Structured Finance Lawyer

Buchanan Law; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international law firm in London is seeking a Structured Finance / Securitisation Associate with 5–10 years PQE. The role offers the chance to engage in complex transactions from structuring to closing, focusing on both public and private securitisations and involving direct client interactions. Candidates trained in top-tier law firms with strong structured finance backgrounds are preferred. This position includes hybrid working and competitive salary progression, creating genuine opportunities for leadership within a growing team.

Qualifications

• 5–10 PQE (sweet spot 6–8 PQE).
• Comfortable running workstreams and dealing directly with clients.
• Experience in structured finance/securitisation, not pure leveraged finance.

Responsibilities

• Run transactions and take ownership of client relationships.
• Draft and negotiate facilities agreements and intercreditor arrangements.
• Manage complex transactions from structuring to closing.

Skills

Structured finance experience

Securitisation experience

Client management

Technical grounding and commercial instincts

Education

Training at top-tier City, international, or US firms

Job description

Structured Finance / Securitisation Associate (5–10 PQE) | International Firm | London

We are instructed by the London office of a leading international law firm to support the significant expansion of its Structured Finance practice. Following a series of high‑profile lateral partner hires, the team is now looking to build out at associate level, with a particular focus on 6–8 PQE lawyers capable of running transactions and taking ownership of client relationships.

This is a genuine growth phase, driven by increased deal flow and sustained strategic investment in the practice.

The structured finance group sits within a globally integrated finance platform recognised for its strength in securitisation, structured products, debt capital markets and complex cross‑border financing structures across Europe and Asia‑Pacific.

The London team has recently strengthened its senior bench and is now focused on scaling the associate cohort to support a growing pipeline of sophisticated mandates.

Team Structure (London – Structured Finance)

• 4–5 core structured finance / securitisation partners
• 2+ counsel / senior specialists
• Lean group of junior and mid‑level associates

The associate pool is intentionally compact, offering strong visibility and genuine responsibility for experienced lawyers ready to step up.

The team advises arrangers, originators, sponsors, private credit funds and institutional investors across a wide range of asset‑backed and structured debt products.

Core Work Includes:

• Public and private securitisations
• Warehouse facilities and forward flow arrangements
• Mezzanine and capital stack structuring
• Asset‑backed financings across consumer credit, auto finance, fintech and SME lending
• Mortgage‑backed structures (BTL, bridging, development, equity release)
• CRE and affordable housing‑backed transactions
• Fund finance and bank partnership models

Complex / Emerging Asset Classes:

• Crypto‑linked securitisation structures
• Litigation funding structures
• Bespoke and first‑of‑kind asset‑backed platforms

Associates are involved from structuring and term sheet stage through to closing and post‑completion, drafting and negotiating facilities agreements, intercreditor arrangements, security documents and (where relevant) capital markets documentation.

Candidate Profile

• 5–10 PQE (sweet spot 6–8 PQE)
• Genuine structured finance / securitisation experience (not pure leveraged finance)
• Comfortable running workstreams and dealing directly with clients
• Strong technical grounding with commercial instincts

The team is particularly interested in lawyers trained at top‑tier City, international or US firms with recognised structured finance capability, as well as strong boutiques or private credit‑heavy platforms.

• Hybrid working (3 days in office)
• Expected billables: 1,700–1,900 hours
• NQ salary circa £140k with competitive senior progression

The practice offers the platform of a major international firm combined with the energy of a team in growth mode creating real opportunity for senior associates to take on leadership responsibility within complex, high‑value transactions.