Senior/Principal Associate - Commercial Education in Manchester

We are hiring an experienced Commercial Solicitor with a specialism within the Education sector to join our growing, leading national team.

The role

We are offering an exciting opportunity for a talented and motivated commercial lawyer to join our dynamic and growing commercial education team. We are a leading national law firm with a market-leading reputation in the education sector, acting as trusted adviser to universities, corporates focussing on the sector, schools and educational charities, nationally and internationally. We are committed to providing high-quality, practical legal advice that supports our clients' missions and values. Our clients include over 100 universities and many world leading sector-focussed corporates. This role will ideally be located in either our Leeds, Cambridge, Birmingham or Manchester office.

The person

You will have a strong background within commercial law, with 6+ years PQE, with either solid past experience of acting for clients in the education sector or an enthusiasm and willingness to advise such clients. You will be able to demonstrate the ability to work either within a team or independently.

Depending on your PQE, you will be expected to perform (or develop your skills) as follows:

• Client service
  • Deliver outstanding client service to both internal and external clients to encourage client retention and referrals
  • Have a sound understanding of clients' legal, commercial and service requirements
  • Have effective client relationship and client service skills
  • Willingness to take initiative and to participate in marketing activities
• Organisation and prioritisation
  • Keenness to support colleagues and work as part of a supportive team, including collaborating with colleagues across our thriving sectors
  • Able to cope with the demands that tight timescales can bring and thrives in a busy and dynamic environment
• Technical excellence
  • Have strong technical competence, experience and legal knowledge in charity law
  • Deliver high quality and commercially focussed advice
  • Have excellent drafting and written communication skills
  • Have excellent attention to detail
  • Deliver training to clients and target clients

The activities

This opportunity will suit ambitious commercial lawyers who have experience and/or a keen interest in advising clients operating in the education sector on high profile and interesting projects, and who want to be part of a truly collaborative and forward-thinking firm. You will be involved in a wide range of matters, such as:

• Advising on and negotiating the suite of commercial agreements required for university overseas branch campuses in locations such as India, China and Southeast Asia;
• Advising on all forms of collaboration, partnership and joint venture agreements;
• Advising on nomination, validation and franchise agreements;
• Advising on a wide range of commercial agreements (including outsourcing agreements) on behalf of sector clients.

You will work closely with our national education sector team and with colleagues in our commercial and corporate teams in particular.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

The Benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.

We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision – achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We're also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People. Our mantra is “Achieve more. Together.”, which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shaped them and live them every day.

• We're ambitious - We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work
• We're open - We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right
• We care - We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet
• We collaborate - We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done – together

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.