Yes, October 4 it is. This is eerily reminiscent of the time offices were going to open before the second wave when people who were not in Bombay/ Delhi were asked to come down from their respective home towns and make living arrangements. Clearly partners living in their beautiful ivory towers are oblivious to elements like lock-in, deposits etc. which can be onerous, especially for first and second year associates. It was only when partners, themselves (or their families) started getting affected by COVID during the second wave that they realised the true impact of it. I guess AZB associates are not only supposed to have an extremely thick skin to deal with all the personal attacks meted out to them by seniors on a daily basis but also be immune to COVID!
On the contrary once offices open up more will leave.Associates are fed up with the toxic culture of Tier1s and having seen mass level death reports due to the pandemic, they will look for firms with less toxicity even if it means less pay.Tier1s are already seeing many vacancies.Tier1s have not been great to their associates in a pandemic.The realization that life's too short is hitting home hard.
Wasn't there some other conversation saying AZB was reopening offices from first September or first week of sept.Has that now got pushed ahead to date of 4 October?
Will AZB never learn. Cases are on the rise and a third wave seems almost inevitable. In spite of that the senior partners have decided to open up without really having any contingency plan in place, especially given the non existent ventilation, rat infested cubicles and appalling hygiene standards. An email was sent out by the HR on Friday night of the office opening up on the 4th of October.
Any request to work from home is met with marked disapproval and stern advise to not bring it up with the top management, least it be held against you.
Just another trigger for the mass exodus waiting to befall on AZB.
AZB is a sweat shop. The mentality is that they own you and every second of your time has to be in timesheets. Associates are not guided and all work is dumped on them. Poor pay scales. Mass exodus has happened and more to come. Associates today have options. Even old time AZB partners are interviewing with other firms.
I was thinking the same thing! This (and the original post) is clearly some unhappy insider whose friends or the persons that he / she admires have quit.
Shuva - left to join SAM as national head for M&A, then Tata. Hardly makes sense for him to come back to AZB especially with AR around now.
Abhijit - left to start off his own firm (many many people have started off their own firms / in partnership with others after leaving many law firms, including AZB - Vishnu Jerome, Shobhan Thakore, Vineetha MG, Kalpana Merchant, etc.)
Rinki / Rutunjay - left to go in-house. Not a rival firm.
AZB has always been a mean lean machine. Every single person who has been here long enough knows this. None of these exits - though they are sad for the people who worked with each of them or the ones who are friends with them (including me, for some of them) - make a huge dent in the larger scheme of things. There has always been attrition, there always will be, because this place is not for everyone. If you’re with a team you like, the work you get is something you’re happy with and you like your juniors and immediate seniors, then it works for you - does that not sound like every other firms? There are a-holes everywhere, in every firm and in every client organisation - it wouldn’t be fair to keep labelling AZB with some special disdain in these departments. I’m not a huge fan of a lot do things that happen here - but I suppose that’s the case at every firm, no? I wouldn’t mind the senior partners feeling a bit worried frankly - we all should be at some point or the other because that’s how we identify whether there is a problem and how to fix. Complacency is cancer - and no one at AZB is ever allowed to feel complacent - the big lady makes sure that everyone is constantly on their toes, which is a good thing! So sweeties, please keep your pants on, and finish your TS.
Absolutely can attest to this. 2 friends want go quit because they are being given work way over their pay grade and with little guidance. AZB will set a new record if AOs quit in 3 odd months. People being made to work weekends even if they are super ill.
"Alert" is what happens to people after they work in a law firm for a few years - they cannot think or see anything beyond it.
To be fair, it is not their fault. Law firms make you work 16x7 such that you don't have the time to do, be or develop anything else in life, thereby reducing your worth anywhere outside the firm.
Don't fall into that trap. Be sensible, quit when you know it's time.
You seem to be a representative of the firm. Can you please tell us when we will get our money since no one has any idea? We will make you happy by leaving as soon we get our money.
If the firm is more than happy to see people go away , why do they make the quitting process so hard with notice periods that go on forever. I’m confused.
Make more money? Buy luxury cars? Unless you’re talking about partners or one fiscally imprudent associate buying a GLA, who makes more money at AZB than their counterparts ??
Can confirm Noida office has seem team mergers, mostly unofficially, because they just don't have enough hands to cover existing mandates. That should ease up soon enough because new mandates aren't rolling in the way they used to.
Isn’t Aparna from SAM competition moving to TTA to head its practice with Ram going to AZB. Game of musical chairs happening Aparna was first AZB did not make partner went to SAM as competition partner now TTA as competition head. She will inherit Rams team who don’t want to move to Azb. Lots of partner movements in this space.
I don't see this firm or its senior level people changing. They are in some sort of denial. Even if 500 people leave, they will not look inwards to see what they are doing wrong.
Straight on the Face. Just by giving money (that too delayed payment) things will never work out. If you don't start respecting the Associates happiness and peace.
