Opportunities

The Role

We are seeking an experienced, technically excellent and ambitious mid-level corporate M&A associate with a keen interest in the energy, resources and infrastructure sectors for a role within our market-leading London Energy, Mining & Infrastructure (EMI) Industry Group.

The EMI Group is a diverse, multi-disciplinary industry-focussed practice group, which includes corporate, M&A, projects, financing, construction, renewables, nuclear and climate change specialists working together on some of the largest and most innovative transactions for a wide range of blue chip clients across the EMI sector. The EMI team in London consists of 24 fee earners including lawyers and trainees who form the core of the leading European Energy Practice we are building together with our EMI colleagues across EMEA. Our global EMI Group is one of the largest in the world, with over 1,000 lawyers globally.

With its deep industry focus and expertise, established key client relationships and un-matched global reach, the EMI team is uniquely positioned to help our clients navigate the new and challenging energy landscape. It is an exciting and innovative time in the sector, with a transformational change to energy systems on a scale that has not been seen before and the team is looking to grow to take advantage of the opportunities that the changing world is bringing to our clients. We currently have a very strong pipeline of of strategic transactions, involving both traditional assets and increasingly renewables, cleantech and digital ventures.

Our clients include some of the pre-eminent global energy and resources groups, including Shell, SLB, Vitol, Petronas, Iberdrola, Orlen, Westinghouse, KEPCO, Rio Tinto and Vale, as well as financial sponsors, infrastructure investment funds and portfolio companies. Recent headline M&A transactions the group has worked on include advising:

• Shell on numerous strategic transactions, including:
  - the acquisition of the Mivolt and Midel ester-based transformer fluids and immersion cooling fluids businesses from M&I Materials;
  - the acquisition of the PANOLIN Environmentally Considerate Lubricants (ECLs) business from the PANOLIN Group;
  - on bids for various EV charging networks in the UK and EU;
  - on the sale of its Russian downstream retail petrol and lubricants blending businesses to LUKOIL;
  - on the sale of its interests in upstream exploration and production joint ventures in Russia to Gazprom Neft;
  - on its acquisition, and subsequent potential sell-down, of sonnen, the German battery manufacturer and leader in smart energy storage systems for households;
• A global energy technology company on its worldscale CCS development joint venture in Saudi Arabia;
• Lightsource BP, on the establishment of a £1bn solar asset investment partnership with BlackRock.
• Iberdrola on its acquisition of a circa-270MW portfolio of UK-based pre-development solar photovoltaic (PV) assets from Lightsource bp
• Westinghouse, in relation to its emergence from Chapter 11 and $4.6bn sale to Brookfield Business Partners, and its subsequent sale to Cameco Corporation and Brookfield Renewable Partners.
• Tailwind Energy, in connection with its acquisition of UKCS oil and gas assets from EOG.
• Fiera Infrastructure Inc., on the acquisition of 41MW of UK solar asssets from Macquarie Group.
• Rio Tinto on its acquisition of the Rincon lithium project in Argentina from Rincon Mining (a group owned by funds managed by private equity group Sentient Equity Partners) for USD 825 million.
• Advising Chile-focused Mantos Copper in USD 3.3 billion merger agreement with Canada's Capstone Mining to form a new Americas -focused copper producer called Capstone Copper.
• ZCCM Investment Holdings in respect of its acquisition of the Mopani copper mine from Glencore for USD 1.5 billion in debt and equity.
• Suez on the EUR 2.3 billion acquisition of its former UK waste-treatment business from Veolia Environment.
• Hitachi, on its $11bn acquisition of part of the Swiss engineering group ABB.
• Hutchison Ports in respect of its joint venture with Terminal Investments Limited (a subsidiary of MSC) in respect of the development and operation of a container terminal in Alexandria, Egypt.

The role includes the full scope of responsibility expected of an M&A associate in a leading cross-border transactional practice, including in particular:

• Front-line management of deals, including drafting of principal transaction documents, negotiating, control of due diligence and disclosure exercises and closings, managing projects to a budget, and taking responsibility for client satisfaction.
• Advising clients on a wide range of corporate matters, with a particular focus on complex, strategic cross-border M&A and joint ventures in the energy and natural resources sectors.
• Taking part in multi-party negotiations and successfully project managing relevant aspects of large-scale complex corporate transactions across multiple jurisdictions.
• Engaging in business development activities and being active in the promotion of the Firm and seeking opportunities for new work principally through peer-to-peer relationship building within clients and intermediaries.he group is highly entrepreneurial, fast-growing and actively encourages associates to develop client relationships in a wide range of settings.
• Being responsible for frequent and direct contact with clients, with a culture based on associates being given the level of responsibility they are ready for, rather than a PQE based method of work allocation.

While experience in the EMI group's industry sector is helpful, the team's priority is to meet candidates with top-tier London-based strategic M&A experience who are enthusiastic about the sector and are keen to learn from their specialist colleagues.

As the EMI team is fast-growing, the prospects of career promotion are promising for the right candidate.

The emphasis is on developing well rounded, commercially aware, relationship-focused lawyers, who are interested in a long-term career in a global law firm.

The Team

The EMI group forms a core part of the wider London Corporate department, which is the largest within the office and sits at the heart of the firm's business. The Corporate department provides skilled M&A (public and private), capital markets, private equity, projects, reorganisations 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 much of what we do is cross-border.

The London Corporate team has over 150 fee earners and business professionals, and over 1,000 lawyers involved in EMI / EMI Projects globally. Our clients include nearly all of the world's 100 largest public companies and more than three-quarters of the Fortune 500.

Key Skills and Experience Required

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate all or the majority of the following:

• A UK qualified lawyer with excellent academic credentials.
• Current experience in the corporate department of a leading City or US firm, with a keen interest and/or experience in the energy and natural resources sectors.
• First rate technical skills needed to support the client work of the department.
• The ability to confidently demonstrate a strong understanding of the law and how it affects our corporate clients, alongside good commercial awareness of how their businesses operate.
• Demonstrable business development experience, including the ability to develop strong relationships with clients and to take responsibility for these relationships.
• Outstanding communication and drafting skills and the ability to adapt style as required.
• Initiative and proactivity.
• Strong service orientation - a "client first" culture.
• Ability to work well in both a team and individually, and taking an active part in sharing knowledge and experience with the team.
• Respects and enjoys the diversity of cultural, social and academic backgrounds found in the EMI team and the Firm.

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

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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. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the Recruitment Team on either 020 7919 1000 or Recruitment.London@bakermckenzie.com

For more information about this position or to discuss any adjustments you may require during the processplease contact in confidence, David Roberts, Recruitment Manager, on 020 7052 5752 or david.roberts@bakermckenzie.com

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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!

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