There are no surprises on which law schools outperform the others where campus recruitments are concerned. The older national law universities (NLUs) – which also lead in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) law school preference rankings – have the upper hand when it comes to attracting the best recruiters, the earliest.

They are the first-movers in getting students placed with the biggest Indian law firms, while students are still in the fourth year of LLBs.

The largest number of the most competitive jobs (and also usually the highest paying) are offered by firms that visit select NLUs in April of each year (Day Zero), to recruit from the law schools’ fourth-year LLB classes.

With these jobs gone, the other NLUs are left to scramble for the remaining legal positions and the non-NLUs - usually the last ones to get a piece of the pie - have to innovate and create newer opportunities than traditional legal jobs.

Editor’s note

Whatever you do, don’t blindly follow Outlook or India Today or other such nonsense (read some of our previous law school rankings coverage here; also read: The final word on law school rankings and how they should matter).

To shed some light on this area, this is the first in what is intended as a series on Legally India’s view of law schools over the past seven years, to help CLAT aspirants with their choices.

For the very quick overview picture of recruitments in 2014, you could do worse than go by Legally India’s recruitment power ranking, which gives an indication of how easy it is to get high-paying corporate jobs at a college for any individual student. (check out the main rankings here, and rankings including JGLS Sonepat here).

Second, before delving in, note that this is not a complete picture.

We are, sadly, not omniscient and our information on law school recruitments is mostly limited to law schools being transparent with this data and providing it (which is why GNLU has performed so badly in the power rankings since it only discloses the best jobs of a tiny number of students of its huge batch).

For many of the younger colleges, we do not have complete information of all years’ recruitments, but the data we do have should be able to give an idea of what’s what (there’s also an appendix at the end, with all of the source data, should you wish to deep-dive).

Finally, if you are part of an RCC, please do share the year-end 2016 recruitment figures with us, please do at so that we can update the figures for this year and prepare a recruitment power ranking. Generally, the more complete the figures (including a full account of LLMs, litigation jobs, etc), the stronger the ranking will be.

Foreign law firms

NLSIU Bangalore and Nalsar Hyderabad have consistently attracted the highest number of UK law firm training contracts for its LLB graduates on campus, since 2010 which is when Legally India first covered law school campus recruitments.

NUJS Kolkata and NLU Delhi come a close second in terms of foreign law firm jobs on campus.

NLU Jodhpur gained one foreign law firm job offer in all these years – at Ashurst - whereas all the other NLUs are more or less out of this game completely.

However, it’s not unheard of for enterprising individuals from any law school to get foreign law firm jobs, though these are very rarely directly off the back of campus interviews and require more creative approaches.

The ‘Big Seven’ law firms

NLSIU and Nalsar LLB graduates nearly always make it to India’s top seven law firms (AZB, JSA, Khaitan, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM), Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM), Luthra & Luthra and Trilegal) in droves of approximately 20 to 30 graduates each year.

NUJS Kolkata and NLU Delhi again score second place in this section, with NUJS procuring some more offers than NLU Delhi, which is a much younger law school but has been punching above its weight here.

Note: It has been pointed out that NLU Jodhpur, by several metrics, could also be equivalent to (or stronger than) NLU Delhi in terms of ‘big seven’ firm placements (particularly in recent years in which NLU Jodhpur seems to have again picked up a bit, while NLU Delhi is still young and therefore doesn’t have very long recruitment records available). There’s something to that argument – please read the comment for more information. However, NLU Delhi is starting to look like an increasingly safe bet for jobs, and likely will be even stronger in five years time.

GNLU Gandhinagar and NLU Jodhpur have also shown promise in attracting Big 7 jobs, with GNLU even having outdone NLSIU and Nalsar on occasion because the erstwhile Amarchand Mangaldas firm picked up a massive number from that law school. Amarchand Mangaldas, however, only exists as its split halves (CAM and SAM) now so how many they will pick up in future is uncertain, and GNLU also has the disadvantage of having 180 students to place each year, which is far more than any other national law school.

The recruitment performance of NLIU Bhopal had dipped during the mid-years of our coverage but it has recently again managed to catch up with Big Law jobs comparable in number to NLU Jodhpur and GNLU.

In 2014, private law school JGLS Sonepat placed more LLB graduates with Big Law than NLIU and NLU Jodhpur. However, an LLB education at JGLS comes at almost four times the cost of the NLUs.

Other jobs and opportunities

The lower ranked NLUs and non-NLUs generally capitalise on the rest of the job market: Big and mid-sized domestic corporate law firms, start-up law firms, litigation firms, chambers of practising advocates, in-house legal departments, legal process outsourcing companies (LPOs), government research jobs such as in the state legislative departments, and judicial clerkships under Supreme Court and high court judges.

