Had screwed up on a minor point in a board resolution for incorporation of a company. Was hounded and terrorised by the firm management and was forced to visit the ROC in person to rectify the same, at my own expenses. This, when the ROC had not even spotted the error in the first place and had proceeded to grant registration. During appraisal, was subjected to another round of humiliation at the hands of the reporting partner (one of the founding partners) and was asked to leave the firm without any pay in lieu of early termination.

If a foreign client is involved, and the matter is hourly, firms use this as a milking opportunity. Company incorporation mandates come through all the time. The work is qualitatively bogus, but acts as a stepboard for the firm to endear itself to the client for taking on transactional mandates in the future. Also, given the involvement of the roc, it's literally treading on eggshells all the time, leaving a very narrow margin of error.

IMO if the firm fired you( as an A0-A2) it's just a vulgar display of dictatorial punishment, management likes to do this to frighten all the juniors.They could have changed your team,put you on unpaid leaves etc but then choosing to fire you is sic. If that,they should have fired your Senior Associate aybd Principal Associate even the founding partner but that would never happen.All these incompetent guys do is scream out orders and dump all the work on the junior associates ,A0,A1,A2 Joining a Tier 1 is just slavery at it's worst.

Sorry for how you felt and were treated. Often, such experiences can be amalgamation of the following:

- mistake vis-a-vis experience level, considering mistake in light of the experience + quality of your deliverable and level you are hired at.

- quality of work being delivered by the resource is regularly sub-par (especially, visible to fellow team members who take up the load of the work and polish it). Worst thing about this is, nobody wants to tell someone who has experience, has just come-in as lateral, is a fresher but not a friend, that the deliverable sucks. We, and I am guilty myself, just assume that they will see the edited work and learn themselves. Nobody wants to tell a coworker in order to work and collaborate well.

- Unfortunately, after a limit it becomes visible to partners that the resource is fucking up the team balance. Three things happen (i) work load is reduced from the resource, gets a chat, gets a opportunity to get back in a decent team; (ii) consistently gets lesser work; (iii) gumnaami.

- in some of the worst firms, you get called to a conference room and get kicked out, most are courteous and hope you will leave willingly.

Not inside the law firm but had an interview with a young partner (then) for an SA position in a Tier 1 firm. This was quite a few years ago. Interview was 60 mins and almost 50 mins was spent by the partner in showing off his own knowledge & how great his practice was. Got the offer and rejected it & probably the best decision I ever made. The partner has continued to do well but found out that the attrition rate is one of the highest in his team & he's now a well known prick.

I was going to say - 'was this my ex-boss'. But then I thought this is like every loser partner ever. Good for you man, that you saw the signs.

I was once stuck with a guy for 3 months who used expletives (MC, BC and the works) on me, because I could not turn around an SHA overnight. I was 6 months into the profession. I was on the verge of crying, when that happened in the middle of the office. I quit the job within the week. Today, several years down the line, my only regret is why I didnt punch him that day in the office (or later that night in the parking).

Honestly, I dont have anything against him now (out of sight, out of mind) - but God be my witness, I really hope we never meet again, because I know exactly what I am going to do if we meet.

The good thing that happened out of it is that eventually (over the next 9 years), I realised something. More often than not kids (PQE 0, 1, 2, etc.) hardly realise at that time that they are being exploited, mistreated or harassed. They see it as something happening as a learning process or worse, rite-of-passage. I made it a point in my life to never ever mistreat a junior or a peer. Thankfully, today I have a great rapport with all members of the team, everyone enjoys working with me, peers and juniors confide in me all the time, and all of them look at me as a mentor.

I made the mistake of joining a small now-dead firm just after graduating from a premiere law school. With absolutely no experience, I was asked by the managing partner to draft a detailed legal opinion on a complicated transaction that involved foreign investment into India into a very niche sector. With zero clue as to how to go about it and zero support or guidance from team (no SA,PA or even experienced associate on the engagement), I was completely at a loss. First version of deliverable was, as expected, poor and oh horror of horrors... the man started screaming, yelling and using nasty words. Every engagement involved some mistreatment or the other, with absolutely no guidance whatsoever. And, more humiliation piled on and on. And snide remarks of not being good enough, NLUs are all crap, and 'look-out-for-something-else' started, just one month into the job. After 2 months, I just lost it. Almost threw the agreement i was supposed to mark-up, right at his face and walked out, without another job in hand! Best feeling ever! Exhilarating to say the least! No regrets though of having done that 'cos I went on to join a Tier1 firm and did well too. I don't even mention the firm on my CV. But, I always make sure I am nice to junior kids, 'cos they shouldn't go thru the torture I went through.

My advice to any fresher kid who is ill-treated at work is - it's not the last job out there. Don't take BS from anyone. It's so not worth it! You are better than what they think you are worth!

Of course, the firm itself died soon. The prick (he used to touch women inappropriately i was also told) continues to practice.....

Hey - it's great that you were abe to make the switch to a T1 after being unjustly treated by this prick! If you don't mind, could you reflect on your journey of job-hunting as a former A0 at a non-T1 firm for our benefit — just some tips, tricks, how does that process go, and what can incoming A0s keep in mind to prepare for contingencies? Thanks!

I am second year law student who saw my peers calling upto law firms to ask for internship and I did that today. As soon as the my preferred law firm picked up the phone he started yelling at me for asking for internship. I just said i just needed to inquire about internship and that person on call made me feel so stupid like why are you calling us like are you serious and all in a very frustrating tone. I understand you might have workload but i am also a law student figuring out this career. I felt disheartened and i cried for almost half an hour for feeling stupid for calling. Yeah that’s what happened

During the height of the first covid wave, was handed a belated half pay of March April and June salaries in mid June.

