Principal Associate - Banking - Any Office

What does the role involve?

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced banking and finance solicitor to join our banking & finance team, to be based in any of our Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Norwich, Cambridge or London offices from which Finance & Restructuring team operates within the Corporate & Commercial National Service Line (“NSL”).

This is an opportunity for an ambitious senior corporate banking lawyer to join a fast-growing practice.

You will work closely with our corporate banking partners and your responsibilities will include:

• Advising banks, lenders, fund managers and other corporate and institutional clients (both borrowers and lenders) on all aspects of finance and security issues.  Sectors covered will include asset-based lending, leveraged finance, corporate lending and borrowing, real estate finance, Government finance and bonds and capital markets.
• Support work for the corporate team on funding issues in capital markets, mergers and acquisitions work, as well as work for the commercial and real estate departments on funding issues in M&A work, portfolio property re-finances and more.
• Drafting and preparation of various documents required within the transaction processes.
• Being actively involved in assisting with marketing to new and existing clients and responsible for developing and sustaining relationships directly with clients

Our client base is varied and consists of clearing banks including NatWest, HSBC and Barclays, debt funds including AgFe, Homes England, international banks including Wells Fargo and asset-based lenders such as PNC Business Credit, HSBC Invoice Finance and Arbuthnot Commercial ABL together with, on the borrower side, AIM listed businesses, technology and life sciences companies, real estate investors and other corporate and institutional clients.  An important growth area for the team will be working with international banks operating out of London (including large US and Chinese banks) and other debt funds.

Why should I apply?

Our team has been highly ranked for banking and finance work by both Chambers and Legal 500 for many years.

We are a growing team and business development is a key feature of the team’s day to day work.  You will be given opportunities to attend marketing events and progress your own business development initiatives if you wish.

Mills & Reeve has been named for a record 20th year running as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in The Sunday Times’ 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 eighth year running.

What experience is required?

You will be 8+ 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.

What skills and attributes would I need?

• Technically strong
• Excellent written English for drafting purposes
• Good time and file management skills
• Negotiation skills
• Self-starting with common-sense and initiative
• Attention to detail
• Ability to build good working relationships with clients and potential clients
• Excellent interpersonal and the ability to project manage and lead a team on a portfolio.

Pre-employment screening

If we make you an offer for a role, we will conduct a range of pre-employment screening. This will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS check, right to work check, address verification, any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our screening process are available on request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve.

Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning – on everything from wellbeing, diversity and inclusion to global trends. The wider community benefits from a focus on sustainability in client and business decisions.

Clients get a consistent experience with no surprises – we tell them what they need to know, when they need to know it. Our sector and market expertise helps us understand clients’ issues. And our technology and innovations help them achieve more with less effort.

We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don’t offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations.

Our 1,250 plus people and over 750 lawyers share one vision – achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you’ll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that’s not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. Our mantra is “Achieve more. Together.”, which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

We’ve been listed in the Best Companies to Work For list the last 20 years - the only law firm to have achieved this, and we hold Platinum Investors in People status, something which only 6% of 50,000 assessed organisations achieve. We’ve also been ranked in the top 10 of RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms To Work At list for the past eight years, taking the top spot in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Don’t just take our word for it though. Have a read through our People Perspectives to find out more about some of our team and their experiences at Mills & Reeve.

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these