Associate, Private Equity/M&A - Leading Law Firm (4-6PQE)

JR United Kingdom; City Of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international law firm seeks an Associate with 4-6PQE in Private Equity/M&A to join its client-focused team in London. This role offers the opportunity to engage in significant work on mid-market transactions, emphasizing collaboration and commercial awareness in a high-caliber environment. Candidates should possess strong transaction experience and be comfortable managing client relations as the team continues strategic growth.

Qualifications

• Strong experience executing mid-market transactions.
• Exposure to private equity clients preferred.
• Good network in the mid-market sponsor space advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Execute mid-market transactions including buyouts and co-investments.
• Collaborate closely with partners and contribute to team strategy.
• Manage deal workstreams with a focus on delivering high-quality service.

Skills

Client-facing skills

Autonomy in managing deal workstreams

Commercial awareness

Education

4-6 years post-qualification experience

Job description

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Associate, Private Equity/M&A - Leading Law Firm (4-6PQE), london (city of london)

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Client:

Rutherford

Location:

london (city of london), United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Views:

2

Posted:

16.06.2025

Expiry Date:

31.07.2025

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Job Description:

A top-tier international law firm is looking to hire a talented Associate with 4–6 years’ post-qualification experience to join its private funds-focused team, based in London.

The practice advises a broad range of financial sponsors on mid-market transactions including buyouts, co-investments, minority investments, and restructurings across a wide variety of sectors such as technology, software, healthcare, infrastructure, insurance, and professional services.

The successful candidate will have strong experience executing mid-market transactions, ideally with exposure to private equity clients. This is a rare opportunity to take on meaningful responsibility within a partner-led team that values collaboration, commercial awareness, and delivering Roll Royce service to marquee clients.

The role is well-suited to an associate who enjoys being client-facing, can demonstrate autonomy in managing deal workstreams, and is looking to contribute to a team undergoing strategic growth in a dynamic team with very high pedigree Partners.

While business development experience is not required, a strong network and familiarity with the mid-market sponsor space will be advantageous.

The team operates with a sustainable billing target of approximately 1,500-1600 hours per year and offers a genuine alternative to the high-burn model of US firms, with clear opportunities for development and progression.

Requirements:

4-6PQE Mid-Market PE/M&A Experience from a leading law firm in the UK.

With over a decade of experience in the legal space, Rutherford specialises in presenting outstanding lawyers with the most exciting opportunities across highly ranked law firms and in-house in London.

We combine a transparent and consultative approach with leading market knowledge to build a thorough understanding of your search requirements.

Many of our clients work exclusively with Rutherford, giving the lawyers we represent discreet access to roles and connections they wouldn't find elsewhere. Our advertised vacancies represent a snapshot of available roles at any given time; for a comprehensive picture please get in contact with us.

We welcome conversations with lawyers who are merely looking for market insights or who have already explored roles elsewhere to confirm no opportunities have been overlooked.

For more vacancies, please visit our website Jobs Page.

We do receive a lot of applications and where an applicant doesn’t fulfil the job criteria we are not always able to respond – that may be due to jurisdictional experience or qualification area. If you feel that you satisfy the criteria and have not heard from us please feel free to contact us to discuss, or indeed apply to other roles.

Rutherford is committed to maintaining a recruitment process free from discrimination, ensuring equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. It is the Company's policy that no individual should face discrimination, whether directly or indirectly, on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, sex, marital status, disability (including long-term mental or physical impairments), gender reassignment status, sexual orientation, religion or philosophical belief, political belief, trade union activity, or age.