Associate

at  Lewis Silkin LLP

PQE:

NQ - 3
Term:

Permanent
Working hours:

Full-time
Department:
Corporate
Location:

Flexible (London, Cardiff or Manchester)
Specialism:

LLPs & Partnerships / Professional Services / SRA Regulatory
The firm
Lewis Silkin works with leading businesses to protect and enhance their most important assets - their ideas, their people, their brand and their future. We call it: Ideas. People. Possibilities.
With offices in London, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Belfast, Dublin and Hong Kong, we are recognised by clients and industry alike as being distinct for our unique culture, market-leading practice areas, sector focused approach and for providing solutions to complex, multijurisdictional business challenges, with a pragmatic and human touch. We have two things at our core: people — both ours and our clients’— and a focus on creative, tech and innovative businesses.
Our culture is encapsulated by an ethos of bravery and kindness, guided by our values of Integrity, Clarity, Unity and Excellence (our ‘I-CUE’). We aim to provide a supportive environment for our people, clients and wider community and embrace diversity & inclusion, ensuring people are able to bring their full selves to work.

The department

• Associate in our highly ranked LLPs & Partnerships and Professional Services practice areas, sitting within our Corporate team.
• Working directly with the lead Partner, this is an opportunity to assume a key role in the growth and development of these practice areas, to gain experience across a broad range of advisory, regulatory and transactional legal work and, ultimately, to become a recognised expert in specialist areas of law.
• Core clients of the team include:
• UK, US and international professional services firms (notably law firms and accountancy practices)
• Financial services and investment firms (including hedge funds, investment managers, corporate and debt advisory firms and private equity houses)
• Other owner-led / people businesses – including in the creative industries
• Member organisations structured as companies limited by guarantee
• The range of work undertaken by the team is diverse and challenging, and will include advising on the following:

Non-contentious

• LLP formations and structures
• LLP and Partnership Agreements
• Governance and constitutional arrangements
• Profit sharing and goodwill / tenancy models
• Restrictive covenants and other business protections
• LLP Member / Partner issues, including partner admissions, duties, liability risks and protections, incapacity, succession planning and performance management
• UK and international M&A, disposals and restructurings
• Investments in and acquisitions of law firms, accountancy practices and other professional services firms
• LLP / company conversions

Contentious

• LLP Member / Partner exits – expulsions, compulsory retirements and negotiated exits
• LLP Member / Partner misconduct issues
• Team moves and enforcement of restrictive covenants and other business protections

Regulatory

• Advising professional services firms on SRA, IPReg, Law Society of Scotland, ICAEW, FRC and international regulatory, structuring and conduct issues (including new firm authorisation and change of control approvals)
• A key focus of the team is SRA regulation, with work ranging from advising on new firm approvals, conflict and confidentiality issues, through to misconduct, investigations and reporting
• Working directly with the lead Partner, the successful candidate will benefit from one-to-one training and support, and will be expected to grow into the role as their knowledge and experience develops.
• To assist and further enhance their development, the successful candidate will be encouraged to work with and gain experience of other complementary practice areas, including workplace investigations and corporate transactions.
• As part of their role, the successful candidate will join the firm’s Law Firms Group and will be encouraged to become an active member of the Association of Partnership Practitioners.

Responsibilities

• We expect the candidate to have excellent academics and strong interpersonal skills.
• The varied and challenging work will require the development of a broad skillset, with work requiring extensive bespoke drafting often running alongside advice requiring the analysis and application of regulatory rules, case law and legal concepts.
• The role will suit an individual who is intellectually curious, hardworking and ambitious, and who is able to balance solutions-focused lateral thinking, alongside strong research skills and a close eye for detail.
• Whilst previous experience of LLPs & Partnerships and/or SRA regulation will be helpful, such experience is not a prerequisite.
• The candidate will be expected to have closely considered the job description set out above and to have given thought as to why this role appeals and is suited to them.

Additional information
At Lewis Silkin our ethos is simple. We strive to do the best for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise. We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. We are committed to finding the right person for this role and are open to discussing flexible working patterns and office location.

• We expect the candidate to have excellent academics and strong interpersonal skills.
• The varied and challenging work will require the development of a broad skillset, with work requiring extensive bespoke drafting often running alongside advice requiring the analysis and application of regulatory rules, case law and legal concepts.
• The role will suit an individual who is intellectually curious, hardworking and ambitious, and who is able to balance solutions-focused lateral thinking, alongside strong research skills and a close eye for detail.
• Whilst previous experience of LLPs & Partnerships and/or SRA regulation will be helpful, such experience is not a prerequisite.
• The candidate will be expected to have closely considered the job description set out above and to have given thought as to why this role appeals and is suited to them