In just four years, Saraf and Partners has done what very few law firms manage in a decade | built a nationally recognised, rankings-dominant, multi-office presence from a standing start. For law students and young lawyers thinking about where to begin or grow their career, Saraf and Partners represents something genuinely rare: the energy and ambition of a startup, backed by the depth and institutional credibility of a firm that carries close to three decades of predecessor experience.
This guide covers everything you need to know about a career at Saraf and Partners | the firm's identity, how it is structured, what practice areas it excels in, how recruitment works, what to expect as an associate, and the practical steps to get in.
§ 01 · Firm OverviewWho Is Saraf and Partners?
A firm born from a split, sharpened by ambition | and already occupying a permanent place in India's top-tier legal market.
Saraf and Partners was founded in 2021 by Mohit Saraf, a lawyer with close to three decades of experience in Corporate & M&A, Capital Markets, Banking & Finance, Projects, Infrastructure & Energy, and Restructuring & Insolvency. The firm emerged following the split of L&L Partners, formerly known as Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, one of India's most established full-service firms. Saraf and Partners carries forward the institutional knowledge, client relationships, and expertise of that predecessor while building something distinctly its own.
The firm describes its philosophy as "Smart Law, Smarter Outcomes" | a commitment to combining rigorous legal expertise with commercial clarity, technology-enabled processes, and a forward-thinking client-service model. This is not a legacy firm running on inherited gravity; it is a firm actively building, hiring aggressively, expanding geographically, and winning mandates in competition with established market leaders.
The firm's ownership structure is a deliberate departure from many legacy Indian law firms. Mohit Saraf's founding equity is capped at thirty-three percent, with future dilution built in as the firm grows | making it one of the most genuinely partner-inclusive Indian firms from a governance standpoint.
§ 02 · OfficesPan-India Presence
Saraf and Partners has strategically expanded its physical presence to cover India's four major legal and commercial hubs. Each office has its own team composition and practice strengths, though cross-office collaboration on large mandates is standard.
Primary office for Corporate, Capital Markets, Projects, Infrastructure & Energy, and Regulatory work
Finance & Capital Markets, Banking, M&A transactions, Dispute Resolution
Technology, Fintech, TMT, Corporate, Employment law | relocated to expanded space in February 2024
Expanding presence in South India; life sciences, real estate, general corporate
Geographic Strategy: Saraf and Partners' expansion into Hyderabad and the relocation to a larger Bengaluru office in early 2024 are deliberate moves to capture South India's fast-growing technology and life sciences legal market. For candidates from Southern NLUs, these offices represent a growing pipeline of career opportunity that didn't exist just two years ago.
§ 03 · Practice AreasWhat Saraf and Partners Does
Saraf and Partners is a full-service law firm | meaning it offers legal services across the full spectrum of commercial law. However, certain practice areas represent particular strengths, institutional depth, and external recognition.
Chambers & Partners Rankings
The firm is consistently recognised in the Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific and Chambers Global guides. Founder Mohit Saraf has been consecutively ranked as an 'Eminent Practitioner' for Corporate & M&A, Projects & Infrastructure, and Restructuring & Insolvency from 2012 through 2025 in the Chambers & Partners Global Guide. He is also recognised as a 'Litigation Star' by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2025 and a 'Stand Out Lawyer' by Thomson Reuters.
"Since the team has worked across all sectors and most of the big players, apart from domain knowledge, Saraf & Partners has commercial knowledge which helps in terms of excellent structuring of the transaction."
| Client Feedback, Chambers & Partners
Key Transactions on Record
| Deal / Matter | Nature | Practice Area |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) IPO | Counsel to IREDA on fresh issue + offer for sale; promoter: President of India (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) | Capital Markets |
| Viatris API Business Divestment | Advised Viatris on demerger and divestment of active pharmaceutical ingredients business in India to Iquest Enterprises | Corporate M&A |
| Daiichi Stake Sale in Sun Pharmaceuticals | Predecessor-era: screen-based trading platform transaction; described as the largest of its kind in India | Capital Markets |
| Government of India ONGC Stake Sale | Predecessor-era: GoI stake sale through stock exchange mechanism | first of its kind in India | Capital Markets |
| First Indian REIT Listed on Singapore Exchange | Listing of Indian REIT on SGX | first of its kind cross-border REIT structure | Cross-Border |
| GoI Exchange Trade Fund | Structuring of the first GoI ETF product | first of its kind in India | Capital Markets |
§ 04 · Career PathsHow Careers Are Built at Saraf and Partners
A growing firm means a faster-moving hierarchy | associate-to-counsel and counsel-to-partner timelines are compressed compared to older, larger firms with denser pipelines.
