I’m a fifth-year student at a Tier 1 NLU with a pretty average CV. My grades are okay, I’ve done a few national and international moots, contributed to a journal, and headed a committee. But I made a major mistake: I spent most of law school building experience in a niche I genuinely loved — only to realise much later that it has very limited scope professionally. I still love the subject, especially the theoretical aspects, but the practical side hasn’t matched up. I also know now that academia isn’t the right fit for me.

I’m trying to shift to corporate law, but I’m struggling to find my footing at this stage. I don’t want to do litigation or disputes, and I know I don’t want to go back to the niche I focused on earlier. There’s a real chance I may not end up with a corporate job after graduation, and that’s something I’m trying to figure out how to avoid.

If anyone has been in a similar place or has advice on how to pivot this late — where to start, what to prioritise, or even what kind of roles to look at — I’d really appreciate it. Just trying to get some direction and not feel completely stuck.

First of all, don’t be too hard on yourself just because you didn’t get into a Tier 1 firm. It’s completely normal to feel disappointed when things don’t go the way you planned, especially when you see your friends getting what you wanted. It can feel like all your efforts over the past few years have gone to waste. But that is not true.

You’ve joined a boutique firm, and that is not a step down. It is just a different start. Sometimes, places like these give you better learning, more direct work, and a closer look at how things actually run. The money may not match what your friends are earning right now, but that is okay. You have time to build experience, improve your skills, and move when the time is right. What you are building now will help you stand out in the long run.

About work, it is okay to feel unsure in the beginning. Interning and working full-time are very different. As an intern, you worked on specific tasks. As an associate, you are expected to take more responsibility. You are not supposed to know everything already. Everyone needs some guidance when they start, and it’s a good sign that your team is taking the time to teach you. Don’t let this shake your confidence. You’re not here by chance. Your partner chose to hire you for a reason. Instead of worrying about whether you’re doing enough, focus on learning every day and doing your best. Speak up when you need help, stay curious, and keep showing your interest in the work.

Hi,

Internships are very different from actually working as an Associate. The stakes are much higher and there is lesser room for scope. I think you are bring taught everything because you cannot afford to make as many mistakes.

Look at the bright side - you didn’t know shit about law, until you were taught about it in law school. Here, you also have external help in the form of your seniors.

Just try to not make the same mistakes twice, double check the work you submit and you will be good to go.

Remember, your partner is much more experienced than you. He knows it takes time to learn this work, but he’ll judge you based on how well you implement what you’ve been taught.

Good luck! You don’t have to impress in just a couple of days - you don’t have to rush it. In the end, good impressions that last are built over time. :)

Does anyone know of ways to break into the competition law without having good connections. I have an okayish CV and graduated from a non-NLU. My CV does show an interest in competition law but I have not got any PPO's and do not have a job lined up so I'm not sure what's missing. Is there any way that I can stil make a career in the field. If not how do I shift into another area. I am also fine with a consulting or advisory position if I can get into a law firm later when the market is better. Does anyone know of competition teams who are hiring freshers, or consulting firms. How do I stand out in e-mails to them? How do I even make the HR see my e-mail?

This is precisely what is toxic about Legally India. A university has announced a positive development. Regardless of its degree of effectiveness, it is still an overall positive for the students, who will doubtless get to interact more with professionals because of this. It is an initiative that most other universities are yet to consider or undertake. If you are skeptical about it, then that's fine, you don't have to praise it. But just see the comments section, full of trolls passing snide and toxic remarks in a derogatory tone! I am not even from HNLU, but my university has at least taught me the value of appreciating good efforts by others. Clearly most of the people commenting on this platform have not received proper education from their families or their universities.

This is why I say, avoid social media to the extent possible, unless you want your brain to be fried or spoiled. Look at the choices of social media from my point of view as a blind aspiring lawyer: Twitter, whose accessibility is broken and where the level of toxicity is shocking (to say the least); Bluesky (which you can't even join without encountering an impossible-to-get-past accessibility barrier), which is boring and an echochamber for left-wing people who are obssessives about American politics; LinkedIn, which is a lot more accessible than Twitter for sure (but which has some issues here and there), where people try to be smart but end up being cringe or try to show a fake image of a 100% smooth career; and Legally India, which achieves top marks on the accessibility front (even if it isn't perfect), but where dick measuring like this is the norm. What hope is left in this world for the internet?

Lately I have been dabbling with many legal tech products (Jurisphere.ai , Lawlens.in , LucioAI.com,Niyam.ai) plus general products like ChatGPT , Gemini. The difference is stark especially with complex queries and needs like OCR , and translate. Which ones have you guys tried and liked out of all I have listed and do you guys have any suggestions other than this?

