Employment Lawyer (Financial Services)

We are seeking an excellent Employment Lawyer with experience in Financial Services across our investment management practice. This is a great opportunity to take on a senior advisory role with direct client impact, breadth of exposure, and a clear path to firm-wide influence.

You will advise across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit, hedge funds, and venture capital; overseeing transactions, fund structuring, and regulatory navigation. The ideal candidate is a commercially minded legal strategist with deep private markets experience and a desire to operate at pace, lead teams, and build something significant.

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years PQE, significant employment law experience within the financial services sector, and a strong understanding of the commercial and regulatory environment in which investment management businesses operate.

• Act as a trusted legal adviser to asset owners, asset allocators, asset managers, and financial services trade organisations.
• Co-advise together with the GC-Corporate Governance and Trading on regulatory and governance issues affecting FCA-regulated firms, including Senior Managers Certification Regime (SMCR), remuneration, conduct matters and regulatory investigations.
• Co-advise together with the GC-Corporate Governance and Trading on complex and sensitive HR/Employment matters such as C-Suite exits.
• Present legal advice and strategic recommendations confidently to Executive Committees, Boards and C-Suite stakeholders.
• Deliver clear, practical and commercially driven solutions across multiple client relationships simultaneously.
• Deliver employment law training and legal updates to client teams.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with clients by acting as an embedded extension of their in-house legal teams.
• Provide strategic, commercially focused advice and drafting and negotiation support to firms on the full employee lifecycle, including: Recruitment and hiring, Employment contracts and service agreements, Executive appointments and departures, Performance management, Disciplinary and grievance processes, Settlement Agreements, Redundancies, restructuring and reorganisations, Employee Handbook including flexible working, family leave and all HR related workplace policies.
• Advise on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, including acquisitions, business transfers (TUPE) and post-completion integration.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting employment law within financial services and proactively advise clients on emerging risks.
• Provide drafting support to the marketing team on campaigns focusing on HR/employment matters.
• Collaborate closely with colleagues across the firm to deliver seamless, high-quality client service.

Key Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with a minimum of 10 years’ post qualification-experience (PQE), with a demonstrable track record of delivering high-quality employment law advice.
• Extensive employment law experience gained within financial services, starting in private practice, and continuing there or in-house, or as part of an outsourced legal function, with a strong understanding of the commercial and regulatory landscape.
• Strong working knowledge of SIMCR reform including the up-to-date regulatory position on Non-Financial Misconduct and NDAs as well as familiarity with financial services remuneration frameworks, including MIFIDPRU, considered highly advantageous.
• Excellent knowledge of the Employment Reform Act including changes to Unfair Dismissal.
• Exceptional drafting and technical legal skills, with the ability to produce clear, precise and commercially focused documentation of the highest standard.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the credibility and confidence to advise, influence and present to Executive Committees, Boards and C-Suite stakeholders.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships across a diverse client portfolio, adapting seamlessly to different organisational cultures while delivering an exceptional client experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple client relationships and competing priorities simultaneously, maintaining consistently high standards in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Highly commercial and solutions-oriented, with the judgement to balance legal risk against strategic business objectives.
• Self-motivated, adaptable and resilient, with the confidence to operate autonomously while contributing effectively within a collaborative, high-performing team.
• Exceptional organisational and time management skills, with a proven ability to deliver pragmatic, high-quality legal advice accurately and at pace.
• Proactive and responsive; solutions focused; has the ability to communicate legal risk in a clear, practical, business-focused way.