Name: Sarbajeet Nag Firm: Milbank LLP Location: London University: National University of Juridical Sciences Degree: Law
As well as looking at trends in the market, Sarbajeet is also keen to look inwardly at the trends shaping Milbank. Having joined the firm around three years ago, Sarbajeet considers the growth that he’s witnessed during this time: “When I started at the firm, we had around 13 associates and three partners in the leverage finance and capital markets team. Three years later, we have more than 60 associates and 10 partners, so we’re growing incredibly quickly. The firm’s training programme has also expanded in line with this growth.” He adds: “While growth, in itself, is obviously not the aim, being able to grow while doing the same kind of work, and profitably, is a big focus for Milbank and particularly in my area of practice.” Put your best foot forward How can aspiring lawyers reach Sarbajeet’s level of success? “You need good transactional management skills, as well as the ability to distil the merging of technical legal aspects and commercial aspects – and explain these issues to clients. You must also stay calm under pressure. A lot of what we do involves working to strict timelines and working with clients on transactions can be demanding.” “Being organised, staying on top of your work and being commercially focused, as well as being able to zone in on micro issues, understand them and help your client to understand them are all key skills,” he adds. Aside from the skills required for success, Sarbajeet shares some closing advice based on his past experience and the work ethic that supported him: “Always try to do your best work regardless of who you’re working with and what you’re doing. Throughout your career, you’ll sometimes find yourself working on things that you’re not keen on, but I’ve found that putting your best foot forward inevitably reaps rewards.”
As with all jobs there are challenges to confront – whether that’s work you don’t want to do, administrative tasks that take up time, or the long hours that often come with working in law. For lawyers, these challenges differ between practice areas but for those practising transactional law “there’s a significant demand on peoples’ time outside of the strict nine-to-five working hours, which makes long-term sustainability a challenge for many people,” Sarbajeet says. That said, having a team around you during busy periods does “soften the edges”. I think it’s a really interesting time to work in finance because of everything going on in the world, such as inflation, interest rate hikes, the commodity prices – all of this has a really tangible impact on the finance market On top of this, finding the area of law you’re working in fascinating will inevitably make for a more exciting and rewarding career. “I think it’s a really interesting time to work in finance because of everything going on in the world, such as inflation, interest rate hikes, the commodity prices – all of this has a really tangible impact on the finance market.” Sarbajeet continues: “We’re going through a period of flux right now where the market for our main products, which are the term loan instrument or high-yield bond, is really quite volatile. We’re also seeing some interesting trends in terms of who’s buying our debt products, what that means for documentation and how people are financing various acquisitions. However, the main trend in the market right now is volatility and how people will navigate that with more creativity and alternative sources of funding.”
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