Look I know the college is conventionally between NALSAR/NLUD and NLUJ but the hostel situation and campus size alone would be a deal breaker for me anywhere else but yeah I am kinda scared of Kolkata, ▮▮▮

That aside, it is still a top 4 at least in terms of academics. I do respect any alumni and faculty there as it still requires a fair bit of excellence and courage to go there

Doesn’t matter, the kids are doing far better than their NUJS counterparts even without the aid of some top level alumni favouring them in firm placements. The college itself is run far more efficiently without any pointless state domicile and paid NRI quotas and whatnot. And being in Delhi, good faculty will naturally be attracted to it in the coming years so a few folks leaving won’t hurt it much. On the other hand, no one would want to live in Kolkata. So, in every sense, NLUD is far better than NUJS.

The only accurate ranking-

1. NLS

2. NALSAR

3. NUJS

4. NLUD

5. NLUJ

6. HNLU

7. NLIU

8. HNLU

9. NLUO

10. MNLU-M

These are the only colleges where you can make it to corporate and t-1 law firms if you work enough.

If you really want the NLU tag (minus the jobs) you can consider:

11. RGNUL

12. NUALS

13. RMLNLU

Don't go beyond this. You can consider JGLS/ Symbiosis Pune/ GLC after the top 10 NLUs. If money is a problem then after RMLNLU you can start considering the private ones.

Hey! I'm a second-year associate at a law firm. I'm looking for online certificate courses I can take up in the fields of banking and finance, fintech, capital markets (debt / equity), or technology and data law (in order of preference). I have recently moved to a well-regarded B&F/DCM/fintech team at a law firm, and work swings wildly between choc-a-bloc and very free. I am relatively new to the practice area (especially B&F and DCM) and would appreciate ways to access quality learning on a short-to-medium time horizon (say 3-6 months tops) while receiving some (if not a lot of) padding to my CV.

My nice-to-haves are as follows:

1. Short-to-medium term (3-6 months), preferably geared towards working professionals, as there are many times where I struggle to find time for other pursuits due to work commitments taking far too much of my day;

2. Offered by a reputed institution, preferably an NLU or a well-regarded private university;

3. Subject matters being as aforementioned: B&F, DCM/ECM, fintech, tech, data (in order of importance/preference). More general subjects like, say, drafting or something like that, are not preferred per se, but I will consider if they are genuinely good quality and may be useful in some way to my practice;

4. I would give more importance to quality of learning than solely the reputation of the institution, as I am genuinely looking to better understand and gain mastery over the practice areas/subjects I have mentioned - CV value is important, but secondary to me at this stage;

5. Fee isn't really an issue - I am trying to think of this as an investment for upskilling - but I would appreciate suggestions that are reasonable, or at least good value-for-money.

Helpful, non-judgmental suggestions would be appreciated! I am a bit hesitant to reach out here, as I have seen too many cynical/rude/unhelpful responses to similar questions across this platform, but I can't really think of another place to put this up :P I am somewhat neurodivergent, so simply reading in my free time with no specific, set goal demotivates me and I lose steam and attention, which is why I am specifically looking for structured courses. Many thanks in advance.

This may seem rather unhelpful but T2 firm internships are very heavy on references, especially at the end of the 2nd year. Plenty of firms with these 4th- and 5th-year rules take interns in their 2nd and 3rd year on reference.

It helps to find friends/family who could help you with a reference. If that's not possible, you can try writing to senior/principal associates at such firms, sometimes, they can help. It's a numbers game, so apply to as many as you can. Since you are from a T1 NLU, reach out to alumni working in these firms; this is a very common practice in GNLU, from what I know.

I used to be a good student. But somehow, now entering my final year, I think I have lost the plot somewhere. My grades are decent, but I am not exceptional like before. I am just surviving, nor have I been able to make a good impression during internships. I am just sort of there.

Is law not meant for me being an introverted person? Entering my final year, I feel so lost, while everyone else has it figured out.

Any piece of advice helps. Thanks.

Can I ask, what is this pissing match here....how does it even matter to any of you....who left and who hasnt....every firm has amazing partners and my humble suggestion would be to please focus on your own careers and utilise the time to learn and if we all do our work well....then such things dont matter

Heard SAM released bonus in entirety.

SAM said its package is 20 LPA. Understandable it is on pro rata basis & depends on recovery.

The highest ones who joined in July last week could get is 2.7 L. However, heard that people have gotten higher - as high as 3 L. Is this true?

Have a PPO from SAM Delhi and have a partner referral connect at KCO Mumbai who’s looking to hire and is willing to give me an interview. I’m from Ahmedabad so both cities are not home for me. Assuming I can get through KCO, please guide which firm is better. Don’t put me in a dilemma by reasoning your answers out - just choose your pick. Will go with either of the two depending on who gets upvoted most at the end of this thread.