Senior Associate, Corporate M&A

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holistic wellbeing fund

Home office allowance

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer in Sydney is seeking a Senior Associate to join its premier Band 1 Corporate M&A team. You will work on high-profile Australian and cross-border deals and act as lead lawyer on transactions.

You will mentor junior solicitors, manage client relationships, and help drive business development while delivering commercially-focused legal advice in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Admitted to practice in Australia, New Zealand or England.
• Strong Senior Associate experience on M&A deals.
• Excellent drafting, legal analysis and commercial judgment.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines and manage cross-border work.
• Passion for mentoring and developing junior lawyers.

Responsibilities

• Act as lead lawyer on M&A transactions, drafting and negotiating key documents.
• Project manage deals to meet deadlines and coordinate across teams.
• Build and maintain external client relationships; support business development.
• Mentor junior solicitors and contribute to their professional growth.

Skills

M&A experience

Lead lawyer

Project management

Mentoring juniors

Client relationships

Education

Qualified lawyer in AUS/NZ/England

Job description

We are seeking a Senior Associate to join Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer's premier, award winning, Band 1 Corporate M&A team in Sydney.

In this role you will have exposure to some of the best and highest profile deals in Australia and work closely with leading M&A Partners Andrew Rich, Nicole Pedler and Damien Roberts, as well as other Partners across our international M&A practice.

What you'll do

• Work across a range of corporate transactions including public and private M&A deals (including schemes of arrangement and takeovers), and cross border transactions.
• Act as lead lawyer on M&A transactions, including drafting and negotiating key transaction documents and providing advice on areas of legal risk for clients.
• Project manage transactions to ensure that key deadlines are met, and deliverables are anticipated, including working closely with other legal teams and offices across the firm to deliver an integrated service to our clients as well as working closely with other advisers on transactions.
• Manage and build external client relationships, including assisting with business development activities for key existing clients and new clients.
• Mentor junior solicitors in the team and taking an active role in their professional development.

What you'll bring

• Admission to practice as a lawyer in Australia, New Zealand or England.
• Strong experience as a Senior Associate on M&A transactions.
• A strong academic record, coupled with excellent technical legal and drafting skills and a commercial approach.
• Demonstrated ability to comprehend complex legal matters and work effectively within tight timeframes, both collaboratively and autonomously.
• A passion for supervising and mentoring others, contributing to a strong team culture.
• A hunger to learn and progress your career as part of a market-leading practice.
• An innovative mindset, curious about AI and emerging technologies.

The M&A and Takeovers Team

Our market-leading M&A practice has a long-standing reputation for advising corporate and private equity clients across multiple jurisdictions on their most-significant, complex and innovative M&A, joint venture, takeover, demerger, venture capital and corporate restructuring transactions. We are consistently ranked as a leading firm in this area when measured against international benchmarks.

We take pride in consistently achieving top rankings in the realm of Corporate M&A work, as recognised by the leading industry intelligence platforms. In 2025, our team advised on more deals than any other firm in Australia, advising on over 100 announced and completed deals with a total value of over A$49 billion. We received the following number 1 rankings:

• 1st by deal value in AU/NZ announced deals (LSEG)
• 1st by deal value in Australasia announced deals (Mergermarket)

Our extensive involvement in transactions guarantees our clients unparalleled access to profound insights into market trends and the latest developments. This is recognised by continuously securing top rankings from industry bodies such as the Chambers Global Guide and Asia Pacific Legal500 and highlights our commitment to excellence.

What you can expect from us

• We're a world leading international law firm with a global team of over 6,000 professionals across 26 offices. As the market leader in Australia, we are committed to high performance, collaboration, diversity and digital innovation. We are client-centred, commercially driven, and renowned for our solution-focused expertise. We will align your growth with our ambitions.
• We make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, our ambition is yours too. Wherever you are in your career: grow and help the firm grow with you.
• We will provide opportunities to learn on the job as well as a mix of learning opportunities tailored to you. Daily experiences, supportive challenges, team collaboration, mentors, and structured learning opportunities help you to expand your knowledge and reach your goals.
• We value your wellbeing, both at home and work and we place a strong emphasis on mental health. If you need support, you'll have it and we'll empower you to harness your personal strengths, navigate uncertainty, embrace opportunities, and effectively manage things within your control.
• For more benefits on offer such as our holistic wellbeing fund or home office allowance please click here.
• Join us to be part of a human, bold and outstanding team at Australia's market leading law firm.

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values-Human, Bold, and Outstanding.

For any questions or a confidential discussion, please contact Carissa Bartels, Recruitment Manager at [e-mail].