Debt Finance (REF) Associate /Managing Associate

Stephenson Harwood LLP; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international law firm in London is looking for a qualified lawyer to join their growing Debt Finance team. This position involves providing specialist advice on a wide range of real estate finance matters. The ideal candidate will have relevant UK law experience and a strong background in real estate finance, possessing excellent communication skills and attention to detail. The firm values diversity and offers a supportive work environment, along with competitive remuneration and various family-friendly policies.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible benefits including gym discount

Life assurance and private health care

Volunteering time off

Wellbeing support

Hybrid working model

Qualifications

• Experience in managing newly qualified solicitors, trainees or paralegals.
• Ability to build excellent working relationships.
• Experience in preparing and negotiating complex financing documentation.

Responsibilities

• Run transactions independently with limited supervision.
• Conduct legal research using internal and external resources.
• Prepare and negotiate financing documentation.

Skills

Qualified lawyer with relevant UK law experience

Real estate finance experience in private practice

Excellent verbal and numerical communication skills

Attention to detail

Business development enthusiasm

Organized and able to meet deadlines

Cooperative and collaborative approach

Education

Excellent academic and professional qualifications

Job description

What we will offer

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We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can gain early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

YOU CAN EXPECT

• A competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies
• Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family
• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes
• We support the causes you care about, by giving you one day per year off to volunteer with any charity that you are involved with outside of work.
• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.
• Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.
• We are an equal opportunity organisation, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture, or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives

Team Structure

The Debt Finance team is part of our wider Finance practice. The team deals with a wide range of transactional debt financings, including lender-side and borrower-side real estate finance, which will be the focus of this role. You will also work on leveraged and acquisition finance, asset-based lending and secured and unsecured corporate lending as well as non-contentious debt restructurings and distressed situations involving corporate trustees.

You can expect to act for many UK and international banks and debt funds as well as investment companies, corporate borrowers, funds, corporate trustees and other stakeholders on challenging transactions which often involve novel instruments or structures.

The team generates its own work, as well as supporting the firm's transactional practices.

Associates within the team are actively encouraged to work for all of the partners and to broaden their experience and expertise within the banking team.

You would join a culture that is informal and supportive; we are aiming to do work of the highest quality, but in an environment which prizes enjoyment as well as excellence. The banking team benefits from the support of a dedicated Knowledge Development Lawyer.

Purpose of the roleThis role is to work within the growing Debt finance team. It is to provide specialist advice to borrowers and lenders on a wide range of real estate finance matters, where you can expect to be involved in some of the most high profile financings and advise lenders and borrowers on investment financing for a range of assets: retail, industrial, student accommodation, hotels and commercial offices, including large portfolio acquisitions.

However, reflecting the breadth of work done in the Debt finance team, there will also be opportunities to get involved in a wider range of transactional lending matters, including acquisition/leveraged finance, private credit and non-contentious debt restructuring. You can expect to lead the drafting and negotiation of facilities agreements with some partner involvement, where necessary, and supervise more junior members of the team on all other aspects of the transactions.

Main Responsibilities

• Clear, concise and unambiguous preparation, negotiation and marking-up of complex financing documentation
• Liaising with clients and other law firms, with the ability to run transactions independently with limited Partner supervision
• Developing own informal internal and external network of contacts
• Building excellent working relationships with clients and peers within the Firm
• Active involvement in business development including preparation of client pitches, teach-ins and presentation materials, and attending and helping to arrange business development and profile-raising events
• Conducting legal research using internal and external knowledge management resources
• Taking the lead on transaction management and in supervising matter teams including delegating work to, and managing, trainees and junior lawyers

Attributes/Skills Required

• Qualified lawyer with relevant UK law experience, excellent academic and professional qualifications
• Real estate finance experience gained in private practice is essential
• Background in a firm with an excellent reputation in the field of banking and finance
• Ability to acquire, consolidate and apply fundamental and up-to-date knowledge of the law
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and numerical communication skills
• Enthusiasm for business development
• Organised and able to work to strict deadlines with the ability to prioritise realistically
• Good housekeeping/file management practices; manages and records time promptly and accurately
• Resilient with the ability to handle set-backs and pressure
• Cooperative and collaborative in approach and is able to develop excellent working relationships at all levels and roles
• Ability to operate professionally and proactively at all times
• Exhibits an understanding of the Firm’s position in the market and how it distinguishes its services from its competitors
• Experience of managing newly qualified solicitors, trainees or paralegals.

This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm’s strategy and business

About the Firm

Stephenson Harwood is an international law firm, and we're committed to creating 'positive partnerships' with our clients. We represent listed and private companies, institutions and individuals, building lasting relationships to help them succeed in a complex and ever-changing world.

Our focus is on five core sectors: Energy Transition, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Private Capital and Funds, Technology, and Transportation and Trade.

With more than 1,500 people, including 220+ partners, across ten offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we combine deep legal capabilities and broad commercial expertise. We have also forged close ties with high quality law firms around the world, blending local knowledge with global savvy for clients in over 100 countries.

We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.

• 220+ PARTNERS
• 10 OFFICES
• 45+ LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY OUR PEOPLE

Offices in Al Khobar, Athens, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Riyadh, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and associated office in Guangzhou

Our brand strengths:

GO FAR, GO TOGETHER

EXPERTS IN MORE THAN LAW

CAN DO PERSONALITIES

ALWAYS READY