Associate Solicitor
8 days ago
London
JOB TITLE: Associate GROUP: Corporate & Venture Capital REPORTING TO: Heads 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. 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 focused 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 and venture capital 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 life cycle 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 focused 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 8 partners (including a corporate tax partner and an incentives tax partner), 2 senior associates, 4 associates and supported by 2 paralegals and 3 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 a talented and highly motivated associate to join our well-regarded corporate & venture capital team at Sheridans. The successful individual will have received training at well-regarded firm and have up to 2 years post-qualification experience. The Team’s current most junior associate is approaching 4PQE and therefore we are looking for a right candidate to come in and ensure a good balance of experience within the team. An aptitude to develop strong technical and legal expertise is a prerequisite 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 investments, 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 • A junior lawyer having trained and worked within established practices, • 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, • Gaining experience and confidence in the project management of a transaction or corporate matters, • 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 EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Our aim is for all staff to feel welcomed at Sheridans and ultimately be their true self at work. We are proud to promote inclusion & diversity among clients, candidates, and staff as an equal opportunities employer. It is our policy to support people who hold Protected Characteristics (under the Equality Act 2010) both internally and externally through supporting practices based solely upon merit. Please note that we will not accept agency CV's or applications. Application process: For further information and to apply, please submit your CV on LinkedIn. Due to the volume of applications, we are unable to respond to direct enquiries. If you have not received a response within 1 week, unfortunately you have not been shortlisted. We look forward to receiving your application.