Two hours of research is nothing. If anything, law is game of patience. Why do you think that, even today, when orders are passed for filing of affidavits, or of like nature, time of atleast 2 weeks is given? Its because in the earlier days, back when computers were not there and typewriters were there, it used to take time to draft and file the same, after having a conference with the client. Today, yes, the same can be done in hours, can be filed next day as well. But why is that not done? Because there are many cases that both the sides’ lawyers would have, and even though they would not require as much time, they still take it. Research, similarly, can be done in hours. Not 2 hours, that’s very less for an average research proposition (something not too direct, and something not too difficult either). Earlier, one would take weeks to find judgements on a particular point after going through the physical copies of SCC, AIR, and different journals and books. That is why you have the AIR manual and all. Today, yes, you can just log into scc online and do your research, but, sir, someone would give up after 2 hours of research? That’s beyond disappointing. Such people don’t have the mettle or the ability to do law. Even today, good research would easily takea minimum of 4-6 hours. That too on scc online and on the internet, and not using any physical books or commentaries. Now, to answer your core question of why overreliance on precedence? Well, you are both right and wrong. We all know that laws are to be construed first as they appear in the statute, and then if there is any case law on it (subject to the case law being of seminal importance to the statute). In earlier days, before computers became prevalent, that was the practice. Statutes were debated, argued, and construed in courts. Case laws were secondary unless of seminal importance. Today that practice is gone mostly. On the other side, even in earlier days, case laws were used for their precedentiary valeue, in addition to that of the arguments on interpretation of statute. Today, because the quality of the bar and the bench has gone down, and because the SC gives so many judgements, people want to keep relying upon case laws. Thats the case with judges too.

I have seen lawyers who spend hours upon hours trying to find favourable precedent even though any reasonable person would give up after two hours of searching. Are these lawyers just allergic to arguing a matter without having any precedent to rely upon? And no, I am not talking about disputes where the statute/rules/regulations were against these lawyers.

woah woah woah buddy a tax lawyer, bankruptcy lawyer or finance lawyer let alone a senior one is no match for the overall knowledge and control over finance as an investment banker does (respectfully) if you worked with a top IB firm like Avendus, JPM, Morgan Stanley, yo know what i mean. if another lawyer makes ONE mistake, just ONE, he WILL be caught and hammered about it for hours. remember, lawyers being on any side, HAVE to cut a deal with the i-banker, where the IB controls the deal.

Hi Everyone,

I know the basics of what goes on in an M&A transaction. The high level process, execution, closing, cps, post closing. Dare I say, even a little more about what the basic clauses of an SPA should have, some ancillary documents to the deal as well. What I am scared about before joining is not knowing the law, because I'm anyways not expected to know a lot about the practical aspects. So before I join my team as an A0, I needed some guidance on what to touch up on. Specifically in Companies Act, relevant companies rules that I should look at, any notifications, circulars, press notes. Literally everything I could be expected to know, and if not expected I could know about regardless to have a smoother induction into the team.

While ofcourse I did read and give exams for company law, but still it's been some time and rather than just revising everything I want to focus on the specifics. Even for example the forms I should know about, reporting requirements, basic FEMA obligations, FEMA filings, corporate actions, certificates.

Also if someone could tell me if there's any way of being ready for due diligence work that I might get. I understand the basic Corporate DD, involves checking the incorporation documents, SHAs. But anything else.

@Mods - Given that a lot of BO'26 is soon going to join M&A teams across law firms, I would be grateful if you can pic this post, so that it can reach helpful people here and all of us can benefit from their answers.

I genuinely am excited to be joining my team. While I have a lot to absorb, would love to atleast not be a burden on them.

Hey, sorry for taking this long to get back on this but yeah - here's the answer.

So, straight answer - NO, don't go for NDA if you are looking for JOB.
To explain that answer.

