Commercial/TMT Associate

PQE: 2 years +
Term: Permanent
Team: Commercial Group
Location: Milton Keynes/Remote working considered
The firm

We are a top 50 law firm with over 200 partners and around 1,600 staff in total.  We have 13 locations in the UK and a significant international network.  Our clients include some of the largest financial, automotive, and technology businesses in the UK.

We champion diversity and inclusion, and do everything we can to attract and nurture a diverse group of people and to create an environment and culture that is genuinely inclusive, in which every member of staff feels valued for their contribution.  We have been awarded Gold status in the Law Society Diversity and Inclusion Charter in recognition of our commitment to this.  We were also the first major law firm to achieve “Gold Standard” Investors in People.

The team

Our national Commercial Group contains Privacy & Data, TMT, Commercial Contracts, IP, Financial Services and Projects & Infrastructure specialists. We are proud to have a number of leading practitioners in our teams. We are ranked in the top tier of Legal 500 for most of our practice areas, and our TMT team has just been recognised in the latest edition of Chambers as Band 1 for Information Technology nationally.

We work in partnership with our in-house clients and we drive advancements in our technology and services in line with this. We pride ourselves on trying to do things differently. Our products such as our Convergence toolkit to effectively manage large projects, our Resource Solutions product suite which is tailored to meet the individual needs of our clients, and Matters+, our matter management solution for in-house teams which has been short listed for two legal innovation awards, are examples of our forward thinking to providing best-in-class legal services to our clients.

Our team in Milton Keynes is industrious and high-performing. It provides the full range of commercial contract and tech support to a client portfolio that consists almost exclusively of global brands and FTSE 250 businesses.

The team works across a number of sectors with a particular focus on the automotive, retail and tech industries. Our book of clients includes in excess of 20 automotive brands including Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot Citroen and the team is regularly involved in cutting edge commercial contract and tech projects including major business process and technology outsourcings. Much of our work is multi-jurisdictional and high profile. We work very closely with our clients and are often viewed as an extension of their businesses.

We have recently relocated to a flagship building in Milton Keynes and our new office boasts market leading facilities and a fantastic working environment in keeping with our forward thinking, collaborative, agile set-up.

The role

We are looking for a 2yr PQE+ candidate to join our Commercial/TMT team based in Milton Keynes. You will already be working at Solicitor/Associate level in a commercial department and be looking for a new opportunity, or potentially you will be ready for a step-up to a Senior Associate role. We pride ourselves on recognising talent and ambition and promoting people with the right skills and experience. You will have experience of or an interest in working predominantly in the fields of TMT, commercial contracts, and/or consumer.

We are looking for an Associate or Senior Associate who will commit to being part of the Milton Keynes team and work with us to deliver an exceptional service for our clients and drive this team’s ambitious agenda. We are alive to the fact that the events of this year have changed expectations in respect of home working. We have a culture and ethos that lends itself well to flexible working and we could see this role being filled by someone based in Milton Keynes or working remotely. We don’t want the prospect of a challenging commute to stand in your way if we are the right firm for you and can fulfil your career goals and aspirations – please get in touch if you want to explore this further in relation to your personal circumstances.

If you join us you will be working on top quality work in a positive and supportive environment, with great  opportunity for client interaction and running your own matters, with all the support you may need. From contracts for e-business to major outsourcing projects, and whether relating to purchasing, production, marketing, selling, infrastructure or technology, you will see that our lawyers understand the need to be both commercial and apply the law in real life situations in partnering our clients to achieve their commercial objectives. If you join us as a Senior Associate you will have the chance to supervise juniors in the team and share in our business development objectives. We operate a meritocracy and your efforts and achievements will be recognised and you will have the chance to progress in accordance with your contribution.

Our commercial lawyers are pragmatic and innovative – they put the client at the centre of everything they do and they are continually seeking to develop and advance. We believe you should be honing your skills for communication and client service excellence at the same time as your technical knowledge and we will provide you with opportunities to do both.

We get numerous requests for secondees from our clients so if you join us you’ll get the opportunity to complete a stint in-house. By the same token, we will consider applications from those currently working in-house. We place great value in this experience and think it will enhance your profile and skills.

We hold a strong belief in culture and community, and genuinely believe we have something different to offer you at Shoosmiths.  This is reflected in everything we say and do from our use of technology to enable agile working, to the team spirit and culture and our collaborative way of working across offices.

If you have any queries about this prospect or life at Shoosmiths before deciding whether to apply, we are always happy to have a confidential discussion with you so please get in touch with Rachel Charlton in our recruitment team (Rachel.charlton@shoosmiths.co.uk).

For agency recruiters - Thank you for ongoing support. Please note that we are encouraging direct applications only for this vacancy at this stage. As such we are not accepting third party introductions for this role and CVs submitted will not constitute an introduction. 

Equal opportunities

Shoosmiths is a committed Equal Opportunities employer promoting equality of opportunity. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.