Nalsar Hyderabad
On 7 April, Nalsar was the first national law school to hold its recruitment day for 2013 graduates, although telephone interviews and offers by Amarchand Mangaldas several days before day zero caused frictions with other recruiters that preferred to interview a full selection of students.
Amarchand made pre-placement offers (PPO) to a total of eight Nalsar students, all of whom have accepted. It is understood that the Nalsar recruitment committee has prevented all those students from participating in future recruitment committee activities.
Trilegal recruited two students from Nalsar, but is also understood to have offered five assessment internships and to have offered a further interview to one student.
AZB & Partners made offers to two students for its Bangalore office and two in Mumbai, while J Sagar Associates (JSA) Delhi recruited one student from Nalsar and shortlisted another.
Khaitan & Co and Luthra & Luthra did not attend Nalsar’s day zero, despite having been invited.
| 2012 ‘day zero’ recruitments at 3 colleges |
|---|
| Amarchand |
| Trilegal |
| AZB |
| JSA |
| Khaitan & Co |
| Total |
“Somebody or the other [law firm] falls out of line every year and it just ends up harming the interest of students,” commented a lawyer involved in graduate recruitment at one of the invited law firm.
On 15 April 2011, Nalsar’s day zero had netted fourth years a total of 29 job offers – nine at Luthra & Luthra, seven each at Amarchand and AZB, with three at Khaitan and two at Trilegal.
GNLU Gandhinagar
GNLU was the second national law school to hold its recruitment day for fourth years on Thursday 12 April, less than a week after Nalsar.
Trilegal recruited a total of two eight fourth years on its campus visit to Gandhinagar, and also made six PPOs to students. Just before day zero the firm also made one PPO. [corrected after secondary confirmation]
Amarchand picked up eight students on its campus visit.
In the 2010 batch Amarchand had recruited 12 students from GNLU, followed in by 15 GNLU job offers in 2011.
NLIU Bhopal
NLIU held its day zero on Monday 16 April, with Amarchand Mangaldas again opting for telephone interviews of previous interns, making a total of four PPO offers.
Khaitan & Co hired two students from campus and made one PPO, while Trilegal hired two NLIU students after video conference interviews.
In 2011 Khaitan was the top recruiter at NLIU with six, followed by Amarchand with three offers.
NLSIU Bangalore
NLSIU – traditionally the first national law school to start the recruitment season for fourth years - will only hold its recruitment day for fourth years in early May, around a similar time as NLU Jodhpur.
Note: All figures stated are approximate and have not been confirmed by respective colleges’ recruitment committees.
Photo by Paul Hamilton
Comments
AMSS-9
KHAITAN-2 for Mumbai and 2 more for Bangalore
Trilegal 2 (+ 5 Assessment offers)
JSA 1
AZB- 5
TOTAL IN INDIA 21
Foreign Firms-
HERBERT SMITH- 3
Linklaters- 1
A & O- 1
CC- 1
TOTAL 6
TOTAL NUMBER OF CANDIDATES OUT OF NALSAR RCC AS OF NOW STANDS AT 27.
PLEASE CORRECT THE NUMBERS
Are your figures updated for later post-day zero offers, do they include PPOs made entirely outside of day zero, or do they include firms like Khaitan which did not make any offers on day zero but went later?
Best regards
Kian
khaitan - 4 (part of extended day zero) Bom - 2 Blore -2
Foreign offers - 6
azb - 5
Luthra not recruiting this sem.
Please reflect the changes. I understand you say that this is not confirmed by College RCC but please report the correct numbers. Do not mislead people.
they took 2 for Mumbai and 2 for Bangalore. Even their confirmations have been sent. Luthra has frozen recruitment for this semester.
Legally India, Please incorporate the changes. I'm sorry for pestering you so much, but this is important information.
AMSS, Delhi-3 students from NALSAR
Plus, the students who will be interning with AMSS/Trilegal etc from these colleges will be disheartened even before they begin, since it can be safely assumed that these firms are done hiring for the year.
Its a dangerous trend and it must be checked.
Khaitan & Co recruited from Nalsar yesterday and made 2 offers for Mumbai, plus is considering 2 for Bangalore.
