An Associate at AZB & Partners has resigned citing mental harassment and unprofessional conduct on the part of seniors in his team..A screenshot of the email sent by the young lawyer bringing such treatment to the notice of senior management has been doing the rounds on social media..In the email, the Associate says that he was made to work on a holiday, was rejected leave for personal work multiple times and was constantly subjected to snide comments by his seniors that demotivated him."I have been told multiple times by my seniors over and over again during my time here that I am not good enough, my work is not good enough...Nupur Ma'am, in the last two months, has yelled at me, subjected me to humiliations, and publicly humiliated me in front of the team, which was uncalled for and out of line," he says.He claims that when he approached another senior at the firm with his grievances, he was told that the team treats resources like "rubber bands" and tests whether they break or adapt..Thereafter, the Associate wrote two other emails to Senior Partner Hardeep Sachdeva - one on August 22 and another one on August 24. In the August 22 email, the Associate expressed his gratitude to Sachdeva for addressing the issues and for the opportunity he got to work with him and other team members. However, he said that he would not like to continue at the firm, and tendered his resignation..He wrote another email on August 24, again expressing his gratitude for what he has learnt at the firm. He also said that he could have used better words to describe his seniors and that he should have brought up the issues at the appropriate time and forum. He also regretted the misunderstanding that his words may have caused..Bar & Bench reached out to both the firm and the Associate. The latter said,"I did send subsequent emails after getting some sort of clarification from my Senior Partner that the seniors were just trying to teach me and unlock my capabilities and professional values. However, there was a misalignment and miscommunication of expectations and that’s why I didn’t want to continue working there. I tried to leave on amicable terms. I have been put under a lot of stress externally, and internally, the issue was clarified with me. I was not satisfied with whatever was going on in the team and I didn’t want to carry on with the team as it was too much for me - emotionally and physically."The Associate maintains that he never posted or leaked these emails online and that he only wanted to escalate the issue to the Senior Partners and leave the firm amicably.Contrary to claims made online that he was an A0 Associate, the lawyer graduated back in 2020 and has prior work experience..Following the publication of this article, AZB & Partners has issued the following statement on the matter:"It is unfortunate that an internal matter has been blown out of proportion in social media which doesn’t give the full picture. Ironically the associate has himself told Bar & Bench that he did not post anything on social media. The associate in question, who was with us for less than 2 months, was promptly heard and his concerns were given attention to and addressed through mutual discussions which occurred the same day that he sent the email. We treat our lawyers and staff with compassion and respect. The fact that a very significant number of our lawyers and staff in Delhi are lifers, some of whom have spent 15 years or more working with us, is by itself a testimony of how we treat and value our people. We remain steadfast in our commitment to care for and support all our people, including our junior lawyers.".The joint statement was issued by Managing Partner Ajay Bahl, and Partners, Raman Sharma, Hardeep Sachdeva, Sunila Awasthi, Anil Kasturi, Vinati Kastia, Deepak Chopra and Vijayendra Pratap Singh..The circulation of these emails online has sparked a debate on how top law firms and seniors chambers function and how they treat their young lawyers.
An Associate at AZB & Partners has resigned citing mental harassment and unprofessional conduct on the part of seniors in his team..A screenshot of the email sent by the young lawyer bringing such treatment to the notice of senior management has been doing the rounds on social media..In the email, the Associate says that he was made to work on a holiday, was rejected leave for personal work multiple times and was constantly subjected to snide comments by his seniors that demotivated him."I have been told multiple times by my seniors over and over again during my time here that I am not good enough, my work is not good enough...Nupur Ma'am, in the last two months, has yelled at me, subjected me to humiliations, and publicly humiliated me in front of the team, which was uncalled for and out of line," he says.He claims that when he approached another senior at the firm with his grievances, he was told that the team treats resources like "rubber bands" and tests whether they break or adapt..Thereafter, the Associate wrote two other emails to Senior Partner Hardeep Sachdeva - one on August 22 and another one on August 24. In the August 22 email, the Associate expressed his gratitude to Sachdeva for addressing the issues and for the opportunity he got to work with him and other team members. However, he said that he would not like to continue at the firm, and tendered his resignation..He wrote another email on August 24, again expressing his gratitude for what he has learnt at the firm. He also said that he could have used better words to describe his seniors and that he should have brought up the issues at the appropriate time and forum. He also regretted the misunderstanding that his words may have caused..Bar & Bench reached out to both the firm and the Associate. The latter said,"I did send subsequent emails after getting some sort of clarification from my Senior Partner that the seniors were just trying to teach me and unlock my capabilities and professional values. However, there was a misalignment and miscommunication of expectations and that’s why I didn’t want to continue working there. I tried to leave on amicable terms. I have been put under a lot of stress externally, and internally, the issue was clarified with me. I was not satisfied with whatever was going on in the team and I didn’t want to carry on with the team as it was too much for me - emotionally and physically."The Associate maintains that he never posted or leaked these emails online and that he only wanted to escalate the issue to the Senior Partners and leave the firm amicably.Contrary to claims made online that he was an A0 Associate, the lawyer graduated back in 2020 and has prior work experience..Following the publication of this article, AZB & Partners has issued the following statement on the matter:"It is unfortunate that an internal matter has been blown out of proportion in social media which doesn’t give the full picture. Ironically the associate has himself told Bar & Bench that he did not post anything on social media. The associate in question, who was with us for less than 2 months, was promptly heard and his concerns were given attention to and addressed through mutual discussions which occurred the same day that he sent the email. We treat our lawyers and staff with compassion and respect. The fact that a very significant number of our lawyers and staff in Delhi are lifers, some of whom have spent 15 years or more working with us, is by itself a testimony of how we treat and value our people. We remain steadfast in our commitment to care for and support all our people, including our junior lawyers.".The joint statement was issued by Managing Partner Ajay Bahl, and Partners, Raman Sharma, Hardeep Sachdeva, Sunila Awasthi, Anil Kasturi, Vinati Kastia, Deepak Chopra and Vijayendra Pratap Singh..The circulation of these emails online has sparked a debate on how top law firms and seniors chambers function and how they treat their young lawyers.
