Ghanta. They've been firing people for one. Two, all the best working for a Partner based out of NYC. Take a wild guess on how timelines are going to look like. Even her biggest clients have not been taking kindly to this.
Bose is good. The principal if i think who it is is not a principal [some establishment jugglery] but a very old hand in the industry who does some very interesting work. Both very approachable and kind people
If going to CAM Bangalore then please make sure you don't cross swords with KC. He is the dada of the place since the main partners depend on him. The entire lot has a couterie- 3 of them. If you are in their good books then life is good. Else it is hell.
What about Reeba C and Nivedita R, apart from Yash and LV, purely on knowledge front, plus Avantika, Santosh J, Anu, Bharat V etc? Or is it that they aren't involved much in delivery?
Have heard from people in her team that she is now quite decent to work with. That was not the case earlier. People in the team appear friendly too. Lot of work. But seems to be very good work. They do various kinds of work and not the same kind repeatedly.
There is post written by the Lexygen founder on LegallyIndia clearing the air on compensation at the firm with complete openness. A read through of that itself tells you about the culture. Have also heard good things.
This is not true. He doesn’t even engage with associates. All his talk about the firm size is increasing is all a lie. Lawyers working there want to leave and the firm is infamous about its attrition rate.
Unfortunately there cannot be good law firm partners because in India given that most Tier1a are Lalaji sweat shops there cannot be good law firms and thus no good law firm partners.Till foreign firms are not permitted the work environments are going to be hell.Only when competition of foreign firms is allowed will work environment become an important factor because the foreign firms will offer better salaries so all the Lala shops will have to clean up their toxic acts.
Amit Kapur at JSA is great. On the face, he may appear a bit brash, but always has the junior's best interest, and goes all the way to help on anything professionally or personally.
"She [Parikh] termed the conduct of Nirav Modi as treacherous and reprehensible and mentioned that their firm may initiate legal proceedings at an appropriate time for his (Nirav Modi) improper conduct."
Why blame the partners as bad or responsible for toxic culture?partners have constant pressure to deliver super profits to the family overlords that control the law firms.Blame the law firm owners but most lawyers dare not do that because they will be out of firms within second if they dare to speak
Isn't this the same Shaneen Parikh that was embroiled in the investigation of CAM in the Nirav Modi case?https://www.adroitpmc.com/blog/PNBScam:RoleofCyrilAmarchandMangaldasrequiresfurtherinvestigation,CBItoSpecialCourt
No matter how.interesting or well paid the work of this team, I think nost people will run away from it.
Shinoj Koshy at L&L focussed no-nonsense guy. Doesnt create unnecessary pressures or deadlines, but will work hard to meet real deadlines and will point out if your work is not what it should be. Explains the law, practical, commercial issues and is OK with initial mistakes. You will get early exposure to clients and real time feedback.
True. The Bangalore office is at its lowest numbers, and Mumbai office does not have a lot of mid level associates. The ones left are also on a lookout and part of them have resigned without any offers in hand.
Maybe time that they shifted priorities from Timely and Intapp to timely empathy and being nice.
Rajat is one of the most dedicated people one will come across, both to his clients and his practice. He is also considerate to whichever team he has managed. Also if the Principal is, who seeming is being referred to, he is anything but a cynic and is easily one of the most interesting and erudite people out there in today's business. Sadly always been in the background for whatever reasons.
Yes. Comes across as a cynic but is very helpful. Gave a list of three articles with other references top of the hat when had once cold called with a question.
RB is also a recognised name in the industry now for tax work.
If this is Rajat in the tax practice, he is a good one. Small practice but very efficient. His team is also quite nice to work with and very versatile. Their principal is one of the most well-read guys one can come across and is always super approachable and takes time out to answer any queries you may have at any time.
Harsh Maggon's team promises good learning, only if you are accustomed to working excruciatingly long hours, and are looking to take on more grueling and challenging work at the cost of a balanced life/health. This team is almost always understaffed because of the high attrition rate, the staffing is imbalanced, and the general atmosphere of the team is too sombre/stressful. Boundaries are not respected and are rather resented to and there is an unreasonable level of expectation to go over and beyond to prove one's devotion for work. The only upside is good quality work.
