Hi all, I am an A3 at a tier 1 law firm and lately have been questioning my life choices. I want to make big money but based on the time spent here at the firm, I honestly don’t think this is a sustainable lifestyle. Let me just clarify here that i am a high performing associate and I work in one of the non toxic teams. I am sure my team and the partner would be shocked to hear that I am considering quitting/ switching or that I am feeling burnt out because I am rarely able to say no but based on whatever I have seen around me and the threads here on legally india, it seems clear to me that it is not going to get better at the law firm and that no other job in the legal industry pays this well (other than litigation ofc). I consider myself to be an ambitious individual and therefore, am finding it difficult to make a decision regarding quitting the law firm life because I want to be successful (make money) but I would not like to compromise on my personal life either. Is there really a way out? Are there any in house roles that pay as well as tier 1 firms do? I do not shy away from work but would like a lifestyle where other than a few tough days here and there I am able to have control over my time and my life. Very desperately looking for some helpful answers!

As a law student aspiring to work at a top law firm, I understand that partnership is considered the most coveted milestone in a corporate lawyer’s career. Which firms are truly merit-based in their promotion to partnership, and why is partnership at Trilegal often regarded so highly?

Tbh Im surprised folks are wasting more money than Jindal (Bits law fee is higher for the same BALLB) and not gettkng the ROI. What r parents thinking?? BCI has a fixed coursework for half the programme so why 55 lakhs. By the time you graduate it will be 60 . There is no comparison with any T1 NLU or Jindal or even Symbi. Bits isn’t worth the distance, fee or culture. Not worth the 4 hour drive from Churchgate station or 3 hour from BOM airport. It’s a sham. Market will declare soon. Stay alert

Tbh Im surprised folks are wasting more money than Jindal (Bits law fee is higher for the same BALLB) and not gettkng the ROI. What r parents thinking?? BCI has a fixed coursework for half the programme so why 55 lakhs. By the time you graduate it will be 60 . There is no comparison with any T1 NLU or Jindal or even Symbi. Bits isn’t worth the distance, fee or culture. Not worth the 4 hour drive from Churchgate station or 3 hour from BOM airport. It’s a sham. Market will declare soon. Stay alert

Please, please, if there is such a partner, or somebody who knows such a partner, do not ever respond to this post. The partner in question will have to go into hiding, like what happened to that poor Israeli employee of Elon Musk's, Yoel Roth, who put Musk's back up and whom Musk bullied on the internet out of spite. This is not necessarily because there are loads of malicious people out there like Musk, but because there are just way too many law students who will do absolutely anything, no matter how poorly planned, drafted or thought out.

OP here, turns out that I didn't think this one through too well. Apologies! This query came from someone who had cold-emailed 40-50 times and not received a reply. But I now understand the consequences of name-dropping. Thank you! And, thanks for the motivation, I shall keep the mailing going, hoping to land a good team soon.

If anyone has information about good litigation offices in Delhi with decent working culture and conditions and good pay for 0-2 yes experience, please do mention.

Preferably chambers working in criminal law

Please mention generally Good to work at litigation offices in Delhi as well, good working conditions, non toxic environment, at least some semblance of work life balance

It seems that this link has expired. Seriously, I cannot think of too many people active in academics today who will freely share their thesis for public consumption. Here is the link from SSRN which he had shared on LinkedIn a few days ago:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6163966

While his rates may be higher—indeed, they ought to be—particularly at the stage of final hearings, which are unmistakably his forte, it is essential to understand what one receives in return. Too often, among the so-called top five or ten seniors, detailed and carefully reasoned written opinions are treated as optional luxuries rather than professional obligations. GS, however, operates in an altogether different league.

His written opinions are not only meticulous and deeply considered, but frequently bring to bear newer, relevant perspectives—something that cannot be said, with any confidence, of most at that level. They are clear, structured, and intellectually honest. And when it comes to settling drafts, he does not indulge in the superficial edits that pass for diligence elsewhere. He overhauls them—entirely. What you receive is not a document that has been lightly adjusted, but one that has been fundamentally reworked, both in structure and substance, into something genuinely usable.

