Associate / Supervising Associate - Corporate (Public Markets)

Our Corporate team

Our international Corporate team operates across our firm's network of offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Our clients encompass national and multinational corporations, global financial institutions, asset managers and investment funds, governments and regulatory bodies.

We combine our transactional expertise with in-depth sector experience focusing on Financial Institutions, Asset Management & Investment Funds, Life Sciences, TMT, Fintech and Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure. Most of our work is cross-border in nature and relates to one or more of our key sectors.

In the UK our Corporate team is based in London and Bristol, currently comprises 17 partners and over 40 fee earners and focuses on the following core areas:

• M&A, public and private;
• Equity capital markets (including US Securities Laws);
• Private equity, asset management and investment funds;
• Joint ventures, reorganisations and restructurings; and
• Corporate governance, compliance and advisory.

We have an ambitious growth strategy focussed on delivering premium work for premium clients in our chosen sectors in a way which supports our firm's purpose of building a next generation law firm. We differentiate ourselves through our combination of individual experience, deep sector knowledge, collaborative approach and innovative application of data science and technology - together this delivers better client outcomes.

Our focus on wellbeing and our collaborative culture supports our people and allows them to develop and thrive whilst delivering excellent client service.

Our Public Markets group

Within UK Corporate our team is split into Public Markets and Private Markets.

Our Public Markets team focuses on transactions by or involving listed companies which covers public M&A and shareholder activism, equity capital markets, private M&A by listed companies and listed company advisory and corporate governance.

Recent deals the Public Markets team have advised on include acting for:

• Cenkos Securities plc on its recommended all-share merger with finnCap Group plc;
• APG Asset Management N.V. and the consortium consisting of Scape Living PLC and iQSA on its £969 million recommended offer for GCP Student Living;
• FTSE250 listed Future plc on its £594 million recommended offer and class 1 acquisition of GoCo Group plc;
• FTSE250 listed Diploma plc on its £236 million equity fundraising, comprising institutional placing, retail offer via PrimaryBid and directors' subscription;
• Jefferies as financial adviser on LXI REIT plc's £1.4 billion recommended merger with Secure Income REIT plc;
• J.P. Morgan as sponsor to abrdn plc on its £1.49 billion class 1 acquisition of the interactive investor group;
• J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs as joint bookrunners on the US$120 million secondary placing of shares in Pegasus Airlines;
• HSBC and Lazard as financial advisers and sponsors on Vistry Group's £1.25 billion recommended offer and class 1 acquisition of Countryside Partnerships plc; and
• Elliot in relation to various activist matters and takeover offers, including those for SABMiller, Sky and Poundland.

The role

To support the continued growth of our Public Markets practice we are looking to recruit corporate associates at Supervising Associate (4-7 PQE) and Associate (0-4 PQE) level.

The roles will provide the opportunity to work on challenging, complex, high-value and often high-profile corporate transactions by or involving listed companies, frequently with an international element. You will be afforded the opportunity to work across all the core areas of the Public Markets team and to support the Private Markets team. A willingness to play a full role within the wider team is as important as experience of any particular work type.

Candidates will be ambitious and self-starting and be looking to join a team that seeks to be recognised as one of the leading corporate finance practices in London. We are a high-performing close-knit team of recognised M&A, ECM and listed company transaction specialists who work together across all of our key client relationships. You will work with Partners and associates in both Bristol, London and internationally, as part of a collegiate and supportive international group.

Candidate specification

The successful candidates will:

• have significant M&A, ECM and corporate finance experience for their PQE (including at Supervising Associate level, experience of UK Takeover Code governed transactions), having worked within a leading Corporate practice with a reputation for UK corporate finance, and a desire going forward to focus on public M&A, ECM and listed company transactions generally;
• have a positive and enthusiastic outlook, good energy and see the opportunity within Public Markets and potential to further develop themselves at Simmons & Simmons;
• be intellectually curious and pride themselves on service excellence, responsiveness and exceeding expectations;
• be flexible and have a willingness to work additional hours when transactional demands or market opportunities require; and
• share our team's values (i.e., demonstrate ambition and entrepreneurial spirit / thrive on being challenged / be committed to the team and to our clients / think creatively / enjoy working collaboratively).

Here at Simmons & Simmons

We believe our people define us. Our working environment is genuinely collegiate with a supportive atmosphere and team ethos - we have a reputation for being a friendly culture which we are very proud of. An inclusive and diverse culture, our innovative approach and being truly international are just a few more things that make us, us.

• Competitive Offer Package including Bristol Market Adjustment, discretionary Associate bonus, private medical insurance & pension contribution to name a few.
• Dress 'for your day' Code.
• Hybrid working approach of 2 days a week required in the office with flexibility dependant on role/team/client demands.
• A wide range of international offices including: Hong Kong; Dubai; Tokyo; Dublin; Milan; Bristol; Madrid; Singapore.
• All offices have their own artwork collections - with a Damien Hurst and a Tracey Emin in the London office. We have a long standing history in supporting the art community especially up and coming artists.
• The creation of Simmons & Simmons Solutions - bringing together the best legal advice from our established legal teams with non-traditional capabilities that enhance, expand and differentiate the Simmons offering.
• We were ranked as a Times Top 50 Employer for Women and Top 30 Employer for Working Families in 2020.
• We have Social and Sport Committees contributing to Xmas & Summer parties, end of month social and various sporting events.
• We also have a range of Diversity Network Groups including LGBT+, Emerge (Race & Ethnicity) and The Number One Club (Women's network) who have organised various talks and events firmwide.

If you are interested in finding out more about this position then please contact the Recruitment Team with any questions. To apply for the role please click on the link at the bottom of the page/visit the career pages on our website, where there is also a detailed job description.