Did Shuva return? Did Abhijit Joshi return? Did Khusboo Sukhwani return? Is Richa returning ? Has Rutyunjay returned or is Amitesh returning? The list is endless, barring a few no one wants to return to AZB. Each one who has left AZB is at a happier place with peace of mind. Even other law firms are paying equivalent money and some are even paying more but then they don't have to deal with toxicity and unnecessary stress and pressure which AZB has. Please understand that only with money, talent can not be bought. Because if the person is talented, he/she would rather choose a happy place than a toxic place. Money he/she can get anywhere and the luxury of life too.
AZB reputation has really gone down the drain. No one really wishes to join AZB. Partners are looking for people but they are not finding worthy candidates to replace with the ones who had left. The quality will suffer in the long run. Let's see what plans AZB has to cope up with the loss.
This is just the beginning. High time the partners at AZB realise that their attorneys are not mere resources. There is a mass exodus waiting to happen once the bonuses are paid. Time to change the slave culture Moody ji.
Majorly people at mid levels are leaving and getting replaced with first years. Let's see if this strategy will work out. New joinees are under immense pressure and feeling burnt out already. Hardly getting any weekend to breathe.
Things must be pretty bad at AZB even at the junior level because their HR has been reaching out on LinkedIn asking people if they're looking to switch. Must be pretty desperate if they're doing that during bonus season.
Many people have left from the banking & finance team as well. It seems along with banking and finance team, Group E (Darshika's team) and Group C (Sai's team) have been hit hard. I miss my friends !!. Group F (Ashwath's team) has maintained a balance.
Other exits have also happened such as Vinay Butani left and joined ELP, in mid levels Muqeet, Nitin left.. seems the bonus and the hike have been below standard and people are really unhappy.
Let the offices open up.. all these guys will come running back.
If all these law firms were that bad, these mid levels wouldn’t have bothered to join in the first place. Covid has made people temporarily consider other options. People will try that for a year, see their friends make more money and buy expensive cars and clothes, go on luxury international trips, and then all join back.
Zia has the foresight. She knows it’s a temp blip. Bhaag ke jaaoge kahaan.
Heard so many people leaving AZB and seems they are finding it really difficult to keep people. Rinki Ganguly home grown partner about to leave, many mid levels like Pankhuri, Karan, Armaan Patkar, Sanskriti have left. What's going on AZB ?
Any request to work from home is met with marked disapproval and stern advise to not bring it up with the top management, least it be held against you.
Just another trigger for the mass exodus waiting to befall on AZB.
Shuva - left to join SAM as national head for M&A, then Tata. Hardly makes sense for him to come back to AZB especially with AR around now.
Abhijit - left to start off his own firm (many many people have started off their own firms / in partnership with others after leaving many law firms, including AZB - Vishnu Jerome, Shobhan Thakore, Vineetha MG, Kalpana Merchant, etc.)
Rinki / Rutunjay - left to go in-house. Not a rival firm.
AZB has always been a mean lean machine. Every single person who has been here long enough knows this. None of these exits - though they are sad for the people who worked with each of them or the ones who are friends with them (including me, for some of them) - make a huge dent in the larger scheme of things. There has always been attrition, there always will be, because this place is not for everyone. If you’re with a team you like, the work you get is something you’re happy with and you like your juniors and immediate seniors, then it works for you - does that not sound like every other firms? There are a-holes everywhere, in every firm and in every client organisation - it wouldn’t be fair to keep labelling AZB with some special disdain in these departments. I’m not a huge fan of a lot do things that happen here - but I suppose that’s the case at every firm, no? I wouldn’t mind the senior partners feeling a bit worried frankly - we all should be at some point or the other because that’s how we identify whether there is a problem and how to fix. Complacency is cancer - and no one at AZB is ever allowed to feel complacent - the big lady makes sure that everyone is constantly on their toes, which is a good thing! So sweeties, please keep your pants on, and finish your TS.
To be fair, it is not their fault. Law firms make you work 16x7 such that you don't have the time to do, be or develop anything else in life, thereby reducing your worth anywhere outside the firm.
Don't fall into that trap. Be sensible, quit when you know it's time.
Keeps on repeating
Money is coming to you
Farewell to old friends
You seem to be a representative of the firm. Can you please tell us when we will get our money since no one has any idea? We will make you happy by leaving as soon we get our money.
Regards,
XYZ
What are you going to do after you leave the firm? Litigation - good luck. Another firm - please go, more than happy to see you going away.
If all these law firms were that bad, these mid levels wouldn’t have bothered to join in the first place. Covid has made people temporarily consider other options. People will try that for a year, see their friends make more money and buy expensive cars and clothes, go on luxury international trips, and then all join back.
Zia has the foresight. She knows it’s a temp blip. Bhaag ke jaaoge kahaan.