Junior-Mid Level Funds Finance Associate

The Role

Group Overview

Clifford Chance has the world's leading global finance practice. It is the largest group in the firm with a multi-disciplinary practice which stands out from our competitors for the range, calibre and international scope of the deals we handle and the advice we provide.

We are one of few firms who can act on a full “cradle to grave” spectrum of financings for sponsors and their lenders. Our expertise covers the full range of fund financing products, including securitisation fund facilities, “private CLOs”, NAV facilities, subscription facilities, GP / Manager lines, preferred equity structures, hybrid facilities and repos, as well as the wider private credit and leveraged finance products.

Our fund finance practice is complemented by top tier fund formation, regulatory and tax teams with whom we collaborate closely. This makes us uniquely placed to deliver creative, complex financing solutions and help clients navigate regulatory and contractual challenges. Our clients come to us for their most complex fund finance a work and are looking for innovative solutions. We have led on many of the largest and first-of-a-kind fund financing transactions in the market.

We are also rare in having top tier lender and sponsor side practices and have a deep understanding of the issues relevant both for financiers and funds, their GPs, managers and investors, at the fund level and in the deployment of capital.

Our award-winning team is ranked in Band 1 in Chambers & Partners Global Banking & Finance category and our high-quality and ground-breaking international practice continues to be one of the most highly respected in the market.

Who you will work with

You will be a member of our Fund Finance team which is part of the General Finance practice.

Our funds practice is backed by a top-tier regulatory practice with lawyers at the forefront of all major regulatory issues. We are set up as a global fund finance team and our market-leading practice covers the UK, Continental Europe, the US and APAC. Our team provides a full, coordinated legal service to clients across practices and jurisdictions to ensure that we deliver commercial and tailored advice. Our ability to collaborate allows us to structure creatively and problem solve effectively.

You will be delivering advice to a wide range of clients, including banks, financial institutions, corporates and private equity funds. You will work alongside our corporate, funds and tax teams to advise lenders and borrowers and have developed a deep understanding of the issues relevant both for financiers and funds, their GPs,managers and investors.

The General Finance team in London is made up of 17 Partners and approximately 90 lawyers and trainees. Our experience includes Bridge/ Capital Facilities, Nav and Securitisation Fund Facilities, Preferred Equity and Holdco Financing.

What you will be responsible for

A growing proportion of the group's work involves lending to a fund, either in relation to a specific investment, as a bridge-facility or to provide ongoing financing. Much of the work undertaken by this team is in advising sponsors and lenders on traditional capital call, bridge and hybrid financings, NAV lending and preferred equity structures. The team have acted lender-side on many of the largest and first-of-a-kind fund financing transactions in the market. Much of the work undertaken by the team is very innovative, and rarely are two deals the same. So, far from being bound by precedent, you will need to bring fresh, creative thinking to your work.

As a lawyer at Clifford Chance your remit will be to apply your full knowledge of the law by identifying legal issues, drafting documents and advising clients – we will expect you to:

• Have responsibility for drafting legal documents clearly and concisely.
• Create solutions using your legal knowledge, applying effective research techniques.
• Challenge and test advice against legal compliance and risks.
• Be proactive to pursue and expand legal knowledge to ensure legal knowledge and technical expertise up to date.
• Utilise client focus initiatives in terms of driving ​understanding and monitoring service levels of their individual client needs.
• Engage with knowledge resources effectively and collaborate in knowledge initiatives for the Firm.
• Manage matters with a disciplined practice - comprising of timely timesheet submission, adhering to matter opening and conflicts clearance processes.
• Adopt innovation tools: e.g. templates, Legal Support Centre, Resource Management, Legal Project Managers, Matter Balance Reports.

Requirements

Your Experience

We are seeking a mid-level lawyer who can demonstrate a strong proven background in Fund Finance.

You will be able to demonstrate proven experience in leading on Fund Finance deals and have experience in NAV finance. Your knowledge and experience will probably have been gained at a leading practice with a reputation for work in this area.

We expect an outstanding academic history and proven first rate legal skills, combined with a strong reputation amongst clients for providing commercial solutions, excellent transactional and management skills.

You will naturally be able to demonstrate excellent document drafting skills. You should also demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills, along with a high level of commercial awareness and will have had strong exposure of collaborating with multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams.

It is crucial that you can demonstrate an appetite for business development, client relationship management and thought leadership.

• From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to grow and develop your skills and knowledge through formal training, informal coaching and mentoring as well as skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.
• We are pioneers with an unrivalled knowledge of the market and we have worked on many of the market leading transactions.
• We advise on the biggest, most interesting and most high-profile leveraged and infrastructure transactions. The range, calibre and international scope of our deal flow is unique – and makes us stand out from our competitors.
• As well as recruiting the best people, we insist on the professional development of all our employees. Our lawyers work continuously to develop both legal and personal skills through the training programmes offered by the 'in-house' law education system, the Clifford Chance Academy.
• We offer all our lawyers an opportunity for secondment, whether to one of our overseas offices or to a London based client, subject to the current restrictions under which we are all required to operate.
• We are proud of our reputation for being a very informal, meritocratic and diverse group and reinforce this with regular social events – both ad hoc and organised.
• Our Innovation and tech strategy is a key focus for us and at the forefront of everything we do. We have invested heavily in process improvement, legal project management, lower cost delivery centres (in Delhi and Newcastle) and technology solutions to increase efficiencies on corporate transactions and help control the cost of our services to our clients.

Whatever your area of expertise, you will find a range of career opportunities at Clifford Chance. And wherever you’re heading, Clifford Chance is where you can be true to your ambitions.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures and languages. In a world where commercial success increasingly relies on globalisation, we offer clients a truly international perspective, and we offer our people a rewarding and stimulating career.

We're proud of our approachable, friendly and team-based way of working. Highly professional and self-assured, with an entrepreneurial streak, our people are more than happy to share their expertise and knowledge.