Associate in London

RWK Goodman is looking for a 2-4 PQE Associate to join its growing Corporate Team in London. Associates are key members of our Corporate Team and we are looking for someone who can integrate into our existing team providing support to partners and senior associates and manage trainees and paralegals. All of our fee earners are given early direct client contact and are expected to play a role in developing and strengthening client relationships.

RWK Goodman is a top 100 UK law firm with annual revenue of c.£70m. The RWK Goodman Corporate Team, based in London, Bristol and Oxford, consists of c.30 fee-earners including 10 partners. The Corporate Team specialises in:

• M&A
• Equity fundraisings (including Venture Capital and Private Equity)
• Partnerships, joint ventures and shareholders’ agreements
• Company reorganisations and restructuring
• Corporate formation and governance

Clients range from entrepreneurial start-ups and high growth companies through to SMEs, large private companies and listed entities. The team also includes lawyers specialising in Capital Markets, Banking and Commercial work. Many of our clients are founder-led or owner managed businesses and we also support high net worth individuals and family offices in relation to their business activities.

The Corporate Team offers flexible hybrid working of three days in the office and, subject to business requirements, two days working from home. From time to time, you may be expected to travel from London to our other offices.

• Qualified Solicitor in England and Wales with 2-4 PQE relevant private practice experience in corporate law.
• Strong academics at university and in the SQE.
• Desirable but not essential:
  • experience in one of the firm’s key sectors including Technology or Health & Social Care; and
  • experience in cross-border transactions involving inbound UK investment or acquisitions.

Person specification

• Professional integrity: understands duties as a solicitor and applies firm policies.
• Business-minded: understands the importance of developing, maintaining and strengthening client and referrer relationships.
• Ambitious: seeks opportunities to develop their career at the firm.
• Trusted adviser: under the supervision of more senior members of the team, delivers technically accurate advice to colleagues and clients which is adapted to commercial landscape of the situation.
• Positive profile: seen as reliable and a “safe pair of hands” by colleagues.
• Team player: ability to build effective working relationships in the team and wider firm.
• Flexible and adaptable: able to respond swiftly to the dynamic needs of partners and clients.
• Effective communicator: able to prepare first drafts of advice supporting more senior team members in delivering accurate, succinct and commercial advice to clients and colleagues on matters of law in a timely manner and in a confident and professional style.
• Collaboration skills: ability to collaborate effectively as part of a team, manage workflows delegated to them from members of the Corporate Team as well as colleagues from different departments and manage partner and client expectations as regards content and delivery of work.
• Project management skills: ability to manage transactional work effectively.
• Organised with effective time management: ability to manage multiple instructions in accordance with agreed timelines and identify, through effective communication, what work to prioritise.

Key responsibilites

Fee earning

• Provide an outstanding quality of service to clients on transactional and corporate matters in a commercial manner through delivery of technically accurate legal advice adapted to the client’s commercial needs.
• Manage and deal effectively with multiple transactional projects / matters.
• Support partners and senior associates on complex corporate transactions. In particular:
  • Manage trainees on the transaction.
  • Support due diligence processes (both buy and sell side) including assisting in relation to the set-up and population of virtual data rooms, drafting and replying to due diligence enquiries, drafting due diligence reports.
  • Prepare first of ancillary transaction documentation and take ownership of the negotiation of such documents (referring to senior supervision where necessary), take responsibility for tracking the status of transaction documentation and maintain the transaction documents list.
  • On appropriate smaller and simpler transactions assist more senior fee earners in preparing material transaction documentation (such as share purchase agreements, asset purchase agreements, investment agreements etc) based on heads of terms or client instructions.
  • Begin to show an understanding of the concepts used in price adjustment mechanisms including completion accounts, locked box and earn outs.
  • Prepare the first draft of the disclosure letter including attending disclosure calls/meetings and preparing the specific disclosures.
  • Manage the signing and completion process.

Strategy

• Understand and play an appropriate part in delivering the London Corporate Team’s strategic goals.
• Set personal SMART KPIs to align with team strategic goals work towards achieving those KPIs; measuring performance periodically and at each mid and end year review.

Finance

• Accurate and timely recording of WIP.
• Being proactive in providing WIP updates internally to matter partner (including against fee estimates), checking on invoice status and the billing of matters and any personal WIP.
• Track performance against KPIs.

Business Development

• Support the team in building, maintaining and strengthening client relationships through business development activities.
• Develop personal profile as an established corporate and transactional lawyer initially marketing internally and, in time, focus on building a profile externally.
• Attend relevant firm and networking events.
• In time, develop own business development plan.

Learning and Development

• Continue to learn and develop by seeking feedback from colleagues to build on skills and behaviours.
• Identify and seek approval for external training provision to enhance your technical knowledge.
• Share knowledge with the rest of the Corporate Team through formal and informal channels already in place.

Compliance

• Understand and apply rules of professional conduct, anti-money laundering legislation and firm policies.
• Check with senior team members where areas of particular risk for the Corporate Team should arise.
• Support partners with client onboarding processes including identifying and gathering information needed regarding client and the matter.
• Monitor others under your supervision to ensure risks are minimised.

If you would like more information, contact Abbie Jackson on abbie.jackson@rwkgoodman.com.

At RWK Goodman, you can enjoy a strong legal career, with exceptional client work. And you’ll be supported, every step of the way.

A progressive Top 100 law firm, over 650 colleagues. 36 specialist areas. 3 legal divisions. With offices across the South West, Thames Valley and London.

Committed to collaborative growth and shared success, we’re focused on delivering sustained positive change. Because we want to make a lasting difference to the world around us and achieve our vision of being the firm what clients want to work with and people want to work for.

To find out more about why we are different click here.

Some benefits will differ depending on the level of role. Please reach out to the Recruitment team for further clarification.

• 26.5–31.5 days’ holiday per year
• Buying and selling holiday
• Healthcare cash plan / private medical insurance
• Life assurance
• Pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Discretionary profit and performance-related bonus
• Hybrid working
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced family leave
• Recruitment referral bonus
• Group income protection
• Salary reviewed regularly

We know our people are what sets us apart. That’s why we continue to nurture and develop our colleagues and attract and retain the best talent.

We support colleagues with a robust programme of learning and development opportunities, underpinned by our transparent Career Development Framework (CDF), which shows exactly what you need to achieve to grow your career with us.

From mentoring initiatives, through to personal development programmes and courses, we are proud to offer a suite of opportunities to drive your career and achieve your ambitions.

We’re on a mission to create a dynamic and inclusive culture. And that starts with our recruitment process. If you have a disability, whether visible or not, we want to work with you every step of the way. Because we want to give you the best chance of success when you apply.

If you need any reasonable adjustments to accommodate your disability, such as extra time on written assessments, an accessible interview room or a quiet space before and after the interview, please speak to our Recruitment Team so that we can work together to help bring your best self.

You can find out more about our ED&I initiatives here.

No agencies please.