The Idée Fixe of Corporate Jobs in India: The Institutional Change in Legal Education and the Different Factors for the Shift

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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.