Finance Paralegal

We are recruiting a Paralegal to join our Finance group.

About Macfarlanes

Macfarlanes is a pre-eminent law firm that serves a global client base in private capital, private wealth, M&A and disputes. Personal connection, an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to excellence are at the heart of our firm. These values drive our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.

We are big enough to undertake the most complex and demanding mandates yet small enough to know each other well and to be agile, adapting to the needs of our clients. We seek to strengthen the firm by recruiting talented people from all backgrounds who want to build long-lasting and impactful careers with us. Our culture is challenging and supportive, creating an environment where individuals can thrive.

What this means for you

Joining Macfarlanes means being part of a collaborative, Partner-led team where you’ll develop and learn from experienced lawyers and business professionals. Our size means you’ll be given genuine responsibility early on and often be involved at the heart of client matters, gaining insight into how our high-quality legal advice is developed and delivered to help clients overcome their most pressing issues.

You’ll work closely with senior colleagues who are approachable and who want you to succeed. You’ll be encouraged to get involved in client and business development activities, and you’ll be recognised for your contribution.
The majority of our work has a cross-border focus, so you’ll often collaborate with global clients and specialist advisers in overseas jurisdictions. You’ll build connections with international law firms, broaden your experience, and be part of a multidisciplinary team that comes together to achieve the best results.

We also place real importance on your development. Our training and mentoring programmes are second to none, and designed to help you strengthen your legal and commercial skills. 

Above all, you’ll be part of a firm where we all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, where you’ll be recognised and appreciated, and encouraged to succeed.

Practice overview

Our Finance practice consists of nine Partners, five Senior Counsels, 13 Senior Associates, 12 Associates, six Trainee Solicitors and three Paralegals.

We focus on complex, cross-border finance transactions rather than volume financing work and advise in the following core areas:

• corporate lending;
• derivatives and trading;
• fund finance;
• leverage and acquisition finance;
• litigation and legal assets funding;
• real estate finance;
• restructuring and insolvency; and
• structured finance. 

In almost all of these areas, we have developed our practice to represent all key stakeholders, thereby ensuring that we have a balance of expertise and experience within the team. 

The role

Broadly, the role will involve working closely with the Finance fee earners in the following areas:

Transactional assistance

The primary role will be to assist team members in relation to a variety of finance transactions including on:

• the preparation and collation of conditions precedent documentation (e.g. board minutes, shareholder resolutions and directors certificates);
• the production of revised drafts of finance documents using as a reference previously negotiated and agreed documents;
• the review of company searches and completion of company search review forms;
• the signing and closing arrangements for financing transactions (including drafting completion agendas, arranging signatories, checking quorum of directors and arranging for execution of finance documents);
• the organisation of overseas lawyers to tie in with completion arrangements;
• the registration of security interests; and
• the preparation of post-completion documentation bibles.

Other support

In addition, but secondary to the transactional assistance outlined above, the role will involve:

• working with the practice’s Knowledge Lawyer, who reports directly to the Head of Banking and Finance;
• assisting with billing procedures, working with fee earners and our billing co-ordinators to ensure that matters are billed accurately and on time;
• running client on-boarding procedures; and
• producing pitch documents and marketing materials, working with fee earners and our marketing team.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the practice area.

The candidate

The right candidate will be self-motivated, disciplined and committed to providing high quality administrative and, where appropriate, technical legal support in a practical context.

The candidate will also need to demonstrate qualities that will fit within a cohesive, supportive and friendly team.  The collegiality of the team is viewed by the partners as central to its success.

Ideally the candidate will have:

• strong academic qualifications from degree upwards and will have ideally completed the legal practice course (LPC) or solicitors qualifying examinations (SQE);
• previous Paralegal experience within a Banking and Finance team;
• a keen interest in banking and finance related matters;
• excellent written and oral communication, drafting and research skills;
• an organised, meticulous and methodical approach to work;
• the ability to take a self-motivated, pro-active stance; to work flexibly and independently following appropriate instruction or in a team, and to take responsibility for the work product delivered;
• effective interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with people at all levels; and
•  familiarity with standard WP (Word 2010, MS Office), database and research software and typical office IT systems generally.

Paralegal development 

Our learning curriculum is designed to equip our people with the broad range of skills and knowledge they need to develop and be effective in their roles. The curriculum includes sessions specifically aimed at paralegals, covering essential legal and business skills to support individuals at the start of their legal career.

We deliver training throughout the year in a range of different ways. This includes webinars, workshops, one-to-one skills support, mentoring and coaching. We support development opportunities in a variety of topics, including communication, presentation and drafting skills.

Routes to qualification

Paralegals looking to qualify as associates are encouraged to apply for our Training Programme. They can do so once they have completed six months’ employment, subject to certain conditions. 

Some paralegals may prefer not to (or are unable to) undertake the Training Programme route for a variety of reasons, choosing the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) route instead. The firm will offer study leave and exam leave for paralegals sitting the SQE, and will sign off QWE (that meets the SRA’s requirements) gained at Macfarlanes. Internal paralegals that have qualified in this way may be considered for NQ vacancies not filled by those qualifying through the firm’s Training Programme and where the firm is or may be looking to recruit externally providing they have completed at least one year of their QWE at Macfarlanes and passed both SQE 1 and SQE 2 on the first attempt.

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records and employment references. These checks will be initiated with your consent and your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at [email protected].