Saraf and Partners offers career tracks across two main entry points | campus recruitment and lateral hiring | with internship-to-PPO conversions being the most strategic route for law students. Given the firm's rapid expansion, internal mobility across offices and practice areas is more common than at established Tier-1 firms with entrenched siloes.
| Level | Profile | Expected Salary Range | Typical Route In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern / Trainee | Law student (Yr 2–5), any practice area | Stipend-based (varies by office) | Direct application via sarafpartners.com |
| Junior Associate (Fresher) | NLU / recognised law school graduate, 0–1 year PQE | ₹10–18 LPA | Campus placement (Day Zero / Day One), PPO |
| Associate | 1–4 years PQE, growing deal / case responsibility | ₹15–25 LPA | Campus + lateral hiring |
| Senior Associate | 4–7 years PQE, team leadership, client exposure | Up to ₹29 LPA | Internal promotion + lateral |
| Counsel | 7–10 years PQE, practice head level expertise | ₹35–55 LPA+ | Internal promotion |
| Partner | 10+ years PQE, business development, firm governance | Market-leading | Internal track + lateral partners |
Fast-Track Opportunity: Because Saraf and Partners is a young, expanding firm, the internal competition for promotion is less entrenched than at a 30-year-old firm with multiple cohorts above you. Associates who perform strongly and show business development instincts have moved to senior associate and counsel designations faster than market average. This is an important differentiator for high-performing young lawyers choosing between established incumbents and a firm that actively needs to build its next generation of leadership.
§ 05 · RecruitmentHow to Get Into Saraf and Partners
There are four primary pathways into a career at Saraf and Partners. Understanding which pathway fits your profile | and how to navigate each | is the most important planning decision you will make as a law student or young associate targeting this firm.
Saraf and Partners participates in campus recruitment at top NLUs, including NLU Jodhpur (confirmed recruiter), NALSAR, NUJS, and others. Day Zero placement typically occurs in August–October of the graduating year. The firm has recruited six students from NLU Jodhpur's Batch of 2025 during Day Zero recruitment, placing it among the active Tier-1/2 recruiters for NLU graduates alongside firms like Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Khaitan & Co., and Trilegal.
Converting a summer or winter internship into a PPO is the most strategic entry route at Saraf and Partners. The firm has extended PPOs to interns from NLU Odisha, NLU Jodhpur, and other NLUs. Top interns who demonstrate substantive legal skill, initiative, and cultural fit are offered full-time positions before the formal placement season begins. This route bypasses the competitive campus placement process and gives you an offer secured 6–12 months ahead of your peers.
Saraf and Partners accepts applications through its official website (sarafpartners.com) and via direct email to its recruitment team. Off-campus applications are evaluated based on academic record, law school, internship experience, moot court achievements, and law review/journal involvement. For graduates from non-NLU institutions, this is the primary pathway in, and a differentiated academic record plus strong internship experience significantly improves chances.
As the firm expands into new practice areas and geographies, lateral hiring of experienced associates (3–8 years PQE) from other Tier-1 and Tier-2 firms is an active and recurring process. The firm has welcomed lateral partners and their entire teams | a signal that it actively acquires established practices, not just individuals. Lateral hiring is managed through direct outreach and headhunting agencies.
§ 06 · InternshipsInterning at Saraf and Partners
Internships at Saraf and Partners are a substantive entry point | not a box-ticking exercise. Given the firm's ambition and transaction volume, interns who join at the right time are exposed to live deal work, research on high-stakes matters, and interaction with senior associates and partners on active matters.
What to Expect as an Intern
Interns at Saraf and Partners typically work in a single practice group during their internship (Corporate/M&A, Capital Markets, Disputes, Insolvency, or Employment being the most common). The work includes legal research memoranda on live matters, drafting support on client documents, attending court and NCLT proceedings (for litigation practice), and attending internal meetings and knowledge sessions. The firm has hosted interns in its Corporate Communications team as well, with a stipend reported at approximately ₹20,000 per month.
Internship Application Process
Applications for internships should be submitted via the firm's official website at sarafpartners.com through the Careers section, or by direct email to the firm's recruitment team. The application should include a cover letter specifying your preferred practice area and office, your CV/resume, and your academic transcript. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; however, positions fill up for summer and winter periods well in advance. Apply 3–4 months before your intended internship window.
PPO Strategy: To maximise your chance of a PPO, choose an internship during a busy transactional period (typically March–July or October–January), demonstrate initiative beyond the assigned work, develop a genuine understanding of your practice group's client base, and express your interest in joining full-time clearly and early. Firms value interns who self-select | stating clearly that you want to return signals commitment that generically excellent work alone cannot.
§ 07 · Skills & ProfileWhat Saraf and Partners Looks For
Based on the firm's stated values, client feedback, and publicly available recruitment patterns, a strong candidate profile for Saraf and Partners includes the following attributes.
