Senior Associate

Watson Farley & Williams is an international law firm advising on complex disputes and transactions through local knowledge and an integrated international network.  We have a strong sector focus, combining our technical excellence with deep industry knowledge across Energy, Transport and associated Infrastructure.

The firm has achieved rapid expansion and year-on-year growth owed almost entirely to a focused strategy, strong leadership and the quality of its people.  The next stage in the firm’s growth plan is to achieve full-service strength within core sectors across the global platform.

We strive for excellence in all that we do and view investment in our people as key to achieving our business goals and values, which rest on developing deep and long-lasting relationships externally and internally through respect, sharing, communication and integrity.

Our global practice is integrated across our offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and North America delivering consistently high levels of service across borders and locally through a deep understanding of local business customs and culture.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace to attract and retain the most talented people from all backgrounds and cultures.  We believe in celebrating difference and that people from any background can rise to the top, ensuring opportunities to develop and progress are available for all.

The lawyers in our Corporate Group provide transactional and advisory services across a range of markets and industry sectors, concentrating on those that we are best known for (primarily Energy (including renewable energy, energy transition and natural resources), Infrastructure and Transport).

Our lawyers negotiate and conclude complex transactions for a broad array of clients including private equity funds, renewable energy and other infrastructure funds and family offices and significant public and private companies, including some of the leading participants in our core sectors.  We work on the largest and most high profile corporate deals within our key sectors.  For example, we have advised on a number of multi-award winning energy deals as ranked by IJ Global, PFI and others, and regularly feature in the top spots of the legal adviser rankings tables published by leading industry publications such as Inframation and Inspiratia for both deal count and volume.  We also have the largest dedicated maritime practice of any law firm in the world, with over 200 lawyers across our international network of offices, advising key shipowners and operators, service providers and intermediaries that operate in our space on many of the most notable, complex and market-setting transactions/matters in the maritime industry.

The range of matters on which we advise is equally broad and includes domestic and international M&A (some of which is in emerging markets), corporate finance and securities transactions, private equity and venture capital transactions, strategic alliances and projects as well as providing general corporate advice and advising on commercial agreements.

Whilst there is scope for Associates to develop sector focused knowledge, particularly as they become more senior, they will also have exposure to a broad spectrum of work.  The Corporate Group (and the firm more generally) are also supportive of Associates' business development activities and secondment opportunities to clients when appropriate.  In addition, the Corporate Group also provides a supportive environment for associate development with a dedicated PSL and structured training career development programme including WFW University (aimed at NQs), WFW MBF (aimed at 3 PQE), WFW Senior Associate scheme and WFW Partner Candidate scheme.

We are seeking a Senior Associate to join our highly ranked and expanding Corporate group.

Chris Kilburn, Global Oil & Gas Sector Head and Head of the London Corporate and M&A Group.

• Qualification as a Solicitor in England & Wales or other common law jurisdiction.
• Around 5-8 years’ post-qualification experience working in the corporate department of a City, international, or leading regional law firm, ideally already operating at Senior Associate level.
• Proven technical legal skills in corporate transactions, with experience or an interest in one of our industry sectors being beneficial (but, depending on the candidate, not a prerequisite).
• The experience and ability to operate autonomously.
• A hands-on, flexible attitude to providing high quality client service.

We offer a competitive benefits and wellbeing package for all employees.

The Firm promotes a culture of agility and flexibility and is fully supportive of flexible working arrangements where these can be accommodated.

Respect for different backgrounds and perspectives is at the heart of our firm’s core values and we recognise the importance of fostering an inclusive environment that allows everyone to reach their full potential. This is a key feature of our Global Code of Conduct, which places diversity and inclusion at the centre of our firm’s ways of working.

We believe that exceptional client service can only be delivered by exceptional people. For this reason, we aim to attract, retain and develop the best talent from a wide range of backgrounds. All decisions relating to employment will be objective and based on merit and ability.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are as inclusive and barrier-free as possible. This includes making adjustments for candidates with a disability or long-term health condition.  If you require adjustments to be made at any stage of the recruitment process, we’d encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team who would be happy to discuss options with you.