Job Opportunity: Research Law Assistant At High Court, Madras

Table of Contents

• Post, tenure, vacancies and stipend
• Eligibility criteria
• Educational qualification
• Recency of law degree
• Disqualifications
• Role and key responsibilities
• Application process and deadline
• Mode and address
• Last date and instructions
• Selection procedure
• Why this role is valuable
• Quick reference table

High Court of Madras has invited applications for 28 Research Law Assistant posts to assist Hon’ble Judges at the Principal Seat (Chennai) and Madurai Bench on an ad hoc basis for one year, with applications accepted by post and email up to 15 December 2025.​

Post, tenure, vacancies and stipend

The assignment is a full‑time, chamber-based research role under the “Guidelines for appointment of Research Law Assistants” notified by the High Court of Madras​

• Post: Research Law Assistant (equivalent to law clerk).​
• Number of posts: 28 (subject to change based on administrative requirements).
• Place of posting: Principal Seat at Madras (Chennai) and Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.​
• Tenure: Purely ad hoc for one year from the date of joining, extendable or terminable as per the Court’s guidelines; no claim to regular appointment.​
• Stipend: ₹50,000 per month (consolidated), as indicated in recent 2025 Research Law Assistant recruitment summaries.​

Eligibility criteria

The notification sets out tightly defined academic, recency, and enrolment-related conditions.

Educational qualification

• Must be a Graduate in Law under one of the recognized patterns: 10+2+3+3, 10+2+5, 10+2+4+3, or any other pattern recognized by the Committee.​
• Law degree must be from a University in the Indian Union and recognized by the Bar Council of India for admission as an Advocate or Attorney of an Indian Court.​
• Candidates must have passed all law examinations within the normal duration of the course; arrear-cleared or extended-duration degrees are not accepted.​

Recency of law degree

• Only candidates who have obtained their Law Degree not earlier than five years as on the date of notification are eligible.​
• Recruitment summaries clarify that for this cycle, the degree must have been obtained on or after 12 November 2020.​

Disqualifications

• Candidates pursuing a Post-Graduate degree in law (LL.M.) or any other degrees/programmes requiring compulsory attendance elsewhere are not eligible.​
• Only Indian citizens are eligible, and candidates should not have crossed 30 years of age as on 1 January or 1 July that precedes the last date for submission, as per the standing guidelines; applicants are advised to check the age clause in the official PDF.​

Role and key responsibilities

The Research Law Assistant role is a high-intensity clerking assignment directly under Hon’ble Judges.​

Core responsibilities include:

• Judicial research:
  • Conducting doctrinal and case-law research on questions of law arising in matters listed before the Judge.​
  • Preparing bench briefs, synopses, and research notes on fresh admission matters and regular hearing matters.
• Court support:
  • Attending court proceedings, noting submissions, and tracking citations and issues flagged during arguments.​
  • Assisting in preparation of notes, draft orders, and headnotes (where required), and organizing case files and precedents.
• Academic and administrative assistance:
  • Assisting Hon’ble Judges with academic papers, lectures, and conference notes.​
  • For those attached to the Registry, carrying out research and drafting as directed by the supervising authority.​

Confidentiality is paramount; the guidelines specify that Research Law Assistants must maintain strict confidentiality about all work and information accessed during their engagement.​

Application process and deadline

Applications must be submitted both in physical form and by email.

Mode and address

• Physical application:
  • Fill the prescribed application form (Annexure) available on the Madras High Court website.​
  • Send the duly signed application, along with self‑attested copies of law degree certificates and mark sheets, by post to: The Registrar General,
    High Court, Madras – 600 104​
• Email submission:
  • A soft copy (scanned PDF) of the filled-in application must also be sent to: mhclawclerkrec@gmail.com​

Last date and instructions

• Last date: 15 December 2025 for receipt of physical applications and email copies.​
• Envelope: Previous guidelines require that the envelope be superscribed “Application for the post of Research Law Assistant to the Hon’ble Judges”; applicants should follow the instructions in the latest notification.​
• Application fee: No application fee is prescribed for this recruitment.​

Applications submitted through only one mode (post or email alone) or not in the prescribed format are liable to be rejected as per earlier guidelines; candidates should follow the current notification carefully.​

Selection procedure

The guidelines and current recruitment notices outline a two-stage process.​

• Screening: Applications are scrutinized on eligibility and completeness; the Committee may, at its discretion, hold a screening test if the number of applicants is large.​
• Viva voce:
  • Eligible candidates are called for viva voce at the Principal Seat (Chennai) or at the Madurai Bench.​
  • Performance in viva voce is the primary basis of selection; no TA/DA is payable for attending screening tests or interviews.​

The engagement remains at the absolute discretion of the High Court, and selected candidates may be posted at either Chennai or Madurai depending on institutional needs.​

Why this role is valuable

A Research Law Assistantship at the Madras High Court offers:

• Direct mentoring by High Court Judges and immersion in live constitutional, civil, criminal, and commercial litigation.​
• Intense training in legal research, drafting, and court craft, which is highly regarded for future litigation practice, academia, higher studies, and judicial service exams.
• A structured, one-year engagement with clear stipend, responsibilities, and exposure at both the Principal Seat and Madurai Bench.​

Quick reference table