S&A Gurgaon office has recently 12 people of A0s who had joined recently. It was completely arbitrary and was done on the basis of "performance reviews of the A0s. Will Delhi office soon follow the same. This is completely unprofessional and strict action should be taken. All law school UNITE.
The firm has identified you and shared your criticism with board & decided to fire you for going against our policies. Within 2 days termination letter will be issued to you.
Well, be aware to have any kind of relations whether a client or any other professional. Key things to note: 1. they are highly unmanaged and depressed. MP is micromanaging in such a way that's its impossible to breathe in a toxic environment; 2. secretary keeps a hawk eye like on a criminals in a prison. 3. starts work in evenings and sits almost entire night, as they don't have a life.
4. [...] seniors who will gossip and make judgments about you based on everything except your work 5. [...] HR who parrots just one sentence "as per policy" 6. ban on use of phones 7. cannot spend more than 10 mins in pantry as secretary will come and scold (yes like a school teacher) 8. you will spend 70% of your day without work but made to feel like it is your fault 9. cannot step out of office premises except during lunch break of 45mins else receptionist or guard will complain 10. be stuck in traffic or get late by any other genuine reason and miss punching in at sharp 9am even by a minute, prepare to have half day's salary cut
They did not even give their senior associates bonuses this year,
The firm had increased the salary of the senior associates (17.4 Lacs) but they do not distribute bonuses (Diwali bonus or performance bonus) in the required manner. The senior associates are overworked and underpaid. I know a friend who used to work continuously around the clock but she received a very little amount as Diwali Bonus this year. The amount of bonus which was given to senior associates this year was a fraction of their salary all because the founder's son is getting married and the firm is on a budget. they did not hand out appraisals as well.
Yes absolutely true. All family members of the founding partner are here- [...] sit at such an influential position that all performance reviews, increments etc. are directly controlled by them. Also they are promoted yearly or even bi-annually, making a joke of the entire promotion and position hierarchy.
[...] They hire 30-40 students from NLUs every year since 2018 and everyone leaves in a year or so. Ask anyone who has worked at this place, they would tell you that [...] and apart from that this place is a jail. [...] This place was raided in 2020 by IT department and also not forget they were accused of stealing clients from Pratibha Singh's firm. [...]
1. [...] knows supports each and every bad action of [...], and sits with his eyes shut like Gandhiji’s Monkey and gives preference to people of specific states for hiring. 2. No one is allowed to take off on Monday and Friday, other wise 3 leaves counted and will be deducted from you leaves and thereafter, money will be deducted #barbaric HR policy. 3. [...] is very abusive and short tempered and shouts at top voice as undergoing [...] as per resources. 4. Incoming time to office is 9 am super sharp, then secretary will roam around office like ‘ angrezo ke zamane ke jailor, to that everyone is sticking to their seats at 9:15 just staring at their systems. 5. [...] rely on few chamchas for info on 4th floor. 6. Good people come and leave within a span of a year or two. 7. No leaves during probation period 3 or 6 months, which means money is deducted. 8. They will not approve your leaves, when you require the most. 9. They are misrepresenting to hire for litigation / arbitration, but most of us only make list of dates and year wise data arrange. No practical exposure. 10. Few relatives of [...], to gain extra brownie points, so that they grow within the firm and not as a professional. 11. You will do repetitive work every day. 12. Favorite words are ‘ pull up your socks, learn to make computation queries, read financial data like a pro CA, make a note, year wise segregation of documents. 13. There is no one from 2021 batch, 2020, 2019,2018 etc. Very few are there. 14. Believe it or not- few 2020 batch people were made Sr. Associates in just 1 year of working. 15. [...] 16. [...] 17. [...] 18. we all are working here because we got hired in 10 mins during covid times, as [...]
Two good partners left one after another! Only those two partners left working with the [...], who can be bullied [...]. First they hire A0, then they call them freshers ( we are not in first year GP). You eat up our bonuses and Increments, year after year, just before Diwali and time of promotions.
