As a Cap Marks associate, there are a few things you can brush up before you join, which will help you in making good impressions while also helping you out once the slogging starts:

1) Get better at MS Word: As a Cap Marks lawyer, your primary job will be drafting/commenting on offer documents. Offer documents are legal docs and need to be formatted perfectly. Learn all the tricks - repeating headers in table, Para spacing, alignments. The more shortcuts you know, it is better as it will save you a lot of time.

2) Become aware of the Cap Marks transactions that your firm might be doing right now: you will necessarily be working on the precedents from these transactions, so it will if you already know the specifics of these transactions.

3) Read up on the types of transactions: equity transactions - IPOs, QIPs, FPOs, etc. Debt transactions: NCDs, international bonds, etc. Browse through offer docs of various types of transactions and try to get an idea of the basic law points.

4) ICDR: These regulations will be your go to for equity transactions, so get an understanding of the basic framework.

5) Enjoy this time off!! :Because once you start, there will be no end!

Prioritise health and sleep over everything. You will need both to be a successful lawyer. All-nighter can be anything but definitely not a badge of honour. Don't strive for that. Make 10 mins for yourself. Do a quick stretch everyday or move your body soon after you wake up. Just because it's late night and client or firm is paying for it, don't eat crap - make healthy choices to the best of your ability. A lot of it will not make sense but don't live with that ignorance. Ask if you can but if that would work against you then don't hesitate to approach anybody however it may be to get that knowledge. You will feel frustrated, angry, miserable and even sad sometimes - don't react to it, reach out. These are transitory and will pass. Have a broad end-game in sight. Every day need not be a move towards that but keep it in your consciousness so that you are able to spot opportunities to move quickly and shift to next gear. You will meet all sorts of people - kind ones and cruel ones, develop equanimity in dealing with both. Indian capital markets is sometimes a lot less about law and more about market practice - never forego an opportunity to be in a conversation where that is practice. Observe. Good luck my friend and Godspeed. Last but not least, never bullshit.