas itna

Poora future ek saath solve karne ki zarurat nahi hai

Aur sun
Tu marne ki nahi
Bas iss version of life se bhaagne ki baat kar raha hai

Dono alag cheezein hoti hain

Life shayad abhi achhi nahi hai
Par khatam kar dene layak bhi nahi hai

I was in this position a month ago. Any form of success or failure to get a job in the legal field in India rn should not be considered as a metric to guage anyone's worth. It's chaotic and unpredictable. A human life is worth much more than having a seat a law firm or anywhere for that matter.

Am glad you’re ok. As someone with quite a few years under the belt in this profession, i can vouch for the fact that it is indeed, as someone above says, a marathon. It’s build slowly, day by day. There are good days and then there are some not so good days. There are days where i still curl up and go to bed at 9 pm because i just want to. Depression is real. Get some professional help. It will help you smile and make the world a much better place.

Hi Community,

I am an associate at a T1 law firm in the capital markets practice and want to switch to general corporate. It is definitely not about long hours of work but is a dry practice and redundant. It lacks the pure essence of law. Its been slightly over an year and i have realised I dont want to pursue this any further.

Can someone help me- if switching to GC is possible. Also, how much pay cut is generally expected as money is a factor for me and I cant steep too low on that. What firms should I target and what should be the strategy.

I would request for some genuine advice, i really require it.

Thanks a lot!

A partner threatened to fire me because of mistakes someone else was making. Took him time to realise it wasn't me. But after a few weeks I got an offer from elsewhere with significant increment. The partner and managing partner begged me to stay but I told them to fo. In a much better place now.

Once in a premier high court, a rather well doing junior of a famed junior was sent to seek an adjournment. Upon seeking so, the judge asked the junior to argue, and so did he, for 20 minutes, when the famed senior entered. The senior came, and the court addressed him, "Mr. X, your learned junior has argued for 20 minutes". The famed senior replied "My lords would kindly forget what my junior has said"

Thank you!

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!