Principal Associate

ABOUT THE FIRM

Stride AMC manages multiple Alternative Investment Funds across India (SEBI Cat 2 AIF), GIFT City (IFSCA AIF), ADGM / Abu Dhabi (FSRA Cat 3) and London (FCA-regulated). We invest across debt / equity / credit strategies and partner with high-growth companies across sectors. The legal team is central to everything we do — from regulatory compliance to deal execution to investor management.

The legal team operates as a true business partner — advising the investment team, management and board on the full spectrum of fund, transaction and corporate legal matters.

ROLE OVERVIEW

This is a senior, high-impact role for an accomplished lawyer with 6–8 years of post-qualification experience. The Principal Associate will independently lead complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, regulatory compliance and AMC-level strategic legal matters. The role involves significant interaction with senior management, the board, investors, regulators and external counsel. The successful candidate will be a trusted legal advisor within the organisation and will play a key role in building institutional legal processes and managing the broader legal team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Investor Management & Complex Fund Documentation

• Lead drafting, review and negotiation of contribution agreements, side letters, limited partnership agreement (LPA) amendments, co-investment agreements and related documents across all fund structures.
• Drive PPM updates, fund rules amendments and constitutional document revisions independently; ensure regulatory alignment across all jurisdictions.
• Advise on complex investor structuring queries, including nominee / custodian arrangements, FDI / ODI considerations, FEMA structuring, tax treaty implications and FATCA / CRS compliance.
• Manage LP disputes, complaints, escalations and redemption/transfer requests, including coordination with the investment team and compliance.
• Lead fund lifecycle events: first close, interim closes, final close, fund extensions, GP-led restructurings, successor fund formation and wind-down processes.

2. Strategic Transactions, Acquisitions & Structuring

• Lead the legal workstream on key strategic transactions: fund platform acquisitions, GP stake sales, mergers of fund structures, spin-offs, co-investment platform formation and secondary market transactions.
• Advise on and execute AMC-level transactions: acquisitions of AMC stakes or businesses, joint ventures, management buy-ins/buy-outs and change of control arrangements.
• Structure and execute complex equity transactions: control buyouts, leveraged acquisitions, structured equity, convertible instruments (CCDs, OCDs, OFCDs), rights offerings and exit structures (drag-along, tag-along, put/call options).
• Lead complex debt transactions: structured / mezzanine debt, syndicated facilities, listed NCD issuances (on BSE / NSE), securitisation / ABS transactions, inter-creditor and security trustee arrangements.
• Manage external legal counsel across jurisdictions on complex transactions; review and control external counsel costs against budget.
• Advise the investment team on deal structuring, risk allocation and transaction documentation strategy.

3. AMC Structuring, Governance & Corporate Legal

• Advise on AMC-level structural and ownership matters: entity reorganisations, holding company arrangements, regulatory capital requirements, SEBI registration amendments and change of control approvals.
• Support SEBI / IFSCA registration and in-principle approval matters, licence amendments and new product / scheme launches.
• Draft and review internal AMC policies, board papers, governance frameworks, committee charters, conflict of interest policies, code of conduct and related party transaction policies.
• Advise on FEMA / ODI / FDI implications of AMC investments, fund structuring and offshore fund flows.
• Manage complex regulatory enquiries, arbitrations, disputes and litigation with external counsel.

4. General Counsel Support & Cross-Functional Advisory

• Act as a senior legal advisor to the investment team, CFO, COO and board — providing timely, high-quality legal advice on cross-functional matters including competition law, ESG / sustainability disclosures, insurance, IP and technology.
• Advise on senior employment matters: key management employment agreements, ESOP, carry structuring and grant processes, retention schemes, non-compete / non-solicitation arrangements and senior employee disputes.
• Lead DPDP Act 2023 (India), UK GDPR and ADGM data protection compliance; manage data processing agreements and privacy incident response.
• Lead complex vendor and technology negotiations: IT infrastructure, fund administration, custody, data and analytics agreements.
• Mentor and supervise the Legal Associates and other junior team members; support capacity building, knowledge management and precedent development.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• LLB / LLM from a recognised institution.
• 6–8 years of post-qualification experience, with significant time at a Tier 1 / Tier 2 law firm in fund formation, structured finance or M&A practice, or in-house at an AMC, fund, NBFC or financial services company.
• Deep expertise in SEBI AIF regulations and fund documentation — this is a mandatory requirement.
• Significant hands-on experience in debt transaction documentation (NCDs, debentures, structured finance, security creation) and equity transaction documentation (SSA, SHA, control deals).
• Demonstrated experience advising on complex or strategic transactions (acquisitions, structuring, fund mergers or GP-led transactions) is strongly preferred.
• Prior exposure to offshore fund structures (GIFT City IFSCA, ADGM / FSRA, FCA-regulated) is a strong advantage.
• Experience advising on AMC structuring, SEBI licence matters or regulatory approvals is a plus.

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Independent legal judgment: confident in providing definitive advice without routine escalation.
• Strong commercial acumen: ability to understand business priorities and translate them into pragmatic legal solutions.
• Excellent negotiation skills: able to negotiate effectively with sophisticated counterparties including institutional investors, PE funds, banks and large corporates.
• Stakeholder management: comfortable engaging with board-level stakeholders, regulators, external counsel and international counterparts.
• Leadership and mentoring: able to delegate, guide and develop junior team members.
• Ability to manage multiple high-priority workstreams under tight timelines.
• Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced, multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.