Taken as a whole, his fees are not merely justified—they are, in fact, supremely reasonable. Were one to somehow extract this degree of rigour, care, and commitment from others in that same bracket, the resulting bill would almost certainly carry a few additional zeros.

There is also the question of character, which in any serious profession ought not to be treated as incidental. GS is, quite simply, a good man—deeply ethical at his core. One cannot help but feel he is the sort of mind and temperament the Supreme Court of India would have benefited from, but did not receive - with him as a judge.

All of which makes him something of a rarity: a lotus in a severely polluted pond. Untouched by the surrounding murk, and all the more remarkable for it.

I'll be joining this year,

To start with the beginning, what things should one be cautious of? Like anything about hostels in the initial days or the seniors,

How to navigate the academics since I really do not wanna message the 1st year up

Health advice?

Time management?

When should one apply for internships? Also how?

What do the breaks look like--- as in the chronology of days coming up to the breaks and then the breaks themselves. Do you get any time to yourself?

How much should the allowance be?

Some people in the gc have talked about drinking and it apparently helps socialising so

What is someone, a guy, who doesn't drink perceived as?

This is of course a lot but the anxiety is real and any input would be really appreciated. Please help if you can!!

Let’s call this what it is: privilege doing cosplay as grit. Charming chap, no doubt. But when he says he “chose” not to be a junior, what he really means is he could afford not to be. The rest of us don’t choose the ladder—we cling to it and hope it isn’t pulled away. Instead, he “accepts” junior briefs from top firms and drifts in as second chair to legal royalty. How terribly subversive. It’s not breaking the system; it’s being softly escorted through it. And that Supreme Court debut—followed by the judge ringing up his father with feedback on both argument and hair. That detail lingered. It brought to mind my own last appearance before a certain judge—widely recognised, for all the wrong reasons—who wouldn’t indulge me for even a second because I wasn’t a “known face,” or more to the point, someone’s son or daughter. He proceeded to dictate an unsubstantiated dismissal. I interrupted his dictation—something I fundamentally disagree with and frankly dislike myself for resorting to—and only then did he partially correct course, awkwardly carving out the very relief I had sought in the first place. And the order reflects that confusion perfectly: it begins with a dismissal, only to then grant, in substance, the very relief I had asked for. A contradiction, neatly preserved on record. One suspects that had a more recognisable surname been on its feet, the Court might have taken the trouble to call it what it actually was: not a dismissal, but a disposal. Clarity, it seems, is also a function of who’s asking. That performance was… instructive. The only honest line in the interview was the accidental one: you’re only competing with yourself because someone will always be ahead thanks to connections. Quite. Though it’s a far more comforting philosophy when the queue has a habit of parting for you. And watching this little masterclass in inherited momentum masquerading as merit, a thought lands with unusual clarity: I’m done. Not in a dramatic, flounce-out way—just the cold, administrative kind of done that comes after a decade of watching the same script play out. Not just with this version of the profession. With India. Because if this is the ecosystem—where access is dressed up as excellence and proximity is mistaken for talent—then staying starts to look less like perseverance and more like complicity. And I’ve no interest in spending another decade pretending this is normal.

coz they are entitled, self-soaked, and in many cases rich and entitled, SoBs who thought they have the world at their feet coz they cleared a basic and ultry-glitchy TOEFL-sih exam and consider themselves above IIT and IIM grad and sole hiers to the tier-1 law firm circle. Totally insular and self-centered bunch of folks.

There's nothing called "too much of forensic science". For far too long, our justice system has depended on humanities-oriented legal practices that are completely based on human subjectivity. Given the complexities of current crimes, the role of science and technology in justice delivery is only going to expand. In science (unlike law), there is no value in what one sees. The scientist has to prove his/her hypothesis scientifically, but in current legal systems, an eyewitness account is given so much importance. If a scientist relies on an "eyewitness account", he/she will be barred from the scientific community.

