Manager, Legal - Funds

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer in Belfast seeks a Manager, Legal – Funds, with a background in corporate/commercial law and a focus on investment funds work. The role involves client service, project management, and applying the latest technology to deliver high-quality legal work.

Essentially, candidates should have 5+ years PQE in funds or commercial practice and be qualified in England & Wales or Northern Ireland, with an eagerness to adapt to this area.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland.
• Five or more years of PQE in funds or commercial practice.
• Proven ability to supervise a funds or commercial law team.

Responsibilities

• Deliver excellent legal service to clients and support project management.
• Implement quality processes and use technology to improve service delivery.
• Supervise and mentor Senior Solicitors, Solicitors and Analysts on fee-earning projects.
• Manage resources and timelines across matters with internal clients.
• Coordinate with other teams (e.g., London) on projects.
• Contribute to pitches and marketing where required.

Skills

Team supervision experience

PQE 5+ years

Funds/Commercial practice

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland

Job description

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.

Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.

As a fully integrated transatlantic and transpacific firm, we are where you need us to be. Our footprint is extensive and committed across the world’s largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs.

At our best tackling complexity and navigating change, we work alongside you on demanding litigation, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.

We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, infrastructure and resources. And we’re focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world.

All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition – which is to help you achieve yours.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer: Your goals. Our ambition

The Opportunity

The Role

Manager, Legal – Funds, in a team which specialises in providing legal services to investment funds clients – we are seeking an engaged team member with experience/training in a corporate/commercial firm who is willing to adapt and build up their knowledge and experience in this legal area.

Applicants for manager roles in relation to Funds will be expected to be capable of: delivering excellent legal service to our clients; assisting with project management; implementing quality processes; and utilising the latest technology to deliver excellent service to our clients.

Our transactional practice includes but is not limited to, all aspects of due diligence, M&A, capital markets, investment funds, corporate restructurings and regulatory matters. Candidates are likely to have developed strong general corporate/commercial legal practice, with an interest in investment funds work (or an interest in developing their knowledge in this area). Previous experience in investment funds work is highly desirable but not necessary – key criteria includes a willingness to adapt existing experience to a new legal area and an enthusiasm for the role.

Our Funds team provide a wide range of legal services to major asset management clients and the funds managed by them, including review and negotiation of a wide range of distribution-related agreements, implementation of complex restructurings, cross-jurisdictional regulatory projects, investment due diligence and day-to-day operational support. They regularly deal with a broad range of fund structures from retail to private equity and hedge funds. You will be comfortable applying what you know to creative and varied projects and business-as-usual workstreams. This role requires an entrepreneurial mind-set and a flexible and responsive approach. You will conduct fee-earning work directly for clients as well as supervising teams within HSF Kramer’s global network.

You will have a deeply client-focused approach and be ready to apply that experience to our transactional practice where we work closely with internal clients (i.e. you will be confident and comfortable liaising with partners around the organisation) and you will often work directly with our external clients and their counterparties too.

Primary Responsibilities

• Escalating project-specific issues appropriately to the relevant Senior Manager/Head of Funds
• Supervising Senior Solicitors, Solicitors, Solicitors, Trainees and Legal Analysts conducting fee earning projects and carrying out “first-level review” on projects where necessary.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant areas of law to the local office’s practice generally, and as an “expert” in relation to specialist areas of practice.
• Responsible for supporting, as required by the Senior Manager/ Head of on drafting, updating and revising all of our internal processes relating to our funds practice including making recommendations for improvements in the quality of service delivery.
• Assisting with written material or cost models for pitches and marketing initiatives if required.
• Project managing the local office’s team on individual matters, including:
• Dealing with complex issues on individual matters that are escalated by the Senior Solicitors, Solicitors, Trainees and Legal Analysts.
• Primary responsibility for communication with the internal client (partner/managing associate) on individual matters.
• Ensuring that relevant legal issues are fully understood by the local office team working on an individual matter on an on-going basis and raising any training issues with the Head of.
• Managing resources (Senior Solicitors, Solicitors, Trainees and Legal Analysts) on individual matters effectively and in line with agreed timetables on projects.
• Conducting quality control (e.g. to check all fee earning work is being conducted accurately), as directed by the Head of.
• Liaising with teams elsewhere in the firm (e.g. London) as required on fee-earning or other projects.
• Promotes and sells the services of the Digital Legal Delivery service offering to internal clients, including by the delivery of consistently high-quality work and a positive approach to building internal relationships.
• Line management responsibility for Senior Solicitors, Solicitors, Trainees and Legal Analysts (including full-time permanent, flexible Respond or fixed term contract team members) as direct reports.

The responsibilities outlined above cannot totally encompass or define all tasks that may be required of the post-holder. The outline of responsibilities given above may, therefore, vary from time to time without materially changing either the character or level of responsibility or grade.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, but Republic of Ireland or other common law jurisdictions will be considered. (If not qualified in England and Wales then willing to complete process to requalify as such, if required.)
• 5+ year’s PQE working in a Funds or Commercial practice area, although exceptional candidates with less than 5 years’ relevant experience may be considered.
• Proven experience of supervising and supporting a funds or commercial law team.

Desirable

• Experience in investment funds team or working for investment fund clients.
• Experience gained working at a large private practice law firm.

N ote: Applications close at midday 12pm on Friday 30 October 2026

Team

Digital Legal Delivery

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

Belfast

Contract type

Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

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.