A week later since that payment, received an SMS asking me to look for another job. No reasons assigned.
Emotionally scarred for the next 3-4
months.

I was looking for a change in practice area, I was at 3 PQE an was looking to shift to corp-litigation.

I was forthcoming about this with the said firm and I even took a 60% paycut just so that I could learn corp litigation. The Firm started piling on IAs, Pleading on me and the partner was super busy to review the said drafts, he would just discuss law points, but i did need guidance on the drafting aspect which he refused to give.

Was told by the HR person that I need to "buck up", I simply stated that it will take some time, within 15 days I will not be ready to handle a matter end to end, but they didnt listen and wanted me to lead 17 matters when having absolutely no experience. They gave me time of 5 days to get abreast with all the matters or else I would be fired.

I just walked out of the office never to come back. Refused to pick up their calls and moved back to corporate. Horrendous experience.

The posts here look so scary, but here's my experience. I was subjected to screaming on a daily basis that was so loud that my entire office building could hear (the kind you get goosebumps on your body for). Words such as BC, MC etc were hurled at me on the daily. The partner's abuses were personal in nature - For example: This part of the draft is quite stupid - would translate as you are so stupid. But apart from work deliverables I was called stupid for picking up his full can of juice as opposed to his empty one, for throwing it away, I have been called stupid for setting up his laptop and not fixing his mouse with it. I was sent to buy cigarettes for him on the daily, and i would breathe his second hand smoke like it was implied consent for working there, and come home smelling of it. I was used as the office boy for our office and did a lot of office boy things when all the other branches had an office boy. I would leave office as late 11 pm, 12 am daily, and still get yelled at as to how i am not giving in sufficient time in the office. I was forced to stay in even when i didn't have work, and had to listen to the partners admission that - 'this was ragging, haha now sit'- because he was lazy too lock the door. I was yelled at for the maid's cleaning as well. I was yelled at for wearing formal clothes that he didnt like and was not appreciative of. I have gone to the office when i have met with accidents riding my bike and was forced to buy his cigarettes - limping down the stairs with a twisted ankle. This man would take a piss behind me where the washroom was but would not close the door. He would not even flush. He would ask me to massage his neck. He would tell me to wear makeup and basically use fear to get whatever the fuck he wants. I quit after 2.5 years, and i took a while off because i fell horribly sick. But i hope this man burns in hell.

I was once virtually interning at a tier 2 law firm when I was in my 3rd year. I was assigned a A1 as my mentor and on the joining day he asked me call him at 12. I called him at 12:05 as my class got delayed by 3 – 4 mins. As soon as he picked up he said, “what time did I ask you to call?” with a voice when you have your teeth closed. I instantly apologized, but he insisted on me answering his question. I answered and he kept the topic going, after that, no introduction, nothing, he instantly gave me work, which I was supposed to deliver in the evening, and I did and I asked if that is okay or he wants me make any changes. He calls me next day and asks me to explain what have I done, I explained him and he just kept saying “accha, accha”. He wanted me to explain just to bully me. I accept it might not have the best work, it was literally a checklist, I may have missed out on some things. Trust me, it might not sound bad, but that accha accha made me tear up.

This happened for good 10 days, he used to call me, give me shit and give me more work, without any reference material, and I used to work from morning till 11 in the night along with classes and other college thing. One day he calls me and I was in class, he knew that I had classes that time, so went out of my class and picked up his call, he gave me work, explained me the proposition and as I just ran out of class I did not have a note book with me so I typed everything on my phone. Just to bully me, he asked me repeat me the proposition he just explained, and I did and I forgot to mention “one” word that he had said before, I only typed keywords. He screamed at me, got really mad, so I explained it to him and told him the word that I missed as well. He just said “I will find an intern who doesn’t have classes” and cut the call and did not accept my call after that.

I instantly drafted a mail to HR, apologizing and terminating my internship. I don’t mind working day and night, but the least you can be is being nice to interns. Later that month, he texted me on the day of diwali for some research, I without saying anything left what I was doing at my home and did his research. Sent him that, and told him I had resigned from internship days back.

Man it feels horrible after reading these kinds of posts i mean i have just entered in my 2nd year and was thinking of joining this corporate ladder ahead in my life but after going through all of these threads I don't think it would be a better option to pursue it… anyways more power to you man, I hope you’re doing well in your life

My SA made a 24 hour delay in submitting a report to a client and the partner was pissed with them. The SA said they took a lot of time because I didn’t proof read properly.

I has proof read the report 2 days ago. And the day before the submission of the report the SA had just gone home at 7pm and did nothing.

Shockingly the partner believed it and the delay was my fault

I should’ve known better but…

I was naive and I informed my partner (F) that the managing associate (M) had misbehaved with me, he made a pass, touched my hand and made a very inappropriate remark. I dont know why I ever told my partner, it cost me my job, my entire career went downhill, I think she may have also given negative feedback on my work to the other partners to ensure that I couldn’t change teams within the firm. Anyway this completely pushed me out of the system. Lesson learnt the hard way that it’s best to keep these things to yourself, just shut up and move on with your life.

I am so sorry. Why would you not go after your partner once it was clear you were being kicked out? You didn't have anything to lose then, should have made a public mess out of it.

Also, since you mentioned the term "managing associate" is it one of those 3 lettered acronymised firms which is not a big 6?