I have been doing this for dog's years so I had to think back (not becuase I haven't badly fucked up since but because I have gotten very good at solving any bad fuck up since).

We had to send out some documents on a deal, and there were very similarly named founders in competing companies. In one, we were representing the founders on the deal - one of whom was named Karan M (name changed obviously lol). In another deal, we were representing an investor (ABC VC) who investing in a company run by a founder named Karan A.

Accidentally sent a mail with one of the transaction documents - not super confidential - but still having some data that I was supposed to send to our client Karan M, to lawyers on the other side, as well as the other counter-party founder - Karan A.

Karan A then contacted: (a) our client, ABC VC, and told them that I fucked up, (b) our client, Karan M, and told him that I've leaked confidential information of Karan M's company to Karan A, and (c) Wrote a mail marking ABC VC and my partner calling me out for being careless and saying that he doesn't want to work with ABC VC because he's not sure if the confidential information being shared by him (Karan A) with ABC VC would be safe in our law firm's hands.

Thought my life had ended in that moment honestly.

But I was quite lucky to have two good things happen to me then: (a) My partner was a gem of a person - atleast on things like this (an absolutely asshole to work with, but stood by his juniors on everything, and (b) Our client ABC VC was an amazing client who I had, personally done several deals with.

Both got onto a call with Karan A and absolutely tore him a new one for escalating a minor issue. Told him that it was a genuine mistake that can happen to anybody - and that he was the one who escalated and spread more confidential information.

I still got a talking to, but nothing that was the end of the world.

I now double check my "to" and "cc" fields multiple times before sending out.

Saw this advertisement by Trace Your Case – JSA Bangalore is looking to hire A0s/A1s who would like to work in TMT + M&A & PE/VC. Please send your CVs to nikhil.george@jsalaw.com if interested. I’m currently an A1 and have done a fair bit of work in TMT, so I’m considering applying. Before I do, I wanted to get a realistic sense of the team and work culture. I’ve heard mixed things about the Bangalore office, including that there tend to be fairly frequent exits from PRC's team, and wanted to understand what the situation is actually like on the ground. Would really appreciate any honest inputs.

The BJP won convincingly, unless you believe in Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of EVM tampering and vote chori.

The question now shifts to whether Mumbai can have proper infrastructure. The BMC is one of the world’s richest municipal bodies, but no development happens as money has been looted for the past 30 years. Are you hopeful of a change now?

As someone working in disputes, how do you check whether a judgment has been overruled?

Most people rely on Manupatra, but it does not clearly indicate whether a case has been overruled. It only shows “dissent”; which is a very different concept.

SCC marks some judgments in red to indicate that they have been overruled, but this is not available for all cases. In practice this tagging usually exists only for old landmark judgments that lawyers in that area already know about.

Given this, what method do you personally use in practice to verify whether a judgment is still good law or has been overruled?

Shiv Nadar School of Law is absolutely fantastic- while I am not a student but a final-year student elsewhere, I have interacted some of the faculty there in various capacities, and the things they're doing with their curriculum is brilliant- in terms of restructuring some core courses, to having great infrastructure- to, most of all, having fully ivy league/oxbridge faculty. While their placements may remain to be seen- I'm confident that will work out too- given things like their unique harvard-inspired practitioner semester (with special courses for a few weeks by academics from all over the country) and some level of industry connections for the faculty.

For someone in the BO 26-31, I would genuinely rate it right after maybe the top 5 NLUs in the country ig- and anyone who's telling you otherwise is unfamiliar with the place and it's quality. Just go have a look at their quality of academia- their Dean is perhaps one of the leading authorities in Asia on contract law, writing the OUP books on the subject. They even have doyens in their field involved in the teaching- Prof. Umakanth Varottil from NUS is a visiting faculty if i'm not wrong- plus in a recent conference, they had Prof. Mindy Chen (the former dean of oxford) over and how many law schools can say that?

There isn't anything like it and it's a much needed breath of fresh air in the oversaturated world of random private universities. In a lot of ways- including faculty quality- it is what JGLS and some other law schools once were before commodifying and increasing batch sizes. The batch sizes are good too, and there will (hopefully) be good placement prospects.

