Associate - Leveraged Finance

Role summary

We are currently looking for a Leveraged Finance lawyer to join our Leveraged Finance team in London. 

Our leveraged finance lawyers will work on a broad mix of transactions for our clients, including debt financing for public and private M&A, refinancings, recapitalisations and strategic investments.  Most of the work will have an international dimension and will range from some of the largest and most complex transactions to smaller deals which provide an opportunity for associates to take greater responsibility.

We offer comprehensive training and career development for associates at all levels and encourage secondments, both within our international network and to our clients.

Overview of the Leveraged Finance Group

The Leveraged Finance team sits as part of our Finance group within the firm’s Global M&A and Capital (GMAC) practice – alongside M&A, Capital Markets, and Private Capital.   Our team primarily focusses on large and complex leveraged buy-out transactions and other financing arrangements for our core financial investor clients, including top tier private equity sponsors and sovereign wealth funds.  We also work on a broad range of leveraged financing products for public and private companies. We work closely with our corporate, tax, competition and other colleagues to deliver integrated advice to our clients on their most important transactions.   

We recognise the importance to our clients of seamless advice across multiple products.  Our group in London is a roughly even split of English law and New York law practitioners, with expertise in European/US cross-border financings, bank/bond structures involving both European and US term loan B and second lien debt, unitranche, senior/mezzanine, high yield and back-leverage transactions.  We are an integrated team with our leveraged financed colleagues based in New York and in the principle financial centres in Europe and Asia --- supporting our clients globally and sharing best practice and market developments.

We wish to expand the team in London to meet increasing demand from our top-tier financial sponsor clients, and are looking for ambitious, bright and motivated associates looking to join the team for the long term. 

Key responsibilities and deliverables

• Working on a wide variety of large, complex, cross-border leveraged finance transactions

• Focus on acquisition financing for private equity and other financial sponsor clients across a range of finance products

• Drafting and negotiating transaction documentation including facilities agreements, intercreditor agreements and security documents

• Coordinating cross-border teams

Key requirements

• Leveraged finance experience, whether for borrowers/sponsors or creditors from a leading firm involving cross-border transactions

• Strong technical and commercial abilities

• Qualified in England & Wales or a common-law jurisdiction

• Able to work constructively and effectively as part of a team and supervise more junior lawyers 

• Highly effective communicator (both orally and in writing) 

• Able to take on a high degree of responsibility and manage a challenging workload 

• Committed to providing an excellent service to our clients

• Committed to the Being Freshfields principles

• Proactive involvement in business development and knowledge management 

Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing.

Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.

Please let us know if you require any support, or adjustments to be made, in order to submit your application to Freshfields.