As already mentioned, NFSU is ahead of the curve, while India is behind it. The industry is catching up, with new opportunities coming up. Second, NFSU is thinking long-term. It is thinking far beyond placements as a success factor. Third, NFSU is a global pioneer. It does not have a template to follow (e.g., like NLUs). It is creating its own template and forging ahead. About 7500 have scaled Mount Everest, but people remember only Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Why? NFSU is doing that no other university has done before.

Whatever Nfsu does it has nothing to do with nlus. Everyone needs to understand that concept of nlus is to provide quality legal education to produce best legal minds. Whereas Nfsu's aim is to provide quality education for forensic sciences and cybersecurity.

No matter what people say but nlu's will always be a top choice for pursuing law in india because they were established to produce best legal minds for the country they are like IIT's of law

Talking about nfsu law it is totally different it's main focus should be producing best lawyers who can integrate knowledge of forensic science and technology in legal domain (helping investigation teams,tech industry, prosecutors in criminal cases)

I feel Nfsu should not be compared to nlu's in terms of legal education It is like comparing iit's btech with nfsu btech cybersecurity program

Doesn't make sense for top nlus like nujs and nluj to have these seats which significantly damage brand value and the sense of "exclusiveness" Of getting into an nlu of that calibre. It's basically a free entry mechanism for rich metro kids from mumbai, Delhi, chennai etc to get free seats to top tier legal education with no merit. While the nri quota is based on clat rank too, are you telling me that getting into nujs with an air of 1000 (general) is meritorious, as opposed to a required rank of around 350?

When sudhir at nlsiu recognises the misuse of these quotas and suspends them defacto from his university, I don't get why nluj or nujs don't follow suit. Are these nlus really in such dire need of money?

Was reading up about the recent Supreme Court pronouncement on maternity leave for adoptive mothers. The petitioner is a fintech lawyer and used to work for this big boy law firm when she applied for maternity leave and was only offered 6 weeks of leave. No points for guessing the firm.

Whatever practice area you get into, life is going to be hard. Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat things for you. You are going to have to be available, quite often across weekends. However, you do have some time for yourself. Not EVERY SINGLE weekend is a working weekend. Those who manage their time well, will be able to maintain somehwat of a social life.

i have the same question but like another commenter said i think the situation is same across all fields of law, i would say its more the firm culture that determines how much of a life you will have but law in general is pretty bleak when it comes to work life balance so dont expect good things...

ive only interned so far and i was counting down days and looking at the clock 100 times a day honestly starting to contemplate if im not meant for practicing law

I'm hearing mixed things about them. thinking of interning for either ADR or general corporate area, main requirement is that they actually let me learn something as an intern.

if someone knows about working hours, work culture and stripend for interns thatd be great too

The amendment flies in the face of the Supreme Court's decision in NALSA v. Union of India. That decision held that self-determination of gender is rooted in Article 21. Legislatures are free to effectively overrule precedent by taking away the basis of the decisions in question. That cannot be done when it comes to NALSA since the basis of its holding was Article 21. Hence, irrespective of whatever policy arguments may exist in favour of doing away with self-determination, it simply cannot be done. This simple point seems to have been lost on the Central Government. This does not answer your question which is decidedly about the socio-economic aspects of the 2019 Act, but I think it is always good to keep both policy and law in mind while thinking about such issues.

did not say that it came from fergana, i said it was from the steppes adjoining fergana

sanskrit, at least the earliest bits (all proto-indo aryan languages), were made for pastoral popu, they had several dozen words for grass, why would settled people need so many names for grass, once sanskrit entered the peshawar basin it slowly dropped all those earlier words and repurposed them for plains

"Some also realized that this was not their cup of tea and chose to pursue other alternatives and are doing equally well"

could you tell me what things they were able to pivot to? i want to know what my options are if i do decide that law isnt for me (which may very well happen in the future)

I’ve heard that many people transition to Tier 1 law firms after gaining substantial experience at T&S Law in Capital Markets. I have recently received a job offer from T&S Law, and I’m quite excited about the opportunity.

However, the HR team has not yet shared details regarding the salary package and has deferred the discussion to Monday (23.03.2026). In the meantime, I wanted to reach out to understand the general salary expectations and work culture at the firm.

It would be really helpful if someone could share their insights.