Senior Associate, Corporate Transactions & Advisory

Clifford Chance; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Direct access to partners

Ongoing professional development

Mentoring and career progression

Wellbeing focus

Job summary

Clifford Chance Sydney is seeking three experienced Senior Associates for our Corporate Transactions & Advisory practice. You will work with partners, senior lawyers and clients on a broad range of M&A, private equity and corporate advisory matters, including governance and capital raises.

This is an excellent opportunity for commercially minded lawyers to advance in a high‑performing, client‑focused team that values collaboration, flexibility and professional growth.

Qualifications

• Admitted as a lawyer in Australia or commonwealth jurisdictions.
• Approximately 5+ years’ post-admission experience in corporate law, ideally gained at a leading law firm or in a recognised corporate legal team.
• Strong experience in corporate transactions, including public & private M&A, private equity, corporate advisory and/or capital markets.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and transaction management skills.
• Strong understanding of the Corporations Act, ASX Listing Rules, foreign investment regulation and other relevant Australian corporate regulatory frameworks.
• Ability to manage complex matters, competing priorities and deadlines with a high level of accuracy.
• Strong commercial judgement and a pragmatic, client-focused approach.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and mentor junior team members.
• Strong academic record and commitment to professional development.

Responsibilities

• Advising clients on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, disposals, private equity investments, joint ventures and corporate restructures.
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating transaction documents, including share sale agreements, asset sale agreements, shareholders’ agreements, subscription agreements, implementation agreements and ancillary documents.
• Conducting and supervising legal due diligence processes, including managing junior lawyers and preparing due diligence reports.
• Providing strategic and practical advice on corporate governance, directors’ duties, regulatory compliance and general corporate law matters.
• Managing transaction workstreams, timelines, deliverables and client communications.
• Liaising with clients, counterparties, counsel, regulators and other advisers.
• Supporting partners in business development initiatives, client relationship management and preparation of pitches, tenders and thought leadership materials.
• Mentoring and supervising junior lawyers, graduates and paralegals.
• Contributing to knowledge management, training and practice development initiatives within the CT&A team.

Skills

Corporate law

M&A experience

Drafting

Negotiation

Transaction management

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Mentoring junior lawyers

Education

Admitted as a lawyer in Australia or commonwealth jurisdictions

Job description

As a global law firm our work spans jurisdictions, cultures, and languages – and so do our people.

Our culture is collaborative and inclusive— where diverse perspectives are recognised and valued. Where performing to your highest ability, unlocks equal access to opportunities to learn, thrive and grow.

We combine deep legal expertise and commercial intelligence to grow, transform, protect, and defend our clients' businesses, across every critical moment.

We operate in the sectors and regions that matter to our clients. With forward-thinking insights and innovative, tech-enabled solutions that combine deep knowledge of their sectors and markets.

You’ll build connections and work with colleagues as one global team. You’ll unlock opportunities for clients, across borders, cultures, legal and commercial disciplines.

Join us to work with colleagues as one global team – empowering each other to be exceptional and create advantage for our clients.

Corporate Transactions & Advisory

We advise many of the world's leading companies on public and private M&A, disposals, demergers, joint ventures, restructurings and high value commercial contracts with a particular focus on complex, cross-border transactions. Our team works closely with antitrust specialists on merger control matters and collaborates with experts across finance, capital markets, litigation, tax, pensions, employment and real estate to deliver integrated advice. We combine international deal execution skills with deep local market knowledge and sector-focused expertise. Our practice also covers corporate governance, regulatory compliance, intellectual property and technology advisory, providing clients with comprehensive support across all aspects of corporate activity.

As a global law firm our work spans jurisdictions, cultures, and languages – and so do our people.

Our culture is collaborative and inclusive— where diverse perspectives are recognised and valued. Where performing to your highest ability, unlocks equal access to opportunities to learn, thrive and grow.

We combine deep legal expertise and commercial intelligence to grow, transform, protect, and defend our clients' businesses, across every critical moment.

