Corporate Finance & Securities Associate (2–5 PQE) US Qualified
Location: London
Practice: Corporate Finance & Securities / Capital Markets
Level: 2–5 PQE
The Opportunity
A market-leading Corporate Finance & Securities team within a top international law firm is looking to grow, adding US-qualified corporate generalists to a high-performing, partner-led practice. The team sits at the heart of a broad corporate and capital markets platform, with strong deal flow spanning equity capital markets, securities work, and general corporate transactions.
This is a growth hire into a team that is already operating at capacity, working directly with a partner who is a highly regarded, market-leading figure in this space.
What You'll Be Doing
- Working as a true generalist across corporate finance, securities, and equity capital markets matters
- Getting broad exposure to high-end, high-profile transactional work
- Operating in a lean team structure where associates are given significant early responsibility often taking on matters typically reserved for more senior associates
- Strong likelihood of secondment opportunities, including in-house placements with major financial institutions, or overseas secondments to New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, or Germany
What They're Looking For
This is a highly selective search with limited flexibility on academic and firm pedigree. Ideal candidates will currently be at a Magic Circle or elite US firm.
Relocation support is available for the right candidate.
- US qualified is essential
- Graduate of an elite, T14 US law school
- Trained and qualified at an elite US law firm
- Strong, consistent academic record and technical excellence
- Broad transactional experience across corporate, securities, and capital markets work — this is a generalist role, not a narrow specialism
- Candidates below 2 PQE will only be considered if truly exceptional
Compensation & Benefits
- Compensation benchmarked to the Cravath scale (Elite US pay levels)
- Salary range for 2–5 PQE: $245,000–$385,000
- Competitive bonus structure in line with leading US firms, including summer and year-end bonuses
- Sign-on bonuses available
- Choice of fixed or variable FX rate for pay
- 2,000+ billable hour target comfortably achieved by most associates in this team
Life at the Firm
- Personalised training and development plans tailored to each associate
- Access to a dedicated, senior (10+ PQE) talent development manager per practice group, acting as a bridge between associates, partners, and HR
- Dedicated knowledge lawyers supporting each team
- One-to-one mentoring for every associate, with a strong focus on progression
- Hybrid working: 3 days per week in the office (in practice, many associates come in more, drawn by the culture and office environment)
- Excellent office facilities, including free breakfast and an on-site café
- Open-door culture partners, associates, and trainees mix informally across the firm
- A genuinely collegiate, driven team culture with a strict "no difficult people" policy