Associate: Private Equity

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White & Case is an elite global law firm serving leading companies, financial institutions and governments worldwide. Our long history as an international firm means we are perfectly placed to help our clients resolve their most complex legal challenges wherever they may be.

With lawyers operating from more than 47 locations, working in virtually every country of the world, we have invested heavily in building a high-quality full-service practice competing at the top of the market. We are distinguished by our on-the-ground presence in the world's key financial markets and our strengths in handling complex cross-border work.

It's not just about our global network of offices; it's the global interconnectedness of the Firm that our people, and our clients, value most. We work well together across geographic and practice boundaries. It's one of the reasons we attract and retain cross-border work. And why we attract a diverse group of people.

Our lawyers are globally minded, enterprising, collaborative and committed to excellence. Diversity is a core value of our Firm and it has been recognized with numerous awards and top rankings around the world. Our people represent 90 nationalities and speak 80 languages.

Position Summary

We are currently looking for an Associate to join the M&A - Private Equity team in our Brussels office.

As an associate in our practice, you will be working in an exciting working environment, handling challenging, time-sensitive deals that demand a dynamic approach and a resilience of character. From the moment you join, you can expect to be working with – and learning from – partners within our team, as well as with colleagues in groups across the firm, including Private Equity, Investment Funds, Corporate M&A, Tax, Debt Finance, Capital Markets, FRI, Regulatory, Commercial Litigation and Arbitration. Given the strong cross-border dimension to our work, you will also be interacting regularly with lawyers across our global offices, and travelling to international destinations as required.

You will be expected to assist and handle a wide range of deal-focused tasks, such as leading on diligence exercises, drafting documents, and managing outside counsel and teams of trainees and paralegals. A meritocratic practice that places a strong emphasis on professional development, we aim to provide all our associates with significant responsibility at an early stage in their careers.

The work is demanding, but also highly rewarding: supported by your colleagues at every step, you can enjoy the satisfaction of contributing to your team's success in closing high-profile deals for some of the market's major private equity players globally.

As well as possessing excellent academic credentials, you should be commercially minded, with an enthusiasm for the cut-and-thrust of international deal-making. A confident team player, you should enjoy working as part of a tightly-knit group within our diverse team, and demonstrate a willingness to do whatever it takes to help your colleagues get the deal done. Whilst we as a team operate in a fast-paced deal environment, it is also one where a candidate with the requisite drive and determination will flourish. This collaborative mind-set should be balanced with an independent, entrepreneurial spirit that drives you to anticipate clients' needs, and to proactively develop solutions to their problems – both legal and business focused.

Working in a client-facing practice, excellent communication and interpersonal skills will also be significant assets – enabling you to form strong professional relationships, and to explain sophisticated legal concepts in clear, precise language that can be easily understood by non-lawyers. Highly organized and deadlines-driven, you should relish the challenge of delivering outstanding work within the short timeframes our clients expect.

Our Practice Area

Our M&A - Private Equity practice is a highly integrated, multi-disciplinary group of lawyers who know how to get deals done. Collaborating across our global network, we provide clients with seamless service and deep industry experience, often on complex mandates involving multiple specialties and jurisdictions. Recognized as one of the foremost practices in our field, we are trusted by private equity leaders – established institutions and entrepreneurs, as well as emerging visionaries – to handle market-leading transactions, from strategic add-on deals to ground-breaking, monumental acquisitions.

Duties and Accountabilities

1. Assisting clients with corporate establishment, registration, transformation, governance and liquidation;
2. Ensuring that our client's interests are properly represented and protected at all times;
3. Participating at client meetings and establishing positive communication with clients;
4. Conducting complex research, or drafting of memoranda (search for judicature, commentaries to specific legal issues)
5. Involvement in due diligence – analysis of agreements in data room and their subsequent description;
6. Drafting agreements (according to model documents), powers of attorney, draft resolutions of General Meetings, waivers of appeal, various statements, as well as legal memoranda on broad range of topics arising under commercial law and corporate law precedents;
7. Drafting of all types of corporate documents required for organization of all types of companies or for adoption of changes to companies (change of business name, registered office, statutory body, etc.) and subsequent registration thereof in Commercial Register (powers of attorney, statements, decisions, simple draft agreements), drafting of motions for entry of changes in entries of companies in Commercial Register, completion of schedules to such motions;
8. Analyzing corporate health of businesses prior to acquisition by clients;
9. Providing direct assistance to senior lawyers and partners on matters arising in the course of day-to-day provision of legal services to leading international and domestic corporate clients;
10. Contributing with the development of precedents and know-how by sharing knowledge and learning input;
11. Joining educational seminar and practice groups.

Qualifications

1. Between 2- and 5-years' experience on advising on numerous commercial contracts, in particular credit agreements, bond documents (offering memoranda, purchase agreements, indentures, trust deeds etc.), corporate approvals, share purchase agreements, offering circulars etc.
2. Strong academic record and intellectual curiosity, creative thinker;
3. Commercial and business awareness;
4. Outstanding communication and negotiation skills;
5. Ability to see the big picture;
6. Strong time management skills, ability to stay calm under pressure when juggling multiple projects;
7. Excellent drafting skills;
8. Driven by professional growth with a strong professional presence;
9. Client service focus;
10. Team player;
11. Strong judgment;
12. Proactive, resourceful, takes initiative;
13. Long-term interest in business law;
14. Fluency in English, and native level knowledge of French and/or Dutch would be an asset;
15. Good understanding of the key risks and issues involved in cross-border transactions.

The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

Primary Location: Belgium-Brussels

Expected Workplace: Hybrid

Job Posting: Apr 24, 2024, 4:39:49 PM