Inhouse Salary of Tier 1 NLU Grads

Salary of NLU Graduates from Tier 1 Law Schools

“The art is not in making money, but in keeping it.” – Proverb

This Article was first published on Quora in July 2022. This is a reproduction of the same article.

The salary of a Law graduate from tier 1 law colleges (NLSIU, NALSAR, NLU DELHI, NUJS) are usually featured in leading newspapers to almost everyone's delight and envy of some! Well, these announcements usually gloss over details of fixed salary/gross salary and variable/ bonus pay and only focus on the total package.

For example, from 2020 and 2021 placement offers we know, India's premier law firms like L&L Partners offers 16 Lakhs per annum package. Whereas Trilegal offers15.4 Lakhs pa.However, their variable pay is inclusive anywhere between 1.4 to 2.5 lakhs pa.

Some of the other top law firms in India like AZB & Partners offers 16.3 Lakhs pa with variable of 2.5 lakhs pa.

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas 15 Lakhs per annum with variable pay of 1.5 lakhs pa.

Saraf & Partners pays 16 Lakhs pa in total whereas Khaitan & Co 16.2 Lakhs pa with 1.5 lakhs variable.

Here are recent placements from the top law schools in India, which are publicly available:

NALSAR Hyderabad 2021: Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas was the biggest hirer, recruiting 8 NALSAR students. Trilegal and Khaitan & Co made 7 hires each, while AZB & Partners made 5 hires.

NUJS Kolkata 2021: Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas was the biggest recruiter, hiring a total of 13 students. Trilegal and L&L Partners both recruited 8 students, while 7 graduates were hired by Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Khaitan & Co recruited 6 students

NLSIU Bangalore 2020: L&L Partners was the biggest hirer, recruiting 12 NLSIU students. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Trilegal made 7 hires each, while Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas made 6. Khaitan & Co made 3 hires, while 2 students were hired by AZB & Partners.

NLU DELHI 2020: Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas made the most number of hires, with 8. Khaitan & Co and AZB & Partners made 3 hires each. Trilegal and L&L Partners hired 2 students each.

Now to answer your question, which is regarding the in-hand salary i.e take home salary that will be decided on a formula followed by each law firm's Human Resources Department based on the fact that as an associate, you will be on a retainer and not directly employed by the law firm. Typically Take Home Salary is calculated by deducting Income Tax, Professional Tax etc. from Gross Salary. After deductions as mentioned above your take home could be roughly between ₹98,000 to ₹83,000 per month.

If you get placed in a law firm, your Gross Salary with be as follows at leading law firms in India:

1. L&L Partners 13.8 Lakhs per annum
2. Trilegal 13.2 Lakhs per annum
3. AZB 13.8 Lakhs per annum
4. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas 13.5 Lakhs per annum
5. Saraf & Partners 13.8 Lakhs per annum
6. Khaitan & Co 14.4 Lakhs per annum

Hope this is helpful