We operate in the sectors and regions that matter to our clients. With forward-thinking insights and innovative, tech-enabled solutions that combine deep knowledge of their sectors and markets.

You’ll build connections and work with colleagues as one global team. You’ll unlock opportunities for clients, across borders, cultures, legal and commercial disciplines.

Join us to work with colleagues as one global team – empowering each other to be exceptional and create advantage for our clients.

Corporate Transactions & Advisory

We advise many of the world's leading companies on public and private M&A, disposals, demergers, joint ventures, restructurings and high value commercial contracts with a particular focus on complex, cross-border transactions. Our team works closely with antitrust specialists on merger control matters and collaborates with experts across finance, capital markets, litigation, tax, pensions, employment and real estate to deliver integrated advice. We combine international deal execution skills with deep local market knowledge and sector-focused expertise. Our practice also covers corporate governance, regulatory compliance, intellectual property and technology advisory, providing clients with comprehensive support across all aspects of corporate activity.

Job Description

We are seeking three experienced Senior Associates to join our Sydney Corporate Transactions & Advisory practice group. The successful candidates will work closely with partners, senior lawyers and clients on a broad range of corporate transactions and advisory matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance, capital raisings, joint ventures, restructures and general corporate advisory work.

This is an excellent opportunity for commercially minded lawyers who are looking to take the next step in their careers within a high-performing, collaborative and client-focused team.

Key Responsibilities

• Advising clients on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, disposals, private equity investments, joint ventures and corporate restructures.
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating transaction documents, including share sale agreements, asset sale agreements, shareholders’ agreements, subscription agreements, implementation agreements and ancillary documents.
• Conducting and supervising legal due diligence processes, including managing junior lawyers and preparing due diligence reports.
• Providing strategic and practical advice on corporate governance, directors’ duties, regulatory compliance and general corporate law matters.
• Managing transaction workstreams, timelines, deliverables and client communications.
• Liaising with clients, counterparties, counsel, regulators and other advisers.
• Supporting partners in business development initiatives, client relationship management and preparation of pitches, tenders and thought leadership materials.
• Mentoring and supervising junior lawyers, graduates and paralegals.
• Contributing to knowledge management, training and practice development initiatives within the CT&A team.

Qualifications

• Admitted as a lawyer in Australia or commonwealth jurisdictions
• Approximately 5+ years’ post-admission experience in corporate law, ideally gained at a leading law firm or in a recognised corporate legal team.
• Strong experience in corporate transactions, including public & private M&A, private equity, corporate advisory and/or capital markets.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation and transaction management skills.
• Strong understanding of the Corporations Act, ASX Listing Rules, foreign investment regulation and other relevant Australian corporate regulatory frameworks.
• Ability to manage complex matters, competing priorities and deadlines with a high level of accuracy.
• Strong commercial judgement and a pragmatic, client-focused approach.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise and mentor junior team members.
• Strong academic record and commitment to professional development.

Preferred Attributes

• Experience acting for listed entities, private equity sponsors, financial institutions, multinational corporations or high-growth private companies.
• Exposure to cross-border transactions.
• Ability to build trusted client relationships and contribute to business development.
• Collaborative, proactive and resilient working style.
• Interest in contributing to team culture, training and knowledge-sharing.

What We Offer

• High-quality corporate transactional and advisory work with leading clients.
• A collaborative, supportive and inclusive team environment.
• Opportunities for career progression and leadership within the CT&A practice group.
• Direct access to partners and senior stakeholders.
• Ongoing professional development, mentoring and training.
• Flexible working arrangements and a focus on wellbeing.

Additional Information

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance we understand that our true asset is our people. We believe that each and every one of us should experience an equality of opportunity and an equality of experience here. We are always working to develop and deliver the best and most innovative approaches to make that happen. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are therefore committed to treating all employees and job 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.

The firm will regularly review its procedures and selection criteria to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and otherwise treated according to their relevant individual abilities and merits.

We have a number of initiatives and networks that support our aspiration to be the Global Law Firm of choice. These include our LGBT, Gender Parity, Ethnicity and Disability networks.