New! Corporate Legal Director | Lawyer | Top National Firm

A rare opportunity to help establish and shape a new Bristol Corporate offering, backed by a highly regarded national Corporate practice. TSR Legal is delighted to be working on an exciting and strategic opportunity for a Senior Corporate Associate or Legal Director to join a highly regarded national law firm and play a central role in establishing its Corporate presence in Bristol.

This is not simply an opportunity to join an established team. The successful candidate will become the senior Corporate presence in Bristol, working closely with the firm's national Corporate partners and Head of Corporate to develop the offering, and create a platform for future growth.

The Opportunity

The firm has an established and highly regarded Corporate practice with a strong track record across mergers and acquisitions, investments, private equity, corporate restructurings and wider strategic corporate advice. As part of its continued growth strategy, the firm is now looking to establish a stronger Corporate offering in Bristol. You will play a key leadership role locally, working closely with the firm's national Corporate partners and Head of Corporate to develop the Bristol proposition.

The role offers significant scope to:

• Establish and grow the firm's Corporate presence in Bristol.
• Develop relationships with Bristol and South West businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and management teams.
• Work collaboratively with national Corporate partners on larger and more complex transactions.
• Generate and lead your own matters while benefiting from the firm's existing national client base and referral network.
• Advise on a broad range of transactions including acquisitions and disposals, M&A, investments, shareholder arrangements, restructurings and corporate reorganisations.
• Work closely with colleagues across the wider firm, including banking and finance, commercial, employment and real estate.
• Help recruit and develop the future Bristol Corporate team.
• Play a key role in the strategic growth and profile of the Bristol office.

The Firm

This is an established, full-service law firm with a strong national platform and an entrepreneurial approach to growth. Its Corporate practice acts for a diverse range of clients, from owner-managed and entrepreneurial businesses through to private equity-backed companies, investors and larger corporates. The team handles a broad range of significant M&A, investment and corporate advisory work, with a strong emphasis on practical, commercially focused advice.

The wider firm provides the breadth of expertise required to support clients throughout their business lifecycle, allowing the Bristol Corporate team to draw on specialist expertise nationally while developing strong local relationships.

The Person

The firm is open to hearing from Senior Associates, Legal Directors with a strong Corporate background who are attracted by the opportunity to build and develop a practice. You will ideally have:

• Significant experience advising on corporate transactions, particularly M&A, acquisitions, disposals, investments and shareholder matters.
• Strong technical Corporate capability combined with a commercial and pragmatic approach.
• The confidence and credibility to develop relationships with businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and professional contacts across Bristol and the wider South West.
• A proven ability to manage transactions independently and take ownership of client relationships.
• A genuine interest in business development and building a local practice.
• Experience working collaboratively with other lawyers and specialist teams.
• The ambition to play a meaningful role in developing a team and shaping the future direction of the Bristol Corporate offering.

For an existing Partner, this could provide an attractive platform to develop a broader practice with the backing of a national firm. For a Senior Associate or Legal Director, it represents a genuine opportunity to step into a highly visible leadership position and build towards partnership while helping establish the Bristol offering.

Why This Opportunity?

This is a genuine opportunity to establish a Corporate presence in one of the UK's strongest regional business markets, without having to build a practice entirely from scratch. You will have the backing of an established national Corporate team, access to significant technical expertise and the opportunity to work alongside experienced Corporate partners on high-quality transactions. Most importantly, there is genuine scope to shape the proposition, develop the client base and influence the future direction of the Bristol Corporate team. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious senior Corporate lawyer who wants greater responsibility, visibility and autonomy, while retaining the support and resources of an established national platform.