About Ashurst

Ashurst is a leading global law firm with a history spanning almost 200 years and a clear strategy for our future growth. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing exceptional standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law. To find out more please visit here.

Team overview:

Ashurst has a premier global finance team with deep product expertise and extensive multi-jurisdictional experience. We provide top tier strength in depth with a team of over 350 lawyers based in all of the major financial centres around the world. Our multi-jurisdictional capacity and technical expertise enables us to provide an international perspective coupled with an understanding of local client needs.

Our top ranked finance lawyers have a track record of executing transactions with innovation and vigour and advise clients at the forefront of their markets. Our clients include leading investment and commercial banks as well as substantial corporate borrowers, private equity, institutional investors, issuers and sponsors.

We benefit from the support of top class regulatory, M&A, commercial, litigation, competition, funds, real estate, tax and restructuring practices. The practice extends to bilateral and syndicated loans, structured products, guarantee and security issues and regulatory matters, including the establishment of banks in Europe and the carrying on of lending and investment banking activities within Europe, the Middle East, APAC and the US.

Recognition;

As a leading international firm, we are proud to be recognised by clients and industry bodies for our achievements and the contributions we make.

• "The team exhibits excellent in-depth knowledge, are very responsive, display a can-do attitude and are flexible in their approach. There is also great connectivity across the firm." Chambers UK 2019
• "The Ashurst team were always extremely professional, and were undaunted as our deals took various twists and turns. They are cool under pressure." Chambers UK 2019
• "Excellent overall impression" of the team, adding: "They are very professional, hard-working and willing to go the extra mile." Chambers UK 2019
• Clients note that this is a "very good, very commercial and very useful" team to deal with. Chambers UK 2019

Job overview:

We are looking to recruit a high quality professional support lawyer to the GLGM practices in London. We need a strong technical lawyer with a genuine vocation for the job to join our thriving practice. 

Our professional support lawyers are vital to maintaining the efficiency of the GLGM practices, delivering high quality, strategic client service, averting claims against the firm and enabling the team to further develop its complex, market leading practice and anticipate/react to market changes.  We are looking for someone with the ability and the enthusiasm to continue the established work of the global loans and global markets professional support team and take a dynamic role in driving it forward.

Although the role centres on the Global Loans practice, the successful candidate will have a broad base of knowledge across the finance sector, from banking to structured finance and will be expected to work closely with our Global Markets practice. The successful candidate will be key to the development and delivery of an exciting new project to transform the Global Loans and Global Markets cross-practice training and professional support function. The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with other practice areas across the business and often be involved in work across other jurisdictions.

The successful candidate will form part of a global network of experienced professional support lawyers throughout the firm and will participate in shaping the firm's knowledge strategy. This network ensures that all professional support lawyers at Ashurst work as part of a wider PSL team.

Key Responsibilities 

1. Technical enquiries

Providing technical advice to lawyers at all levels and across all Global Loans workstreams. 

• Policy

The successful candidate will be central to the Global Loans Technical Committee which determines departmental (and sometimes more wide reaching) policy.  The successful candidate will help to drive the development of policy, researching developments and guiding partners in developing coherent and appropriate policies.

• Strategy

Knowledge strategy in Global Loans is one of continual improvement focused on the specific needs of the lawyers engaged in actual and projected client work.   The successful candidate will need to guide the partners in developing coherent and achievable knowledge goals.  The role also requires consideration and assistance in the development of technology solutions to improve efficiency and the fee earner experience.  

• Training

Planning a relevant training programme for the Global Loans team which responds to the knowledge needs of the team.  The successful candidate will prepare and deliver training across a spectrum of banking topics.

Working closely with key stakeholders in the Global Loans and Global Markets practices to create and deliver a new and exciting cross-practice training programme.

• Standard documents 

Generating and updating template documentation to anticipate or respond to market or legal developments. 

• Practice notes

Writing and maintaining practice notes in circumstances where there is inadequate external commentary or where clear practice guidance is needed.

• Client training and briefings 

The role also involves client and market development, through the creation of technical publications on legal developments and market updates and the preparation and delivery of targeted client training.

• Full or part time: 

 The role is expected to be full time although candidates seeking flexible working arrangements should feel comfortable to bring this up at interview.

• Reporting:

 The successful candidate will report to Martyn Rogers (Practise Lead - Global Loans Group UK and US)

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks.  These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.

Essential skills and experience:

• England & Wales qualified;
• Technically excellent with a broad range of finance experience across product areas; the major Ashurst Global Loans workstreams which the successful candidate will be supporting are leveraged finance, lending to funds, corporate lending, infrastructure M&A, real estate finance and bank advisory;
• Strong academics and a genuine interest in banking law;
• Excellent presentation skills; the candidate should be an able and engaging trainer;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Skilled at analysing complex legal issues to determine their practical impact and devising pragmatic commercial solutions; and
• The ability to adopt a proactive approach to assisting fee-earners and clients.

Desirable:

• A working knowledge of document automation platforms and processes would be helpful but is not essential.

Partner Profiles:

Martyn Rogers

Martyn Rogers is the practice head of the banking group for Europe and the US 

Martyn is listed as a leading individual in both Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners.

Martyn has extensive experience of acting on leveraged finance, investment grade, emerging markets and restructuring transactions. He also co-leads the Ashurst team that has been involved in some of Europe's largest, most complex and high-profile loan portfolio disposal transactions.

Martyn was seconded to our Dubai office for two years between 2008 and 2010 where he gained experience in Middle Eastern financing and restructuring matters, including acting on some of the largest restructurings in the MENA region.

Sarah Watkinson

Sarah Watkinson is a banking partner in the real estate finance group.

She specialises in UK and European real estate investment, development and structured finance.

Sarah is listed as a leading individual in both Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Sarah has considerable expertise acting for major UK and international lenders including Credit Agricole, Credit Suisse, Aviva and Nomura, originating and restructuring syndicated and securitisable senior and mezzanine debt secured over portfolios of UK and European property.

She also represents equity investors, corporates, funds and developers including Oxford Properties, Oaktree Capital, Kildare Partners, Samsung and Davidson Kempner raising and restructuring debt financing in the UK and Europe and is experienced in joint venture, fund and limited partnership structures, tax saving schemes, "Opco/Propco" take-outs, loan portfolio sales, debt on debt and development funding and all types of property investment transactions.

Nigel Ward

Nigel Ward is a partner in our banking practice.

Nigel has a broad finance practice which encompasses leveraged finance, infrastructure finance and restructurings.

Nigel is listed as a leading individual in both Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. He is also a member of the Financial Law Sub-Committee of the City of London Law Society. He is the author of a number of papers – the most recent being "European leveraged finance: funding structures transformed".

Salary: Competitive

Opening Date: 23/08/2019
Closing Date: 23/09/2019