There are various factors that need to be kept in mind while considering this question. First, they have had a lot of exits, from TMT, arbitration, Tax and even other practice areas too. Due to that, there isn't much business and very little work, so even if you get a job, the work experience won't be good enough, which will allow you to make a switch. ( due regard to every team )

Secondly, for the 2026 batch, they have made around 25-35 offers ( Pre day z and day z hiring ). This here is massive, since NDA has never gone out to hire kids; this is the very first time they have come, the reason being we all know ( a lot of people left ). Since they have hired a lot of A0 from the 2026 batch, very loss possbility of hiring more people from the upcoming batches.

In case they add more partners, only then should you consider NDA - otherwise it's a strong NO from my side or if you get on your day z. Keep this in mind: that's the only factor you should consider for NDA.

Third, their PPO process. They prf long term interns, could extend upto 6 months and might not even get a job at the end. Another possbillity being they will offer you a paralegalship, and IT MIGHT get converted into a membership ( there are chances that this might not happen). PPO process involves - You intern with them once - ASK for a call back (they call it a SECOND internship ) - intern for 2nd time - tell them you want a JOB - they will call you for 3rd time - and then in 4th internship or if your luck turns over, you will be asked (job chaiye kya laadlee meoww ). So the interview process has 3 rounds, first being your team partner ( leader ), then being senior managment and at ND himself.

Considering all of that, you can make the decision. My advice would be (Don't do it, bro )..

At last, which team should you look out for, PPO - I would say none.

Soli Sorabjee is mentioned. Hardeep Puri copied Soli Sorabjee on an email sent to Jeffrey Epstein on 16 February 2017 https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02660090.pdf

If any of these amarchands or trilegal partner is on Epstien list. Tomorrow they will celebrate and put a LinkedIn post about the same.

These guys can't be on Epstien list. Only global a listers like Bard Karo and Reummeler are there. These local folks are not as important as you think. They would probably pay to get on Epstien list to show they are influencial.

I am from a T2 NLU and in 3rd year.

I have interned in a boutique firm dealing with IBC which created my strong interest in IBC Law but have been hearing a lot about how it is a dead practice area in general with no growth or scope in future. Should I build my CV around IBC or should explore something else?

Hi! I am in my 4th year, trying to apply to archer and angel, however theres not a lot about the firm on the internet. any information will be highly appreciated. [if anyone knows about whether or not they offer callbacks/assessment internship, and hows the work culture please let me know]

I have almost 3 PQE in trademark prosecution and advisory and currently work at a Tier-1 IP law firm. While I have received good exposure, I am increasingly concerned about long-term growth and skill diversification in a prosecution-heavy role.

I am considering transitioning into either TMT/technology advisory or Media and Entertainment laws and would love insights from lawyers currently practising in this space on:

- 1. Whether TMT/Media and Entertainment laws is a worthwhile pivot at this stage (money wise also)
- 2. What skills or knowledge areas I should start building
- 3. How difficult the transition realistically is from an IP background at this stage

Thanks in advance.

You couldn’t be more laughably wrong. Nls alumni are the most generous of the lot. Every single point in my career an old nls alumni has mentored me.

They won’t do my work for me if that’s what you expect, but they’re quick to notice talent and offer guidance and support.

I interned under him, and the experience was overall positive. While there was some friction caused by the ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮ in the team, who frequently critiqued research quality especially if it didn’t align with ▮▮▮ thought process. However, the ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮ in the team was more open to the research and legal proposition highlighting the importance of reading the law. That said, the team dynamic felt collaborative and supportive; whenever time allowed, they patiently guided us on reading judgments effectively and honing research skills.

Guys I'm genuinely a wonderful person, lets not judge me for a disability, I am on prescribed medication (Insal (Stimulant) and Ata (Non-Stimulant)). What this isn't, is a cry for attention and me begging for a job. Hell nawwh, I am neither desperate nor hopeless, but just looking for accommodative spaces in law firms. That is it, I guess!