Anand Lakra from JSA. He is a fantastic lawyer who has indepth knowledge of the subject and is a good boss. Quite dependable, level headed, does not bow down to pressure and does not pass on the pressure down to the juniors. Takes an active interest in his junior's growth and actually trains them to become better lawyers.
Gautam Chawla is an excellent human being too - the overall competition team at Trilegal is actually very stressful. The stress gets reduced because of management (both work and people) abilities of Gautam. Many in the team are sticking only because of Gautam.
Adding to the above comment- there is no room for dialogue or defending yourself when the junior partners spin tales about the associates to SKB. You are also faced with constant threats to escalate the smallest of issues (sometimes even typos) to the senior partner which creates unimaginable stress on the junior associates. You will be asked to cancel leaves that were approved months in advance which include leaves for close family weddings- if you don't, it becomes a permanent black mark and they conveniently forget the number of weekends, late nights and holidays that you have spent working for them.
Yes, he is absolutely brilliant in his work. His drafting style is excellent too- extremely crisp and non repetitive- something to be imbibed. He is extremely thorough with the provisions of the Act and regulations as if these are on his fingertips. A protege sort of a person.
Gautam Chawla, Trilegal Delhi - quite dependable, level headed, does not bow down to pressure coming from other senior partners and does not pass on the pressure down to the juniors. Great working style - values work life balance, and will never call a junior after 9 pm. He is quite systematic too - he will give you a complete picture of the transaction, so you know about the deliverables well in advance.
I have worked in Sai's team and left some time ago. He is not approachable at all. He goes by what his junior partners say and to deal with the junior partners in his team is very stressful. Trust me, I was made to work throughout my leaves and weekends. Be very careful and as it has already been said, if you can compromise on personal fronts and you are ready to join, feel free to by all means. The only sane person in the team is PS, gem of a person and you can learn a lot from her.
Sai Krishna Bharathan is nice and approachable given his seniority but I can't say the same thing about the other higher-ups on the team. The work is really good and if you're fine working under constant fear and stress- go for it. The high attrition on this team is very true even for AZB standards.
One always has to be available, even during leaves which have been approved and on weekends too ( goes without saying). Once you join his team, be ready to compromise with personal life on all fronts.
Even I am keen to know. Heard SAM’s arbitration practice is stellar but don’t know anything about how the teams are. Would be grateful if someone with experience or knowledge could comment.
Rashmi Pradeep at CAM. The absolute best. Excellent lawyer. Excellent human being. Great people skills and man management skills. There isn't a better role model for what a law firm partner should be like.
Abdullah Hussain from L&L Partners. Great mentor and boss; thorough work and great learning; no artificial deadlines and very understanding of personal commitments; inspires you with his own dedication towards a brief.
The entire team at TT&A. They don't seem to be in the limelight a lot but it is genuinely a nice place to work. The work is demanding and how but they are very professional. I had a great time interning there.
The IP Partner at S&P is great to work with. Work hours are great. The partner has a way of uniting both associates and client representatives who each sympathise with each other.
Guys any feedback on Ikigai and Algo work culture? Spiceroute seems to be up there on their marketing game but haven’t heard great things from people who used to work there.
Nikunj is my favourite partner to work for. Have seen him managing a mammoth transaction with amazing calmness and clarity. Negotiates really well - something to learn from.
From corporate side, I really like sayak but sadly he chose to move away.
CAM Bangalore has a decent work culture overall in the PE/VC team. All partners are quite understanding and good mentors too. Workload is quite balanced compared to a lot of other places.
This kind of a mentality is the exact reason why this industry in India can never change. How does one expect changes to be made at a managerial level if persons working at relatively junior levels don't voice out their concerns? Your opinion seems extremely pigeon holed, and it does appear to me that you are a bit out of touch of what demands are expected from professionals in other competitive industries. Nobody is shying away from "working hard". In fact, this thread was not even meant to be about a "work-life balance" (although I see absolutely NO reason why anyone should feel embarrassed about wanting something that basic). It was about a positive work environment. To spell out to you what that means, it means you don't get demeaned at work, that you don't get told off for an extra full-stop or misplaced comma after working hard on the content for 16 hours straight, and for being mentored to some extent. I'm not naïve enough to expect you to change your opinion. I took the time to write this for other's, who might read your post and start second-guessing themselves for wanting a positive work environment. Specially junior lawyers. For a long time, I felt I was slacking for not wanting to put up with toxic culture. After working in other supportive environments, I see why putting up with such culture is not the only way forward to advance in your career.
