Associate

Our values are important to us, they shape our decisions and our working life.

Making a profit is core to all businesses but our goal is to combine this with a real social purpose. Since opening in 1970, we’ve focussed on positive social impact as much as we have on being a successful law firm and we were the first UK law firm with B Corp certification.

Today, our clients are diverse – from corporate household names, to public bodies, to start-ups. We’re also the firm of choice for thousands of charities and social enterprises.  We continue to lead the market we helped to shape. 

As a purpose and values driven firm we show commitment to our clients, our people, the environment and society.  We see it as our purpose to create a positive impact. The impact we have on our people, our communities and our planet does more than inform our work - it gets us up in the morning.

Bates Wells challenges what is possible in legal expertise delivery.

We are seeking to appoint an Associate to join our Data Privacy Team

We are investing in our well regarded and growing specialist data privacy team. The team deals with all aspects of data protection and privacy law – the GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and e-privacy law. We regularly help clients with complex matters that involve regulators as well as supporting clients in data heavy sectors such as AI, as well as core and day-to-day advisory work. The team’s current clients span a wide range of household name charities and grassroots and community organisations, as well as commercial companies and thought leaders in technology and social impact issues.  We encourage our team to explore their networks and expand their thinking as to the type of client we work with.

You can be part of developing and growing this skilled team. This opportunity provides someone in the formative years of their career to have ownership and an impact on business development and the upward trajectory of an increasingly important area of law.

We encourage our lawyers to pursue their personal interests through their practice; take on early responsibility, including a high degree of client contact; contribute to business development; and work cross-departmentally through our wide range of exceptionally strong sector groups.

Prior experience in data protection and privacy law is essential. Our permeable team structure ensures a supportive environment coupled with the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across the department.

We offer greater flexibility than most City firms and welcome applications on a full or part time basis.

• Provide high quality legal advice and strategic approaches to Bates Wells clients
• Maintain the firm standard of expected client and matter management
• Provide data privacy advice to internal stakeholders
• Continue developing your expertise to provide practical advice and increase your profile at the firm
• Attend and represent Bates Wells at client meetings
• Develop effective written and oral communication skills to explain technical data protection concepts in clear language
• Maintain current knowledge of data protection and privacy law and collaborate on developing and providing internal and external client training
• Engage in the wider data privacy and client networks to develop positive working relationships
• Actively develop your external profile through speaking and writing opportunities
• Identify and deliver business development opportunities
• Maintain awareness and flexibility to respond effectively to the market
• Support and encourage the growth and development of more junior members of the team and trainees including providing supervision

Specific tasks may change over time, so we’ll need you to be adaptable and flexible as we continue to meet our clients’ needs.

• Qualified UK solicitor (or other relevant jurisdiction) 2-5 years’ PQE
• The ability to build, maintain and nurture relationships
• A client-centric approach
• Teamwork – there is a place for individual effort but we highly value a collaborative approach
• A results-focused mentality – we hope you’ll challenge the status quo if you feel it’ll benefit our work
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• A genuine interest in the work we do; we encourage questions about the business and invite you to test assumptions and propose ideas

Finally, we want people whose values reflect our own, and who feel inspired working in a firm with a, strong social purpose.

• Our purpose and values both guide and drive us
• We promote a strong work/life balance
• We have an agile working environment – this means you might sit next to a different colleague every day or choose to work from our rooftop garden and we actively encourage people to work from home once a week.  During this period of social distancing this is of course much higher, and we are likely to review our policies to enable greater home-working during 2021.
• Our culture encourages clear and honest dialogue and cross-team support
• We recognise success and contribution at any time of the year through our Recognition Scheme and Client Introducer Scheme and there are annual salary reviews  
• Our benefits and wellbeing package includes firm matching pension contributions, private medical insurance plus a medical benefit cash plan, discretionary bonus arrangements, life assurance, 25 days holiday with the opportunity to buy more, subsidised gym memberships, lifestyle discount scheme, firm-wide profit sharing scheme, on site café, and Summer in the City early-Friday-finish
• Everyone gets a bonus if there is one - a proportion of the LLP profit is distributed to our people when we exceed our financial thresholds

The Data Privacy team:

The data privacy team at Bates Wells is ranked in the core legal directories. The team works closely with other departments across the firm including our top ranked Charity and Social Enterprise department which handles the most complex, high profile and high value matters for charities, philanthropists and businesses. The depth and breadth of our practice, the range of our technical knowledge and our personal commitment to serve the sector as a whole mean that we also act for clients of all sizes across the whole spectrum of non-profit activity.

We also act for businesses in the impact economy, i.e. those that take a “triple bottom line” approach to their operations, aiming to benefit society and the environment alongside achieving financial success. Such businesses can include (but are not required to be) registered B Corps, benefit corporations, social enterprises or cooperatives. Impact investing is a core sector within the impact economy. Public sector organisations working in partnership with the private sector to deliver initiatives for sustainable development are also an example of activity within the impact economy.

• Bates Wells is a B Corporation.  B Corporations are profit-making, purpose-driven organisations unified by one goal: to redefine success in business
• Our people rate us and we were listed in the Sunday Times’ ‘Top 100 firms to work’ for in 2018
• Bates Wells provides legal documents to clients through ‘Get Legal’ – an innovative online documentation portal, which provides an affordable suite of legal documents drafted by sector-leading experts for tailoring by individual users
• We are committed to your wellbeing and offer physical and mental support in the way of subsidised gym membership, private health care and in-office Mental Health Awareness Ambassadors.
• We strongly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their full potential whatever their background and believe a diverse team is integral to our success

Don’t forget to review our website (https://bateswells.co.uk/) and ask around about us to find out more and whether we’re the right fit for you.

NB We will normally have at least 2 interviews – to test your skills and competencies to work with us and to see if your values align with ours.