Academic and Institutional Background
The firm has a strong preference for graduates from top NLUs | particularly NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, NLU Delhi (AILET), NUJS Kolkata, and NLU Jodhpur. However, candidates from other recognised law schools with exceptional academic records, strong internship experience, and demonstrated research capability are considered. The firm operates in highly competitive transactional and disputes markets; academic credentials are used as a first filter to manage the volume of applications.
Core Legal Skills
Soft Skills and Cultural Fit
Saraf and Partners describes itself as a firm built on clarity, integrity, and an understanding of real-world business needs. For an associate, this translates to: the ability to communicate legal advice in plain, commercially useful terms; the reliability to meet tight transactional deadlines; and the judgment to raise issues proactively rather than waiting to be directed. The firm's rapid growth means associates quickly take on responsibility | candidates who are comfortable with ambiguity and can operate with initiative in a fast-moving environment are well-suited to the culture.
§ 08 · Rankings & RecognitionHow the Market Sees the Firm
For any serious law student or lateral hire, a firm's external recognition by independent ranking bodies is meaningful signal | not because rankings capture everything, but because they reflect the independent assessment of clients and peers about the quality and consistency of a firm's work.
| Ranking Body | Recognition Area | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Chambers & Partners (Asia-Pacific) | Corporate & M&A, Capital Markets, Projects & Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency | Ranked |
| Chambers & Partners (Global) | Corporate & M&A | Ranked |
| Legal 500 (Asia-Pacific) | Corporate & M&A, Capital Markets | Ranked |
| IFLR1000 | Banking & Finance, Capital Markets, M&A | Recognised |
| AsiaLaw | Multiple practice areas | Recognised |
| Benchmark Litigation (Asia-Pacific) | Dispute Resolution; Mohit Saraf recognised as 'Litigation Star' (2025) | Recognised |
| Asian Legal Business | Firm-level recognition | Recognised |
| Thomson Reuters | Mohit Saraf recognised as 'Stand Out Lawyer' | Recognised |
The consistency of recognition across multiple independent platforms | Chambers, Legal 500, IFLR, Benchmark Litigation, AsiaLaw | in the firm's first four years of existence is a significant achievement. Most law firms take a decade or more to establish multi-publication rankings coverage. This trajectory signals that Saraf and Partners is being treated by the market as a permanent, credible institution rather than a transitional firm formed from a split.
§ 09 · Beyond the WorkCSR, Scholarship & Institutional Engagement
Saraf and Partners has invested in community engagement and legal education support since its founding. The firm has sponsored the Delhi Athletics State Championship 2024, organised by Upasana Special School (recognised by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi) in collaboration with Special Olympics Bharat | a programme that provides education and therapy for children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and hearing impairments.
On the legal education front, the firm has partnered with a prominent Indian law school to launch a "Legal Scholarship and Annual Lecture Series", designed to support aspiring legal professionals. Partners from the firm regularly deliver knowledge sessions at law schools and institutions across the country. These engagements also represent practical networking opportunities for law students | attending Saraf and Partners lectures, workshops, or competitions at your law school is a legitimate and underused way to make a first impression with the firm's senior lawyers.
Scholarship Note: The firm's Legal Scholarship programme is one of the few law firm-backed scholarship initiatives in India. If your law school has a relationship with Saraf and Partners, watch your institution's notice boards carefully | application windows for such programmes are often short and under-publicised. Being a scholarship recipient from a firm creates a natural recruitment conversation.
§ 10 · StrategyHow to Build a Winning Application
Getting into Saraf and Partners | whether through campus placement, PPO conversion, or direct application | requires deliberate preparation. These are the most effective strategies, drawn from the firm's visible recruitment patterns and stated values.
Saraf and Partners is not looking for generalists in its core hiring. Know which practice area you are targeting | Corporate/M&A, Capital Markets, Disputes, or Insolvency | and build your internship record, coursework, and mooting/journal portfolio around that area. A candidate who can say "I want to join the Capital Markets team and here is why" is far more compelling than one who says "I am interested in all aspects of law."
Prior internship experience at other Tier-1 or reputable Tier-2 firms signals that you can handle the pace and standards of sophisticated commercial legal work. Firms like Saraf and Partners know that students who have done substantive work elsewhere require less initial training. Even one strong 4–6 week internship at a recognised firm in a relevant practice area significantly strengthens your application.
Saraf and Partners publishes client alerts, legal updates, and participates in industry seminars. Reading and engaging with these materials | and demonstrating in interviews or cover letters that you understand the firm's current practice and market position | differentiates you from candidates who send generic applications. Mention specific matters or regulatory developments that the firm has been working on.
The most common mistake law students make with law firm applications is applying too late and too broadly. For summer internships at Saraf and Partners, apply by December–January for the June–July window. For winter internships, apply by August–September for the December–January window. Always specify your preferred office, preferred practice area, and the duration you are available. Generic applications without office or practice preferences are treated as lower priority.