I'm a Mumbai T-1 associate and I've always been rather enamored by the thought of moving to Bangalore for a better lifestyle, (potentially) better working hours and a much much much better city. All I'm concerned about is quality of clients, quality of teams and pay. I'd love to hear thoughts from the LI bunch.
I spent almost 10 years of my life working at law firms and in house in bangalore market. There is a deep divide of north v south..pls be careful which workplace you choose (hardly any good options) otherwise your career can literally fail due to just this one reason
Oh wow I didn't know about this at all. This is the kind of thing that scares me - given the market is so small, there aren't many choices and while I don't mind a small pay cut compared to mumbai for the lesser rent + better quality of life of bangalore, I'm not ready to set my career on fire. Any inputs?
The NvS divide is real, but it's not something that will set your career on fire, and unless you're hostile to the locals (and why would anyone be?) you'll do just fine
Yes..as I didnβt have an option to move to Mumbai due to personal reasons, I had to choose from Bangalore only. Ofcourse I am now working in Mumbai and atleast I donβt have to think if I fit into the culture of the place. Not so much if you are from the south- that would be an advantage. Having said the above, at junior level it will not matter but to move beyond SA, you will get stagnated. First hand experience in a tier one firm...
Banglore will reach after a few years where Mumbai is today So expect similar working environment and other things Also, depends on which place you work
This matter of Bangalore catching up with Mumbai is something that I've been hearing for over a decade now. Is the scene in Bangalore today anywhere near what it used to be in Mumbai back in 2005? I doubt it.
True. Work environment is already a bit erratic. Bangalore firms work mostly with these startup / entrepreneur types who thrive on terrible working hours, sending in comments and drafts at 3 in the morning on a Saturday. While hours may be fewer, they're not necessarily in a 9-6 structure. Lots of these tech companies also pay erratically, unless they land some PE/VC funding then they'll start accepting hourly billing rates.
From personal experience: A shift to Bangalore from Mumbai will entail a steeper pay cut than you think, growth may be a little slower, partnership will definitely be tougher to crack and the traffic will make you wish for a Mumbai local through the city. But the weather is nice, the beer is nicer and the houses are bigger so you make the choice.
I agree that you can't compare finance & corporate (M&A/PE Etc) But Bangalore will definitely see growth in Tech companies & startups. TMT Law firms have bigger offices in Bangalore than in Mumbai.
Depends on the firm and practice area TBH. CAM's Bangalore office is pretty well established and even better than Mumbai for some practice areas. SAM's Bangalore presence is minimal, and barely registers as a presence. KCo.'s office does well. Trilegal/JSA are slightly behind. Luthra obviously we need not speak of, and AZB is also kind of a laggard.
Hi there, can you please share a bit about which are some of the decent mid-size and boutique firms in Bangalore, that have a good PE/VC, M&A and Gen. Corp. practice? And if you know (and can share), which of these have a decent work culture and relatively decent working hours. And which (if any) firms junior-level associates should try to avoid.
PE VC and M&A regardless of what people may say are the domain of the mid size and Tier 2 firms in Blr. Indus (Srinivas and Suneeth), Tatva (Manav's team), Samvad (Harish's team), Lexygen, all have very good practices. When I say very good, it means that an associate actually does to get involved in the transaction as opposed to spending their life in diligence. An SA/PA has meaningful work and a retained partner does have direct client responsbility. Am sure there will be enough people to say laa shops of Banglur, but this is reality. Clearly pay is not on par with Tier 1 though. Nowhere close.
So expect similar working environment and other things
Also, depends on which place you work
From personal experience: A shift to Bangalore from Mumbai will entail a steeper pay cut than you think, growth may be a little slower, partnership will definitely be tougher to crack and the traffic will make you wish for a Mumbai local through the city. But the weather is nice, the beer is nicer and the houses are bigger so you make the choice.
But Bangalore will definitely see growth in Tech companies & startups.
TMT Law firms have bigger offices in Bangalore than in Mumbai.
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