Opportunities

The Team

Baker McKenzie is seeking a London-based U.S.-qualified mid to senior-level high yield associate to join its growing high yield team. A successful candidate will have extensive experience in high yield transactions and a demonstrated ability to run and lead high yield transactions with limited supervision and support.

Our London-based high yield bond (HYB) team currently consists of 6 partners and counsel and a team of senior associates and associates.

The team works closely with our broader Corporate Finance group - a fully integrated team of UK and US lawyers offering investment banks, sponsors and corporates a full range of securities law services relating to all types of capital markets and leveraged finance transactions. This team offers a full range of services across the leveraged finance space. We address both ongoing corporate needs and extraordinary events, including high yield debt offerings, related debt and equity products, syndicated credit facilities, US securities law matters, restructuring and liability management. Our growing High Yield team forms part of one of the world's largest corporate finance and capital markets practices.

The HYB team also works closely with our growing banking and finance and private equity teams in connection with our integrated leverage finance offering in London advising leading private equity funds, corporates and investment banks in connection with a broad range of leveraged transactions.

The HYB team sits within our Corporate department, which provides skilled capital markets, M&A (public and private), private equity, projects, re-organizations, and financial services advice, alongside traditional company law, board level compliance, and corporate governance support, to a wide range of clients, including listed PLCs, financial institutions, and major multinational corporates. Our practice is broad, and a vast majority of what we do is cross-border and of the highest complexity, and is not limited by industry or jurisdiction. We are one of the few firms on the market able to offer a full and high-quality set of corporate services to our clients on a cross-border basis, in connection with the most complex transactions.

The Role

The role will involve:

• Drafting offering memorandums for high yield offerings with U.S.-style disclosure and due diligence, U.S. opinions and general U.S. securities law advice with respect to 144A and Reg S debt offerings.
• Manage and coordinate all aspects of the transaction process.
• Working closely with partners to develop client relationships, including understanding clients' businesses, economic drivers, markets, and sectors in order to deliver relevant and commercial advice and contribute to growing the relationship and winning further work.
• Negotiating transaction documents including Description of Notes, Purchase Agreements, Intercreditor Agreements and other key transactional documents in connection with a high yield offering. Associates will also work closely with the banking and finance team negotiating commitment papers in connection with bridge-to bond committed financing processes and incurrence based covenants on the syndicated loan side of financing transactions.
• Engaging in business development activities, and being active in the promotion of the firm and seeking opportunities for new work.
• Working as part of a team and taking an active role in sharing knowledge and experience.
• Associates are given regular and direct contact with clients, with a culture based on associates being given the level of responsibility that they are ready for, rather than a PQE based method of work allocation.
• There are regular opportunities for secondment with clients and posting to other offices under the firm's associate transfer programme is also a possibility.

Key Skills and Experience Required:

• Background in US Capital markets and specifically high yield bond offerings required
• US qualified
• Excellent academics
• Commerciality and demonstrable business development experience
• Excellent written communication and drafting skills
• Initiative and proactivity
• Strong service orientation - a "client first" culture
• Ability to develop strong relationships with clients and to take responsibility for this relationship
• High work standards
• Flexible work practices
• Outstanding communication skills and the ability to adapt style as required
• Ability to work well in both a team and individually
• A keenness to learn - intellectual curiosity
• Respects and enjoys the diversity of cultural, social and academic backgrounds found in the Firm

Personal qualities

These personal qualities represent the shared characteristics of high performers across Baker McKenzie, regardless of job level and location.

Know how

• Demonstrates the ability to identify the real issue, and to anticipate requirements and potential consequences; distills a range of possibilities by thinking in a considered, prudent manner
• Has the capacity to take on new ideas and develop knowledge and think holistically about business and address media, analyst, employee, and client audiences
• Able to move through a variety of tasks requiring different approaches, knowledge, and expertise, with the agility of mind and capacity for analysis and synthesis

Dedication

• Driven by a strong personal sense of integrity and upholds exemplary quality standards
• Prepares thoroughly, takes responsibility, uses initiative and is self reliant to ensure work progresses to the fullest extent possible
• Hardworking and diligent with a keen understanding of client demands
• Demonstrates composure when dealing with difficult situations

