I am currently in my second year of law school. I started pursuing litigation internships from my first year, but I come from a non-legal family and do not have any family background or established network in the profession. Because of this, I am concerned about whether I will be able to build a sustainable career in litigation, particularly in the initial years when having guidance and professional connections can be important.
I have therefore started exploring corporate law as an alternative career path. I recently interned at the NCLAT and found work relating to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) particularly interesting, which has made me consider pursuing this area more seriously.
Since I still have several years before graduation, I want to use this time to build a strong foundation in corporate law and IBC and choose internships that will help me develop a relevant profile. My long-term goal would be to secure a position at a good Tier-2 or Tier-3 law firm after graduation.
What should I read or study to build a strong foundation in corporate law and IBC, and what kind of internships should I target from now onwards to build the right experience and improve my chances of securing a good corporate law job after graduation?
Dear Mentee,
Thank you for reaching out with your query.
Lets see how we can view the IBC practice and Corporate Law practice as you have asked. These get clubbed together but they are not the same thing. Corporate law, the way most firms use the term, means M&A, PE/VC deals, due diligence, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, competition law filings, FEMA compliance. It is mostly transactional work, you negotiate and draft, you don’t stand up in a tribunal. IBC is much closer to litigation. You appear before NCLT and NCLAT, file applications, contest admissions, fight over resolution plans and avoidance transactions. It has its own procedure and its own rhythm. A lot of good IBC lawyers actually come from a pure litigation background, not a corporate one. So when you say you want “corporate law and IBC,” know that you are pointing at two different skill sets that happen to sit next to each other. That’s fine, just don’t assume they’re the same road.
While I understand the niche you are trying to achieve and get into, I would personally not suggest that you lock in your target for the IBC practice so early on in your career. IBC is a fairly niche area, even within litigation circles, and second year is too soon to narrow down this much. Keep following your interest in it, but also explore other areas that are opening up right now, like competition law, regulatory and compliance work, and general corporate. Staying too narrow this early just limits your options later. You can always specialise in your 4th or 5th year once you’ve actually sampled a few areas and know what you like. While I say this, if you genuinely do feel like you want to follow through with this, I would always suggest you go for it.
What to read and study
- Take whatever electives your college offers that are close to this, like Company Law or Insolvency Law.
- Read the bare IBC Act itself, and keep up with amendments because this law changes often.
- Just this year, in April 2026, Parliament passed a major amendment to the IBC. It brought in a new creditor-initiated resolution process called CIIRP. Know developments like this well, it comes up in interviews and shows you’re actually following the space, not just repeating textbook IBC.
- LinkedIn is genuinely useful for this. Law firms put out client alerts, case notes and short articles that are more current and easier to read than any textbook.
- Follow NCLT, NCLAT, and Supreme Court judgments through sources like Live Law, Bar and Bench, IBC Laws, and SCC Online.
- Go to panel discussions and webinars when you can. IBBI and INSOL India run these regularly, and they’re also a good way to start putting faces to names in the field.
What internships to target
Don’t confuse a firm that “also does IBC” with a firm or chamber that actually focuses on it, most law firms treat IBC as just one vertical among many. What you actually want, over the next couple of years, is to intern with chambers or senior advocates who are regularly in NCLT and NCLAT, people representing RPs, creditors, or resolution applicants. You already have a foot in the door through your NCLAT internship, so use that to figure out names and reach out directly. Keep your earlier years broad, do both general corporate and litigation internships. Closer to your pre-final or final year, start applying specifically to Tier 2 or Tier 3 firms that have a dedicated restructuring or insolvency team.
What actually gets you placed is the depth of what you’ve done and who you’ve learned from, not how many internships are sitting on your CV.
I hope that this has helped, please reach out whenever in case of any clarifications or further guidance.