Or their graduates often opt to pursue an LLM or other post graduate courses, or apply for various research fellowships (sometimes hoping that this additional qualification will fetch them a higher-paying job later – financially, a risky calculation without a scholarship).

NLSIU Bangalore, Nalsar, NUJS, NLU Delhi, NLU Jodhpur, GNLU and NLIU are the leaders in all these opportunities as well, with NLSIU and Nalsar usually placing almost their entire graduating class, and the others also substantially placing all of the graduates who opted for campus recruitment.

HNLU Raipur, which was established in 2003, had struggled with recruitments for a long time due to its remote campus. But the law school does better than the remaining lower-ranked NLUs, though this performance has often hinged on students’ independent initiative.

AIL Mohali did better in 2014 than some of the younger NLUs such as RMLNLU Lucknow, RGNUL Patiala, NLU Orissa in Cuttack and CNLU Patna.

Jobs at RGNUL and RMLNLU have tended heavily towards the litigation side of the profession.

Litigation is not a bad thing or a lesser career option than corporate law, but anecdotally if a majority of a class goes into litigation, it can often be a sign that not enough attractive corporate jobs were available.

CNLU Patna began its recruitment record with a hunger strike because of the total absence of recruiters in 2011, but by 2015 it has improved the situation marginally, mostly on the back of legal process outsourcing (LPO) jobs.

Out of GLC Mumbai, Amity Delhi and ILS Pune – all of which have been reported on by Legally India just once each – and Christ College Bangalore (whose recruitments were covered twice by Legally India), GLC Mumbai is the safest bet from the point of view of recruitments (although a lot at GLC seems to come down to individual students’ initiatives in procuring internships while studying, etc).

Law-school wise index of all Legally India campus recruitment stories

Receruitment stories appendix

This is a chronological index of all campus recruitment stories on Legally India, and the stories are grouped under the law schools about which they report (in no particular order).

General

1. Day Zeros demand from amarchands divided offsets drop in 2017 recruitments from others via mint
2. Law schools recruitment power rankings 2013 14
3. Supreme court judicial clerkship stipends hiked to rs 25k attractive enough
4. Eight more campus hires for luthra NLS next
5. ILS Pune launch qcorporate cellq to bolster job prospects

NLSIU Bangalore

1. NLSIU 2017 day zero success 33 places as shroff brothers pick up 17 plus 1 big money a o training contract
2. NLSIU bags 29 big six jobs 4 foreign jobs 100 campus success for class of 2015
3. NLSIU sews up 32 day zero jobs ppos 4 foreign internships
4. 42 jobs for 77 NLSIU 2014 grads
5. Day zero 33 NLSIU fourth years bag early jobs amarchand khaitan heaviest
6. Traditional recruiters tug lighter at NLS Bangalore 2012 grads luthra goes strong desk jobs number less
7. NLS day zero
8. earlybird record luthra khaitan on top as 7 firms hire 29 NLS 2012 grads
9. students under the gun amarchand v trilegal in early NLS campus swoop 48 hour offers
10. easy money for NLS Bangalore 100 jobs strong domestic intl firm interest
11. indian UK recruiters scoop 48 NLS Bangalore 5th years

NALSAR Hyderabad

1. NALSAR 2015 final campus recruitments
2. NALSAR Hyderabad 2016 batch wins 35 39 jobs after successful day zero
3. NALSAR recruitment 2014
4. NALSAR 2015 day zero new academic model reaps 29 jobs including two rs 100 lakh foreign jobs
5. NALSAR RCC maintains score with jobs for all 43 2012 participants bar aspirants lead non participants
6. 2013 recruitment Day Zero at NALSAR GNLU NLIU amarchand trilegal hire 30
7. NALSARs super early recruitment day zero bags 29 law firm jobs for 4th years
8. NALSAR 2011 59 desk jobs 8 llms with in house filling up 100 rcc quota
9. Nearly half of NALSAR finalists find law firm homes amarchand tops campus recruitment
10. NALSAR Hyderabad recruitment at 95 as hiring into in house roles doubles litigation two sided

NUJS Kolkata

1. NUJS 2017 jobs at least 40 but college hopes to keep exact number secret
2. 2015 NUJS batch of 106 secures overwhelming 78 jobs through rcc
3. NUJS Kolkata 2014 final recruitment tally
4. NUJS 2015 day zero 27 accepted jobs 5 foreign firm opportunities
5. NUJS 2012 placements
6. NUJS day zero 41 jobs for 2012 grads from foreign domestic recruiters
7. result for all 75 NUJS grads into desk jobs plus 3 foreign firms 5 llms 2 start ups
8. NUJS finds early law firm homes for 30 finalists
9. return to form 94 per cent NUJS finalists to secure jobs
10. amarchand finishes 2010 recruitment run at NUJS

