Private Equity Associate

The Role

Job Overview

Our growing global Private Equity group lies at the heart of the Firms business strategy and in London the group sits at the hub of our Corporate practice. It offers unparalleled opportunities to work on the most highprofile and marketleading mandates.  The group advises an impressive range of clients covering a wide variety of financial sponsors (including many leading international private equity houses infrastructure and other investment funds banks and other financial institutions) their portfolio companies and management teams.  The group is supported by the Firms integrated network of offices (providing the largest geographic coverage of any single law firm) as well as expertise in other key complementary practice areas (including acquisition finance capital markets funds and regulatory) and industry sectors to offer clients unrivalled strength and depth of resource.  

Our global team is best known for our capacity to lead on PE transactions of any nature and anywhere in the world. Having been leaders in PE since its inception 40 years ago and with over 700 private equity lawyers across our offices the diversity of our clients and product areas the geographies we work in and our wider industry knowledge gives us a global perspective on private equity trends and issues. 

We continue to be recognised by leading industry bodies for our market leading work with some of the largest global PE houses choosing to repeatedly work with us. 

Over the past 12 months our London private equity team has advised the following PE clients on multiple deals: Ardian Blackstone Brookfield Carlyle Cinven CVC Elliott EQT KKR ONEX Partners Group Permira TPG.

Recent Awards and accolades include: 

Ranked Band 1 by Chambers

• Band 1 UK PE 2025 (PE Buyouts: 500m)

• Band 1 Global PE 2024

• Band 1 Europewide PE 2024

More Band 1 rankings in Chambers Europe than any other firm

• International Law Firm of the Year

• European Private Equity Team of the Year

• Private Equity Deal of the Year
• IFLR Europe Awards 2024

Below is a sample list of our notable PE Deals:  

• Permira and Alter Domus shareholders on its sale to Cinven and rollover investment     

• Brookfield on the 6.1 billion acquisition of the controlling interest and P2P for Neoen  

• 3Permira on its $1.3bn acquisition of Acuity Knowledge Partners  

• Cinven on its 2.5bn public takeover of Synlab Europes top laboratory diagnostic services provider

• Blackstone on its 10 billion data centre development project in Blyth Northumberland.

• Partners Group on its transaction to increase its equity stake in Swiss watchmaker Breitling

Who you will work with

The lawyers in our Private Equity group are at the centre of market leading transactions not only as legal advisers but working closely with clients at a strategic and business level. The entrepreneurial nature of the Private Equity deals that we work on requires lawyers with a unique blend of specialist skills. In todays challenging market environment we play a key role to our clients as a strategic adviser requiring practical commercially minded legal advice to help them and their portfolio companies respond swiftly and effectively to the challenges and opportunities they face. 

What you will be responsible for

As an associate in our leading practice you will work at the forefront of the market across a diverse range of deals. You will be part of team that offers cutting edge advice complemented by unrivalled quality of service experience and training.   

We advise on all aspects of private equity transactions including: 

• Investments whether by way of private acquisitions public company takeovers minority investments or joint ventures.

• Exits whether by way of trade sale IPO or dual track.

• Ongoing work for portfolio companies including addon acquisitions asset sales refinancing and restructurings

What you will do

Key tasks and responsibilities:

• Being an integral member of the deal team on transactions leading key workstreams on large transactions and potentially even running smaller transactions (depending on your precise level and experience).
• Drafting legal documents clearly and concisely creating solutions using legal knowledge and commercial judgement to advise and support leading multinational corporates.
• Developing relationships with clients and actively engaging in business development and thought leadership initiatives and seeking out opportunities for new work.
• You will have exposure to work which often involves complex high value matters that frequently headline in the business press.
• As you grow in experience you will have extensive client contact both as part of your daily working routine as well as having the opportunity to develop new client contacts.
• You will develop an unbeatable multidisciplinary skill set as well as client facing skills whilst working with some of the bestknown market leaders in their respective practice areas.

Qualifications :

Your Experience 

You will have strong relevant M&A transactional experience as a midlevel lawyer probably gained at a City firm or at an overseas common law practice with a highly regarded profile.   

You will have an outstanding academic history and proven first rate legal skills combined with a strong reputation amongst existing clients for providing commercial solutions and excellent transactional and managements skills and be recognised as a lawyer that is sought out by existing clients.

You should demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills along with a high level of commercial awareness.

You will need to demonstrate that you can thrive in a team with high professional standards and a flexible clientfriendly commercial approach. You will have had strong exposure of collaborating with multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary teams.

You will naturally be able to demonstrate excellent document drafting skills as well as strong communication and analytical skills along with a high level of commercial awareness.

It is crucial that you can demonstrate an appetite for business development client relationship management and thought leadership. 

How we will support you

From your first day with us you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training informal coaching and mentoring through to skillsbased and technical training and on the job learning.
 

Additional Information :

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial wellbeing lifestyle and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK please visit our What We Offer page on our career site.

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families our firm and society. 

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender gender identity and expression marital or civil partnership status race colour national or ethnic origin social or economic background disability religious belief sexual orientation or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection terms and conditions of employment including pay promotion training transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

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