I've never heard of any NUS law peer who has ever accepted a 3.8k legal associate job offer. Any Chinatown firm will pay you 4.2 to 4.5k at least, with the caveat that there's no guaranteed yearly increment. But if your predicament is indeed true, then I doubt your sorry excuse of a firm will be looking at giving you guaranteed yearly increments anyway

Please find somewhere else. It's utterly insulting to have graduated from NUS law and working in such a firm. And way below what the market will pay even for the absolute lousiest NUS grad who is not a third class honours (and therefore barred from practising).