Corporate Legal Director, 8+ PQE, Leading Independent, Leeds, £85k - £100k

Corporate Legal Director, 8+ PQE, Leading Independent, Leeds, £85k - £100k

In the mid-market, the lawyers who win the best work are usually the first call a client makes about any problem, not just a deal. This leading independent has built its corporate team around that kind of relationship. Its clients treat it as a standing adviser rather than a firm they instruct one deal at a time.

The client base is owner-managed businesses, entrepreneurs, private wealth clients and start-ups. It has sector strength in food and drink, technology, financial services and manufacturing. Deals range from mid-market up to larger corporate transactions.

The legal director will run M&A, joint ventures, group restructurings and structured lending matters, alongside a steady advisory flow on shareholder arrangements and governance. They will lead matters, not support them.

Partnership is the intended destination. The firm wants someone who will add to the practice, so winning work is part of the role from day one. That work comes both directly from clients and through the accountants, banks and advisers who refer it. The partner group works collaboratively, the firm puts real weight on looking after its people, and senior lawyers play an active part in bringing on the junior team.

It will suit a legal director or senior associate with broad corporate experience who enjoys being a trusted adviser as much as running the deal. It may suit in particular someone whose route to partnership at a larger firm keeps getting pushed back a year.