Guys, don't even read these kinds of reviews and base your decisions. Bcoz - the following:
1. Majority of reviews are by juniors who hardly have any idea about corporate law - let's face it, however smart and rockstar you were back in college, this job requires something more than that. So, effectively for every partner, there will be both positive and negative reviews (or may be likes or dislikes).
2. A general nature about the partner is relevant - toxic ones, but those are few and are present in almost every law firm. Rest all partners behave depending upon situations. So, a nicest partner will shout at you, if you do something stupid or make yourself irrelevant.
3. Lastly, (this comment will definitely be the most disliked one) as an associate and senior associate, don't even think about work like balance, if you want to really do well in this field. Everyone has slogged for years to reach at the partnership level. If you want work like balance, please apply for sarkari naukri.
Anisha Chand at KCO - Competition, Mumbai. Genuinely a great mentor and approachable etc. Not very bad working hours, has her own personal life, so that sort of helps. And without a doubt, KCO does good work in Competition.
Have heard good things about Tanu Banerjee - now at KCO. Generally good natured, and no nonsense. But I haven't worked with her/her team personally. Been applying to KCO for TMT.
Hey Kian, what's wrong in calling people out? Calling people out for legitimate reasons is not trolling. In the absence of lawyers unions, it feels like this is the only space to make people aware and you're censoring that also. Not cool.
I'm confused. Doesn't 12.1 say "working hours and demands are definitely way more intense than William" for Apurva? I understood 12.2 as disagreeing with 12.1's assessment of the other people named.
You're right, these need to be spelled out a bit more at some point...
But in a nutshell, the intent behind moderation is reflected in the placeholder text before you leave a comment, which (vague though they admittedly are) we try to use as the fundamental basis for (admittedly imperfect) moderation decisions:
Quote:
We and fellow readers love when you share your thoughts in a comment. However: (1) No ad hominem: Address the arguments, not the person making them. (2) Don't be a troll: If in doubt, be nice to other humans. (3) Use complete English sentences and words. (3) Follow Legally India's full terms and conditions. We reserve the right to moderate, republish or edit your comment for any reason.
What are these guidelines you talk about? Would be interesting to read them. Honestly, Legally India's moderation is a hit and miss, most of the times.
The idea for the thread was a positive one. If it appears names were mentioned sarcastically or in order to troll them, if they attract a lot of downvotes, it may be subject to moderation under our guidelines against naming (and shaming) fee-earners.
Apurva didn’t have a great reputation for a good working style. She was friendly with her associates. But working style may not be something that associates will be happy with.
Totally agree! I’ve heard wonderful things about him and his team. I think they had slightly long hours but good work environment for sure. Helpful partner and helpful team. Sad that CAM could not retain him.
Wonder why so many names that were mentioned earlier have been censored now. Is it because the angry tyrant partners named and shamed here threatened you? There were some angels here who only had dislikes to their names - maybe their having been mentioned here was sarcastic but it's worth having them here so good folks know to avoid them.
To the uninitiated: when joining a law firm, do your due diligence. If a team always has vacancies, chances are, the person at the helm is toxic or permits/enables toxicity. And yes, HR lie. Of course, beggars can't be choosers, so if you're not exactly someone with options, you may have to take what you get, assuming that's what you want.
Gaurav Singhi at CAM but I think he has left CAM. Very approachable. Good working style. I interned with his team in 2019 and what I hear is that he was one of the sought after teams for juniors. Area was general corporate.
Shishir Vayttaden, Pranay Chandran, Aditi Singhvi (basically this team of 5 partners) - CAM Mumbai. Work hours are INSANE - but partners are great individuals to work with and learn from. The team to be in if someone wants to do PE-M&A.
Of course work will be good there. A Dua EP doesn't bill half as much as a tier 1 SP also. Work pressure is very low. Got to their website and see blr office of that firm. Partner to other lawyer ratio is less than 1:3. Every alternate person is a partner.