Like genuinely, anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't experienced what they're doing with the place. Also, most of all- if SLS Noida and MS Ramaiah are your other options, there shouldn't be any question here.

During pitch Jurisphere team iterated that they are built on a proprietary LLM called JurisLLM and trained on a unique dataset which they call JurisDATA. They also stated this enables to them to offer the biggest security promises like ISO 27001, SOC-2 compliant AES-256 bit encryption. If it is infact true, then that makes Jurisphere even less of a wrapper than Legora which is built on Azure OpenAI.

There is a damn good reason why educated and competent Bengalis leave Calcutta for Delhi, Bombay, or Bangalore, even though Calcutta was once India’s financial capital. If you ask them why the city is in its current state/ terminal decline with rampant brain drain - 2nd perhaps to UP and Bihar, they will tell you that this “multi-term chief minister” dispenses cash doles to the marginalized while turning a blind eye to rampant illegal immigration from Bangladesh. The fact of the matter is that there is no credible opposition to this long-standing farce of a leadership in Bengal. There is no one from the Congress. There is no one from the BJP. There is no one from the CPI.

Don’t know about y’all, but that clip screamed LOL-GURU energy to me. Full marks to Raju for the dignified silence after that entirely unnecessary tirade.

Like… why on earth is opposing counsel expected to verbally garland the other side with adjectives like “multi-term Chief Minister”? Bro, this is India, not North Korea—where you’re obligated at gunpoint to say “Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un” before every sentence.

But then again… what do I know 🤷🏽‍♀️

True. But a multi term CM who repeatedly does unconstitutional bulldozing whenever her blue eyed boys get into trouble? Sure the role of Centre is suspicious. For example, what substantive action did they take against the then CP (now DGP) and other IPS et al for the CBI mess that took place in 2019. The then CS, pointedly stayed away from CM antics.

Even now the DGP is being given a freeway to retire with full benefits. The ED belatedly prayed for suspension. He will retire on Jan 31, 2026. What about the new CS? Why no action against her by Centre. And is it legally required that the CS, CP or DGP must accompany CM or Z+ category folks wherever they travel? Just show it. But the Centre quietly gulped this farcical explanation.

Rest assured the SC will sing a very different tune in Feb and going fwd. Remember RG Kar? Always remember we are the sheep.

With Kaustav gone, the only person in CAM Competition who was around from the AMSS days, has left. Trust the Chief ▮▮▮ to wear everyone down except for ▮▮▮ ▮▮▮.

Quite amusing that CAM - with one of the biggest large-ticket transactional practices - now has a supporting antitrust partnership bench strength smaller than Chandhiok and P&A and only the same as DSK and ELP.

What makes this even more amusing is that all the ▮▮▮

While I am mainly referring to scientific inventions and patents and India lagging behind China, this also holds true for trademarks and copyright. Very few global brands are Indian. Same for software.

Could it be because we as a society do not value meritocracy and efficiency? More interested in redistributive justice, welfarism, reservation etc? For example, rather than having 5 elite IITs with a few A-list professors and students, we’ve now set up 40 IITs and severely diluted quality as well as funding. You also have the NEET medical setting a cutoff of -40 for quota students, prioritising social justice over efficiency. Many more examples.

(BO’27) (delhi ncr)

which tier 1 is the most reliable with callbacks and actively hiring in terms of ppo? or maybe a specific team or which is actively hiring? i have already risked it by interning at two tier 1’s and only later came to know one is famous for being stingy with ppo’s and the other is taking tooo long to respond, so for the upcoming months id like to spend my energy on applying at places where there is some active hiring or good ppo chance!

so out of sam, cam, azb, tri, kco, jsa please be a dear and lmk which is worth interning for PPO purpose only!

also i have no inclination towards any practice area anymore so literally anything works.

I don't need to town the sass down, mate, you cant perform, you wont get paid. The same principle applies anywhere, be it law or anywhere. I back myself and if I cannot make it, that is on me. If you can't achieve something here, there's no guarantee you will anywhere else.

I studied hard made it to T1 Uni, worked hard to have a top 5 GPA and even harder to convert my internship, if work is tough I will have to work harder but I wouldnt bitch and moan about it on an anonymous platform as an SA when I cannot achieve an increment which almost every other senior I have spoken about speaks about as a bare minimum, especially at a firm which openly said counsels at 8 year PQE makes 1 crore, which speaks volumes about the progression even though ik the 1 cr figure is etched on max bonus which even if most dont achieve will still make a lot of money.

