12 NLU Delhi fourth-year students, out of a class of 72, were recruited last weekend to start work in 2014, while neighbouring Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) in Haryana placed seven LLB students.

NLU D

Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co, Luthra & Luthra and Trilegal made thirteen offers in the law school’s so-called Day Zero recruitments for 2014 graduates starting 10 May.

Three students also bagged vacation schemes – two with Linklaters and one with Herbert Smith.

Luthra & Luthra led Day Zero hiring at NLU Delhi with six accepted jobs, including three pre-placement offers (PPO); Amarchand hired one student in Delhi and two via PPOs in Mumbai; Trilegal hired two students.

One of the two PPOs extended by Khaitan was accepted.

The law school has one pending interview and one recruiter’s confirmation pending, said the recruitment coordination committee (RCC) for the class of 2014, adding that its fourth year recruitment efforts were expected to close within one week.

42 other subscribers of the RCC process will then go on to participate in final year campus recruitment at the law school. Like Nalsar Hyderabad, NLU Delhi also followed the policy of opening the RCC’s subscription to the class only once before the fourth year recruitments began.

The RCC said: “This year we tried to be a bit more cautious and learn from the mistakes [made last year]. [We made sure to call the recruiters] early, to pursue them, and to convince them to come.”

The RCC working committee is five students strong, of whom four clinched job offers during Day Zero. The fifth member has not subscribed to campus recruitment, a member told Legally India.

By October last year, in an extended Day Zero process, five students from the graduating class had bagged jobs with Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co, Tuli & Co and a training contract with Linklaters.

Jindal GLS

With Jindal Global Law School’s first five-year LLB batch and its third three-year LLB batch due to graduate in 2014, the college’s placement activities too have started in earnest, yielding seven top-tier-firm jobs.

Amarchand made four offers to five-year LLB students in its Bombay office, Luthra & Luthra offered three internships to students and one job to a future three-year LLB graduate.

Khaitan & Co Delhi and Mumbai offices hired one student each from the five year course, and Titus & Co offered one job to a three-year degree student. Meanwhile, White & Case offered two internships in Abu Dhabi to students from the three- and five-year degrees.

HDFC Bank hired one future graduate from Jindal’s LLM course, and firms such as J Sagar Associates (JSA) and ALMT Legal have also offered a total of six internships to students, according to a member of JGLS faculty involved in recruitment.

Prof Raj Kumar, JGLS founding dean and Jindal Global University vice chancellor, said that the placement situation had improved this year: “Many factors have contributed to this – our view has been consistent that every year we continue attracting better quality students and impart the best possible legal education.”

He admitted that last year placements of the dozen or so students in JGLS’ three-year LLB degree were with smaller firms than this year. One LLB student had an offer from Trilegal, which was not accepted, while one LLM graduate had joined Ernst & Young and another joined Tata Sons’ general counsel office. However, said Kumar, all of the three-year LLBs ultimately got jobs in law firms, companies or litigation, though not at any of the largest law firms.

Over a hundred students graduating next year from nine national law schools, Jindal Global Law School Sonipat, and Amity Law School Delhi have been recruited by six biggest Indian law firms so far.

Note: NLIU Bhopal has not yet started its Day Zero process.

Day zero, 2014 graduate LLB recruitments to date

Source: Law firms, unless otherwise indicated* between 6 and 10 May 2013. *Firm not reachable for comment, data supplied by colleges, possibly incomplete.