Seeking advice on behalf of a friend: Recently, a friend, associate at a 'reputed' law firm was told they would need to leave within 3 months, allegedly due to 'performance issues'. However, since joining, this person has not been staffed on any meaningful transactions or given real opportunities to demonstrate capability. There has been no formal feedback or prior indication of dissatisfaction. Partner is new to the firm. This person is now unsure how to navigate the situation — whether to contest it internally, try to secure a soft landing elsewhere, or explore other avenues. What would be the best approach in such a situation, especially considering the lack of work allocation and absence of documented performance concerns?

Explore other avenues. The Partner in question may have missed a billing target and is now under pressure to reduce costs. The firm is basically saying they don’t have the money to pay you. So proving oneself in a team that has no work is trying to demonstrate your perfect butterfly stroke in the middle of a desert. Vague statements of “performance issues” usually mean firm doesn’t have the cash to pay you. The acceptance or acknowledgment of downsizing doesn’t exist in India (outside of the IT industry) and it is unfortunate that a person’s competence is used as an excuse to remove someone.

My earnest advice to the person in question is just leave and dont waste your time. No point in even being angry with the Partner or the team. Just look for something else. It is bad that you are being made to experience something like this so early in a career but pack up and move on before it gets worse.

If you ask me, getting 3 months notice (with I assume full salary) and for no work is in itself a severance pay. In other words your friend is being paid for nothing :). Let me indulge you(r friend) with a nice long ramble here! :)

Tell your friend this:

1. just use the 'downtime' to look for a good job, catch up on health and other things that need to be resolved. I've shifted jobs multiple times and the notice period (in spite of all the drama that can happen) is a valuable time to plan holidays, sort out bank account issues, liquidating underperforming investments and other things that we typically do not have the time to do on a full work schedule. Take this 3 month runway as an opportunity to have a break and sort out anything that needs your attention and patiently look for a new job.

2. AVOID ANY UNNECESSARY INTERACTIONS with the management of your firm. They clearly seem to be under pressure and the last thing you need is for them (especially the partner in question) to 'lash out' unnecessarily and terminate your friend immediately.

3. MOST IMPORTANT: take a note of all the criticism they have given you and (just to be on the safe side) ensure it does not repeat itself in your next job. When the chips are down, take it as a thumb rule ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD that law firms will start removing Associates (especially the younger ones) in the blink of an eye. Be smarter and more alert in your next job and watch work flows closely.

4. Do your diligence of the next firm you join and how established is the partner. Partners who just got elevated are always a shaky bet since the existence and viability of their book / workload is always a question. In the bigger firms, the junior partners depend heavily on one or more senior partners passing on work, for the junior partner to stay afloat. Which means that a junior partner who has been with a firm (as an Associate, AP, Counsel or otherwise) for longer than 6-7 years is usually a better bet than someone who has recently joined a firm (i.e. less than 2.5 years). The Senior Partners tend to promote the 'known' faces more and that's a fairly universal rule. When you shift as partner from one firm to another, in my experience, it takes at least 2.5 years for your full book to 'shift' because most of your clients will not immediately start sending work. Same goes for the Senior partners pushing work to you. They will size you up with small stuff before pushing the bigger stuff. So joining a young partner who has just been elevated or has been with a firm for less than 2.5 years is ALWAYS a risk. Law practice is not about the flashes in the pan. It is about chugging along for many years (if not decades). Now why do I say 2.5 years, it is because a partner and his/her team need to survive 2 complete years to see how good or bad they are doing. 1 year is too little data to compare and 2 years is the bare minimum. As an Associate, what this means is that you need to pry as much information as you can (during the interview) about the firm, the partner and the team. Apart from these LI chatboards, try and speak to Associates working in the teams, well before an interview (through common connects).

Good luck!