Work harder, and maybe 15% wont seem like a lot.

Go ahead and try to demotivate people more cause you have no scope left in your role and are an NPA.

Came across the law firm policies by an Indirect Tax Firm. To make it worse, even the few benefits mentioned on paper are not actually honoured, allowances are routinely not paid, there is no concept of sick leave at all, the sandwich leave policy is wrongly and harshly applied, and you’re left with just 15 leaves a year despite working Saturdays. So in reality, it’s long hours, six-day work weeks, no health buffer, and barely any time off, all while being expected to function at peak efficiency. It’s a classic case of policies existing only to look compliant, while employees are expected to silently absorb the cost, physically, mentally, and financially.

Office Circular No. 9 dated 16.01.2026

(issued under File No.11/17/UBR/Misc/Office/2026-2027)

This office circular is being issued in continuation and in addition to the earlier office circulars issued till date and not in supersession thereof. The directions contained herein would be read in conjunction thereof and not in contradistinction. If there is any contradiction, the contents of the present circular shall prevail. It is mandatory for all partners/associates/attorneys/staff of UBR LEGAL to follow the guidelines contained herein. This circular would be effective from 01.01.2026 to 31.12.2026. Earlier circulars would continue to operate till 31.12.2025.

Accordingly, it is notified as under:

1. Officeworkingdays: Office shall be open and functional from Monday to Saturday every week. Sunday alone shall be observed as weekly holiday for office. Should any attorney/staff be required to attend office for any urgent official work on Sunday, he/she would be compensated on a pro-rata basis. No leave/ rotational leave shall be allowed on Saturdays. Should anyone seek leave on Saturday or Monday, the intervening Sunday would also be included and counted in the sanctioned leaves for the year. The same would be applicable for any notified holidays as well.

2**. Office** timings: 9.30 am (IST) to 7.30 pm (IST). All must report in time. All must mark attendance in the manual/electronic register. Failure to mark, would be construed as leave or absence. It has been observed, regularly, that this direction contained in Circular No.6 and subseuent circulars was not being adhered to, especially by the attorneys. It would not be out of place that this non-compliance would severely affect the performance appraisal of such attorneys. It is hereby directed; in view of continued non-compliance of the above directions, that any attorney/staff member reporting to office post 10.30 am would be marked present for half day. Similarly, any attorney/staff member leaving office before 6 pm would be marked present for half day.

3. Lunch time: Lunch time is be for half an hour. Long lunch breaks are not appreciated. Lunch breadk must co-incide with the lunch time of the respective High courts to enable assistance to the arguing attorneys.

4. Infrastructure: Each attorney/staff has been provided with computers/laptops. The same shall be used for office work only during office hours. No attorney/staff shall carry the laptops/ books etc home or any place outside office (except if the same is required to be carried to court/tribunal). Apart from this, books have been provided in office for reading and reference. There is also access to Excus, Manupatra, Tax sutra and Taxindiaonline.

5. Officecleanliness: Cleanliness is next to godliness. Each attorney/staff is responsible and must participate in office cleanliness. Each attorney/ staff should maintain cleanliness of their desks. Unnecessary files/papers should not be kept. Court staff to ensure that files are properly stacked and neatly kept in storage racks. They must ensure that all files are scanned and soft copy of the file is maintained.

6. Dresscode: Each attorney/staff should wear white shirt and formal trousers to office. Women can wear western or Indian dresses. attorneys/staff can wear coloured western casuals on Saturday. No T-shirts/ Shorts/Cargoes etc should be worn on any day.

7. Annualleaves: The gazetted/notified leaves are attached with this circular as Annexure. In addition to the said notified leaves and weekly off (Sunday), each attorney/staff would be entitled to 15days paid leave. All half days would be computed/included for purposes of calculating the said sanctioned paid leaves. The same cannot be carried forward to the next calendar year. Any additional leave would be unpaid and would be deducted from the monthly compensation/retainer fees. Should the said leaves not be exhausted by the attorney/staff, the same can be encashed on a pro-rata basis. Each attorney must, however, apply for leave to the HR team and would proceed for leave only after approval from reporting senior/partner. Any leave without approval of the HR Team, would be considered as casual unpaid leave.

