Associate/Senior Associate - Share Schemes - Any Regional Office

This role can be based out of any of our regional offices (Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich or Oxford)

What does the role involve?

Due to an expanding national practice, we are looking for someone to join our Corporate Tax team.  Based in any of our offices outside London, your focus will be on delivering share scheme and related employment tax advice to our clients. The precise mix of work is flexible and could vary depending on your skills and experience.

We pride ourselves in providing the highest quality legal advice and solutions to a diverse range of interesting and exciting clients.  We value our tax specialists and the often decisive contribution they make to the firm’s transactions and projects.

Our Corporate Tax team leads the firm’s employee share schemes work, drawing on the support of corporate, employment and trusts lawyers as and when needed.  We help clients of all sizes to establish employee share schemes, provide ongoing support and advice to share schemes users, and deal with the often complex share schemes aspects of corporate transactions. Our work includes advising on EMI options, LTIPs, employee benefit trusts, growth shares and a wide range of other forms of tax-privileged and ‘unapproved’ employee share incentives.

The team has a varied and high quality workload. On the general tax side, we carry out advisory work and transaction support work for clients of our corporate, real estate, commercial, banking and employment teams and across the firm’s sectors such as technology, education, health and charities.  We also work closely with the firm’s leading private client practice. 

Our client base could not be more diverse and ranges from unquoted, AIM and listed companies, to international clients with a UK presence.  We also advise charities, public sector bodies, partnerships and owner-managers.

Why should I apply?

You may already be an experienced specialist looking for a new challenge somewhere that is a bit different.  Alternatively, you may have some experience in these areas but would value the opportunity to develop further in a supportive and collaborative culture.

This is a great opportunity to join a forward thinking and high quality national law firm. 

The role offers varied and interesting work, a diverse client base, a supportive culture, business development opportunities, and a career trajectory.  

For more information about our corporate tax and share schemes practice, and corporate tax partners  Kevin Lowe,  Neil Pearson, and  Matthew Short, please click on the links.

The firm has been named for a record 20th year running as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For annual survey and is the only UK law firm to have achieved this.  We are also delighted to have been named by RollonFriday as one of the top law firms in the UK for the sixth year running.

What experience is required?

You will be a minimum of 1+ years PQE.   In terms of experience, the ideal candidate would be a corporate tax lawyer with share schemes knowledge, or a share schemes lawyer with tax knowledge.

What skills and attributes would I need?

• Good academics 2.1 degree or equivalent with good A levels
• Technically strong
• Excellent drafting and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and team skills
• Organisation and prioritisation
• Systematic and methodical approach to work with ability to demonstrate these skills
• Willingness to take initiative and to participate in marketing activities
• Experience of share schemes work and/or corporate tax work
• A desire to specialise in share schemes work

Who would I be working with?

You will work with Neil Pearson, Carrie Ferris, Kevin Lowe and the wider corporate tax team. 

Pre-employment screening

Please note that, in the event that we make an offer of employment, we will conduct pre-employment screening that includes checks relating to your professional and academic qualifications, references from previous employers, your eligibility to work in the UK and any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You will also be required to complete a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability. 

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.