Corporate Lawyer

HarperLloyd Recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

HarperLloyd Recruitment seeks an ambitious Corporate M&A Lawyer with 4+ years' PAE to join a Sydney CBD practice renowned for sophisticated transactional work.

You will handle mid-to-large-scale M&A, draft and negotiate key transaction documents, and work directly with boards and executives, gaining deep exposure to ASX-listed and high-profile private clients.

Qualifications

• Experience in private or public M&A transactions.
• Exposure to mid-market or larger corporate transactions.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills across transactional documentation.
• A sound understanding of the Corporations Act and corporate regulatory obligations.
• Experience or an interest in ASX-listed companies, ECM and capital markets.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to provide practical, solutions-focused advice.
• Confidence communicating directly with senior executives, business owners and sophisticated clients.
• The ability to manage transactions and competing commercial priorities.
• A proactive, collaborative and entrepreneurial approach.

Responsibilities

• Advising on mid-to-large-scale mergers and acquisitions, including complex corporate transactions and business acquisitions.
• Acting for ASX-listed companies, substantial private companies and corporate groups.
• Advising on corporate restructures, acquisitions, disposals and strategic investments.
• Drafting and negotiating share sale agreements, asset sale agreements, shareholders' agreements and other transaction documents.
• Managing legal due diligence, transaction structuring, negotiations and completion processes.
• Advising on Corporations Act regulatory requirements, including corporate governance, directors' duties and compliance obligations.
• Providing advice on ASX Listing Rules, ASIC requirements and associated regulatory matters.
• Advising on equity capital markets and corporate capital raising transactions.
• Working directly with boards, company directors, founders, business owners and C-suite executives.
• Providing ongoing strategic corporate and commercial advice to established clients.

Skills

M&A experience

Corporate law

Drafting & Negotiation

ASX/ECM familiarity

Governance & regulation

Commercial judgement

Client communication with executives

Transactional management

Job description

An outstanding opportunity has arisen for an ambitious Corporate M&A Lawyer with 4+ years' PAE to join a highly regarded and commercially connected Sydney CBD practice.

This is a genuinely different opportunity for a Corporate Lawyer seeking sophisticated transactional work, direct relationships with high-profile business owners and C-suite executives, and a level of commercial involvement rarely found in traditional private practice.

The firm advises a sophisticated client base that includes ASX-listed companies, substantial private businesses, corporate groups and prominent business owners (Australian and overseas), with a strong focus on mid-to-large-scale mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions and ongoing regulatory advisory work.

Operating within a unique professional services and corporate advisory environment, the practice combines the technical sophistication of private practice with elements of the commercial integration and ongoing strategic involvement typically associated with an in-house legal role.

For the right lawyer, this represents an opportunity to become far more than a transactional adviser.

The Opportunity

You will work closely with experienced senior practitioners on significant corporate transactions and strategic advisory matters involving listed and private companies.

Your work will include:

• Advising on mid-to-large-scale mergers and acquisitions, including complex corporate transactions and business acquisitions;
• Acting for ASX-listed companies, substantial private companies and corporate groups;
• Advising on corporate restructures, acquisitions, disposals and strategic investments;
• Drafting and negotiating share sale agreements, asset sale agreements, shareholders' agreements and other transaction documents;
• Managing legal due diligence, transaction structuring, negotiations and completion processes;
• Advising on Corporations Act regulatory requirements, including corporate governance, directors' duties and compliance obligations;
• Providing advice on ASX Listing Rules, ASIC requirements and associated regulatory matters;
• Advising on equity capital markets and corporate capital raising transactions;
• Working directly with boards, company directors, founders, business owners and C-suite executives; and
• Providing ongoing strategic corporate and commercial advice to established clients.

Importantly, this is not a role where you will simply execute isolated components of transactions.

You will have the opportunity to become involved across the entire transaction lifecycle, contribute to commercial strategy and develop a deep understanding of the businesses and individuals you advise.

A Different Kind of Private Practice Experience

What genuinely distinguishes this opportunity is the firm's position within a broader corporate, accounting, financial and commercial advisory environment.

This creates an unusually integrated approach to client relationships and legal service delivery. Rather than engaging with clients only when a transaction arises, lawyers have the opportunity to become closely involved in their ongoing corporate activities, commercial decision-making and strategic objectives.

The result is a practice environment offering:

• The sophistication and variety of high-quality private practice transactions;
• The commercial proximity and ongoing client involvement often associated with in-house legal teams;
• Direct access to company owners, boards, CEOs, CFOs and senior executives;
• Greater visibility over the commercial rationale and strategic objectives behind transactions;
• Exposure to broader corporate advisory, financial and commercial considerations;
• Opportunities to build enduring relationships with sophisticated corporate clients; and
• Genuine responsibility within a commercially focused and entrepreneurial practice.

It is a compelling combination for lawyers who enjoy complex corporate law but want to be closer to the businesses, decision-makers and commercial outcomes their advice supports.

About You

We are seeking a Corporate Lawyer with 4+ years' PAE and strong experience in corporate transactions and advisory work.

Ideally, you will have:

• Experience in private or public M&A transactions;
• Exposure to mid-market or larger corporate transactions;
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills across transactional documentation;
• A sound understanding of the Corporations Act and corporate regulatory obligations;
• Experience or an interest in ASX-listed companies, ECM and capital markets;
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to provide practical, solutions-focused advice;
• Confidence communicating directly with senior executives, business owners and sophisticated clients;
• The ability to manage transactions and competing commercial priorities; and
• A proactive, collaborative and entrepreneurial approach.

Experience gained within a top-tier, national, mid-tier or respected specialist Corporate practice will be highly regarded.

You do not necessarily need extensive listed-company or ECM experience, provided you have strong corporate transactional foundations and the ambition to broaden your expertise.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

For a Corporate Lawyer considering their next move, this role offers a rare combination of transactional sophistication, commercial integration and genuine client responsibility.

You can expect:

• Mid-to-large-scale M&A transactions involving listed and substantial private companies;
• Direct exposure to ASX-listed businesses and sophisticated corporate clients;
• High-level Corporations Act, governance and regulatory advisory work;
• Strong relationships with prominent business owners, founders and C-suite executives;
• Genuine end-to-end responsibility across transactions;
• A distinctive private practice environment with in-house-style elements;
• Greater commercial involvement beyond traditional legal execution;
• Opportunities to develop ongoing strategic advisory relationships;
• Close access to experienced senior practitioners;
• A leaner, less hierarchical environment with meaningful autonomy; and
• A collaborative, commercially connected and entrepreneurial culture.

This is an excellent opportunity for a Corporate Lawyer who wants to retain the calibre and complexity of sophisticated private practice work while gaining the commercial insight, client proximity and strategic involvement often associated with an in-house role.

If you are looking for something genuinely different from the traditional Corporate M&A career path, this opportunity deserves consideration.