We are looking for an Associate (qualified Lawyer) to join our Banking and Finance team based in Birmingham City Centre.
The Team
Gowling WLG's Banking and Finance team advises on a wide range of UK and international mid-market financing transactions. As part of an international sector based law firm, the team works on a broad spread of work both domestic and cross border including acting for funders and borrowers in acquisition finance; corporate lending transactions, asset/receivables finance, project finance, derivatives and debt capital markets. This work aligns with those sectors so renewal energy and infrastructure (including rail to fibre broad band), mining (supporting our wider Gowling cross border practice), housing, property and regeneration (including social housing finance), and specific corporate sectors including financial services, private equity, technology, healthcare, retail & leisure and aerospace & defence. It also combines with the restructuring and insolvency team enabling lawyers if they wish at a junior stage to work across both good and bad book lending work. This crosses into a significant body of work derived from the firm's market leading pensions practice (including financial restructuring and derivatives).
Its 24 lawyers operate as one team from offices in Birmingham and London and is recognised for its distinctive, commercial and solutions-focused approach and is described by clients as providing “magic circle quality but with a refreshingly personal touch" providing clients with "excellent representation", "working tirelessly" to deliver. We offer a ‘fully integrated advisory’ service working seamlessly with colleagues in other practice areas and across specific sector teams and international counsel to ensure a full and complete deal understanding and absolute continuity of advice and deal delivery.
The team offers more than first-class legal technicians. As one client puts it, "We get partner input and market knowledge". This has given us a reputation for being 'pragmatic and solutions driven' as well as 'extremely commercial and always prepared to give a view'.
We focus on giving our lawyers as much direct exposure to clients as possible both in the work we undertake and also in business development. This is backed up by a comprehensive training and development programme and the team's two senior professional support lawyers.
In energy and infrastructure we are currently working on mandates in hydrogen, off shore wind, mobile telephone masts, fibre broad band and peaking power for clients including GCP Infrastructure, Investec and Longspur Capital. In asset finance and receivables financing we are working on a range of working capital facilities and specific asset purchases including aircraft and ships including for clients such as Wallbrook Asset Finance and Hampshire Trust Bank. In acquisition finance and corporate banking our clients range from LDC, Equiom, Cairngorm Capital, Flow Capital to Regional and City Airports, Harvey & Thompson and Bombardier. Work for bank lenders includes Santander, Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC, AIB and Daiwa across a range of asset classes but we do not focus on volume low margin work. You will get an exciting and diverse range of work with an ability to specialise in one or more areas as you pursue your career with us.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
This is a non-contentious General Banking role covering one or ideally more of the above areas. Reporting directly to the Banking & Finance Partners you will be a key member within this close-knit team. It is the team’s policy to give solicitors the widest possible diet of work, with specialisms developing through mutual agreement as they become more qualified. Working within an inclusive and collaborate culture, your expertise will be integral in ensuring the success and growth of the team, offering support and mentoring to junior team members.
You will have a broad diet of work crossing the above areas, including:
- Acting for banks, borrowers and private equity houses on banking matters, both mid market and investment grade, syndicated and bilateral.
- Drafting and negotiating loan facility (senior and mezzanine), security, intercreditor and ancillary documents.
- Preparing facility documentation, negotiating and advising on leveraged acquisition finance transactions.
- Advising on corporate lending transactions (acting for both lenders & borrowers).
- Drafting and advising on asset-backed/receivables finance transactions.
- Drafting and negotiating project finance documentation.
- Advising on cross-border transactions including managing overseas legal counsel and negotiating legal opinions.
- Advising on ISDA and other hedging and credit support documentation.
- Drafting and negotiating documents and advising in connections with structuring matters.
- Advising on general banking matters and working closely with other parts of the firm, such as corporate, real estate, pensions and construction.
About you
- We are looking for a qualified Lawyer to join the team at 2-3 PQE level.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills as you will be a key ambassador for Gowling WLG.
- Clear understanding of the commercial issues involved in finance transactions, experience of running high value transactions with minimal partner supervision and negotiating key documents on behalf of clients.
- An individual who is self-motivated, proactive, and collaborative individual that strives to deliver solutions to the highest quality and exhibits an exceptional attention to detail.
- Your actions should inspire confidence in clients, partners and peers alike.
- Business development is a key part of the role, therefore establishing, developing and maintaining client relationships with and obtaining instructions from identified target and existing clients will be expected.
What We Can Offer You:
The opportunity to work for a firm which has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work® for 22 consecutive years.
Excellent benefits, including:
- A hybrid approach to office and remote working, with up to 50% remote working available.
- Generous annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave
- Free private medical insurance, and the option to add family members
- A generous pension allowance
- Life assurance covering four times your annual salary
- The chance of a three-month sabbatical every five years
- Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes
- A range of health and wellbeing programmes
- State of the art offices, in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, with an onsite restaurant
- Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development.
Come and join Gowling WLG, the Official Legal Advisors of the B2022 Commonwealth Games.
Many of our people work flexibly in some way. If you would like to explore your own flexible working arrangements with us, we are happy to discuss this during the recruitment process.
Equal Opportunities:
Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, and national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.
At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.
Any offers we make will be conditional subject to clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance
If you have any queries in relation to this position or would like to see a full job description please contact Jess Swingler, [email protected] .
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