Associate (Newly Qualified)

Successful businesses rely on a unique set of ideas and people. We help our clients protect and develop those vital assets, unlocking possibilities for future success. 

From iconic brands and leading multinationals to pioneering start-ups, we are proud to work with a huge range of inspiring clients, helping them to turn their ideas into reality and get the best from - and for - their people.

Our people are not only exceptional at what they do, they also enjoy doing it and consistently give their best to a firm they’re proud to be part of. This stems from our firm culture and our ethos of bravery and kindness. That ethos runs through everything we do, from our approach to recruitment, business practices, and DEI activities to the day-to-day environment in our office and our relationships with clients.

With an internationally minded team of more than 700 working across key areas of law – plus strategic partnerships around the world – we’ve got both the combination and calibre of legal experts it takes to enable our clients’ businesses to thrive. Whether it is providing global employment law advice, managing a global IP portfolio or piecing together a multijurisdictional corporate transaction, we are able to have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

The Corporate Group consists of 15 partners, 15 associates, 2 trainees, a paralegal, a PDL, together with a high quality secretarial and word processing support team. The team operates as one combined team based in the London, Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast offices.  It is Tier 1 ranked by Legal 500 and Band 1 ranked by Chambers & Partners in the London market and is expanding in all of these offices.  It has also recently been ranked for the first time for its Private Equity/Venture Capital work.

The Corporate Group contains dedicated specialists in Corporate Finance, Banking, Tax and Benefits, Financial Regulatory and Partnerships.  We are determined to grow each of these respective practices as evidenced by recent lateral hires from the leading UK law firms, together with recruiting – as here – at the more junior level to support those teams.

Though Corporate Finance work is actively sourced and undertaken across the Corporate Group, we have two dedicated partners who lead this practice, together with a legal director (a PQE 10 focussing on banking) and a senior associate (a PQE 6).  At present the more junior associate support is provided more widely across the Corporate Group.  This recruitment is with a view to providing that support on a more dedicated and consolidated basis.  In effect, it is a new role recognising the distinct growth of this practice.  The candidate will therefore not only have the opportunity to learn from senior persons but also will have a clear career pathway ahead.

Our clients are interesting and diverse and range from founders and owner-managed entrepreneurial businesses, to investors and funders, including banks and funds.  This also encompasses large businesses including companies listed in the UK and overseas.   Recent overseas work includes acting for US, Middle East and PRC-based clients.

The range of work we carry out is extensive and includes mergers and acquisitions, debt funding and all aspects of corporate finance from early investment to exit transactions, as well as corporate advisory work.  The debt funding work is both from a borrower and lending perspective.  The more standard banking work is mostly borrower focussed.

We act for many cutting edge tech businesses, and high-profile tech investors both inside and outside the UK. In addition to technology we tend to specialise in the creative sectors including advertising, media and entertainment, publishing, sport, music, fashion, retail, hospitality and leisure.

Each associate is allocated a Career Development Partner from amongst the team’s partners, who will have general responsibility for development of the associate.

All members of our team are given the opportunity to help grow our business and participate fully in our business development initiatives which may range from a variety of sector-based events, to writing in industry journals and presenting at seminars.  We are keen that our associates play an active role in this aspect of our business and they are encouraged to contribute with their own ideas and initiatives. All associates have a business development plan: we see this as a commitment of the firm to support these activities (even if comparatively minor), rather than a specific performance measurement rubric.

Given the extensive nature of the role we will be placing a large degree of trust and confidence in the chosen candidate.  In return we would expect a person capable of clear and concise legal thinking, acknowledging that this position is for someone at the start of their career.

Given the largely transactional based work, we work in teams, with the size and composition of the team depending upon the nature of the transaction.

The successful individual:

• will be a key part of a hard-working, friendly and supportive team;
• will have prior experience working in a high performing and collaborative environment;
• will have good inter-personal skills.

Even those associates at the start of their respective careers are encouraged to run their own transactions (with guidance on hand as and when necessary) and to develop their legal knowledge and expertise.

The ideal candidate would have an interest in the work we specialise and will have had some grounding in general corporate and corporate finance work as a private practice trainee (including a seat in Corporate).  We would appreciate an honest appraisal of work undertaken to date and expect a demonstrable interest in the role on offer.

At Lewis Silkin our ethos is simple. We strive to do the best for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise. We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. We are committed to supporting candidates throughout the recruitment process by supporting anyone who requires adjustments, in order to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at their best. All applicants will be considered equally and fairly. If you’d like to request any adjustments throughout the recruitment process, or would like to discuss flexible working patterns, please email the recruitment team in confidence (recruitment@lewissilkin.com).