We are looking for an Associate to join our national Incentives team. This role can be based in either London or Bristol.

Osborne Clarke has steadily built out and deepened its incentives department and operates a rounded practice representing leading UK and global private and listed companies in all of their needs in this area, whether executive-level incentives or company-wide employee schemes. Our team is dedicated to the area as well as being able to call on wider support from tax, employment and corporate colleagues with extensive experience.

You will be joining a successful firm with a collegiate and supportive culture, which makes it a rewarding place to work.

The practice

The team advises on all aspects of employee benefits, including the design, implementation and communication of senior executive and employee incentive plans, the establishment and operation of employee benefit trusts (to support share plans and as wealth creation vehicles), executive tax planning (including those who are mobile internationally), as well as corporate governance, regulatory and compliance matters.

The team assists major national and international clients in implementing a substantial number of cross-border schemes for executives and other employees. It also regularly handles the incentives aspects of IPOs, M&A and group restructurings. They have also advised on the establishment of a number of Employee Ownership Trusts, which have increased in popularity over the last couple of years. These are a technical trust arrangement which require considerable specialist experience in tax, trusts and company law.

We have an impressive and growing client base across many industry sectors. These include numerous public listed companies such as Mitie Group plc, Topps Tiles plc, Fevertree Group plc and RM plc.

The team

Chambers & Partners rank head of Incentives Michael Carter as a leading practitioner in his field ("a very efficient and thorough lawyer who provides clear advice" - Chambers & Partners).

The team is also made up of 2 Associate Directors, 1 Senior Associate, a dedicated Knowledge Lawyer, 1 Associate and a Trainee Solicitor.

The Incentives team forms part of the wider tax group and benefits from an excellent training programme. A strong commitment to individuals' career development and weekly know-how meetings ensures our Lawyers are technically excellent and enjoy a healthy team-working environment.

The work

Recent work examples include:

• Advising TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC on its ShareSave, SIP and discretionary share option schemes in relation to the £1.1 billion acquisition of the company by Toscafund Asset Management LLP.
• Advising Mitie Group plc, the UK outsourcing and facilities management group with over 77,500 employees, on the completion of its £200 million rights issue, with over 93% of shareholders taking up their share with the remainder sold to the market.
• Advising Peakon ApS, a Danish incorporated company with operations in Denmark, UK and US, on the impact on outstanding options of its sale to Workday Inc, a US incorporated purchaser for $700 million.
• Assisted Carallon Group Holdings Limited in the company becoming employee controlled following the 100% acquisition of the share capital by an Employee Ownership Trust. Involved a complex business structure and large number of shareholders.
• Advising the Compass Group Holdings PLC on its acquisition of Feedr Limited, including in relation to the exercise of EMI options in Feedr and implementing complex growth share arrangements to incentivise senior management following completion of the acquisition
• Advising LDC (part of Lloyds Banking Group) on the £11 million investment in James and James Fulfilment, in relation to the exercise of EMI options in the target company held by a large number of option holders.
• Assisted in the UK share incentive aspects of the $440 million acquisition of Shopkeep, Inc by Lightspeed POS Inc.
• Assisted HH Global Enterprises Limited in the international incentive scheme aspects of the £100 million investment in HH Global by Blackstone, involving a number of jurisdictions including the US, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong

Technical skills and experience

You will have trained with a highly respected law firm with expertise in this area, or an accountancy firm. In particular you should have had some exposure to HM Revenue & Customs approved schemes and unapproved arrangements, such as growth shares. However, we are open to considering candidates who have had some exposure in a corporate, tax or employment role.

Due to the structure of the team, we are looking to appoint an Associate in this area, although we are happy to consider candidates with more or less experience.

Your career development

Like all our lawyers, you will benefit from our multi-award winning career development programme. At each stage of your career this provides you with:

• Clear expectations of your role and what it takes to progress
• High quality clients and work, with early responsibility and client exposure
• Thorough assessment and individual feedback from a range of experienced colleagues
• Robust technical training with early skills based development, increasingly tailored to you
• Reward for your contribution, progression and potential, rather than PQE or tenure

Salary and benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits .

For more information or to apply

At Osborne Clarke we welcome direct applications - if you would like any further information about the role, or the firm, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact, in complete confidence, Emily Webb in the recruitment team on emily.webb@osborneclarke.com or 0117 917 3072.

No agencies please.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities, and sexual or romantic orientations. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and where you belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.

We support working families via a range of family and caring friendly policies and will accommodate flexible working where we can. We value the health and wellbeing of our people: for example, we're signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, have an active network of mental health champions and offer free initiatives and flexible benefits to all our people.

Being an inclusive employer is important to us. We have made a number of external commitments such as the Race Fairness Commitment and Women in Law Pledge, and are working with organisations like Stonewall to become a more inclusive employer.

Osborne Clarke is a Living Wage Employer, so we're committed to paying everybody in our business enough to live on and to enable them to save for the future.

We want you to be able to show us your best during the recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application, interview process or when working with us, please let us know.