The Role
We are recruiting a knowledge lawyer to support the corporate team. You will work with the practices existing senior knowledge lawyer and report formally to the Corporate practice group head. The focus of the role will be working with the current senior knowledge lawyer to assist the team with its work on mainstream corporate transactions, with a particular focus on mid-market M&A, corporate restructurings, other corporate procedures and corporate governance.
Key Knowledge Lawyer Responsibilities:
1. Drafting and updating precedents and guidance notes for use by fee earners, including liaising with lawyers in relation to market practice.
2. Carrying out analysis of latest developments in corporate law and ensuring that knowledge is promptly disseminated, internally and externally
3. Advising lawyers and junior members of the team on legal issues faced in their transactions and matters with on-point, thorough, and timely answers (paying regard to the commercial context)
4. Acting as a sounding board and providing second opinions to more senior members of the team on points of law
5. Providing assistance with research and directing junior members of the team to appropriate resources
6. Training, including identifying the training needs for lawyers at various levels of experience and delivering appropriate training (in conjunction with fee earning lawyers) to the team and occasionally to clients
7. Providing knowledge support to business development initiatives, including supporting client campaigns, training sessions and other initiatives
8. Keeping up to date with legal technology solutions, and liaising with other knowledge lawyers and information services personnel across the firm to train and familiarise the team with new products and processes developed, both internally and externally
9. Supporting strategy and business group meetings and taking an active role in supporting the activities of those groups
10. Drafting and managing the departments Learning & Development plan, and supporting the delivery of the plan
11. Maintaining an up to date know how repository of relevant example documents and encouraging contribution of relevant know how from fee earners
Qualifications and Experience
Our ideal candidate will be an established corporate knowledge lawyer. However, we will also consider corporate fee earners who are looking to transition into a first knowledge lawyer role. You will need to be a qualified lawyer with significant relevant experience in corporate law, and demonstrate the following:
12. Excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to quickly gain the confidence of fee earners at all levels within the team and in other practice groups across the firm
13. Excellent legal research skills
14. Excellent attention to detail
15. Experience in drafting in plain language and in English
16. Strong presentation skills
17. Qualities that fit with a cohesive, friendly and supportive team
18. Experience in designing and delivering interesting training programmes, targeted at an audience
19. Recent experience of negotiating on M&A transactions and market practice desirable but not essential
20. Interest in legal technology desirable, as the role will require assessment and evaluation of relevant products and reporting to the partners on them
21. Ability to work with a variety of personalities across all levels of the firm