The Idée Fixe of Corporate Jobs in India: The Institutional Change in Legal Education and the Different Factors for the Shift
| Date | 01 January 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/23220058211039418 |
| Published date | 01 January 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
The Idée Fixe of Corporate Jobs
in India: The Institutional
Change in Legal Education and
the Different Factors for the Shift
Harsh Mahaseth1 and Sanchita Makhija 2
Abstract
The rise of the corporate sector in the legal profession is a phenomenon which has been accompanied
by a rising popularity of the legal profession. The legal profession from being a mere ‘backup’ option has
transformed into a lucrative avenue which students are choosing to opt for willingly that is, the profession
has gained the attention of students as a worthwhile career option. There is a web of factors which is
propelling this trend in India. These factors include the increasing standards of legal education in India, and
the establishment of the first National Law University in Bangalore in 1986. NLSIU’s polished and premium
education standards set the ball rolling for National Law Universities which were established following its
example. The legal profession took centre-stage and provided that option to the students. The allure of a
corporate job where they could earn lakhs and climb hierarchies in order to earn more proved to be an
effective potential reward for this new generation of students. This change in the prioritization of an entire
generation resulted in the NLUs re-orienting their curriculum to offer the best corporate conditioning to
these young aspiring lawyers. The initial idea of focusing on improving the litigation standards of the country
was effectively discarded and it was replaced with an active pursuit of producing a corporate culture in law
schools. This article will look at the institutional change, the factors affecting this shift in legal education, and
concludes by identifying both positive and negative factors due to this shift.
Introduction
Corporate law ‘is the practice area of lawyers who advise corporations and their ofcers, directors and
controlling shareholders with respect to the formation, governance and day-to-day legal problems
of such entities.’3 The Indian legal sector has seen an increase in the number of corporate law rms.4
1 Lecturer, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
2 Student, Hidayatullah National Law University, Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.
3 Joseph W. Armbrust & Sidley Austin, Corporate law, Best Law Firms - US News & World Report, available at https://
bestlawfirms.usnews.com/corporate-law/overview.
4 J. GinGerich & n. robinson, respondinG to the Market: the iMpact of the rise of corporate Law firMs on eLite LeGaL
education in india 219–547 (2017).
Asian Journal of Legal Education
9(1) 99–113, 2022
© 2021 The West Bengal National
University of Juridical Sciences
Reprints and permissions:
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DOI: 10.1177/23220058211039418
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Corresponding author:
Harsh Mahaseth, Lecturer, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Narela Road Near
Jagdishpur village Sonipat, Haryana 131001, NCR of Delhi, India.
E-mails: hmahaseth@jgu.edu.in; harshmahaseth95@gmail.com
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