8. Weeklylistofmatters: Weekly list of matters/assignments handled/work done by each attorney shall be prepared and handed over to the reporting senior/partner on each Saturday. The said list should also contain the pendency list along with the stage of pendency. It has been noted that this direction contained in Circular No.6 and subseuqent circulars are not been complied with regularly. It would not be out of place that this non-compliance would severely affect the performance appraisal of such attorneys.

9. Billingandaccounts: Each attorney is responsible and liable to ensure that the work done by them is billed and invoice is issued by the accounts team to the client. If any work/conference/matter/assignment remains unbilled, the same would be viewed seriously and deducted from the respective attorneys’ monthly retainer fees payable to such attorney. Each attorney has to ensure every item of work undertaken by them must be reported in the "work updates" whatsapp group created for this purpose. Each attorney must also assist the accounts team in providing details for billing, ensuring that the bill is delivered to the client via email/whatsapp and any other mode. Each attorney must also assist in recovery of the said sums for their respective work done.

10. Weeklycauselist: A consolidated weekly causelist of all offices is prepared on Saturday. The purport and object of the said weekly list is to be prepared in advance. The matter is assigned to respective attorneys. Each attorney must read the file and ensure that the same is paginated and properly flagged. If instructions have to be sought from the client, the same must be done in advance. The concerned attorney must ensure that there is paper book/compilation of case law in each file. The concerned attorney must find out in advance about: (i) whether other side is ready with the matter or seeking adjournment; (ii) whether the matter is likely to reach or not; (iii) whether any additional documents have to be filed in the said matter or not; and (iv) outcome of the said matter is posted immediately on the WhatsApp group (without any reminders). The concerned attorney also must ensure that the roznama in the file is updated. Again, it has been observed that this direction contained in Circular No.6 and subsequent circulars are not being complied with regularly and seriously by most attorneys. It would not be out of place that this non-compliance would severely affect the performance appraisal of such attorneys.

11. Newsletter: We have initiated an exciting venture called “‘Lex Loquitur”. The same has been appreciated by one and all. However, the delay in issuing the same has been a major concern. Each attorney must contribute to the said news letter. The same should be out for publication by the 7th of the following calendar month to which it relates. Each attorney must circulate a copy of the same to their contacts/professional groups/peer groups.

12. Caselawdigesting: Each attorney must be abreast with latest court rulings. For the same, each attorney must read 10 case laws a month (not to be repetitive or overlapping) and the same should be discussed in the monthly case law digesting meeting. This would also encourage and promote juniors to hone skills in order to present the cases before the courts as well.

13. Clientupdates: Client is the king. We all are in service industry. We must serve the client with utmost sincerity and promptness. Email should be sent to the client about the listing of the matters, in advance, and update post the court date withoutfail. Each attorney must attend to client calls and if required, escalate to the reporting senior/partner. Client feedback is going to be one of the most important for performance appraisal.

14. Dutytocourt: We exist as long as the courts exist. It is our bounden duty to the court to present proper facts based on instructions. No attorney should make a statement before the court in absence of proper instructions from the client/reporting senior/partner. It is also imperative that we comply with directions given by the courts such as filing of affidavits, replies, rejoinders, service affidavits, written submissions/synopsis etc. The same must be done immediately. We should not seek any unnecessary adjournments in any matter.

15. Officegetogethers: Annual office dinner would be organised during the month of Holi and Diwali for all offices. Each attorney/staff must attend.

16. Offsite: Annual office offsite would be arranged, preferably in the month of December, subject to unforeseen/unfortunate and external circumstances. Each attorney/staff must attend.

17. Allowances: In addition to the monthly compensation and out of pocket expenses (only at actuals), each attorney/staff shall be entitled to the following allowances: (i) mobile phone allowance: Rs.3,000/- per annum; (ii) travel allowance: Rs.3,000/- per annum; and (iii) medical allowance: Rs.1,500/- per annum. The said allowances would be credited in the month in which the present circular expires.

