Senior Associate, Employment

Fieldfisher; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Pension contributions

Life assurance

Season ticket loans

Bike to work loans

Job summary

Fieldfisher is seeking a Senior Associate in Employment to deliver on complex employment litigation, advisory matters, and cross-border transactions. You will lead cases, mentor juniors, and develop client relationships while contributing to BD efforts and knowledge management across the global practice.

The role emphasizes delivery with commercial awareness, resilience, and a proactive approach in a high-performing environment within Fieldfisher’s Employment team.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor in England & Wales or another common law jurisdiction with strong relevant experience.
• Significant post-qualification experience with 6+ years PQE in a leading international law firm or comparable in-house.
• Experience advising on derivatives, structured products, and financial markets transactions.
• Strong drafting, negotiating documentation, and end-to-end transaction management.
• Excellent analytical skills and commercial judgement; ability to manage complex matters and build client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Deliver for clients on employment litigation, including ET3s and schedules/counter schedules of loss.
• Lead on larger transactions and cases; supervise and mentor junior lawyers.
• Contribute to advisory matters such as disciplinary processes, redundancies, TUPE, and senior exits.
• Support business development through pitches, publications, and industry events.
• Collaborate across international offices and practice groups; ensure timely, budgeted delivery.

Skills

Employment law

Client relationship management

Leadership mentoring

Regulatory awareness

Advisory drafting

Education

Qualified solicitor in England & Wales or another common law jurisdiction

Job description

in law may require amendments to precedents and takes action.Knowledge & Innovation e.g. Successfully implements knowledge sharing initiatives within the team and client base and actively seeks publication or speaking opportunities.Key ResponsibilitiesCasework & Advisory SupportDeliver for clients on employment litigation, including preparing ET3s, drafting schedules/counter schedules of loss, undertaking legal research and supporting advocacy workplace investigations, including fact-gathering, document review and drafting investigation reports.Contribute to advisory matters such as disciplinary/grievance processes, redundancies, TUPE, employment status and senior exits.Lead on larger transactions and casesAssist and lead transformation projects including restructuring, outsourcing and organisational change programmes, including preparing consultation materials and supporting project management.Client Interaction & CommunicationDraft clear, commercially relevant advice.Lead, willingness to learn and take on responsibility.Confident communicator and strong client-facing confidence.Supervise and mentor junior lawyers and trainees, supporting their professional development.Develop and maintain strong client relationships through excellent service delivery and responsiveness.Contribute to business development initiatives including pitches, client presentations, publications, and industry events.Drive efficient matter management, financial discipline, and delivery against budgets and timelines.Collaborate effectively across international offices and practice groups.Support innovation, process improvement, and knowledge management initiatives within the practice.Ensure compliance with professional standards, firm policies, and regulatory YouThe ideal candidate will be a technically strong and commercially minded lawyer who thrives in a collaborative, market facing and high-performing environment. They will demonstrate excellent communication skills
client calls and meetings, helping to prepare agendas, documents and follow up notes.Business Development & Team ContributionContribute towards business development strategy of the team by preparing briefing papers, attending and presenting at client seminars and developing their own contacts within build client relationships through responsive, professional ResponsibilitiesQualified solicitor in England & Wales or another common law jurisdiction with strong relevant experience in respondent employment law.Significant post-qualification experience with 6-9 years PQE within a leading international law firm or comparable in-house environment.Experience and awareness of regulatory changes affecting financial institutions.Good understanding of employment law fundamentals, with proven expertise in areas such as restructuring, investigations and ability to think laterally and identify related issues and problems.A proactive, organised and commercially aware approach, with a, consistent technical excellence and sound commercial judgement, along with the ability to manage complex matters while building trusted relationships with clients and colleagues.Candidates who currently specialise in a particular derivatives asset class are welcome, provided they are open to working across the wider derivatives practice and developing new areas of expertise.Experience and QualificationsQualified solicitor in England & Wales or another common law jurisdiction with strong relevant experience.Significant post-qualification experience with 6+ years PQE within a leading international law firm or comparable in-house environment.Strong experience advising on derivatives, structured products, and financial markets transactions.Strong technical understanding of financial services regulation affecting derivatives markets.Excellent drafting, negotiating documentation, managing transactions end-to-end, and analytical skills.Displays resilience and the, ability to manage

