Paralegal - GFM in Newcastle

The Newcastle Legal Delivery Centre, located in Clifford Chance's Newcastle office, is one of two such centres, with the other in Delhi. These centres work together to support global lawyer teams by effectively utilising knowledge, resources, processes, and legal technology to serve clients. The Newcastle Delivery Centre is made up of a range of practice areas, including Global Financial Markets, Corporate, Real Estate, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Tax, Pensions & Employment.

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits.

As a global law firm our work spans jurisdictions, cultures, and languages – and so do our people. Our culture is collaborative and inclusive — where diverse perspectives are recognised and valued. Where performing to your highest ability unlocks equal access to opportunities to learn, thrive and grow. We combine deep legal expertise and commercial intelligence to grow, transform, protect, and defend our clients' businesses, across every critical moment.

The role of a GFM Paralegal at our Newcastle Legal Delivery Centre offers you the chance to work within a practice area which complements the firm's work, ensuring that knowledge, resources, processes, and technology are deployed effectively to support our clients. Our skills and expertise are in great demand. Therefore, we are looking to recruit additional Paralegals to join the highly experienced, innovative, and client-centric team.

The Newcastle GFM team works across various product groups - Asset Finance, Derivatives and Structured Products, Structured Asset Backed Real Estate, Financial Regulation, Restructuring and Insolvency and Debt Finance. Although you may specialise in one product group, you will still be expected to support in other groups where required.

At our Newcastle Delivery Centre, you’ll be part of a well‑established paralegal support team with a wide range of seniority and specialisms. As a GFM Paralegal, you will collaborate closely with Paralegals, Apprentice Paralegals, Senior and Supervisory Paralegals, Managing Paralegals, Operations Managers, Legal Technology Advisors and Process Architects. You are likely to have direct contact and communication with Associates, Lawyers and Business Professionals based in other offices around the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensuring your work is accurate and thorough at all times
• Accurately updating internal tracking systems
• Being proactive about continuous improvement, systems and processes
• Integrating legal technology into our processes and advancing your skills in this area as much as possible
• Working efficiently and effectively within a team
• Providing timely updates as to work progress
• Communicating effectively at all times
• Playing a role in developing and representing the culture of the Newcastle Office and ensuring that we offer a diverse and inclusive workplace that is welcoming and supportive to all

What you will do

• You will undertake a multitude of tasks relevant to the GFM practice area (and other practice areas as needed), including but not limited to:
• Due diligence/Contract reviews
• Comments handling
• Drafting transaction documents and letters
• Reviewing pre and post-completion work
• Assisting with collation and preparation of conditions precedent
• Preparing transaction bibles and post-closing support
• Proofreading/checking cross-referencing
• Redacting
• Preparation of execution versions and signing support

You will use the latest legal technology for service delivery including Kira, High Q, Relativity and Contract Companion. Other administrative tasks as and when required.

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on-the-job learning. You will be given the opportunity to get involved in a range of internal training which covers:

• Legal Technology
• Process Improvement
• Various online training specific to the role of a paralegal, lawyer, manager etc.
• Legal Training

Qualifications

Your career experience so far:

• Essential:
• Demonstrable previous experience of working in an office or corporate environment
• Good academics - you will be a graduate (any discipline, non-law degrees accepted) or have completed a CILEx level 3 (or above) qualification in Law.
• Flexible and effective verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent research capabilities with the ability to follow detailed instructions and produce complex findings
• Proactive and forward thinking
• Flexible and have desire to learn
• Organised and efficient - ability to meet daily, weekly and monthly deadlines
• Proficient in applying and using a range of technology
• Excellent attention to detail
• Very good team player
• Desirable:
• Demonstrable previous paralegal experience especially in the product groups or practice areas specific to Global Financial Markets.
• Demonstrable experience of working in a customer service environment
• Fluent in a European language, particularly French, German, Spanish or Italian

Additional Information

The Recruitment Process:

• Application deadline: 7 June 2026 at 11:59pm
• Application process: Online application, online assessment, final stage assessment centre.

How to Apply

Complete the online application form and upload a copy of your CV and a cover letter. In your cover letter, kindly refer to the 'Career Experience' section of the advert and explain why you are an ideal fit for the role. Successful candidates at application review will be invited to complete an online assessment. If you pass the online assessment, you will be invited to a final stage assessment centre held in person at our Newcastle office. We will support travel costs where applicable, in relation to attending the final stage assessment centre.

Work pattern

Monday – Friday 35 hours per week. Core office hours are 09:00 - 20:00. We have a hybrid working policy in place and the expectation for this role is that at least 50% of your time is spent in the office.

Equal opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we forge an inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives are recognised and valued. It’s a culture where everyone has equal access to opportunities to thrive and succeed. We are guided by our values-based Code, which sets high standards of conduct and has a principle focused on being inclusive. We comply with the law and regulations in every location where we operate and we are committed to delivering fair and equal access to all applicants and employees irrespective of background. This applies across all aspects of employment from recruitment and selection to development, progression, and day-to-day working life.

Our global network of affinity, faith and support groups are open to all. These communities help to create an environment where everyone at the firm can feel they belong and can reach their full potential.