Before 1992, a vast majority of Indian lawyers worked in small practices and

because of legal barriers and Indian corporations preference for in house legal
counsel, the number of large law firms was very less. But after liberalization, the
Indian legal services began growing exponentially, and with the growth came a
huge talent crunch. The ability to hire and retain talent fast became an important
mantra for success.
The case revolves around the Managing Partners and CEO of Singhania and Partners
discussing about the high attrition rate in the legal service industry and how it
would, if it would, affect their firm. They had competition not only from Indian firms
providing legal services but also from foreign firms, which had identified the
growing importance of Indian legal services industry.
Singhania and Partners followed good HR practices to make sure their employees
remain happy and motivated. Some of the policies followed by them are:
1. Weekly seminar management meeting
2. Bi-weekly open house for voicing opinions, ideas, suggestions etc.
3. Merit based career growth
4. Annual retreats for unwinding and team building
5. Competitive Pay
Also, the effectiveness of the policies can be judged by the fact that an employee,
who had left the firm for a fatter pay cheque, had expressed desire to return to the
firm as he was Missing the environment of Singhania and Partners.
In my views, Singhania and Partners have little to fear about in the short term. But
as the completion grows and the expected entry of foreign law firms heats up the
market even more, talent will become even scarcer. In that case, other firms might
go out of the way to hire and poach employees from Singhania and Partners. Also,
they might give Singhania and Partners lawyers offers which might be very difficult
for them to let go of. Hence, the firm should not just witness the developments
going around but act so that it doesnt become a problem in the future.
Some of the steps the firm can take are as follows:
1. Much of the work in a law firm is time-sensitive, with perfectionists often
drafting documents to meet deadlines set by either clients or the court. It
might be helpful to schedule some employees to start work later in the day to manage the last-
minute rush.
2. Proving effective and regular training to lawyers who join the firm so that even if they are doing
less meaningful work, they at least feel that they are gaining knowledge.
3. Building an efficient reporting culture without overlapping lines of supervision.