The VacancyAbout Us

We are an international law firm employing over 2,200 people globally across 28 international offices in 14 countries committed to delivering exceptional legal services to clients across global markets and industries. Our focus on quality standards drives our ambition to strengthen a high-performance culture by embedding excellence throughout our legal services practice. We foster an inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone feels they 'Belong' and can contribute effectively and are empowered to grow, innovate, and deliver outstanding client outcomes. It takes everyone to make us who we are and how we are. We're a culture of diverse perspectives, with each of us making unique contributions that make us better together. Our Values and Behaviours are driven by collaboration and are central to how we work and how we support our clients and colleagues, and together we value:

• People First - We put colleagues, clients and communities at the forefront of all we
• do.

About the Team

Fieldfisher's Employment team is recognised for delivering pragmatic, commercially focused advice to a diverse client base ranging from multinational organisations and household brands to fast-growing businesses. Working closely with clients across a broad range of sectors, the team advises on the full spectrum of employment law matters, including complex workplace disputes, strategic people issues, business restructurings, cross-border employment matters, and employment aspects of corporate transactions. Known for its collaborative approach and strong client relationships, the team combines technical excellence with a practical understanding of the challenges facing modern employers. Joining the team offers the opportunity to work on high-profile matters alongside the opportunity to work with leading employment lawyers across out European network.

Role Purpose

Our career development drivers set out what professionals are expected to demonstrate at each level of development. In this role, the Senior Associate will be expected to contribute across the following areas:Business & Financial Management e.g. Contributes to the negotiation of profitable fee levels for a variety of clients.Client Focus e.g. Able to work on large client matters with limited supervision.Working with People & Teams e.g. Delegates work to more junior colleagues and manages their performance and manages upwards effectively by making best use of partner/director time.Business Development e.g. Project manages BD activities and uses interaction to win new work from existing clients and contacts.Technical Skills e.g. Has a comprehensive knowledge of specialist areas of law and recognises where changes, multiple priorities, and work effectively under pressure with the ability to think laterally and solve complex problems.Delivers work efficiently while maintaining exceptional quality standards.Demonstrates ability to mentor junior team members and contribute to team development.Commercial awareness and a proactive approach to client service and business development.Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with the ability to contribute positively to team culture, promoting inclusion and collaboration effectively across global teams.

Inclusion at Fieldfisher

Our inclusion strategy focuses on attracting, developing and retaining talented people, fostering an inclusive culture and creating opportunities for colleagues to succeed across the firm. We recognise that some groups continue to be underrepresented within the legal profession and in certain areas of our business. As part of our commitment to broadening access and increasing representation, we welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented groups.

Accessibility and adjustments

We are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process. If you require any adjustments during the application or interview process, please contact the Recruitment team in confidence.

Benefits

• Beyond salary: We offer plenty of benefits; private medical insurance, health cash plan, dental insurance, life assurance, critical illness insurance, matched pension contributions up to 7%, holiday trading, plus many more.
• Generous annual leave
• Health insurance
• Pension contributions
• Life assurance
• Season ticket loans
• Bike to work loans

Hybrid / Remote

In the office or WFH?: We think the best balance is more time in the office than at home, so we operate a 60:40 rule.

Testimonials

• "It is great being in a firm which \"gets\" cross-office working - to feel properly part of a national team and to work with colleagues in other specialisms who are unconstrained by geography."
• "I consider Fieldfisher to be a progressive firm with an understanding of social values. I'm pleased that staff is able to have input in the firm's direction and purpose as well as help to shape wider society. I'm encouraged to perform by being able to develop in a natural way, whilst being supported at every step. Fieldfisher has managed to nurture a really positive and friendly culture. If they have drive and ambition, I would encourage anybody looking for a role here to grab the opportunity."
• "Since joining Fieldfisher in 2016, I have progressed from an entry-level secretarial role to an experienced executive assistant. This was made possible by a supportive and inclusive working environment that allows staff to progress at a pace that is best suited to them which in turn makes for well-rounded, home-grown talent.The firm strikes a great balance between providing the foundations for success and autonomy of your own growth and development. An insight I would give to potential applicants is that Fieldfisher offers the opportunity for a career and a sense of belonging to a community and not just a job."