Solicitor/Senior Associate, M&A and Capital Markets

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

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing fund

Home office allowance

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP in Melbourne is seeking a Solicitor or Senior Associate (3+ PQE) to join our premier Band 1 Capital Market Transactions team. You will work on IPOs, capital raisings and M&A, with exposure to cross-border deals and regulators.

Admission to practice in Australia or New Zealand is required. A strong academic record, excellent drafting skills and a commercial approach are essential to succeed in this high-performing team.

Qualifications

• 3+ years' experience in capital markets or a leading M&A practice
• Strong academic record and excellent drafting skills
• Commercial approach and ability to meet tight deadlines
• Interest in supervising and mentoring others and curiosity about AI and emerging technologies

Responsibilities

• Be involved in all aspects of corporate ECM and public and private M&A transactions, including drafting and negotiating key transaction documents and providing advice on all areas of the transaction to clients.
• Work closely with our clients, their other advisers and regulators.
• Ensure key deadlines are met, including working closely with other legal teams across the firm and other external advisors to deliver an integrated service to our clients.
• Assist in building external client relationships, including business development activities for key existing clients and new clients.
• Supervise and mentor junior lawyers in the team, supporting their development and continuous learning.

Skills

Capital markets experience

M&A experience

Mentoring junior lawyers

Strong drafting skills

Commercial acumen

AI curiosity

Education

Admission to practice in Australia or NZ

Job description

We are seeking a Solicitor or Senior Associate (3+ PQE) to join our premier Band 1 Capital Market Transactions team in Melbourne.

Working closely with our leading and highly awarded partners, Michael Ziegelaar, Tim McEwen and Alexander Mackinnon, you will have exposure to some of the best and highest profile initial public offerings, capital raisings and public and private M&A work in Australia including a significant volume of cross-border transactions.

Michael was awarded the 2025 Equity Capital Markets Partner of the Year (Lawyers Weekly), Dealmaker of the Year (Lawyers Weekly), and recognised as a Preeminent Corporate Lawyer in Doyles Guide 2025.

Tim is recognised as one of Australia's best equity capital markets lawyers in the Best Lawyers peer review survey since its inception in 2009 through to 2025, and a 'Leader in their Field' by Chambers Global.

The team is high performing and highly engaged with a significant focus on teamwork and learning.

What you'll do

• Be involved in all aspects of corporate ECM and public and private M&A transactions, including drafting and negotiating key transaction documents and providing advice on all areas of the transaction to clients.
• Work closely with our clients, their other advisers and regulators.
• Ensure key deadlines are met, including working closely with other legal teams across the firm and other external advisors to deliver an integrated service to our clients.
• Assist in building external client relationships, including business development activities for key existing clients and new clients.
• Supervise and mentor junior lawyers in the team, supporting their development and continuous learning.

What you'll bring

• Admission to practice as a lawyer in Australia or New Zealand.
• Minimum 3 years' experience in capital markets or a leading M&A practice, with exposure to, or a keen interest in capital markets 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 Team

Our firm has been recognised as having the leading Equity Capital Markets and public and private M&A teams in Australia.

We are consistently ranked as a leading firm in these areas when measured against local and international benchmarks. Our award winning ECM team covers the full spectrum of work from pre-IPOs, IPOs and secondary offers to hybrid security transactions. With extensive experience in Australia's landmark equity and hybrid capital raisings and domestic and international capital markets funding, our award-winning team is committed to ensuring outstanding outcomes for our clients.

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.