Senior Associate / Legal Director

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 500 lawyers and legal professionals based in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property, corporate services, litigation and private client advisory.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.  RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

Our Kent office in Sevenoaks is our newest office and is primed for growth to realise the huge opportunities and need for excellent legal advice in the Southeast.

You will join a highly successful, corporate team of 16 partners and 50 other fee earners, who are seeing substantial growth, resulting in the need for extra resource to take forward ambitious plans. The Sevenoaks Corporate team is led by our Partner Matthew Miles who along with other team members will guide and support you throughout your career at Birketts LLP.

Ranked Tier 1 in the Legal 500, our corporate team give first class legal advice, with a depth of resource and range of experience that allows us to successfully deliver a wide range of transactions - in value, complexity and commercial impact. We advise on all aspects of mergers, acquisitions and disposals, acting for sellers and buyers, management teams, and private equity and venture capital funds.

The corporate team plays a leading role in several firm wide sector specialisms, including, our Energy and Infrastructure Team, Food and Beverage Team, Healthcare Team and Motor Team.

Our corporate team is experienced in dealing with international transactions as well as UK deals, including acquisitions and disposals of overseas businesses by our UK clients, as well as acquisitions and disposals of UK companies by our overseas clients. Our international team have a range of ‘best friend’ relationships with overseas firms, and we are a founder member of IAG Global, a global network of international advisers.

Many of our lawyers started their careers in other major domestic or international law firms or have worked in industry. People skills are essential to this role, you will work with an incredibly ambitious and motivated team who work as one team across all our offices and support each other in all corporate transactions.

Birketts is now recruiting for an ambitious, driven, and forward-thinking Senior Associate or Legal Director. You will need a minimum of 8 years+ PQE within a Corporate background, where you will join our growing team on a full-time permanent basis in Sevenoaks.

You will be expected to play an active role in marketing and practice development to build relationships to service the Southeast region. In addition, you will be expected to provide assistance to the entire team and its growth.

You will have the technical ability to run and manage your own full caseload of files from initial instruction through to post completion, supervising junior team members as necessary, as well as being active in marketing and business development to expand the team’s client roster and transaction activity in the Southeast, building good relationships with referrers in the local area.

• Technically capable corporate lawyer with experience of advising on buy side and sell side transactions, along with other general corporate transactions such as reorganisations and corporate joint ventures.
• Specialist experience of private equity, venture capital, EOT transactions, share incentive schemes or any our firm wide sector specialisms, would be an advantage.
• The ability to manage transactions independently, supervising junior team members as necessary.
• You will have experience of working with startups, owner managed businesses and family-owned businesses, as well as large corporate clients, PE houses and funds.

We are committed to recruiting individuals on merits of suitability for each role, on the basis of qualifications and experience. All applications are treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual orientation, race, disability, religious beliefs and any other protected characteristic, ensuring that there are equal opportunities at all stages of the recruitment process.

Benefits

One of the best things about joining Birketts is our rewards package. At Birketts we are appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. A competitive salary and benefits package is given but you can also expect a great team and supportive colleagues, a strong focus on diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities, a programme of wellbeing and mental health support and structured career development and study support.

https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays rising with service. 
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare - BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share / Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance   - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Season Ticket Loan
• Gym Flex membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy
• Agile / hybrid working Policy
• 35 hour working week.

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.