Associate - Banking - Manchester

What does the role involve?

Due to significant and continued growth and the recent launch of a dedicated banking & finance team in Manchester, we need an ambitious banking & finance associate to join our banking team, to be based in our Manchester office.

We have recently announced the launch of a dedicated banking & finance practice in Manchester, headed up by Simon Prendergast, and this is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious junior lawyer to help to build this practice.

You will work closely with Simon but can also expect to work with our national banking & finance team.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Advising banks, alternative lenders, funds and other corporate and institutional clients (both borrowers and lenders) on a range financing transactions.  You will be given the opportunity work on corporate banking, asset based lending, leveraged finance, real estate finance, government finance and debt capital markets transactions.
• Supporting the corporate and real estate teams on the financing aspects of private equity deals, mergers and acquisitions, property development and investment financings and more.
• Being actively involved in participating in business development – both independently and with the wider team - with new and existing clients and taking responsibility for developing and sustaining relationships directly with clients.

Our client base covers a broad spectrum of the UK market, including clearing banks, challenger banks, alternative lenders, debt funds, international banks and asset based lenders, together with other corporate and institutional clients.  

What experience is required?

You will ideally have between 1 and 4 years’ PQE with experience gained in a firm renowned for banking and finance work.  Your experience will be substantially or wholly gained working in the banking and finance sector, and you will be ambitious to progress.   

What skills and attributes would I need?

• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Self-starting with common-sense and initiative
• Attention to detail
• Ability to build good working relationships with existing and potential clients
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.

Who will I be working with?

You will be based in our Manchester office but will work with members of our national banking team. The cross-office banking team is part of the wider Corporate and Commercial National Service Line, currently headed by  Kevin Lowe. If you want to join a supportive and collaborative team, dealing with high value complex and cutting edge domestic and international banking work, this is a role for you. 

Our banking and finance team is rated by both Chambers UK and Legal 500 and each of the team’s partners are ranked as leading individuals in Chambers UK. We have a proven track record of acting on “first of a kind” transactions where we have developed new structures and solutions to help clients with particular requirements to access financing. We see innovation in financing structures as crucial to our continued success and growth in a rapidly changing finance sector. 

What else should I know?

This is an ideal opportunity to build your skills and experience with a major UK law firm, listed as one of the “Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For” for the last 20 years - the only law firm to achieve this. We are also delighted to have been named by RollonFriday as one of the top law firms in the UK for the eighth year running.  

The firm has a strong sector focus with expertise in agriculture, charities, education, food and beverage, health, insurance, private wealth, real estate investment, sport and technology. Clients include businesses from PLCs to start-ups, high net worth individuals and landowners, more than 120 universities, colleges and education bodies and over 100 healthcare organisations. 

Pre-employment screening 

Please note that, in the event that we make an offer for a role, we will conduct pre-employment screening that includes, but is not limited to, a basic DBS check, right to work check, any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role.  A full policy of the screening the firm undertakes is available on request.

Disclosure and barring service check and security clearance 

This post is also subject to a satisfactory response from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (to check for any previous criminal convictions and cautions) and, given the nature of the work-type, you may also be required to undergo national security vetting to SC level – the latter can be undertaken following commencement of employment. 

And finally 

Mills & Reeve is committed to building a diverse workforce and fostering an inclusive environment in which all our people can thrive. We hire people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our firm stronger, and we have a collaborative culture that celebrates different perspectives and values respect for one another, working together, and openness and integrity. Our approach to flexible working means that we work in a way that achieves the right balance for our people, our clients and for our business.