Advice to people looking to join this place: Please don't. The money might seem lucrative at first but you will soon realise what hell this place is and the money is so not worth it. Archaic HR policy with a horrible leave policy, school like monitoring with people specifically assigned to keep a check on you (when you get up, whether you are on your seat or not, how much time you take in pantry, in the washroom, with whom you interact, etc.), incompetent seniors (barring a few) who will question your work but themselves are in this place because FAMILY. [...] Work environment is extremely toxic, higher management people will monitor every aspect of your life there in the office. Use of phones is PROHIBITED. You will feel like walking on egg shells all the time. Definitely not worth it. Also they have a very bad reputation in the market. Thinking that you'll spend a year or two here and gain experience and then switch- you will face utter disappointment. You will eventually get jobs but there is gonna be great struggle. A lot of places don't count Singh experience ([...]) and some firms have blacklisted it as well. Better not join in the first place itself.
No firm has blacklisted this firm, so this is just a rumour, when I was working here, I was interviewed by Big 6 firms except for SAM, and there are people who have switched from this firm to CAM, SAM, AZB, Trilegal, JSA.
This firm has really goods matters relating to infrastructure arbitration.
The main problem with this firm is the way it functions, and in long run this is not a place to work if you want to make a career in law.
Apart from the numerous bad things this place has, the way it treated its employees during covid was utterly disgraceful. in 2020 they forced new joinees to either join physically in peak covid or defer their joining for 4-5 months. Pleas of virtual joining were left unheard. Office was functional during the deadly 2nd wave up till mid april. Top management started wfh but rest of us were forced to come to office. Several people got covid but it didn't matter to them. When a partner got covid, wfh was given. but it came with horrendous rules- switching camera on at all times and being infront of the screen for the entire duration. you miss one teams call by 2mins or arent on screen for 2mins- be prepared to get lectured by seniors, partner's secretary (who does not even have the authority), HR and in some cases the managing partner herself. Forced people to come back to office during mid of 2nd wave. Penalised people who went home in wfh by cutting salaries even when they were present, working, doing billable work and whose bills were charged to the client. yet almost half month salaries were cut.
Bad bad place. final year law graduates: please do not join. They mass hire from almost every NLU offering 80k-1lac per month salaries but work, learning, growth, reputation and environment everything is bad. even if work quality and learning doesn't matter to you and you are joining in terms of money and chilling: you are mistaken. Money will be given but no chill at all. you will dread the times you dont have work (even if making LODs) cos in this place having no work is also somehow your fault (and not theirs obviously). if you are someone who's an introvert and minds his/her own business and work- this wont sit well with the incompetent seniors (why aren't you mingling with them, [...]?) they will make your life hell there (even resulting in firing: yes senior/prinicpal associates there have this power cos of family connections). and if you realise that this place [...] and want to leave: no one will take you because of how bad name this place has in legal circles. Do you due diligence before and don't join.
This place does not have anything to offer to you except money- [...], no learning, no constructive criticism, no growth, no value addition to CV and no mental peace. and money also is not guaranteed- as in this case (firing dozen people within 3 months of joining).
the best part is MKS is now a counsel, and "2 devis" are being portrayed to be MP and JMP respectivel! while the real decision maker is MKS and son operates from NYU.
Once upon a time it was the top hiring firm from my college.. just to do Xerox and other household works ..😂 the hired people were bunch of top bootlickers from my College...
"This firm is the biggest (meaning most pathetic) firm in Asia"
They don't know how to treat people who have worked endlessly with them with dignity. They can't bear to see people resign and go to someplace better. 10 HRs have changed in front of me.
I graduated in 2022 and joined this firm only to see 10 of my collegues get fired.
Seriously, the work culture at S&A Law Offices LLP is not good at all. The practise is not sector agnostic. It's not advised that anybody join this firm (specially if you want to make it in Dispute Resolution). The corporate practise was good until Neeraj Dubey was there otherwise, the arbitration practise is not good at all. The JMP and the MP have not taken a single cross-examination in their entire life and the Founder is only allowed to argue and take cross-examinations (he is a pain to brief). Essentially your job description from (interns to JMP) is to brief the Founding Partner and everybody is doing the same thing. Everyone worth a penny who has joined the office has not been treated nicely.
