We want LI to be one of the friendliest places on the internet, where lawyers and law students help each other with their career related queries and occasionally discuss other stuff that might affect their lives too. In other words:
1. Be kind, respectful and helpful to each other.
2. Be bona fide, truthful, genuine and curious.
3. Assume the best intention of others.
Therefore, in using the site, you must agree to do your best to uphold these community guidelines.
Note that what you find here is written and moderated by anonymous people on the internet.
Therefore everything you read here is very likely unverified, rumour, speculation and/or downright false.
In continuing to read anything here, you must therefore agree not to take anything you read here as factual and that you will exercise due caution, diligence and common sense before acting on any information you may come across here.
You also agree to report any inaccurate or malicious comments with the buttons. Moderators take action within 24 hours, as required and appropriate under law.
Our full terms and conditions apply too.
Do you solemnly agree to all of the above?
Regardless, what are some firms (Tier 1/2) which do respond and I might luck out with them solely on basis of mailing HR or cold mailing partners?
It’s true that tax, particularly IDT, is considered a niche area. That said, it is not necessarily a trap — provided you are strategic about how you use the opportunity. If you don’t have a compelling alternative offer at the moment, I would recommend accepting the PPO. Use the year to build a strong foundation while tactically positioning yourself for a transition. Here's how:
1. Within your current team, actively seek opportunities with corporate or disputes work. For instance, if a client has a contractual dispute or transaction, try to assist your team on those aspects. Partners are more likely to allocate such work within their team.
1. 2. If your firm has a corporate team, understand how transaction documents like Share Purchase Agreements or Business Transfer Agreements are structured and not limit your understanding to tax clauses.
2. 3. While customs classification assignments may be mundane for you, they are often entry points into broader regulatory analysis — environmental, consumer, BIS, FSSAI, etc. These areas feed directly into regulatory, risk, and corporate advisory work. Learning to navigate these laws adds weight to your profile when considering a switch.
3. 4. IDT is more deeply connected to industrial operations — whether it’s understanding origin rules in trade, structuring global supply chains, or applying sector-specific regulations (e.g., in manufacturing, FMCG, pharma). This kind of industry-aligned exposure is less common in direct tax and could be a differentiator when you later apply to in-house roles or boutique practices.
4.
5. After a year of building skills and relationships, you will be in a better position to explore internal movements or lateral opportunities in Tier 1 or Tier 2 firms. Transitions are not uncommon — firms appreciate associates who are well-trained, adaptable, and proactive.
If you have time to spare, why don’t you enrol for part-time MBA or IAS coaching instead of societies?
Better pursue LLM
I've been using it.
On the contrary, there are a few of my colleagues who are originally from the tier 1 city and some also come from very well off families. They don’t have to struggle as much to settle down in this city. They already have something what I achieved post many years of struggle. They may or may not opt for partnership because they don’t see the value since it won’t change their current lifestyle much. They are also good lawyers. I understand their perspective.
There are a few colleagues who are very well off and want to become or have already become partners because that’s what they want. There are also some people like me who don’t come from money but want peace and chose to be content and to go in house. This is also fine I feel.
Everyone’s background and back story is different and one must not judge anyone for their respective choices. Partnership is good but may not be deemed necessary by some. To each their own.
Do what you need to do on the basis of your own family and circumstances and personal preferences. Dont follow the herd. Give it your best shot in whatever you choose to do.
Options mentioned by you are still ahead of our times. How many single women or men do you know who had a child (through scientific methods) without a father. Adoption by single women is also still very difficult unless you are a celebrity and your own family won’t allow it. Pets cannot be an alternative to children. My personal view. They are a separate category and should be treated as such.
If you want a child it’s better to try and find a partner who agrees with your values and beliefs. Indian society is too backward and conservative still for single parents.
If you cannot find a partner than devote your time to your parents and to society. Or simply travel and enjoy life. But always take care of your health and mental wellbeing. Life is too short to overthink as we have seen through recent events.
1. Avoid low-billing/"chill" teams. They may not be able to absorb you, especially if they are top-heavy. This is a waste of your rotation. You learn nothing. If you want to switch firms, you are in deep shit as other firms probably won't count this as PQE.
2. Your third rotation is usually where you end up. However, if you have your heart set on a specific team/practice, don't bother rotating. Request that the partner retain you in your first rotation.
3. HR has 99 per cent control over where you end up. They usually respond negatively to partner intervention.
4. Low billing teams, such as IPR etc, love taking multiple ATPs. This is why the ATP program exists, you are at the firm's cost not the team's. You are not included in their target. It also helps the firm show reduced attrition in the first year.
5. Your bonus will be determined by your rating. Your first partner controls your rating. Your increment depends on your rating. The second partner will most likely match the first partner's rating. Very rare for them to improve anything.
6. Avoid extremely junior partners. They are frustrated about targets and usually are poor managers. Try to get a team with enough people at the mid and top level.
7. Keep interacting with your partner as much as possible. If you get a bitchy A1/A2/A3, they can influence your perception in front of the partner.
8. Most of it is optics. Figure out what kind of team you can gel with. The sanghi boys or the English-speaking liberals. The team that maintains boundaries or the one that overshares.
9. Bangalore has options for all types of transactional teams. Same with Bombay. Disputes is harder to get absorbed into. Save it for your third if you are unsure.
10. Most people are unhappy with the team they get absorbed into. But they cannot switch firms due to PQE cuts. Be safe we have warned you.
Reality- Very low in-hand, Work life balance depends on your manager (just like in private), no career progression because you are a cost- centre. Absolutely no learning curve. You will only be fixing dates and getting on calls so that the business can explain things to "legal" (which won't be you).
If you want money- go for law firms/ inhouse.
If you want work life balance- go for academics/ setting independent practice. ( Struggle initially but get rewarded later)
If you want neither and can settle for selling your self- respect to make cents- go for PSUs.
▮▮▮
I also got in christ blr but missed the payment daedline. Now the only options that i have left are local colleges in kolkata and sls noida. I never really wanted to come to this legal field in the first place, but basically my family wants me to go for law school. My only goal for right now is to secure some sort of decently paying corporate job and stay as far away from court practise and judiciary exams as possible. The way I look at it, I have to ways of going about it
a) Join local college and prepare for CSEET and CLAT, in case i fail to secure good clat rank again I can go ahead with company secretary course
b) SLS Noida, work my ass off to get some internships and ultimately secure good PPO. (maybe try for clat again, tho idk with the all the shifting and adjusting if thats gonna be possible)
Another thing to keep in mind is SLS noida is a bit expensive for us, we might need to pay a part of total fee with loan, and I dont know if its even worth that price. Like sure it has "location advantage" and "Symbiosis brand"(if that even is a thing), the fear of not securing a job kills me. What should be my course of action in this scenario?
Have a decent CV with a few disputes/arbitration internships in addition to the 1 year experience of criminal litigation. I am from a tier 1 nlu.
Please let me know of any such possible switch after an experience of criminal litigation for an year, and how exactly can one go about it.