Only Allen & Overy has offered a job so far to fourth years at Nalsar. The others are all vacation placements.
It is in the nature of campus recruitments that they keep shifting and changing, with PPOs and new offers coming in.
These figures, including GNLU's, are a snapshot that was broadly accurate as of last week, but this might not be up-to-date anymore today.
Also, since recruitment committees all decline to comment, the information has to be pieced together as best as possible from different sources.
If there's anything drastically wrong in the above figures, please do let us know.
Best regards
Kian
This abominable system came into being with the Indian law firms crying foul (imagine that, consider none of them have ever respected any rules of recruitment anywhere and have actively arm-twisted students forever) felt left out by foreign law firms that were making offers to 4th year students after their internship. So, the Indian law firms so decided to "ape the system" (should be rape) by changing recruitment timelines and patterns. Of course, the fact that nothing ever stopped the Indian firms from doing it (in those days, the Indian firms couldn't be bothered to do anything with a IV year student and an offer then would be greeted with derision and incredulity). All firms would tell you "please come back in your 5th year and we will see..." or something of that sort. In many cases, hints were dropped that it was kosher and the reason why the offer was not made was because "you are not in the 5th year."
And of course, then the jamboree of IV year recruitments started on the basis of this blasted excuse- just consider the facts- an average of 60 students from 10 NLUs (i.e. 600 students to pick from). At the peak of the market, the Magic Circle took out about what 20-30 students and immediately everyone is aggreieved and change the rules?? Of course, go back further and you will realise that the reason why the Magic Circle did that was because the Indian firms (especially Amarchand) never respected the recruitment process. Foreign law firms realised that having a number one slot on day 1 meant nothing as the Indian firms subverted the process.
I am actually waiting for somebody to actually to push the envelope and start recruitments in the 3rd year based on the same logic. The NLUs are to be blamed for this along with the law firms. The students have no choice and no say (as they are running the recruitment process and can never, ever stand up to unreasonable corporates). Wake up NLUs and stop these 4th year recruitments!!! I have no faith in the Indian law firms ever being fair and sorting this out.
This is so symptomatic of failings of the industry being shoved under the carpet by the dint of sheer might. I am frankly quite done and disgusted with it. Of course, I will face the same situation next year, if our firm is to hit the campuses. Frankly, I personally don't want to go and continue this morally reprehensible practice.
And for all the NLU alum at partnership positions in Indian law firms, can you really put your hand on your heart and tell me that this is right? Don't you remember how apoplectic with rage you were when the recruiters forced you to make decisions? Well, if you do, the shoe's on the other foot now, mates. Get with it- you are the perps for this one.
This is recruitment, not the Somalian slave market! The belief that it is only firms who manipulate poor innocent law school "kids" in some devious manner by offering them multi lakh annual pay packets reeks of Himalayan self delusion.
In my experience, people who're in their fourth year and fifth year are entirely capable of making a rational choice about their careers and have no qualms about being as mercenary as possible about offers. The point of recruitment committees is to minimize this mercenary behaviour.
Because firms would like to deal with one agency and not each individual applicant, firms too depend on recruitment committees for some systematic procedure.
Yet, amarchand repeatedly ruins the best laid recruitment plans. Why? Because they can.
As it stands all the big law firms are after the same fifty students or so. They see all of us as a bunch of grades, so why shouldn't we see them as a bunch if pay packets?
All have the same abusive work cultures, unhealthy work patterns and work pretty much the same kind of transactions. What is it that really sets a luthra or a trilegal apart in the eyes of a law student?
Nothing.
I think this state of affairs reflects more about big law firms in this country than amarchand alone.
This is recruitment, not the Somalian slave market! The belief that it is only firms who manipulate poor innocent law school "kids" in some devious manner by offering them multi lakh annual pay packets reeks of Himalayan self delusion.
In my experience, people who're in their fourth year and fifth year are entirely capable of making a rational choice about their careers and have no qualms about being as mercenary as possible about offers. The point of recruitment committees is to minimize this mercenary behaviour.
Because firms would like to deal with one agency and not each individual applicant, firms too depend on recruitment committees for some systematic procedure.