NLU Delhi

1. NLU Delhi places 21 students after day zero cyril and probably shardul top recruiters khaitan luthra trilegal take 6
2. NLU Delhi dished out 44 jobs for 2015 grads 15 with big six in house preference grows
3. NLU Delhi day zero flying start
4. NLU Delhi places 45 out of 73 2014 grads
5. NLU Delhi 12 day zero offers 10 jobs in bag 3 foreign vac schemes for 2015 batch
6. day zeros NLU Delhi rcc confirms 12 jobs 3 vac schemes jindal on 8 and 2 white case
7. NLU Delhi first batch scores five law firm jobs after day zero ditched

NLIU Bhopal

1. NLIU Bhopal places 48 out of 89 in class of 2015
2. NLIU s top secret day zero yields 23 jobs from biglaw jsa icici for 50 of eligible students
3. NLIU Bhopal places 38 out of 81 2014 grads
4. recruitment forecast bleak at NLIU Bhopal as amarchand and lpo flag off day zero
5. NLIU 2012 batch 31 jobs across amarchand icici lpos as judiciary proves popular
6. NLIU Bhopal recruitment nearly measures up to last year with 33 desk jobs
7. khaitan a co on top as NLIU Bhopal first recruitment round places 18 students across six recruiters
8. NLIU Bhopal recruitment committee hits 96 offers law firms soak up half the talent

NLUO Cuttack

1. NLUO bags 24 jobs for 2015 grads law firms lead hirers

CNLU Patna

1. CNLU Patna 2015 recruitments
2. CNLU Patna 2014 grads get 17 jobs
3. CNLU Patna
4. CNLU improves placement record with lpos air law firms as faculty fumbles figures
5. CNLU calls off hunger strike after three recruiters visit campus

HNLU Raipur

1. HNLU 2015 batch wins jobs for 58 students out of 146 3 cyril amarchand trilegal wadia g 2 khaitan
2. HNLU placement 2014
3. HNLU 2013 final recruitments
4. 12 jobs 0 law firms turn up at HNLUs abhanpur campus
5. HNLU Raipur batch innovates via ppos to negate location for 75 desk jobs
6. HNLU recruitment edges up to 61 azb other top firms swear by school

GNLU Gandhinagar

1. GNLU bags 24 top tier biglaw jobs after its day zero yesterday as amarchand hires 12 to overtake khaitan as biggest day zero hirer
2. GNLU keeps placement statistics secret
3. GNLU ’ s secret day zero
4. more desk jobs amarchand offers for GNLUs mammoth batch than NLS NALSAR

JGLS Sonepat

1. JGLS recruitment 2014
2. jindal global law school scores 91 per cent jobs for miniature first batch of 23

NLU Jodhpur

1. NLU Jodhpur 48 jobs for class of 87
2. 12 day zero offers for NLU Jodhpur
3. NLU Jodhpur 45 final years get jobs as 4th years place 14 on day zero
4. all NLU Jodhpur finalists find jobs law firms lpos take half ashurst one

AIL MOHALI

1. AIL Mohali places 35 out of 80 2014 grads

RGNUL Patiala

1. RGNUL places 6 out of 70 in 2014 graduate class
2. one fifth of RGNUL Patiala final year with jobs
3. RGNUL Patiala 2nd batch 53 jobs most in court 20 in law firms
4. first jobs for current RGNUL Patiala grads after new vc tackles admin delays

NUALS Kochi

1. Nuals Kochi 26 out of 65 find jobs
2. Nuals Kochis national maiden batch 24 non lit 7 foreign llm 4 senior lit

RMLNLU Lucknow

1. RMLNLU Lucknow 45 out of 150 placed
2. RMLNLU brings down class size ups placements NUJS NLIU
3. 32 lohiyan 2012 graduates find jobs as RMLNLU batch doubles to 154
4. RMLNLU debut batch opts for bench amarchand icici recruit most

ILS PUNE

1. ILS Pune placements go from 100 to 19 per cent in 4 years

CHRIST Bangalore

1. ppos save placement record as Christ laws 2nd graduating batch hosts fewer law firms
2. Christ college bootstraps first batch placements attracts mix of recruiters

AMITY

1. Amity law school delhi grads score 44 law firm jobs 15 lpo

GLC Mumbai

1. Classical recruitment mix at GLC Mumbai with bar solicitors llms 50 desk jobs