Personal Impact

• Uses complex, coordinated influencing/negotiation strategies, adapted to people, organizations, and/or the situation, e.g. networks
• Leverages direct reports to facilitate increased collaboration across the organization
• Builds partnerships based on a common agreement that acknowledges individual differences but creates a new commonality beyond root belief large-scale
• Creates a positive impression at all times; develops relationships through collaboration and reciprocity
• Negotiates to achieve mutually satisfactory outcomes; shows good judgment on when to stand strong and when to compromise
• Invests in, nurtures, and builds a network of productive relationships

Humanity

• Respectful to others, regardless of their position, and earns the respect of others by being transparent
• Has care and concern for others and a genuine interest in others as people
• Treats delicate or confidential issues with grace and discretion.

Why Join Us?

Baker McKenzie is a truly global law firm. Founded in 1949, we advise many of the world's most dynamic and successful business organisations through our 13,200 people in 74 offices in 45 countries. Yet big does not mean impersonal. We work hard to ensure that everyone knows their role and has the support they need to perform it to the highest standard. Our culture encourages this - how we work, think and behave in a collaborative and fulfilling way.

In London you will be part of a 1,000 person office, which is also our largest office globally. Originally opened in 1961, Baker McKenzie London is well established in the UK as a leading international law firm and is regularly involved in some of the country's most high-profile legal matters. We can offer you the work, pride and experience of being part of a leading law firm but in a local office environment that is hardworking, friendly and supportive.

The strength of the firm and our culture is evidenced by a number of recent awards, including:

• Thomson Reuters (formerly Acritas' Sharplegal) Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index, 2010- 2022 - ranked 1st
• The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2021-2022: currently ranked 52nd
• Thomson Reuters ranked the Firm No. 1 for cross-border deals for the last 12 years. More than 70% of our deals are cross-border.
• For the 14th consecutive year, the Firm was ranked first for deals with emerging market involvement, by both number of announced and completed deals.
• Law360 ranked the Firm as one of the 400 Largest US Law Firms in in its annual survey in 2020.
• Identified as one of the Hall of Fame for best law firms for women by Working Mother magazine, 2011-2021.
• Received a a Gold Award in Stonewall's Global Workplace Equality Index of Top Global Employers for LGBTQ+ Inclusion.
• Ranked as one of the Top 20 Employers in the 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index.
• Received Double Certification for earning top marks in the 2022 Corporate Equality Index and Equidad MX of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
• Winner of the Europe Mentorship Programme - International Firm award in the Euromoney Women in Business Law Europe Awards 2021
• Winner of the Gender Diversity International Firm, Talent Management International Firm, and Work-Life Balance International Firm awards in the Euromoney Women in Business Law Asia Awards 2021

Have a look at our YouTube channel to find out more about us!

To Apply

At Baker McKenzie we welcome direct applications.

Please click on the Apply icon to start the online application process for this role. We will then be in touch with you once we have reviewed your application.

For more information about this position or to discuss any adjustments you may require during the process please contact in confidence, David Roberts, Recruitment Manager, at david.roberts@bakermckenzie.com

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Please note Baker McKenzie does not accept unsolicited CVs. Please click here for details of our Agency Policy and commitment to sourcing directly.

Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity & Equity

As the first truly global law firm, diversity and inclusion are foundational to our culture and strategic vision. We are a Firm of individuals from across the globe with different backgrounds, ideas, and points of view who collegially work together to solve complex problems and design practical solutions for our clients. Our multiple perspectives come from many sources, including the diverse ethnicity, culture, gender, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, parental status, education, social background and life experience of our people.

Our global strategy is focused on our people, our culture, our clients and the communities where we operate. In 2019 we enacted ambitious new targets related to gender, racial and ethnic diversity at the Firm. These targets are viewed as a floor, not a ceiling, to advancing underrepresented groups, and they are backed by a variety of strategic initiatives aimed at achieving our goals. Our strategic vision is supported in London by six active employee led networks which champion diversity, lead on a number of internal campaigns and deliver a range of activity to celebrate differences in identity, inclusion, and key dates throughout the year including: LGBT+ History Month, International Women's Day, International Trans Day of Visibility, Mental Health Awareness Week, Pride, Black History Month, Social Mobility Week, International Day of Disabled Persons and many more!