THANKS
To all the freshers who have joined, I would suggest to settle for a lesser pay but get out of there asap
Key things to note:
1. they are highly unmanaged and depressed. MP is micromanaging in such a way that's its impossible to breathe in a toxic environment;
2. secretary keeps a hawk eye like on a criminals in a prison.
3. starts work in evenings and sits almost entire night, as they don't have a life.
5. [...] HR who parrots just one sentence "as per policy"
6. ban on use of phones
7. cannot spend more than 10 mins in pantry as secretary will come and scold (yes like a school teacher)
8. you will spend 70% of your day without work but made to feel like it is your fault
9. cannot step out of office premises except during lunch break of 45mins else receptionist or guard will complain
10. be stuck in traffic or get late by any other genuine reason and miss punching in at sharp 9am even by a minute, prepare to have half day's salary cut
The firm had increased the salary of the senior associates (17.4 Lacs) but they do not distribute bonuses (Diwali bonus or performance bonus) in the required manner. The senior associates are overworked and underpaid. I know a friend who used to work continuously around the clock but she received a very little amount as Diwali Bonus this year. The amount of bonus which was given to senior associates this year was a fraction of their salary all because the founder's son is getting married and the firm is on a budget. they did not hand out appraisals as well.
So money wise also this is not a lucrative firm.
They hire 30-40 students from NLUs every year since 2018 and everyone leaves in a year or so.
Ask anyone who has worked at this place, they would tell you that [...] and apart from that this place is a jail.
[...] This place was raided in 2020 by IT department and also not forget they were accused of stealing clients from Pratibha Singh's firm.
[...]
2. No one is allowed to take off on Monday and Friday, other wise 3 leaves counted and will be deducted from you leaves and thereafter, money will be deducted #barbaric HR policy.
3. [...] is very abusive and short tempered and shouts at top voice as undergoing [...] as per resources.
4. Incoming time to office is 9 am super sharp, then secretary will roam around office like ‘ angrezo ke zamane ke jailor, to that everyone is sticking to their seats at 9:15 just staring at their systems.
5. [...] rely on few chamchas for info on 4th floor.
6. Good people come and leave within a span of a year or two.
7. No leaves during probation period 3 or 6 months, which means money is deducted.
8. They will not approve your leaves, when you require the most.
9. They are misrepresenting to hire for litigation / arbitration, but most of us only make list of dates and year wise data arrange. No practical exposure.
10. Few relatives of [...], to gain extra brownie points, so that they grow within the firm and not as a professional.
11. You will do repetitive work every day.
12. Favorite words are ‘ pull up your socks, learn to make computation queries, read financial data like a pro CA, make a note, year wise segregation of documents.
13. There is no one from 2021 batch, 2020, 2019,2018 etc. Very few are there.
14. Believe it or not- few 2020 batch people were made Sr. Associates in just 1 year of working.
15. [...]
16. [...]
17. [...]
18. we all are working here because we got hired in 10 mins during covid times, as [...]
Only those two partners left working with the [...], who can be bullied [...]. First they hire A0, then they call them freshers ( we are not in first year GP). You eat up our bonuses and Increments, year after year, just before Diwali and time of promotions.
This firm has really goods matters relating to infrastructure arbitration.
The main problem with this firm is the way it functions, and in long run this is not a place to work if you want to make a career in law.
Why did moderator delete my comment?
I am working in a Litigation chamber making 40k per month (2 years experience) have a decent CV. From a mid NLU.
Because of the mass firing in Singh and Associates. Will they be interested in taking someone like me? Atleast as a fresher.
Work hours or conditions don't bother me. As anything is better than a Litigation chamber.
They don't know how to treat people who have worked endlessly with them with dignity. They can't bear to see people resign and go to someplace better. 10 HRs have changed in front of me.
I graduated in 2022 and joined this firm only to see 10 of my collegues get fired.