@FR: Appreciate the enthusiasm. Great to see this new crop of enthusiastic lawyers - someone enquired about M&A resources a couple of days back. Good on you guys!
Before suggesting any topics/ resources, I do have some general advice/ warning. B&F practice tends to be (notoriously) volume driven - as an Associate, this means that you will find yourself pulling late/all-nighters more often than not. In most Tier-1 firms it is common to find even senior members pull insane hours, especially heading into quarter and FY ends (essentially, at least 1/3 or even 1/2 of the year is going to be intense). This will often come at the cost of your social and personal life - you will find it hard to stick to any given schedule outside of the workplace and your holidays would be peppered with calls from the team. Efficiency at the workplace will be rewarded with more work - there's no escaping long hours.
While I understand the urge to be productive, 'Associate'/'2.0's advice is valuable. There's nothing that you will not learn on the job - however, contrary to what 2.0 claims, you'll have to teach yourself a significant part of it. Make the best of your time now - maybe learn a language, pick up a hobby or just chill with your folks/ friends. If you are bent on being productive in the traditional sense, maybe learn more about personal finance or explore a field outside the law you probably considered while in school - you never know, may want to revisit it one day. If you seek to pursue higher education a couple of years down the line, maybe spend this time reading about colleges/ processes/ scholarships - will help you plan the next 3-4 years of your life/ mould your CV in that direction.
While I am sharing this list of introductory B&F topics/ reading list, I hope you prioritise spending your time on more important things. 1. NDA's debt funding in India series - gives a very good overview of the general fund raising landscape. 2. Understand D/E ratio (look up on investopedia) and learn to read Financial Statements - understand what each line-item represents. 3. Brush up on ToPA (mortgage, charge) - Prof. Sarathi, Contract Act (pledge, guarantee) - Avtar Singh, Companies Act (Private Placement, 180-186) - Ramaiah. 4. RBI's Master Circular on Loans and Advances (last one came around 2015) and the Master Directions - Interest Rates on Advances. While without any transactional context, it may seem like a long read, these circulars actually present a very good overview of what domestic banking entails. While no point trying to remember the contents, you will encounter various terms leading to a B&F rabbit hole and you could choose to understand the concepts as you please. If super-enthusiastic, could also glance through the RBI NBFC Master Directions - would advise against it. 5. Cross-border: NDA's article on offshore funding routes. Understand FEMA classification of debt & non-debt instruments. 6. Restructuring: RBI's framework for resolution of stressed assets and blog posts covering the subject of how the 2018 circular was challenged, SC's findings and current position. 7. Understand basics of SARFAESI (s. 3, 7, 13, 17), IBC and Trusts Act.
Before suggesting any topics/ resources, I do have some general advice/ warning. B&F practice tends to be (notoriously) volume driven - as an Associate, this means that you will find yourself pulling late/all-nighters more often than not. In most Tier-1 firms it is common to find even senior members pull insane hours, especially heading into quarter and FY ends (essentially, at least 1/3 or even 1/2 of the year is going to be intense). This will often come at the cost of your social and personal life - you will find it hard to stick to any given schedule outside of the workplace and your holidays would be peppered with calls from the team. Efficiency at the workplace will be rewarded with more work - there's no escaping long hours.
While I understand the urge to be productive, 'Associate'/'2.0's advice is valuable. There's nothing that you will not learn on the job - however, contrary to what 2.0 claims, you'll have to teach yourself a significant part of it. Make the best of your time now - maybe learn a language, pick up a hobby or just chill with your folks/ friends. If you are bent on being productive in the traditional sense, maybe learn more about personal finance or explore a field outside the law you probably considered while in school - you never know, may want to revisit it one day. If you seek to pursue higher education a couple of years down the line, maybe spend this time reading about colleges/ processes/ scholarships - will help you plan the next 3-4 years of your life/ mould your CV in that direction.
While I am sharing this list of introductory B&F topics/ reading list, I hope you prioritise spending your time on more important things.
1. NDA's debt funding in India series - gives a very good overview of the general fund raising landscape.
2. Understand D/E ratio (look up on investopedia) and learn to read Financial Statements - understand what each line-item represents.
3. Brush up on ToPA (mortgage, charge) - Prof. Sarathi, Contract Act (pledge, guarantee) - Avtar Singh, Companies Act (Private Placement, 180-186) - Ramaiah.
4. RBI's Master Circular on Loans and Advances (last one came around 2015) and the Master Directions - Interest Rates on Advances. While without any transactional context, it may seem like a long read, these circulars actually present a very good overview of what domestic banking entails. While no point trying to remember the contents, you will encounter various terms leading to a B&F rabbit hole and you could choose to understand the concepts as you please. If super-enthusiastic, could also glance through the RBI NBFC Master Directions - would advise against it.
5. Cross-border: NDA's article on offshore funding routes. Understand FEMA classification of debt & non-debt instruments.
6. Restructuring: RBI's framework for resolution of stressed assets and blog posts covering the subject of how the 2018 circular was challenged, SC's findings and current position.
7. Understand basics of SARFAESI (s. 3, 7, 13, 17), IBC and Trusts Act.
Goodluck!
@Kian: These threads are a very good idea.