It is essentially because Ashwath and his team of senior partners and partners run a firm within the firm (i.e., bombay office of AZB). There mandates, rates, bonuses are all different from the rest of the firm. And the snobbery of the lowliest of associate from any of the teams operating under Ashwath. FFS. The team members behave as if they're minting the money and servicing clients' requirement singlehandedly instead of Ashwath.

He quotes abysmal rates to clients to keep generating work and outsources cheap mandates to other partners. Further, there is no scope of anyone else to grow. A person gets a client to AZB (Bom), they will be quoted sky-high rates, so much that the client will leave and the lawyer bringing the client will also be left shamefaced. Whereas existing bigshots (Ashwath et all) will bring mandates at rate cheaper than KCO, and no one will bat any eyelid.

Further the existing SAs, Counsels, Associates will be fed classist bullsh** that you're better than every firm in the market because yo do quality work not quantity based work. I mean anyone can see the VDDRs prepared by AZB (Del or Bom). Horrendous.

Kisi tarah dukaan chal rahi hai. Kab kya ho jaaye pata nahi.

You think so. Their transaction team has collapsed. They are managing the team at Mumbai with 5 junior associates who may also quit anytime if they get good offers. No seniors to guide the team. Only negative criticism and screaming without even considering that the people doing the job are not well experienced enough to execute the work. The firm is a cracked ship trying to stay float while sinking.

Rohit is smart and excellent thinker, and now been considered as senior as well, but despite all that he has been facing retention issue. All his associates are leaving for Big 4 firms. The problem is - he is too much into appeasing the management and doesn't care enough for his associates. Guy can't take stand for his associates and while taking a decision, he would rather think from management perspective, than from team's perspective or as a leader (who is in this system for 15+ years and can get things done). Stuck in conundrum

Hardeep Sachdeva at AZB. I worked with partners at 3 other law firms before I joined him and he is the best. Very caring, knowledgeable and patient. He is a good teacher and mentor. He is probably the best lawyer in the firm after Zia. He gives out increments and bonuses even before you ask!

None is good or bad. It is what you make of it. Learn and move on. This metric of [XY] of [ABC] team at [PQR] firm cannot be a factor in deciding your professional career / future. We have got into this habit of giving one person so much of importance. Do not think such a thing exists outside law firms in other professional services or consulting work. Mind your work, learn, take the pay and enjoy the life outside work.