Yeah, that’s exactly what happened! I actually brought it up with my supervising partner to request a slight accommodation for my deadlines. Since my work quality (on the present deliverables on certain project due diligence) had received excellent feedback, I figured being transparent about my ADHD wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, the partner ultimately used it as the reason to pull my PPO offer. It's definitely a tough lesson, but honestly, I'd rather be upfront and find a team that genuinely supports ND employees anyway! ( ´ ▽ ` ). I definitely deeply regret doing that, because I have lost out on a great opportunity and risk being jobless for a long time now.

Sue the firm for discrimination if that was why they rescinded the offer. Oh wait.. we're in India.

On a more serious note, a PA at a T1 firm I worked at (has been promoted twice and is a partner now) dismissed ADHD as an excuse for laziness when I brought it up casually to test waters. Since then I didn't tell anyone about my diagnosis and had my own struggles privately till I found a couple of friends who had the same condition.

Unfortunately Indian workplaces are not educated or sophisticated enough to make accomodation for diagnoses like ADHD and law firms are even behind the curve unless you have a partner and seniors who understand what it is. This sadly, is a pipe dream because even if the partner understands, you as an A1 will rarely be working with a partner and there is a great chance you will end up with ahes. The DEI shit law firms drum up is pure optics. Nobody follows it. When the deadline looms large, they don't care, you are just a mazdoor to them.

You focus on you. Make yourself the priority. Speak with your therapist about using CBT based strategies to improve your working style and keep a journal. Any instruction, any deadline, any deliverable, keep writing it down. Make it a habit to write everything down and tick it off when completed.

If your senior says, hey send this email, and you are free and can send it right away, write it down nevertheless and tick it off. This gives your ADHD brain a sense of achievement. Any work related thought pops into your head (e.g., "I don't understand this, I need to get clarity", "I don't know how to incorporate this this term sheet point, let me get back to this later", etc.) - write all these down. Make this a habit and you will find it will help immensely.

Next suggestion I can give you is to incorporate excercise into your daily life. At least 3 times a week, 30 minutes per session is the minimum. You will find excercise will help immensely. Tie it up with a good clean diet, eat timely and sleep and wake up at fixed times as much as you can. Avoid alcohol. These are all uncle advises but trust me they work for ADHDers. Speaking from personal experience here.

Please note, you should always, I repeat always make these strategies with your therapist and what I have said are tips and tricks that I found useful. You cannot go without discussing this side of your treatment with the therapist. Just medication won't help.

When it works, ADHD can be a friend for a law firm associate. But it will take you years of fine-tuning that and finding the strategy and workflow that will fit your neurodivergent brain.

All the best, keep your diagnosis to yourself, work like crazy on learning various CBT based tools or strategies to help with your work. Choosing a less intense practice area (but one that you will still fine interesting) will also help.

Delhi Bar Council Elections- What’s the lore?

As a young Corp lawyer I had the privilege of getting a weekend off- so I decided to browse through the BCD list of candidates. Apart from Sr. ADV Ramesh Gupta and Sr Adv KK Manan I couldn’t find lawyers with much influence. Then how come are they spending soooo much on this? Do the not so big sharks from district courts also make like shit tons of money ?? Also how much an avg candidate might be spending and what are the perks of BCDs elected members. And if it’s sooo prestigious then why don’t disputes partners from T1s contest

Would love some insights

Depends on:

1. how well you know the language; and

2. what language it is.

But in general, the career options (especially if your proficiency is on the higher side - try to specify in CEFR terms) could include UN, international org, Indian Foreign Service (though in their system, you'll maybe end up learning another language).

Why a separate thread? This says salary approximation at top tier firms, not fresher salary approximation at top tier firms. You start to make more or less than your peers after the first year. Fresher salary is overdone to death and no need to find out about every 4,000 Rs a month change annually.

Hi, I am joining a white collar team in a firm. I am extremely interested in it, but dont know what the long term career path looks like.

Like with M&A or Gen Corp, you can easily get into any in house role, pharma law for pharma companies. What career path do I build with a WCC investigations road map.