From my personal experience, my time in A&G was a rather unfriendly and competitive one. R&T, which is seen in the industry to have the most welfare out of the Big 4, has also been trending towards this rather negative work culture. There are simply just too many people quitting or not being able to handle the pressure of work. Many people go into these law firms and picture a rather elite and sort of 'refined' life style, but it is quite the opposite when your life style is simply just working ungodly hours.

I think the issue, having experienced the Big 3/4 (A&G, D&N R&T), is that local firms are definitely feeling the pinch of the economy and the expansion of larger firms as they delve into Asia. I can only assume that that is the reason why they're pushing after the money more, and taking as many jobs as they can.

What are the Local Big 4's advantage as a unique selling point over the international firms? Being trans-nationally versed in Asia, however that is quickly diminish as giants like Baker literally set up shop everywhere. My time in Baker & CC, to my surprise, was a more enjoyable experience. It felt more amicable despite the equally, if not longer, hours, but people were happy to work there and felt like it was not a race.