It is without doubt the absolute best financial services regulatory practices not just in the firm but in the industry. The partner has the deepest knowledge of regulatory positions, so much so that he knows things that even the regulator may not know. The lore on 4th floor is that when RBI officials require clarity on some point, they call him. Even senior partners in the firm and other firms check in with him when they are stymied on a point of law. He is also one of the best mentors you could find, and is extremely participative, often asking A0s what the firm should advise the client. Work life balance in this team is also excellent, with team members not being able to recollect the last time they were required to work outside of office hours. Overall the best team to work with, but only if they select you. They are known to be very selective, going by the very lean team numbers.

The only con is that this team, much like the larger team it's part of, has clients who are 'sharks' and you won't possibly cut it in the team if you're not a trailblazer and a 'shark' like the EP this team reports to. So ya, non-sharks please excuse. Only tier A intellects with superb communication skills can survive in this team.

As a partner, I see a constant gripe with the fact that partners ask their junior resources what to advise a client. This is not uncommon and is a very standard practice in the industry. The reason is simply because we want to understand your thought process and whether you have the skills to advise a client on your own. If your thought process is weak, or your fundamentals flawed, we simply do not trust you with responsibility, plain and simple.

As for work life balance, if you want to run a marquee practice like financial regulatory or cap marks or GC, you should let go of that expectation since the client is extremely important.