Senior Associate

Department: Restructuring & Insolvency

Duration: Permanent

Reports to: Partner

Direct reports: None

PQE: 5+ years

Reference number: 10901

The Department

Dentons' Restructuring & Insolvency practice has one of the largest, most highly regarded teams of diverse specialists in the world. Our UKIME group comprises a core team of 19 collaborative lawyers, supported by a cross-departmental group of lawyers from finance, dispute resolution, corporate, real estate and employment. 

Much of our work is cross-border, and we work closely with our global colleagues, leveraging our unique footprint and scale. We are ranked in the 'GRR30' by Global Restructuring Review as one of the top 30 firms globally for cross border restructuring and insolvency work.

We have in-depth experience of advising every type of stakeholder in a restructuring and insolvency scenario, from creditors (including major financial institutions) to corporations, directors, insolvency practitioners and beyond. We also advise HM Government on a number of sensitive and strategically important matters. 

We have worked on many of the high-profile restructuring and insolvency cases of recent years, including MFS, Speciality Steel, Prax, Silicon Valley Bank, British Steel, NMC Healthcare, Toys 'R' Us, Travelodge, Hurricane Energy, British Volt, Empire Cinemas, Lehman Brothers, Carillion, and Hertz. 

The Role

With exciting developments including the recent lateral hire of a partner from a rival global law firm, there is an additional impetus to add more high-quality lawyers to the team. You will have access to a high quality and varied caseload, working closely with the partners and senior associates, and, on larger matters, other team members. The work includes:

• Advisory work in connection with all types of restructuring and insolvency situations and procedures, and for the full range of stakeholders, including financial creditors of all types, borrowers and their boards, insolvency office holders, investors and public bodies.
• Advising on and implementing restructuring strategies and processes of all varieties.
• Advising on the appointment of insolvency office holders and assisting them in their roles (including contingency planning).
• Advising on insolvency transactions such as pre-packs, and other administration business sales, including funding arrangements.
• Advising on the enforcement of security in non-consensual situations (including security reviews).
• Advising on insolvency disputes, officeholder claims, other contentious insolvency situations and non-contentious applications to Court.
• Advising HM Government, and public agencies and regulators, on strategic matters involving actual or potential insolvencies.
• Business development, including training and seminars.
• Developing internal know-how and business development collateral
  
  

Required Experience, Skills and Attributes

• Minimum of 5 years PQE specialist experience in restructuring and insolvency law and practice, with the ability to operate effectively at Senior Associate level.
• Clear understanding of finance and security documentation, with the ability to analyse complex financing structures and identify relevant restructuring and enforcement issues.
• Well-developed contractual drafting and negotiation skills (including substantial experience of sale agreements/similar), with the ability to lead negotiations on appropriate matters and workstreams.
• Clear understanding of UK civil litigation procedures generally, with specific experience in preparing Insolvency Act applications for Court (including drafting and overseeing the preparation of evidence).
• Experience of managing complex matters and significant workstreams, including coordinating input from colleagues across different practice areas and jurisdictions.
• Ability to supervise, delegate to and develop more junior lawyers effectively, while maintaining responsibility for the quality and timely delivery of work.
• Proven client handling and relationship management skills, with the confidence and judgement to act as a senior day-to-day contact for clients and to instil client confidence.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to provide clear, pragmatic and solution-focused advice in complex restructuring and insolvency situations.
• A proactive approach to business development, with the ability and enthusiasm to contribute to the development of client relationships and new business opportunities.
• Strong organisational and matter management skills, including the ability to prioritise effectively and manage competing demands.

Firm Profile

Across more than 80 countries, Dentons helps you grow, protect, operate and finance your organisation by providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions. Polycentric, purpose-driven and committed to inclusion, diversity, equity and sustainability, we focus on what matters most to you. www.dentons.com

Inclusion and Diversity

We are committed to building an inclusive culture here at Dentons where our people can thrive, regardless of their background or circumstance. As well as being the right thing to do, it makes good business sense too. A richness of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives helps us best serve our clients and the communities in which we operate. You can find out more about inclusion and diversity at Dentons here: Inclusion and Diversity

Dentons is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications from everyone including of any age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, neurotype, disability, or with parental or caring responsibilities. We are also “Happy to Talk Flexible Working” and welcome conversations about flexible working arrangements.

Dentons is a Disability Confident employer. Candidates with a disability may choose to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme. We will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. Where application volumes are high, we may offer interviews to those who best meet the minimum criteria, consistent with our approach for all candidates.

During the application process, all applicants have the opportunity to tell us about any adjustments or support they require so they are able to perform at their best. Any information you share with us during the application process is treated in confidence.

If you have any questions about this or the role criteria, please email recruitment.matters@dentons.com. 

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

If you are interested in applying for this position, we welcome direct applications via our careers page, but if you have any questions beforehand, please email  recruitment.matters@dentons.com. Enquiries only please – applications will not be accepted via email.

Please note that we will not accept unsolicited CVs sent to the business, nor will we accept any associated terms of business.