About the Company
Our client is seeking a commercially minded Legal Counsel to join the legal function of a well-established private equity firm as the second team member and key execution partner to the Head of Legal.
About the Role
This role is designed for a lawyer with approximately mid-associate level experience, ideally gained within a leading law firm or relevant in-house environment advising on private equity funds and secondaries transactions. The successful candidate will have strong deal advisory experience and be motivated to build a legal career in-house, with a desire to take ownership of transaction execution, expand their exposure across the investment lifecycle, and engage more broadly in business and operational legal matters within a dynamic private equity platform.
Responsibilities
- The role will have primary responsibility for supporting transaction execution across both LP- and GP-led secondaries and primary fund investments, acting as a day-to-day legal partner to the deal team.
- In addition, the individual will be involved in fund structuring initiatives, leverage arrangements, asset management matters, and firmwide legal and compliance queries driven by the needs of the business.
Qualifications
- Qualified lawyer in England & Wales.
- Approximately 3–6 years’ post-qualification experience.
Required Skills
- Possesses a solid technical grounding in corporate law, with an ability to apply legal principles pragmatically in a commercial setting.
- Exposure to fund structuring, debt facilities, or investor-related matters is advantageous.
- Familiarity with legal technology tools and AI developments is valuable.
Must also have:
- experience coordinating multi-party transactions with compressed timelines;
- excellent drafting, negotiation, and organisational skills;
- the ability and desire to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with a hands-on approach without becoming overwhelmed;
- a high level of self-awareness and motivation for continued professional growth; and
- communication skills which allow legal matters to be conveyed to both technical and non-technical audiences, by tailoring information for stakeholders at different levels and ensuring clear understanding across departments to enable informed decision-making and alignment with legal strategies.
- The right candidate will be approachable and looking to work in a small team with high standards, enthusiasm for private equity/secondaries, and a willingness to unpick complexity to promote innovation and successful outcomes.
Preferred Skills
- Strong recent exposure to secondaries transactions.
- If coming from private practice, a prior secondment to an in-house legal team would be a positive but not a requirement.