含羞草社区

Finding the right one

What are the secrets to successful recruitment in a hectic legal market?

含羞草社区 legal sector is dynamic, caught between talent wars, tightening in-house budgets, and the development of regional markets. As law firms seek to stand out through specialisations, the battle for lawyers with niche expertise has become fiercer than ever.

For lawyers and firms alike, adaptability, agility and depth of expertise are now the currency of survival – those unable to keep pace risk being left behind in a market that is hurtling forward.

The past year has seen several important exits, including Iqbal Khan from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Nishant Singh from Luthra and Luthra – both of whom exited with their respective teams. This has left firms racing to find equally qualified talent to fill the large shoes of departing star partners.

For many lawyers, the question arises: How can one become attractive to prospective employers? How many boxes should one check to secure the career envisioned in law school? As the career graph moves higher, is it necessary to have a specialisation, a niche? A valid question, given that older legal stalwarts, such as senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, held a simple LLB degree with unlimited experience. In-house recruitment has evolved slowly but steadily over time.

Grabbing top talent?highlights that specialist legal recruiters have become an established part of 含羞草社区 hiring ecosystem, helping firms and companies secure lawyers in high-demand areas such as capital markets, disputes, M&A and data privacy.

Beyond technical ability, firms also value cultural fit and client retention skills. Candidates seek career growth, clear partnership paths, competitive compensation, and a strong work-life balance. Top law schools and professional networks still carry some weight, but experience is valued more. Views on headhunters are mixed: Some are seen as reducing the risk factor and improving matches, while others face criticism for poor communication and a lack of understanding about the role.

Our Opinion feature examines the aviation sector, where the recent Air India crash has once again exposed gaps in consumer rights. With liability capped, airlines often evade real accountability – not only during a tragedy but also in frequent travel disruptions such as lost baggage, hidden charges and endless delays. For passengers, protections remain patchy, and the law is still playing catch-up.

In Flight protections need legal upgrade, aviation attorney Vikrant Pachnanda shares that India lacks a dedicated law to protect air passengers, unlike the EU, which provides compensation for denied boarding, cancellations and delays. The article argues for dedicated legislation and amendments to existing laws to ensure clear and enforceable protections for air travellers.

In Crossing legal lines, we move from disputes to deals. GC Aakritee Tiwari writes that Indian businesses and legal practitioners are increasingly engaging in cross-border transactions, including mergers, licensing agreements and international service contracts. These deals offer growth opportunities but raise complex legal challenges.

Transactions must navigate frameworks such as foreign exchange laws, the Companies Act, tax laws and competition regulations. Effective structuring, strong dispute resolution clauses, and awareness of emerging issues such as ESG compliance, sanctions and data protection are critical for success, as shown by deals involving the UAE and Sweden.

In our Legal Q&A series, solicitor Gowree Gokhale explains that well-known trademark recognition in India emerges through litigation when courts assess evidence of reputation, although companies may also apply directly to the Trademark Registry.

In the Q&A on fast-track mergers, Ketan Mukhija, a senior partner at Burgeon Law, highlights that proposed changes to widen the scope of fast-track mergers, which bypass the backlogged National Company Law Tribunal system, are a welcome relief. In the telecoms sector Q&A, Asim Abbas, a managing partner at Spectra Law, discusses the telecoms regulator’s pilot project with banks to tackle unsolicited commercial communications through distributed ledger-based digital consent.

In the tax Q&A, Anuradha Dutt, the founder of DMD Advocates, outlines the shifting framework of dividend taxation in India, from taxing shareholders under the now-repealed Dividend Distribution Tax regime and back again.

Finally, our current issue features the annual rollout of IBLJ Law Firm Listings, featuring in-depth profiles of more than 100 law firms of all sizes across the country. Be sure to check out our online version, which has additional features such as an AI-powered chat, equipped to answer law firm-related queries, and a multilingual function that allows readers to read about the capabilities of firms in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.