Pandemic has changed things.SAM is now the biggest firm by number of retainers and thus you are better off at the firm that's recruiting more people now.You say no now to SAM and they have a lot more options.Not the same with CAM,CAM lost the throne of being the largest retainer firm.At the moment,almost all other aspects being similar SAM will be the smarter choice.

Don't listen to crazy talk.Rotation means for 1-1.5 years you get pushed around to teams like some resource or furniture, not treated like a human learner. It's not fun like the way it's being portrayed.one and half year of literally no status tahts basically wasted.Do you want to lose one and half year of the first few learning years after law school?CAMs work enviro is bad,SAM is then the obvious choice.

So this is the good thing -- CAM has a rotational policy, where for 1.5 years (or 1 year itself) if you find your fit, you can stay on longer. The advantage is you get to try three different teams and choose where you belong. The disadvantage is that there is a chance they could all be terrible / toxic.

The problem is that you as a fresher may not have visibility on the team you get allotted to. So you may consider starting out at CAM, and in 2 years time, everywhere will still be hiring and will need talented people, you can always move after researching the team specifically - to Trilegal/SAM/wherever.

Honestly the experience is very very team specific. It can also be location specific -- most teams in Bangalore are nicer than Bombay counterparts.

Separately the firms itself could vary by location. If Bangalore, I would not advice SAM because they are a very small operation and are like a Tier-2 for the most part. SAM Delhi is better than CAM Delhi, SAM Bombay has some very good corp teams (Raghubir etc.), but Cap Marks and Projects in CAM has better work (which all can also be the worst place to work).

If SAM is letting you choose practice area, and its not Bangalore, pick SAM. If its in Bangalore/ SAM is not giving you practice area preference -- choose CAM.

Its not my writing thats the problem.Its people like you who refuse to let others like me call out and prove CAM to be the horrible firm that it is.A profitable firm cutting salaries in a pandemic and lecturing associates on its necessity citing business uncertainties while busy sponsoring villa like flats in worli for themselves.A firm that goes after its employees with threats and notices in chennai office when they have decided to shut down the chennai office but want to stop them from joining SAM.A promoter that uses Amarchand firm resolutions by some core committee that can enable him to obtain assets not allowed to him and his brother takes him to Court.You keep criticising me and my comment because its easier to do that than stand upto a CAM,right ?

SAM is anyday more tolerable than CAM.And now SAM is the biggest brand by number of retainers.In the pandemic SAM has raced past CAM to become the largest law firm in India by number of retainers.The only way thats possible is because more people joining SAM probably because they too think SAM is more tolerable than CAM.

Oh really!! Which of the 9 buckets (yes buckets,they donteven call it grade or category to keep some sembelance of respectfor lawyers) an A0 needs to fall into,to gets the full 16 lakhs????And still there is no comparison,because SAM is 15 lakhs fixed salary while CAMs 16 lakhs includea a variable salary which component is probably not going to be received in 100 percent.

If you want a good career in law, you will need to slog in the initial years 5-7. If you are good, you will succeed. You should learn to delegate work and learn to say "No" quickly. this will help succeed.

If you just need a glorified hollow legal career, move to Banglur, join a laa shop, meet friends and chill.

There is literally nothing to justify the salary cut in a pandemic for a profitable firm............Oh wait,what do they call it...."temporary withholding of salary" that was (ahem) "rolled back".What a favour!!!Superrrr management this CAM firm must have,right?And people are still wondering on firm choices, why?
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SAM is not slightly better its vastly better.CAM makes it a point to drill it into their associates with a toxic work culture and bullying that they are just slaves to the firm and dont matter.And thats why these associates possibly vent their hatred here on LI.Thats why CAM needs WFO so desperately.The lack of bullying in the WFH model had prevented the management from controlling their slaves.SAM WFO model was much better and they werent getting mails every second day about returning to WFO.

There ia so much stuff on LI about CAM because it treats own retainers in the shittiest way possible.The stories that dont make it to LI are worse.And its not surprising.Its a lawyer family where the elder brother had to take the younger brother to Court to enforce his mothers will.You want to go to this office?

CaM is a sick filthy firm, this comes from an opponent so take it with a pinch of salt but they will stoop to any dirty trick in the book in litigation.I can tell you any firm is better than CAM.I have an unwritten policy, no one from CAM even as ex CAM - I will ever give any work to them.I make a mental note not even to associate in any way even with interns from CAM.Thats my view on CAM.I am not ex CAM nor I have list to them, I just find their lawyers ( not the counsels) to be tricksters rather than lawyers.

First of all stop glorifying these T1 firms. No one I repeat no one except the small law firm circle knows about CAM or SAM. I think since u got offers from both, j must have just slogged in your undergraduate for getting a job, which u would have to leave within a year, out of utter frustration and anxiety. The working hours will be insane and of dangerous amount of time,no free time, no hobbies, no meeting w friends, nothing, just staring at laptop screens your whole life and being a corp slave.

Oh so sad, that people are after CAM..really??the profitable firm that cut employee salaries IN A PANDEMIC citing business uncertainty ans then sudden2 new Worli flats in the same pandemic fir the firm owners.....people are after that firm?I wonder why people dont think its a nice firm.

CAM -kind people?This was a profitable tier 1 firm that was the first to cut salaries in the pandemic for 6 months.And while employees took a salary cut the owners bought a mansion in worli.There were tier 3 and tier 4 firms,some struggling, that never touched the fixed salaries of employees in pandemic.Kind?

Guessing you don't have a choice of team yet, since you will be rotating between teams for 6 month periods.

Given the lack of choice, at this stage, as 3 mentioned, if you're joining in Bangalore, choose CAM, if Delhi, we hen SAM, if Bombay, CAM is slightly better than SAM. The Amarchand culture of training and mentorship runs deep in CAM Bombay, unlike SAM Bombay, which is mostly co.posed of inorganic lateral hires (except a few teams where AMSS Delhi partners moved to Bombay). Through my 5 year career, I have received amazing mentorship and advice, while forming deep bonds with my seniors and juniors and doing top notch work.

CAM is the worst and most unethical team and firm.will train one in the worst unethical foul tricks in litigation.Even their own employees say its a slave shop.SAM is a tad better but again its family controlled so again its got the same problems of family run shop but its not that bad as some of CAMs stories.

CAM anyday. Better business, better mentorship, better brand. It is the powerhouse all Indian firms have emulated, SAM was always it's Delhi office! Unless you want to go by all the crap written on LI. There are a few people who seemed to have been thrown out by CAM and they seemed to be after CAM on every forum possible. And yes, I don't work at CAM, but I regularly work opposite both and the lawyers at CAM are way way better than SAM.

In my opinion, SAM is slightly better. But yes, things wouldn't be vastly different because after all the industry as a whole follows unhealthy practices (by that I mean things that take a toll on your mental stability and physical health). Moreover, it is much more dependent on the team rather than the firm as a whole.