In the legal ecosystem, whether in High Court or district courts chambers, litigation firms, Supreme Court seniors, or corporate law offices, internships are meant to be rigorous but educational. However, many chambers exploit the oversupply of law students, turning internships into unpaid labour under the guise of “exposure.”

Here are 15 solid, unmistakable red flags. If you spot 5 or more, the chamber is likely toxic and harmful to your growth.

 1. No stipend/stipend promised but never paid 

While seniors earn lakhs per appearance, juniors from middle-class struggle with rent, food, etc. Many depend on parents even after paying a hefty amount of fees (sometimes even in lakhs) in law school and get nothing in return for months. During the interview, a stipend (₹5,000–15,000) is promised with the line “increments will be as per your performance”. But once you join, it’s delayed indefinitely with excuses like “client hasn’t paid,” “next month pakka".

2. Extremely low/delayed payment

Some boutique law firms or small law offices even lure the fresh law graduates by showing them the tag of “stipend available” at the time of recruitment. But when these freshers actually join the chamber, they get nothing more than peanuts. Advocates who have their offices at the poshest areas of the city and own multiple luxury cars seems reluctant to even pay a little amount of 10,000 rupees to their juniors.

3. High intern turnover every month 

New interns arrive every 20–30 days because previous interns leave silently after facing exploitation. No intern voluntarily extending their stint or returning is a major warning sign.

4. No proper mentorship or guidance

Files are thrown at you the last minute without enough time to read, no discussion, then you are shouted at for errors. Juniors are left to sink or swim, with no structured learning. Withholding information, not sharing full case file/updates in another red flag.

5. Certificate withheld or delayed

At the end of your tenure, the certificate is not issued unless you agree to extra unpaid weeks, write a glowing (often fake) LinkedIn/Google review, or bring the next batch of interns.

6. Zero meaningful work or learning 

95% of your time spent on photocopying, binding bundles, stitching files, picking up dry-cleaning, or making tea/coffee. Actual legal work, drafting, research, case analysis, court attendance is reserved only for “favourites” or those with connections.

7. Unreasonable timings with no boundaries 

Expected to reach by 9 AM and stay till 10–11 PM regularly, including on weekends and holidays like Diwali or Holi. Seniors send research tasks on WhatsApp at midnight with “urgent – court tomorrow” deadlines, treating interns as 24/7 free labour.

8. Public shaming and ego-driven criticism 

Seniors tear apart your research or drafts in open office, often shouting, using sarcastic phrases. Mistakes are ridiculed personally rather than corrected professionally.

9. Favouritism based on college, connections or background 

Interns from NLUs, or those related to judges/advocates get prime court exposure and recommendations while on the other hand, students from state universities or without “references” are treated as glorified peons. It’s not so usual for a first-year law student to intern at Tier 1 or 2 law firms, but if you have a direct connection to any of the senior partners, you have a clear green signal to rock the prestige of interning there.

10. Complete dismissal of work-life balance and health 

Taking leave for exams, family emergencies, or illness is met with sarcasm. Mental health or burnout complaints are mocked as weakness. Dedication doesn’t mean that one have to be a slave to the job or to the master, it means you have to be loyal to your work.

11. Gut-level anxiety and Ddread 

You feel constant stress about making mistakes, dread checking chamber WhatsApp groups, lose sleep over unfinished late-night task, and count the days until the internship ends rather than feeling motivated to learn.

12. Passive aggressive behaviour/silent treatment

Juniors are told to observe and learn, but from the plethora of activities including court proceedings, filing procedures, legal conversations, etc, no senior tells what to pay attention to. No direct feedback, just sarcasm or ignoring you for days after a mistake. Juniors are left guessing what went wrong, and live with the constant stress of walking on eggshells.

13. Personal errands

Fetching chai, food, dry cleaning, dropping kids — under "loyalty" or "teamwork" excuse. Blurs professional/domestic lines, especially with clerks/juniors.

14. Backbiting and politics 

Who favours whom? Who is the favourite? Who gets more heavy cheque? Offices filled with these types of conversations are not ideally a good place to learn and improve yourself as a student of law. Also, the law chambers headed by so-called advocates-cum-politicians are a no-go place for the intellectual enthusiasts of law.

15. Normalising it as tradition  

Many seniors were themselves mistreated as juniors (no pay, worked endless hours), so they normalise it with phrases like "This is how I learned; it's tradition."

A demanding chamber will push you hard, but teach you skills and ethics. A toxic one will drain you while giving nothing in return. Trust these signs, they’re widespread for a reason. Protect your time and mental health. Good people leave; only those who tolerate (or have no choice) stay and the toxicity continues to shift from one generation to the next in the profession.

Sheraz Alam is a final year LL.B. student at the Faculty of Law, Delhi University.

Disclaimer from author: This is only meant as feedback, kindly don’t take it personally.