William is great. Cares about his personal life so it trickles down into his team members having a personal life too. Sumithra has come up under him and hence adopted the same management style. Apurva is very friendly with her team members and in general but working hours and demands are definitely way more intense than William.
SB at S&R - though not the one you're thinking of - Shivaji is a great partner. Very calm, understanding and definitely one of the good guys left in the corporate game. He and Mohit are definitely the nicest ones to work with.
True. One of them is also famous for marking other Partners / bcc HR while sending stinkers. Quite toxic and not surprising that every associate (SA/PA) dreaded working for him
Lol, no. It’s not good. So many exits in the last 3-4 months. They haven’t been able to retain their associates who got overworked. The pressure is unfortunately high with tight deliverables and expectations to work on weekends all day long. They expect work to be your life. In fact some new joiners laterals have left before completing 6 months! Shows where the team is headed to. Partners pressurise a lot and one of such partner pressurising is the person you named above. Everyone knows how he calls up early in the morning and doesn’t appreciate the associates’ work.
The ex-KCO duo - Arun Scaria and Rishabh Bharadwaj - absolute gems. Also responsible for holding the fort together at KCO Bangalore - their absence is being felt.
Have worked with Smruti. Nice person, professional and sharp. Backs her team. The team has a lot of work but are still approachable, empathetic. This flows from the partner.
Not sure about MS, since I have never personally worked with him, but I have heard a lot of indifferent things. The other M in corporate law firms (Mohi Gogia) at S&R is a great mentor.
Folks working at tier 1 firms and boutique firms, if you’re happy, please do share the name of your partner. People seem to be hesitant to do this but this is literally all positive feedback. These teams have got to exist. As an ex-tier 1 associate, I refuse to believe everyone at every office is as miserable as I was and still decide to stick on. Curious to know which partners have been able to inculcate a healthy work environment. (Never mind the hours - that cannot change. If you had sane hours it’s likely your team just doesn’t have that much work. Just my opinion.)
https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/202982-official-and-accurate-lexygen-compensation-numbers#:~:text=Associate%20Entry%20Level%20Pay%20%E2%80%93%20We,ONLY%20through%20our%20internship%20programme.
"She [Parikh] termed the conduct of Nirav Modi as treacherous and reprehensible and mentioned that their firm may initiate legal proceedings at an appropriate time for his (Nirav Modi) improper conduct."
No matter how.interesting or well paid the work of this team, I think nost people will run away from it.
https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/197744-Aditya-S-Chandel-s-team-at-AZB-Noida#comments
Approachable, reasonable, and kind. Great mentor to have.
Maybe time that they shifted priorities from Timely and Intapp to timely empathy and being nice.
Do you even know what the word means?
RB is also a recognised name in the industry now for tax work.
He is the star amongst most of the associate.
- R
He is extremely thorough with the provisions of the Act and regulations as if these are on his fingertips. A protege sort of a person.
From corporate side, I really like sayak but sadly he chose to move away.
1. Majority of reviews are by juniors who hardly have any idea about corporate law - let's face it, however smart and rockstar you were back in college, this job requires something more than that. So, effectively for every partner, there will be both positive and negative reviews (or may be likes or dislikes).
2. A general nature about the partner is relevant - toxic ones, but those are few and are present in almost every law firm. Rest all partners behave depending upon situations. So, a nicest partner will shout at you, if you do something stupid or make yourself irrelevant.
3. Lastly, (this comment will definitely be the most disliked one) as an associate and senior associate, don't even think about work like balance, if you want to really do well in this field. Everyone has slogged for years to reach at the partnership level. If you want work like balance, please apply for sarkari naukri.
No-nonsense but very supportive, backs her team.
But in a nutshell, the intent behind moderation is reflected in the placeholder text before you leave a comment, which (vague though they admittedly are) we try to use as the fundamental basis for (admittedly imperfect) moderation decisions:
Quote:
To the uninitiated: when joining a law firm, do your due diligence. If a team always has vacancies, chances are, the person at the helm is toxic or permits/enables toxicity. And yes, HR lie. Of course, beggars can't be choosers, so if you're not exactly someone with options, you may have to take what you get, assuming that's what you want.
Hands down the best 🥺😁
Azedbee.