I always dreamt of being a part of the big law firms like Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas (SAM), Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM), Khaitan & Co. (KCO), Luthra and,Luthra, AZB, Trilegal, LakshmiKumaran and Sridharan (L&S).

Most law students and lawyers dream of working at the big law firms one day. To be part of the legacy is almost a rite of passage. It helps you know that you are headed in the right direction. But they are selective in their membership.

I was clueless as to how to go about it. I sent emails with my CV and cover letter, but never had any luck. It left me questioning what could I have done more or properly to bag that internship or job in the big law firms.

I had decent grades, I’d interned at the Supreme Court, High Court, with NGOs, etc. I had done mooting and even won one. I had not written any research papers, but how much can that add up to? As it turns out, a lot! I never knew the power of writing a research paper until very recently. It is one of the easiest way to show your skill set and domain knowledge to prospective employers!

So how do you get a job at the big law?

These firms hire through campus placements, pre-placement offers based on internships and lateral hiring. So what do you need to have on your CV that would allow you to make it through the golden gates? What do you need to learn and focus on – skill sets or areas of law?

According to an interview of Kriti Kalyani who had worked with LKS for over two years, she applied for a summer internship with LKS via email and got through. Her prior internship stint at Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) helped her secure the internship. She explains further that how crucial the presentations of the interns was for a future with the organisation. She made a thorough presentation of chronological judicial pronouncements with a pattern of mindset of the judges in different forum. At LKS, the presentation was well liked and it resulted in getting her a call back.

I asked around people regarding landing jobs at these firms, read SuperLawyer interviews and came up with the following mantra:

# How to get an internship and convert them into PPOs

I used to struggle getting the internships of my choice. I must have applied a dozen times to the big law firms. I had above average grades, co-curricular activities, but I never got through. What was it that I was doing wrong?

Going through the interview of Anish Jaipuriar, I learnt that he did multiple internships with KCO. Thereafter, he applied for a position and was shortlisted for an interview. After a couple of rounds of interview with KCO, he secured his PPO!

So what had he done differently from the rest?

First and foremost, interning multiple times with the same law firm helps build trust and demonstrates an interest in the organisation. Thereafter, according to Anish, he did prepare his CV well and knew everything related to the information therein. He also read basics of the company law which was an important area of questioning for him.

What do you do in an internship to set you apart from the rest?

According to Anish, punctuality and dedication to the work goes a long way in creating an impression. You must seek out meaningful work from the associates. But that also means doing the small tasks exceptionally well first. Most people will put all their energies in meaningful work. But the ones who show the same level of integrity in small tasks, get noticed.That helps you to be entrusted with the meaningful work.

So to break down, he focused on his multiple internships and did the tasks at hand well. Then he read the relevant areas of law he was interested to work in. Thereafter, he prepared his CV well enough for questioning. This way he bagged the PPO with focused work and attention to details.

# How to build your CV

How does one build their CV to get the recruiters attention and a callback?

Harshita Khurana, has worked with SAM and is presently working with KCO. In her interview, she gave some advice on CV building. A CV is a candidate’s first impression, so it has to be the best possible one. You need decent grades, a diverse range of internships, moots, publications, etc. But more importantly your CV should clearly indicate your area of interest. It cannot be a mixed bag of areas of interest. An internship with in family law and an IPR moot might showcase diverse interest, but on your CV it may look confusing. Your publications should also be on the relevant areas of your interest.

The point is everything on your CV should be there for a reason and build up to the fact that you’re the perfect candidate for the position. So curate it accordingly to ensure a call back.

# How to ace your interview

I never interviewed well. The ones where I thought I aced it, I was not selected. And the ones where I thought that I have surely failed, I managed getting the job. So what is the key to acing the interview?

According to Harshita, for an interview, just study the organisation well and be yourself. Do not settle for anything that’s not your forte or not a part of your plan.

Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, iPleaders, shares his insights in an article about What Area of Law Should I Focus on to Get a Sureshot Job at a Law Firm? He mentions that what kind of questions he was asked during his placement interviews.

They mostly were a variation of the question, ‘What is your favourite area of law?’

So you must know the about the area of laws that you want to work in, for the foreseeable future with the law firm. The questions can be from any aspect of the focus area, so you must be well-prepared to answer them.

You could be interested in tax laws, media laws, M&A law, cyber laws, business laws, company laws, labour laws, etc. But you must know and have demonstrated skills in the area and your CV. You may have done internships, moots, diploma courses, publications, etc which adds value to your profile in the domain.

Kriti shares her senior’s advice for interviews. One needs to prepare the CV well, which includes reading up on all recent changes in the topics you did years ago. Kriti also brushed up on her area of interest – tax basics. She was also asked basic accounting questions from 12th standard. So the questions can basically be from any aspect of your CV. Therefore you must know it like the back of your hand. The interview techniques vary based on the interviewer. So you can only do so much.  For the rest, just be confident and trust all that you have learnt in five years of law school!

So to sum it all up, apply for internships in the law firms and follow-up. Then work dedicatedly on all assignments, impress superiors with your work. Build your CV to reflect the relevant area of focus and know it well. And last but not the least know about of your area of law and CV well to ace your interviews!

Hope you learn from my mistakes and newly learnt insights from the successful candidates.

Good luck!