JOB TITLE: Associate
GROUP: Corporate
REPORTING TO: Charlotte Fox, Head of Department
TERM: Permanent
HOURS: Full-time, 9:30am – 5:30pm, Monday to Friday with one hour for lunch. A flexible approach to working hours is a must, overtime may be required at busy times.
We currently operate a hybrid working policy with at least 3 days office working per week. Our hybrid working policy is discretionary and may be subject to change.
ABOUT SHERIDANS
Sheridans is a leading London law firm whose lawyers combine the in-depth legal knowledge and breadth of expertise and experience required to give unparalleled advice to their clients.
Since 1956, Sheridans has represented individuals and organisations across a wide variety of sectors, providing quality advice which is commercially focussed and personally delivered. The Firm traditionally gravitated around music and the creative industries and following a long period of sustained organic growth, Sheridans is recognised as a market leading firm in media, entertainment and technology.
Sheridans retains its sector focus by organising the Firm around its specialist sectors of Interactive and Digital Media; Film & TV; Music; Branding and Talent; and Sports, and combines this specialist commercial and industry knowledge and expertise with a full-service offering including corporate and venture capital, tax and incentives, employment and immigration, privacy and data, crypto and emerging technologies, real estate, family and dispute resolution groups to provide a truly bespoke service to its clients.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Sheridans’ Corporate team prides itself on technical excellence, coupled with commercial, practical advice, and a sound knowledge of client businesses and industries. It advises clients from start-up to exit, and all phases through the corporate lifecycle and growth in between.
The team represents a wide range of clients on corporate transactions and advisory matters and operates in a very dynamic and commercially focussed environment given Sheridans’ strength representing entrepreneurs, talent and investors in media, entertainment and technology. The constant within the team is working with high-quality clients on interesting deals, but otherwise the nature of the work is very varied and means that at any one time the team is working on the other side of specialist media firms, as well as City firms and US / Global firms.
The team currently comprises of 5 Partners (plus 2 tax Partners), 2 Senior Associates, 4 Associates and supported by 2 Personal Assistants; with many of the team joining Sheridans having developed their careers in a big law environment and looking for an alternative platform and culture to further build their practice and operate as commercially minded corporate lawyers.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Associate to join our well-regarded Corporate team at Sheridans. The successful individual will be technically astute and have a minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience within established City / Global practices, or within a specialist firm of equivalent top tier quality.
An aptitude to develop strong technical and legal expertise is a pre-requisite for the role, however, a key component to success in this role in an entrepreneurial outlook and interest in engaging with the Firm’s specialist sectors and business development. There will also be opportunities to develop and implement your own business plan to grow your client base and practice area in line with the wider team’s objectives.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Working directly with the Partners and wider team to manage complex matters and transactions
- Assist and work closely with Partners on shareholder agreements and joint ventures
- Guide and advise clients on advisory and company law matters, such as corporate governance, raising investment, company share buybacks, reductions in capital
- Advise clients on the law and legal issues relating to their transaction
- Draft documents and contracts tailored to the client’s individual needs and the relevant matter
- Correspond and negotiate with opposing solicitors to secure client’s agreed objectives
- Manage transactions including preparation of checklists and pro-actively driving transactions/matters forward
- Arrange and attend client meetings where necessary to progress the transaction and finalise documentation
- At all times applying high attention to detail and sufficient review of all documentation prior to signing and implementing
The above is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your changing role within the Firm and the overall business needs.
SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:
Skills & experience
- An experienced lawyer having trained and worked within established practices
- Demonstrable post-qualification experience undertaking matters involving but not limited to: M&A transactions, private equity and/or venture capital work, investments, debt finance, shareholders agreements, corporate restructuring and governance
- Experience and confidence in the project management of a transaction
- A methodical approach to work with a strong focus on accuracy
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience liaising with senior internal stakeholders
- Enthusiasm, resilience, and a professional approach, with an excellent customer service ethic
- Ability to liaise with, persuade and influence colleagues at all levels
- Ability to remain organised, prioritise and multi-task particularly when managing a large workload under pressure and to tight deadlines
- Ability to work confidentially, remaining discreet at all times
- The potential to lead and delegate responsibility
- Flexibility towards working out of regular hours at busy times
Qualifications
- A strong academic record
- Qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales
AGENCY NOTICE
From time to time, we partner with recruitment agencies to assist us with our resourcing needs. Please note that we are not currently seeking agency support for this vacancy and any unsolicited submissions will not be considered.