Legal Director - Corporate in Stockport

As one of the UK’s leading law firms, we’re here for the people and businesses who rely on us at life’s important moments - made possible by our colleagues who bring the expertise, judgement and care that makes the difference. Our colleagues bring Irwin Mitchell to life every day, so it matters that you feel valued from the very first day and are trusted with the responsibility, in the right culture, to do the best work of your careers. Everyone’s path here is different, but we share a desire to help our business make a real impact.

Where possible we will support our colleagues to work in a way that works for them, for us and most importantly our clients. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

You’ll join our highly regarded Corporate team in Manchester, working alongside Partner Adam Kaucher and as part of a wider National Corporate team with real momentum. We advise ambitious entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, private equity investors, management teams and international corporates on the key ownership, capital and growth decisions that shape their businesses, from investment and acquisition through to exit and succession planning.

We’re looking for an experienced, commercially minded Legal Director to play a central role in the next phase of growth for our corporate practice in the North West. This is an excellent opportunity for a senior lawyer who wants high-quality transactional work, meaningful client responsibility and the chance to help shape a growing team.

As a senior member of the team, you’ll be involved in:

• Leading and managing significant corporate transactions from instruction through to completion.
• Advising on a broad range of corporate work, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments, management buyouts, reorganisations, shareholder arrangements and strategic joint ventures.
• Acting for a diverse client base including private companies, entrepreneurs, management teams, private equity backed businesses, institutional investors and international organisations.
• Supporting partners on larger strategic matters while taking day-to-day responsibility for transaction delivery.
• Building and strengthening client relationships and helping to grow our presence across the Manchester market and wider North West region.
• Working closely with colleagues across Banking & Finance, Tax, Employment, Real Estate, Commercial and Regulatory to deliver joined-up advice.
• Supervising, mentoring and developing junior lawyers, helping to build a strong and collaborative National Corporate team.
• Contributing to business development, thought leadership and networking across the corporate and private equity communities.

Recent examples of the work undertaken by our Corporate team include:

• Advising Risk Capital Partners on its acquisition of leading restaurant brand Wahaca, supporting the business as it enters its next stage of growth and expansion.
• Advising Taoglas, a US-based international antenna and RF solutions provider, on its acquisition of UK technology business Sure Antennas, further demonstrating the strength of our international M&A capability.
• Advising the management team of Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel on its investment from BGF, supporting the award-winning adventure travel business as it secures investment to accelerate growth, international expansion and continued development of its customer offering.

We’re looking for someone who combines strong technical ability with commercial judgment, confidence with clients and the ability to lead transactions effectively. You’ll ideally have:

• Significant post-qualification experience gained within a recognised Corporate practice.
• Strong technical expertise across M&A and broader Corporate transactional work.
• Experience of leading transactions and supervising junior lawyers.
• The ability to build and maintain strong client relationships.
• Commercial awareness and a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach.
• A genuine interest in business development and contributing to the continued growth of our Manchester and National Corporate practice.
• Strong communication, project management and stakeholder management skills.

This role would suit an ambitious Senior Associate ready to step into a Legal Director position, or an established Legal Director looking for a broader platform and access to high-quality national work. At Irwin Mitchell, you’ll be part of a National Corporate team with a strong market reputation undertaking high-quality domestic and international work. We offer a collaborative platform where senior lawyers can build client relationships, develop their profile and play an active role in shaping the future of the practice.

If you’re looking for a role that combines high-quality transactional work, real client responsibility, long term progression and the opportunity to help build a growing Corporate practice, we’d love to hear from you.

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You:

• 28 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid).
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.
• We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported.
• This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.
• We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2026!
• Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.
• Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders. We carry out pre-employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks with our trusted 3rd parties. The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws. Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.