Restructuring Legal Director in Manchester

We are seeking a Restructuring Legal Director to join our national team in Manchester. This is a pivotal appointment for a senior, transactional and advisory-focused restructuring lawyer who wants to play a key role in the continued growth of our practice. You will work closely and report directly to Aneesh Prasad while collaborating with partners and colleagues nationally. The role is suited to someone who is motivated to take ownership of complex restructuring assignments and to help shape the future direction of our Manchester offering. We are looking for lawyers who are invested in their future and in the success of the firm. Please apply if you are ambitious to take the next step in your career.

Our Restructuring team are trusted advisers to a wide-ranging and sophisticated client base, delivering high quality transactional and corporate advisory support across both local and national markets. Our breadth of expertise means the successful candidate will work with and adapt quickly to the needs of a diverse portfolio of clients, including:

• secured creditors, asset-based lenders, invoice discounters, financial institutions, panel clients and surety bond providers;
• restructuring professionals, including national and regional accountants, insolvency practitioners, turnaround specialists and independent restructuring advisers;
• boards, executive teams and regulatory bodies, providing clear, commercial guidance at critical moments;
• clients across our Corporate Platform and the wider Gateley Group, drawing on our legal and non-legal multidisciplinary offering.

Our Restructuring team brings together specialists across restructuring, transactional solutions, corporate workout and contentious matters. We advise on the full spectrum of financial and organisational restructuring, including solvent and insolvent business sales and exits, distressed M&A, antecedent transactions, asset recovery, enforcement strategies, financial and operational change, stakeholder negotiations, turnaround projects, debt trading, directors’ duties and corporate governance. The team sits within Gateley’s Corporate Platform, working with colleagues in Dispute Resolution and Complex International Recoveries to deliver integrated, commercial solutions. We invest heavily in our people and are committed to recruiting and retaining leading talent. The team offers a genuinely nurturing environment with a clear and structured pathway for long-term progression, including partnership for those with the ambition and capability to achieve it.

Role responsibilities

• Lead local and national restructuring mandates, delivering high-quality transactional and corporate advisory restructuring work;
• Project-manage multi-stakeholder work-outs and financial or operational restructurings;
• Advise boards, insolvency practitioners and lender-side clients;
• Supervise, develop and mentor junior colleagues, helping to build capability within the team;
• Support business development initiatives with Aneesh and the wider Unit.

What a Strong Candidate Will Bring

• Established experience in restructuring and advisory work;
• The confidence and capability to act as a senior, visible member of the team;
• Demonstrable experience in supervising and upskilling junior colleagues;
• Enthusiasm for business development and the drive to help shape our market presence;
• A clear vision for their medium-term career development.

We are forward thinking and straight talking. Gateley is a legal and professional services group with a diverse client base of more than 5,700 active clients in the UK and beyond. We are committed to diversity, inclusion and well-being as part of Gateley’s culture and values, and offer flexible working patterns to support work/life balance. We have a range of learning and development opportunities and a comprehensive rewards package, including annual bonus eligibility. We are proud to have been recognised by The Law Society as gold standard for our Diversity and Inclusion Charter and to be Stonewall Diversity Champions.

Benefits and Diversity

Benefits offerings include a comprehensive rewards package with options covering annual leave, cycle to work, health care, pension, employee assistance programme, and additional benefits (grade dependent). Perks at Work and related lifestyle benefits are available. Gateley promotes a diverse and inclusive workplace and supports flexible working patterns to help staff achieve balance. We are committed to equal opportunities regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, or culture.

If you are successful in receiving an offer, a variety of pre-employment screening checks will be completed. Checks may include eligibility to work, professional qualifications, any criminal records, financial stability and references from previous employers. The screening will be relevant to the role.