It’s absolutely fine, buddy! As someone who has worked at multiple Tier 1 law firms and at a decent senior position in my current organisation, I can tell you that you are not alone. Most of us have struggled through our initial years. Things take time. Just keep working. One day at a time. You will do really well. Trust the process and yourself. Nothing is the end of the world.

Hi,

I am 30 (and probably a fair bit older than you). I work as a PA at a Tier 1 firm and graduated from what many would call the best law school in the country. I am sharing that only as context because my younger brother, who is around your age, asked me to respond here.

First of all, start counting your wins and stop cutting yourself short.

It is not easy to make it to a Tier 1 firm without merit. Maybe you are not a 100/100, but you are certainly not a 0 either. If you have made it this far, you are probably at least a 70/100. Give yourself some credit for that.

Secondly, take criticism where it is constructive.

I am not saying you should dismiss everything as "not my problem." In my view, a matter is often more an A0's responsibility than that of the partner leading it. Talk to an A3, SA, or PA in your team. Seek guidance. There is absolutely no shame in doing that.

Some people can be intimidating. Some may not care. But there are also people who genuinely want you to thrive, not just survive. They can be difficult to find, but they do exist.

And unlike what someone here has suggested, none of the work we do, whether in M&A, PE, Banking & Finance, or anything else, is taught in law school. Most of it is learned on the job.

A lot of us have cried in office washrooms after being yelled at. I have generally been decent at my job, but there have been days when I was appreciated in the first half of the day for doing great work and reprimanded in the second half for reasons I still disagree with.

At your stage, it is often difficult to tell whether you genuinely messed up or whether the person on the other side simply did not have the patience. Sometimes it is a bit of both. With demanding clients and impossible timelines, it takes a very regulated person to remain calm. Unfortunately, law firms are not exactly overflowing with such people.

TL;DR: Talk to people who can guide you. Just do not become overly dependent on them.

Thirdly, preparedness leads to confidence.

You are new and may not fully understand what a DD is, why it is done, or what people are looking for. Sit with a few DD reports. One of the best things about being at a Tier 1 firm is that the repository is usually excellent.

Read key issues reports. Read full vendor DD reports. Go through internal presentations. Build your understanding. Ask yourself basic questions. Why is everyone fighting over that indemnity clause? Why does this risk matter? Where does it show up in a transaction?

ChatGPT helps as well. There are primers available on almost every topic under the sun. Nobody can hand you a complete tracker of everything you need to know, but you can gradually build one for yourself.

I also really appreciated the first pinned comment on this thread. And KCO has some excellent videos on YouTube.

Fourthly, loneliness will only make everything worse.

Talk to your parents every day if you can. Hopefully they are supportive.

Many of us, especially those from lower middle-class families, grow up feeling like we are carrying a massive burden on our shoulders. More often than not, that burden exists largely in our heads.

Ask for help.

Ask your parents to visit. Meet your friends whenever possible. Make friends at the gym. Make friends within your team.

All you can do is keep trying. The rest is for life to decide.

Fifthly, get a therapist if you think you need one.

Only you can make that call. There is no shame in it.

Sixth, in-house is not as easy as people often make it sound, especially if you want to keep growing and avoid stagnating.

That said, if moving in-house is what you genuinely want, I would be happy for you to make that move. Just make sure it is not coming purely from a place of escape.

People often portray law firms as some ultimate test of toughness. Sometimes they are. But this is your life. You get to decide what is worth your effort and what is not.

And choosing something else is not running away. It is simply choosing a different path.

Lastly, you are still very young.

I do not mean that in a patronizing way.

A lot of us have felt this pressure. A lot of us have stumbled, struggled, cried, doubted ourselves, and eventually found ways to cope.

You will too.

Have worked with the partner. It’s a high functioning team, plenty of work and variety. Functions more like an AZB team within Trilegal (so figure).

It’s not an easy team, but if you’d want to grow professionally, it’s a good team, and from what I know associates are rewarded very generously.

How are funds teams doing across the firm?

