this statement seems very close to what certain US people would call race and IQ theory, or as some in India call brahmin gene

both debunked of course, although read the book dream hoarders or the meritocracy trap, to see how top 10% in the US have soaked up all the resources, very similar parallel to the creamy layer doctrine

Hello, lovely people of LI. I had given CLAT in 2021, and despite a good rank, I joined a private college in my city out of some stupid reason. I am suffering the consequences now as the placements have been abysmal and subpar. I am graduating in 2026, and have a decently streamlined CV (M&A, and a little disputes, with some indirect tax).

I am ready to be unemployed for a few months post my graduation. But everything looks too bleak. My peers at least have some foot in the door. I never wanted to choose law as a career, but I enjoy M&A, and have some skills. What should my path ahead be to not remain unemployed by the end of next year?

I really am lost, and get panic attacks almost everyday at the prospect of being unemployed. Please, any help, words of encouragement would help. I am actively trying my best to get roles, but everything seems uncertain. Thank you.

The CM herself when she was the Opp leader in Bengal gave a figure of 1 crore in 2005. So that's a safe number even now. But narrative control is with the Greens. Suvendu is a spent force and he took will get chewed out in due course of time. Saffron will create fire and brimstone atmospherics but both Nagpur and Delhi have no real interest in displacing Greens. Just will just wait out till the CM exhausts herself out and Greens implode. Just like BJD in Odisha. Also Nagpur kinda needs Greens for its internal calculi with Guj bros and gang.

As an associate, it sucks. For you, as an intern, it would not be as difficult of a task to get that offer since work is growing and people are leaving all the time. But be careful if that practice area is really what you look for. Again, this is not to discourage you, but to nudge you to be informed about how things are.

At the partner level, it is great- you are doing good work that involves advisory, as well as billing the clients big bucks. But as an associate? the work is very mind-numbing, the trash leftover that bankers won't do. the volume of work is huge- downloading 1000s of documents from SEBI's sluggish website, vetting details, preparing financial overviews. You have so little to do with the application of law and so much to do with clerk-like work. Attrition is mostly consistent. But I have seen partners leading teams with low attrition as well. Maybe just look up the partner on linkedin and see what their team's attrition is like. If you have a weird partner in an already dreadful practice area, you are quite doomed.

Capital Markets as a financial and investment pathway sounds and is indeed quite interesting. Capital Markets as practice area in law is quite fucked up.

There is a reason why this team never made it to the top slot in chambers. Its track record beyond the lead partner is poor. It is generally weak on contentious matters. It is priced out from a majority of regular work that elsewhere would provide a platform for junior partners.

so much advice on this - why ask again?

well-paid juniors and bottom-heavy - by design.

"team" is optimized for one person - no mentorship.

so it is basically just golden handcuffs with no training of note.

best to start out here and move out later, not the other way round.

It's really not worth it. Yes, the hours and work environment in a law-firm is taxing but it's rewarding at the same time. What you learn in an in-house in 4-5 years, you get that amount of learning in nearly 2 deals at a law firm. I regret my decision and would suggest otherwise.

Please don't. In-house is only rewarding at the senior positions/GC level. The exposure to deal-making, nuanced aspects of law and overall understanding of the practice area in a law-firm setting is unparalleled. I made a mistake and would really suggest doing otherwise. I regret my decision.

OP here. Usually I don't reply but here you go. As I've said earlier the grass also seems greener on the other side. Corporate and M&A field have a lot more work and tight deadlines than TMT or any other particular practice. Have been working since years and seen this a lot of times. My freind (TMT) who started in with me became a partner in a tier 2 firm and earning almost the same as my firm's partner. And some of the people shifted to TMT and other practices leaving M&A. Corporate and M&A teams hires much more people than they actually require. Most of the PA are regularly asked to pack their bags. This practice in India was originally meant to consume a very less numbers of lawyers. And not to forget it comes with the most pathetic WLB and uncertainty of future.

TMT as a practice will flourish in the near future. If you stuck yourself to TMT or Capital Markets or any other growing field then trust me you'll thank yourself after a few years. Don't listen to your friends or what you see in your firm. Corporate and M&A was a thing of the past. If you want a good future and WLB then choose any other practice area other than M&A. This bubble is soon gonna burst and will take away a lot of jobs.

All the best Kid.

Delhi is expensive. It also bans beef. And its South Indian / coastal food? Shockingly mid. The fish costs a fortune and still isn’t fresh — like it travelled here via Nepal. On foot.

So if you move here — learn to get excited about dal-roti-subzi, butter chicken and naan. Because that’s the meta build here. Delhi isn’t for everybody. Delhi is for people who think butter is a personality.

Dating here is comedy gold: the pool is painfully limited unless you show up as a rare exotic collectible. Which is why some Malayalis (only the genuinely hot ones — not the mids) — men and women — suddenly become Delhi’s newest Michelin-star drop. Seasonal. Limited stock. Act fast. But overall? Delhi can make you feel limited. Stunted even — especially if you’re average looking.

You have been warned!