18. Performanceappraisal: Each attorney/staff would be subject to appraisal at the end of the financial year. Compliance with the above instructions would be considered as part of performance appraisal and would be given due weightage.

19. Social Media: Social media has become important part of our lives today, whether we like it or not. Many attorneys/staff/interns seem to very be active on social media. It has been observed that they regularly post updates. The firm does not post any article/views or news of general understanding. However, when any attorney posts on social media, without the knowledge of the firm, it is being construed as "view" of the firm in as much as for the external world at large the attorney is associated with the firm. Hence, each attorney is strictly prohibited from posting any view/article/update on any social media handle which can be viewed as opinion of the firm. Should they do so, they must, mandatorily, add the following disclaimer: "Views are personal. They do not represent views of the Firm or any other person" to their post. Apart this, attorneys and staff members are requested to like and share posts of UBR Legal for wider circulation.

20. Notice period: Should any attorney/associate/staff desire to part ways with the firm, a mandatory notice period of two (2) months is required to be served by the concerned attorney/associate/staff from the date of the notice. Should this notice period not be served, then the said attorney/associate/staff would be liable to compensate the firm by way of notice pay (equivalent to his/her monthly retainer fees/compensation) for the said period of two (2) months. It is clarified; however; the firm shall retain prerogative to waive such notice period should it so desire. Should the firm not desire the attorney to serve the said mandatory notice period or a reduced notice period, the firm shall not be liable to compensate the concerned attorney/associate/staff for the said notice period in any manner.

21. Agreement: Apart from the above standard instructions and directions which are applicable to one and all, as part of the firm, there would be additional terms and conditions which would be governed by the agreement entered into between the concerned attorney/associate/staff and the firm. The parties would be bound by the same.

22. Reporting Hierachy: It has come to the knowledge of the managment that several junior associates are not meeting the expecations of the client in terms of feedback/updating the client about the matter. Hence, it has been decided that only the named senior attorneys would be direclty interacting with the client. No other attorney, other than the named ones, would directly interact with the client. Senior Associates shall; however, continue to interact with the clients. All junior attorneys must report to the Senior reporting attorney who shall then, in consultation with Mahesh Sir, interact with the client. This has to be followed strictly. Strict compliance is mandated. The Senior Attorneys are: (a) Deepak Kumar Khokhar: He shall be incharge for all matters/cases at Delhi; Jammu and Kashmir; Punjab and Harayana; Uttarakhand; Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh; (b) Annwesha Lasker: She shall be incharge for all matters/cases at Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura and Manipur; (c) Jasmine Dixit: He shall be incharge of all matters/cases at Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa; and (d) Raaghul Piranesh: He shall be incharge of all matters/cases at Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

23. Miscellaneous: Any issue not addressed in this circular can be brought to the notice of the reporting senior/ partner and would be addressed based on facts and circumstances of each case.

We wish you a very Happy New Year !! Let us all strive to make UBR LEGAL one of the leading law firms in India.

Issued by Management

I recently visited the NCLAT at Lodhi Road, New Delhi, and was appalled by how filthy the building situated in the Scope Complex truly is. If you look out of the window from the 3rd floor, next to the lift, you will see litter strewn all over — a truly disgusting sight. You enter the building through the basement and are immediately greeted by a strong stench of urine. The real joke is the reverse-osmosis (hopefully) water tank placed right in the middle of this urine stench.

Considering the “stellar” reputation garnered by this Tribunal over the years, one would imagine that keeping it swachh would conform to the most basic minimum standards the Modi Sarkar claims to uphold. To those still bought into the Swachh myth, I would only say: you need to go out more often.

Same for US firms in London after US LLM.

Few outlier cases in US law firms (in US offices) where some experience has been credited and you start as second or third year (eg. market timing like COVID, smaller firm, niche regulatory practice area, you have your own clientele, familiarity with your India team, etc.).

The team culture is excellent and they're fun people, both to work with and otherwise. They have a good balance as well and you get to enjoy while working. You just have to prove that you're a smart resource. People are knowledgeable and they've done some of the very big deals in M&A. Please do not belive people on the thread who messed up and now are posting bad stuff.

All in all, you'll have fun and you'll learn a lot of stuff. If not anything, you'll have the time of your lives over drinks with them.

No I'm not in their team, I've worked with them and I'm friends with them.