Corporate Lawyer

We are currently looking for a talented Corporate Lawyer to join our top-tier Legal 500 Corporate team in Newcastle. This is a full-time, permanent opportunity based in one of the North East's leading corporate practices, with the opportunity to work alongside colleagues across our national and international network.

This role has arisen due to continued growth within the team and presents an exciting opportunity to work on a diverse mix of cross-border transactions, national mandates and high-value deals within the North East market. You'll advise on mergers and acquisitions, investments, reorganisations and strategic corporate transactions, acting for large corporates, private equity houses and PE-backed businesses, international clients and owner managed businesses.

The Team

 Womble Bond Dickinson is widely recognised as a corporate powerhouse in the North East, with a long-standing reputation for delivering exceptional legal advice to regional, national and international clients. Our Newcastle Corporate team acts on some of the region's most significant transactions, combining deep local market knowledge with the reach and capability of a truly international law firm.

A key attraction of this role is the breadth and quality of the work on offer. Much of our work has an international dimension, particularly through our transatlantic footprint and close connections with colleagues across the United States. Lawyers within the team regularly advise on complex cross-border transactions involving multiple jurisdictions, while also supporting clients on major UK projects and high-value strategic transactions across the North East.

The team benefits from the firm's membership of Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of independent law firms, providing access to trusted legal advisers across more than 125 countries. This enables us to seamlessly support clients on international transactions and offers our lawyers exposure to sophisticated global matters that would typically be associated with much larger international practices.

Working closely with colleagues across our national Corporate team, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate on a wide range of work while maintaining a significant profile within the North East market. Despite being part of a large national practice, the Newcastle team retains a close-knit and supportive culture where individuals are encouraged to develop their careers, build client relationships and make a genuine impact.

Some of the work we have done:

• Supported a major rail operator on the acquisition of a rail infrastructure and maintenance business, covering train maintenance, depot operations and rail infrastructure construction. The transaction was shortlisted for Deal of the Year at the North East Dealmakers' Awards.
• Advised a leading private equity investor on its reinvestment into a high-growth technology business alongside a new co-investor. The transaction was shortlisted for Deal of the Year at the North East Dealmakers' Awards.
• Advised an international automotive manufacturer on its first UK acquisition, coordinating with teams across multiple jurisdictions to bring UK distribution and sales operations in-house.

What Does the Ideal Candidate Look Like?

 We're interested in applications from lawyers between 2 years' post-qualification experience and Managing Associate level who have gained experience advising on a broad range of corporate matters.

A particular strength of the team is its thriving private equity practice. We regularly advise private equity houses, portfolio companies and management teams  on acquisitions, disposals, growth investments, exits and buy-and-build strategies.

Whether your experience comes from a national, regional or international firm, you'll be commercially minded, technically strong and capable of building trusted relationships with clients and colleagues alike.

To be successful in this role, you'll need:

• 2+ years' post-qualification experience as a qualified solicitor in England & Wales or Scotland. Experience advising on a broad range of corporate transactions.
• Strong drafting and analytical skills, with the ability to assess commercial situations and develop practical, strategic solutions.
• The ability to communicate technical legal advice clearly and effectively to non-lawyers.
• A collaborative approach and desire to contribute to the continued growth and success of a market-leading Corporate team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious corporate lawyer seeking high-quality work, genuine career development and exposure to complex international and cross-border transactions, while remaining firmly connected to the North East.

We continually work hard to create an open culture that sets us apart from other firms. Our culture gives us much more of a human feel, emphasising that we're more than just suits!

As signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, it's important to us that our people are able to maintain healthy and happy lives, both in and out of work. We have a number of resources and initiatives designed to support health and wellbeing and we're very happy to talk flexible working.

Through our DEI initiatives we create an environment in which difference is valued. We have an Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Group, led by our Board Sponsor, which works with our colleague networks (we currently have firm supported networks for race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage, LGBTQ+, disabilities, neurodiversity, families, and women's career development and we're in constant dialogue with our people about how we expand our networks to better support everybody). Find out more about DEI at WBD here. We encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities and sexual orientations.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long term condition and need us to make any adjustments to give you the best possible recruitment process, please let us know by contacting the recruiter on the right hand side of this page. Please also let us know if you need this job advert or the application form in a different format.

We will offer an interview to candidates with a disability or long-term condition who meet the minimum criteria for this role. You can opt into this scheme within the application form. Your response to this question is only used for this purpose, is only visible to the recruitment team and is not used for data monitoring. 

We are an in-house recruitment team and will always aim to fill our roles directly in the first instance. If you're an agency, please click here for ways that you can work with us.