Career Associate Attorney – Asset Management

Direct Counsel; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 290,000 - 375,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary year-end bonus

Job summary

Direct Counsel is seeking an experienced Career Associate Attorney with a strong background in asset management to join the firm's Asset Management Practice. This full-time role supports a sophisticated private equity client and its high-volume legal workflow.

The ideal candidate will manage fund formation, co-investments, management company matters, and related governance issues, work independently, and build trusted relationships with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• J.D. degree from an accredited law school and bar admission in good standing.
• 5 years of relevant legal experience at a law firm or in-house setting.
• Substantial experience with private equity, fund formation, and investment funds.
• Strong drafting, legal analysis, organizational and project-management skills.
• Ability to manage a high volume of matters independently with accuracy.
• Experience developing templates, precedents, or knowledge-management resources.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal support for fund operations and asset management matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate transfer agreements and related fund documents.
• Advise on management company and general partner entity matters and vesting schedules.
• Support fund formation, co-investments, and carried interest grants.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to execute transactions and maintain records.
• Manage a pipeline of recurring matters with deadlines and templates.
• Identify opportunities to improve forms and streamline workflows.

Skills

Drafting

Legal analysis

Project management

Client relationship building

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Bar admission in applicable jurisdiction

Job description

Career Associate Attorney -- Asset Management

Locations: Boston, MA | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA

Experience: 5 years

Compensation: $290,000--$375,000 discretionary year-end bonus

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Position Overview

Direct Counsel is seeking an experienced Career Associate Attorney with a strong background in asset management, private equity, investment funds, or fund management to join the Asset Management Practice of a leading global law firm.

This full-time position will serve as a dedicated legal resource supporting a sophisticated private equity client and its high-volume legal workflow. The attorney will advise on fund formation, co-investments, management company matters, fund-interest transfers, carried interest arrangements, and related fund operations and governance matters.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced attorney who can work independently, manage a substantial volume of recurring matters, exercise sound legal judgment, and develop trusted relationships with sophisticated clients and cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal support for fund operations, including confidentiality agreements, intercompany agreements, and related asset management matters.

• Draft, review, and negotiate transfer agreements and related documentation involving fund interests, including transfer consents and associated due diligence materials.

• Advise on management company and general partner entity matters, including organizational documents, internal economic arrangements, award agreements, and vesting schedules.

• Support fund formation, co-investments, carried interest grants, and other investment fund and asset management matters.

• Collaborate with legal, finance, tax, compliance, management, and investor relations teams to execute transactions accurately and maintain well-organized records.

• Manage a steady pipeline of recurring matters while tracking deliverables, deadlines, templates, and workstreams.

• Identify opportunities to improve forms, develop precedent resources, streamline repeatable workflows, and reduce legal and operational risk.

• Apply strong drafting, legal analysis, practical judgment, and project management skills in a fast-paced asset management environment.

• Serve as a practical, responsive, and trusted legal partner to sophisticated clients.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.

• Admission in good standing to the bar in the jurisdiction corresponding to the applicable office.

• 5 years of relevant legal experience at a law firm and/or in-house legal department, preferably with a private equity firm, asset management firm, investment manager, or similar organization.

• Substantial experience with private equity, fund formation, investment funds, fund management, or related transactional matters.

• Strong knowledge of fund-related agreements, carried interest arrangements, management incentive structures, transfer documentation, and governance matters.

• Excellent drafting, legal analysis, organizational, and project management skills.

• Ability to independently manage a high volume of matters while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with clients and cross-functional teams.

• Experience developing or maintaining templates, playbooks, precedent libraries, or other knowledge-management resources.

• Ability to use artificial intelligence tools responsibly and ethically, including identifying appropriate use cases, protecting confidential information, verifying outputs, and applying independent legal judgment.

Compensation & Benefits

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $290,000--$375,000, depending on qualifications and experience. The position is also eligible for a discretionary year-end bonus.

Work Arrangement

This position offers a hybrid work arrangement, with periodic in-office and/or client-facing presence as needed.

Locations

• Boston, Massachusetts

• New York, New York

• San Francisco, California