Private Equity Associate

Company Description

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Job Description

The Role

Job Overview

Our growing global Private Equity group lies at the heart of the Firm's business strategy and, in London, the group sits at the hub of our Corporate practice. It offers unparalleled opportunities to work on the most high-profile and market-leading mandates. The group advises an impressive range of clients, covering a wide variety of financial sponsors (including many leading international private equity houses, infrastructure and other investment funds, banks and other financial institutions), their portfolio companies and management teams. The group is supported by the Firm's integrated network of offices (providing the largest geographic coverage of any single law firm) as well as expertise in other key complementary practice areas (including acquisition finance, capital markets, funds and regulatory) and industry sectors to offer clients unrivalled strength and depth of resource.

Our global team is best known for our capacity to lead on PE transactions of any nature and anywhere in the world. Having been leaders in PE since its inception 40 years ago and with over 700 private equity lawyers across our offices, the diversity of our clients and product areas, the geographies we work in, and our wider industry knowledge gives us a global perspective on private equity trends and issues. 

We continue to be recognised by leading industry bodies for our market leading work with some of the largest global PE houses choosing to repeatedly work with us. 

Over the past 12 months, our London private equity team has advised the following PE clients on multiple deals: Ardian, Blackstone, Brookfield, Carlyle, Cinven, CVC, Elliott, EQT, KKR, ONEX, Partners Group, Permira, TPG.

Recent Awards and accolades include: 

Ranked Band 1 by Chambers

• Band 1 UK PE 2025 (PE Buyouts: £500m+)

• Band 1 Global PE 2024

• Band 1 Europe-wide PE 2024

More Band 1 rankings in Chambers Europe than any other firm

• International Law Firm of the Year

• European Private Equity Team of the Year

• Private Equity Deal of the Year
• IFLR Europe Awards 2024

Below is a sample list of our notable PE Deals:

• Permira and Alter Domus shareholders on its sale to Cinven and rollover investment

• Brookfield on the €6.1 billion acquisition of the controlling interest and P2P for Neoen

• 3Permira on its $1.3bn acquisition of Acuity Knowledge Partners

• Cinven on its €2.5bn public takeover of Synlab, Europe's top laboratory diagnostic services provider

• Blackstone on its £10 billion data centre development project in Blyth, Northumberland.

• Partners Group on its transaction to increase its equity stake in Swiss watchmaker Breitling

Who you will work with

The lawyers in our Private Equity group are at the centre of market leading transactions, not only as legal advisers but working closely with clients at a strategic and business level. The entrepreneurial nature of the Private Equity deals that we work on requires lawyers with a unique blend of specialist skills. In today's challenging market environment, we play a key role to our clients as a strategic adviser, requiring practical, commercially minded legal advice to help them and their portfolio companies respond swiftly and effectively to the challenges and opportunities they face. 

What you will be responsible for

As an associate in our leading practice, you will work at the forefront of the market across a diverse range of deals. You will be part of team that offers cutting edge advice complemented by unrivalled quality of service, experience, and training.

We advise on all aspects of private equity transactions, including: 

• Investments, whether by way of private acquisitions, public company takeovers, minority investments or joint ventures.

• Exits, whether by way of trade sale, IPO or dual track.

• Ongoing work for portfolio companies, including add-on acquisitions, asset sales, refinancing and restructurings

What you will do

Key tasks and responsibilities:

• Being an integral member of the deal team on transactions, leading key workstreams on large transactions and potentially even running smaller transactions (depending on your precise level and experience).
• Drafting legal documents clearly and concisely, creating solutions using legal knowledge and commercial judgement to advise and support leading multi-national corporates.
• Developing relationships with clients and actively engaging in business development and thought leadership initiatives and seeking out opportunities for new work.
• You will have exposure to work which often involves complex, high value matters that frequently headline in the business press.
• As you grow in experience, you will have extensive client contact both as part of your daily working routine as well as having the opportunity to develop new client contacts.
• You will develop an unbeatable multi-disciplinary skill set as well as client facing skills whilst working with some of the best-known market leaders in their respective practice areas.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

You will have strong, relevant M&A transactional experience as a mid-level lawyer, probably gained at a City firm, or at an overseas common law practice with a highly regarded profile.

You will have an outstanding academic history and proven first rate legal skills, combined with a strong reputation amongst existing clients for providing commercial solutions and excellent transactional and managements skills and be recognised as a lawyer that is sought out by existing clients.

You should demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills along with a high level of commercial awareness.

You will need to demonstrate that you can thrive in a team with high professional standards and a flexible client-friendly commercial approach. You will have had strong exposure of collaborating with multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams.

You will naturally be able to demonstrate excellent document drafting skills as well as strong communication and analytical skills along with a high level of commercial awareness.

It is crucial that you can demonstrate an appetite for business development, client relationship management and thought leadership. 

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

Additional Information

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK, please visit our What We Offer page on our career site.

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society. 

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

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