1. KCO - Does KCO still charge the highest and has gotten top heavy?

2. Trilegal - Are the teams still so toxic and does it still has insane attrition?

3. RegFin - Does is continue to undercut to get clients? And has the team gotten too top heavy for future growth?

4. How are other firms like AZB, CAM and BLC doing?

While NLSIU still has a faculty cohort that is best of all NLUs, there has been a steady stream of departures over the last two years, among both senior faculty and those hired or preferred by Sudhir. That is a fact. One good thing is that NLSIU has kept on recruiting once or twice every year, so the gap isn't visible by that much, but people like Arun cannot just be replaced by someone else.

Oh yeah for sure. The CIA founded the MK Ultra program and mind controlled Nani Palkhivala into fixing his stammer. Mr. Palkhivala in turn helped the CIA invent gangsta rap by releasing music as the underground artist "Lil Nanny P". Prior to his retirement, he was incremental in helping Tupac fake his death.

Is it right to put out/ eject resources if they are not interested in someone and the other individual is hounding them (often in an abusive manner) ? Just because he/she is not interested in a romantic entanglement at office ? Appropriate from a mental health perspective?

Can you believe something similar happened in a large law firm recently?

What BS IIT fanboy comment is this? Who the heck is comparing this with IIT anyway? But even then regardless, it still doesn’t mean it’s easy to crack when you have some 50 general seats for over 20K aspirants and the average graduate starting salary range is more than what IITs offer. So yeah, better than where you graduated from.

When they become A2s ideally, before that you’re still learning the ropes especially as an A0 and as an A1 you may do parts of the drafting which require less application of mind. But as an A2, you would ideally have a sense of what good drafting is like, have some experience you can use to figure out any intricacies while drafting, and still be fresh enough to develop your own style and bring new perspectives to the matter. It’s the perfect time to explore legal drafting, I’d say!

The wet dream of most, if not all founders and bosses I guess:

Employees who sincerely believe this crap: "You have a right only to perform your duty (karma), never to its fruits (results). Do not make the fruits of action your motive, and do not become attached to inaction"

In this day and age?????

Personally, I think this came from the Sword.

My circumstances of depression and chronic indecision were similar to yours. I don't regret studying the law but studying the law and practicing it are two very different things. The work is usually repetitive and you'll be reading and typing all day. staring at a screen or a stack of papers all. day. long. I liked studying the law but I've realised that I don't like being stuck in the office all day even when I'm done with my work and dealing with office politics, commute takes its toll on me. I would say go for a degree that isn't as long as a ba/bba llb (which is 5 or 6 years depending what route you take) but before doing this write down 5 interests that you have and if you have the connections or can wing it somehow, intern in these 5 fields to decide which one you like best and then choose the degree you would need for that field. This is the advice I wish I could've given myself before I decided to go to law school. Good luck

Yes. Infact, for folks putting in real work and taking responsibility ive heard it goes beyond that as well. A college-mate (who was brilliant in his own right back in law school) works in their GIW team and ive only heard great things from him, especially when it comes to the cash.

The boys’ hostel warden was convicted by the ICC of sexual assault against a member of the hostel’s cleaning staff. However, instead of removing him from the hostel, the administration concealed this fact from the students.

Even after the students came to know about the matter, the administration has shown no willingness whatsoever to relieve him of his duties.

NLUJA is becoming increasingly unsafe day by day.

Bishen is a treat to work with, couldn't join the team end minute due to certain personal reasons. The work load is insane, but as any tier-1 would have. the team has had a few exits but the culture is very good. The A3s and SAs are extremely helpful, and if you're in for the grind, it's an amazing place to begin with.

https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/09/28/indias-ed-expands-crypto-cyber-tracing-under-renewed-nfsu-pact/

Official press release by ED:
https://www.enforcementdirectorate.gov.in/media/press-release-documents/7cf38157-93be-41dd-aab9-3f05dee1e4da_Press%20Release%2023092026.pdf

https://thenewsmill.com/2026/09/enforcement-directorate-renews-pact-with-national-forensic-sciences-university-for-five-years/

https://newsable.asianetnews.com/india/ed-nfsu-renew-moa-to-boost-cyber-forensic-investigation-for-5-years-articleshow-dgau2c5

https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/ed-renews-pact-with-national-forensic-sciences-university-for-next-five-years20260925141317/