Opportunities

The Role

Baker McKenzie's EU energy, climate and sustainability practice group advises a wide range of clients and industries on the impact of the recent and ongoing legal reforms across the whole area of EU energy, climate, and sustainability legislation, from the emerging renewable and low-carbon hydrogen landscape (incl. carbon capture and storage), and developments in EU carbon pricing policies (EU ETS and CBAM), to the emerging corporate sustainability governance landscape (ESG, CSRD and CS3D). Our team assists clients in a diverse set of matters, such as assisting in project design and development, advising on State aid compliance or on the contractual and liability consequences of the EU's new carbon policies, and supporting clients design their decarbonisation and sustainability strategies to benefit from, and minimise the risk triggered by, the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape in this area.

Baker McKenzie is seeking to reinforce this growing practice by adding a new senior or mid-level associate.

The Team

Our Brussels competition law practice is a cornerstone of our global Antitrust & Competition Practice that has been ranked globally as No. 1 for Cartels and No. 3 for Mergers by the prestigious Global Competition Review. You will be part of a dynamic industry leader that invests heavily in the development of our people, both in the area of personal development and career advancement.

Key Skills and Experience Required

The ideal candidate for this position would:

• be registered with one of the Belgian bars and/or be admitted to practice law in Belgium;
• have at least 4 and preferably around 6 years of post-qualification experience;
• have a strong track-record of providing regulatory advice on complex matters in an accurate and commercial way, preferably in the area of energy, climate and/or sustainability;
• have an excellent academic record; and
• have excellent written and oral skills in English, and preferably a good working knowledge of French, Dutch or German.

Whilst detailed knowledge of the EU legal framework mentioned above in these areas is an advantage, a commitment and interest to specialize and become an industry-leading expert in these areas is as much - if not more - important.

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 78 offices in 46 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.

Baker McKenzie opened its first Belgian office in Brussels in 1957. In 2002, it opened its Antwerp office. Today, Baker McKenzie has more than 80 Belgian qualified lawyers across the two offices

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

• Named Global Law Firm of the Year in Europe at the Lawyer European Awards 2021
• Named Leading Legal Brand for the 12th Consecutive Year by Thomson Reuters Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index
• Ranked as one of the Stonewall Top Global Employers for 2022 with a Gold Award on Stonewall's Global Workplace Equality Index of Top Global Employers for LGBTQ+ people, reflecting our commitment to our progressive values and our collaborative, diverse and inclusive culture
• Top 75 employers in the 2021 Social Mobility Employer Index
• 2022 Hall of Fame for the Best Law Firm for Women - Working Mother Magazine
• One of the Top Law Firms for Women - Law360 Glass Ceiling Report 2020
• 2020 Best Law Firm for Women in Europe and Asia - Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards
• Recognised as a global leader in the climate change sphere by Global Market Leaders 2022
• Recognised by Accenture in 2022 in its Outside Counsel Diversity Awards for its efforts around increasing equality and inclusion in the legal profession
• Belgium Tax Disputes Firm of the Year 2021 - ITR European Tax Awards 2021
• Climate Change Firm of the Year 2020 - Who's Who Legal Awards
• TARGET job awards 2020 - Finalist for most popular graduate recruiter in law

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. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the Recruitment Team on belgianrecruitment@bakermckenzie.com

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

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 Diversity & Inclusion

Respects and enjoys the diversity of cultural, social and academic backgrounds found in the Firm.

As the first truly global law firm, diversity and inclusion are foundational to our culture and strategic vision. Our diversity makes our global community stronger, more interesting and richer in thought, and helps us in solving complex problems and designing practical solutions for our clients.

• We view diversity and inclusion as a business imperative, and seek to engage with our clients to drive diversity and inclusion both within our Firm and in the broader legal community. Diverse teams make innovation possible, provide us greater insight into client needs, and lead to better performance
• Our approach is global and inclusive. We have more than 13,000 employees in 46 countries who speak 80+ languages, and we want to ensure that all of our people feel included and empowered
• The D&I Agenda is championed at the highest level by our Global Chair and our Global Executive Committee whose members each have KPIs around diversity
• We have a Global D&I Committee who actively work to drive forward the firm's diversity and inclusion strategy and monitors progress through regular meetings and leadership accountability
• We are proactively cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment through leadership accountability, policies and practices and client and community outreach.

In 2019 we enacted global targets of 40% women, 40% men and 20% flexible (women, men or non-binary persons) by July 2025. The targets apply to partners, senior business professionals, committee leadership and candidate pools for recruitment.