It’s Time

Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. Embracing new trends and harnessing decades of experience, we’ve earned our place at the forefront of the legal industry. Our partners are recognised as leaders in their field and our deals and cases often make headline business news. As a result, we’ve developed a reputation for delivering excellence, in all that we do. Today, we’re continuing to break new ground. By embracing new ways of thinking and integrating technology into our everyday work, we’ve been named as the Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe by the Financial Times five times.
 
Join our team and you’ll be part of a flexible, inclusive culture underpinned by openness and acceptance. We’re driven by the belief that, to perform, people need support and space to collaborate. By combining those values with an ambitious outlook, we can give you the opportunity to thrive.

Department purpose

Our Global Asset Management Group advises asset managers and investment funds on establishing funds and the associated regulatory and compliance requirements for investment funds and investment managers. We also have a busy high-profile investor-side practice advising major institutional investors including sovereign wealth funds on investing into a wide range of structures from traditional funds to bespoke co-investment structures and associated legal and regulatory issues. Our Asset Management Group is very international in nature. With 40 offices across the globe, many of which work regularly on asset management matters, and with many of our clients overseas, our lawyers work on a cross-border basis every day.

Role purpose

The London team is the hub of our Global Asset Management Group and the PSLs are expected to be the hub of the hub!

The role as a professional support lawyer in our Global Asset Management Group requires up-to-date technical knowledge. You will work in a busy and award-winning, yet friendly and supportive team providing know-how, education and training as well as significant marketing and business development support. You will be pro-active in identifying issues on which the team and its clients need to be briefed, and able to pitch those briefings at the right level for the relevant audience. The ability to start a project and see it through to completion, together with a commitment to meeting regular deadlines, are essential qualities to maintain the smooth running of our range of added value services.

The role demands both creative thinking and efficient administration: working with our fee-earners and support staff, you will have the opportunity to produce exceptional, innovative client products and events to enhance our brand; you will also have an important role in facilitating the day-to-day working of the team through training, meetings and technical support. You’ll need a keen awareness of the wider commercial and corporate landscape, combined with an eye for operational detail.

The role is full time but we will consider applicants wishing to work four days a week.

Key relationships

• Partners and other fee-earners within the London funds/asset management team
• Partners and other fee-earners within the Global Asset Management Group Wider A&O Know-how and PSL community (globally)

Legal Knowledge

Excellent knowledge of the UK and EU legal and regulatory systems in the asset management space. Good familiarity with main fund structures and asset management arrangements

Principal Areas of Responsibility

• Under general guidance about priorities, maintain high quality documentation such as SFPs to provide partners and associates with cost effective and timely documents which help progress client business.
• Prepare, when requested, effective guidance material such as practice notes to enable colleagues to access material which is fully up to date with precedent and practice.
• Prepare updates in line with legal developments to inform colleagues and the advice they give to clients.
• Evaluate material for suitability to be included in the firm’s Know-How systems.
• Respond accurately, usefully and in a timely way to specific requests from associates on complex legal matters within own area of expertise.
• As requested research legal or client/market related material to provide senior colleagues with clear and authoritative analyses.
• Support partners and associates as required in their client relationship development through preparing and/or identifying useful written and electronic materials.
• Gather, synthesise and produce good quality, up to date and readable material for inclusion in the firm’s opinion pieces.
• Assist and when necessary, participate in important Practice projects designed to ensure A&O’s knowledge base and documentation is maintained in line with new legislation, significant case law etc.
• Participate in the design and delivery of training programmes to inform colleagues about current law and legal developments.
• Maintain and develop own knowledge of law, practice areas, clients and current issues to grow expertise, reputation and usefulness to A&O.

Key requirements

• Qualified lawyer – Minimum 6 years PQE or similar
• Technical competence in law and regulation in the asset management space as expected at level of qualification
• Self-starter with the desire and ability to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge
• Will have worked successfully as a senior associate/ counsel or senior PSL in a law firm
• Strong commercial/business acumen with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface at all levels and particularly to win the respect of the partner and fee-earner community across the Global Asset Management Group, building and developing strong (internal and external) client relationships
• Collaborative team player with good organisational skills and the ability to assume responsibility for knowhow provision across the global team in a fast paced, intellectually rigorous environment
• High energy individual who enjoys both the operational and strategic sides of this role and shows great flexibility
• Resilient; able to understand that credibility has to be earned in this environment and may take time
• A person of sound judgment, able to establish a high level of credibility in the organisation and act as a trusted advisor to fee-earners

Main Performance Measures

• Quality/timeliness/usefulness of written support material and research (Own responsibility.)
• Ability to organise and assume responsibility for knowhow provision across the global team (Shared responsibility with global team fee-earners and PSL colleagues.)
• Quality of support to Partners and Associates (Own responsibility.)
• Projects to time and cost (Shared responsibility with team members and other colleagues.)
• Personal growth (Own responsibility.)

Allen & Overy LLP is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.

Additional information - External

It’s Time
Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. Embracing new trends and harnessing decades of experience, we’ve earned our place at the forefront of the legal industry. Our partners are recognised as leaders in their field and our deals and cases often make headline business news. As a result, we’ve developed a reputation for delivering excellence, in all that we do. Today, we’re continuing to break new ground. By embracing new ways of thinking and integrating technology into our everyday work, we’ve been named as the Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe by the Financial Times five times.

Join our team and you’ll be part of a flexible, inclusive culture underpinned by openness and acceptance. We’re driven by the belief that, to perform, people need support and space to collaborate. By combining those values with an ambitious outlook, we can give you the opportunity to thrive.