Yet, amarchand repeatedly ruins the best laid recruitment plans. Why? Because they can.
As it stands all the big law firms are after the same fifty students or so. They see all of us as a bunch of grades, so why shouldn't we see them as a bunch if pay packets?
All have the same abusive work cultures, unhealthy work patterns and work pretty much the same kind of transactions. What is it that really sets a luthra or a trilegal apart in the eyes of a law student?
Nothing.
I think this state of affairs reflects more about big law firms in this country than amarchand alone.[/quote]
Its really sad that firms are resorting to such tactics. Having headed the Recruitment Committee of a top law school in my 4th and 5th year, we understood the real bargaining power we had before the top firms-zilch. We were, and are, dispensable. Every year, firms are offered roughly 500 graduates from NLUs and about 200 more from ILS/Symbi/GLC. While the supply is abundant, the demand has been flagging, leading firms to have their way.
Its time the law schools have their Placement Committees meet and decide to commonly hold placements only at the beginning of the 10th semester.
Anyway, I am posting to say that I loved the term "Himalayan self delusion". Lolz!
Given that the Indian legal market has matured, it should be the Indian law firms recruitment calender that take precedence. All that needs to be done for this to happen is that India's Big Law (AMSS, Luthra, K&Co etc.) hold off their recruitment until the 5th year. This will be in the interest of the widwer lawyer community in India. First, it will ensure that the ones who are keen on a long term Indian career will wait for the right offer until thier 5th year; second, this would also ensure that Magic Circle doesn't pull the training contract scam on Indian students.
Compare the hiring of Indian student by Magic Circle to their hiring of US law grads. US grads are hired as fully qualified lawyers (as is the case in the US legal market) unlike Indian law students whose summer placement work expereince etc is completely discounted in the training contract system. Note, that US law students also do extensive summer placements (quite like the Indian NLS/now NLU students) unlike their UK peers who engage in a jolly called "vacation schemes" where they come for 2 weeks, sit through presentations, do a bit of largely non-legal work and attend some really nice social events.
It's time that Indian law students are made aware of this treatment of US law students and RCCs of NLUs should take a joint stand that Indian students should be treated as fully qualified lawyers. Magic Circle graduate recruitment is mature enough to sift the grain from the chaff and they can easily identify students with relevant work experience through law school and hire them.
This will be a win-win for everyone. 1. NLU, students will stay motivated through the five year course; 2. Students, they will get credit for the blood and sweat of internships, 3. India's Big Law, they get those serious about an Indian legal career and 4. Magic Circle, they get the ones serious about and international career and frankly most of these students are very clear about what they want to be doing unlike their UK peers.
GNLU Stats are entirely wrong Kian, I think you should look into them.
GNLU Stats are entirely wrong Kian, I think you should look into them.[/quote]
They aren't. Amarchand and Trilegal did collectively recruit 17 student on our Day Zero. Give me your email ID and I'll mail you the official confirmation from our CRA (including the names of students, their place of work etc.), if that id so hard for you to believe.
Brilliant journalism, that.
Hopefully we'll get the balance right soon - keep your eyes peeled, we have some Nalsar news lined up for you, hopefully tomorrow.
Best wishes,
Kian
much of what is happening at Nalsar people complain, and when LI doesn't cover Nalsar enough people complain too.
Hopefully we'll get the balance right soon - keep your eyes peeled, we have some Nalsar news lined up for you, hopefully tomorrow.
Best wishes,
Kian[/quote]
Oh come on! You know that's a lame excuse. As if NALSAR students could stop you even now from reporting anything scandalous.
http://www.legallyindia.com/Graduates-Bar-Exam/llm-recruitments-shunned-by-law-firms-top-nls-llm-grads-go-in-house-teach
There is obviously less recruitment activity in the LLM space, however, so our coverage is less frequent. If you would like to help us in any way with information, please get in touch via the Contact us link at the top of the page.
Best wishes
Kian
Haven't your college people (I mean the Under Grads)already ingrained that in you? Strange.
- 4th Year, equally saturated with Lulu's bakwaas
Also, Indian students worth their salt are well aware that US associates clerk in the summer to bag associate jobs, and that UK firms offer training contracts to recruits from UK and India for their London office.