Professional Support Lawyer –

Corporate/M&A/Private Equity
PERMANENT

25 January 2022

WHO WE ARE //
Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm, recognised throughout the business
community for its exceptional legal service, commercial awareness and commitment to
clients. We advise across the spectrum of legal matters including high-profile, ground-breaking
and complex transactions, contentious matters and all aspects of risk. We deliver innovative
and bespoke solutions to our clients, domestically and internationally, providing clear legal
advice that spans the globe whilst tackling the cultural nuances between jurisdictions. Our
lawyers understand how to coordinate and manage matters in the jurisdictions most relevant
to our clients.

At Slaughter and May, with over 1,200 partners and staff worldwide, everyone's contribution is
valued, and we all enjoy an open, friendly and supportive environment. We have an underlying
sense of pride in who we are and what we do, and our inclusive culture gives rise to a unique
diversity of thinking, which is critical to our success and helps maintain our position as a true
market leader. To support our employees in achieving their professional development objectives,
we offer an unrivalled variety of learning and development opportunities to everyone, as well as
a highly competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.

In light of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the firm has evolved a new hybrid approach to
working (the “Ways of Working Framework”), which sees our people working between their home
environments and our prestigious Headquarters at One Bunhill Row, in the heart of the City of
London.

Would you like to join one of the world’s most prestigious law firms?

We are offering a fantastic opportunity for a professional, technically strong, engaging and
entrepreneurial individual to join us as a Professional Support Lawyer (‘PSL’) in our Corporate
Group.

Professional Support Lawyer – Corporate/M&A/Private Equity (Permanent) 1

ROLE OVERVIEW //
This role would suit an experienced lawyer with in-depth and extensive knowledge of M&A, joint
ventures and private equity. The role will report into the Corporate PSL Counsel, and have
substantial direct contact with relevant Corporate partners.

Our Corporate and M&A group perform a diverse range of corporate and transactional work,
including advising on private and public M&A and private equity transactions, as well as equity
offerings and day to day company law and corporate governance issues.

We have a wide range of UK and international clients across many different industry sectors, and
we are principal legal adviser for more FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies than any other law firm.

Much of our work has an international dimension. On cross-border transactions, our lawyers work
closely with our Brussels, Hong Kong and Beijing offices, as well as our international network of
relationship firms.

Professional Support Lawyers (PSLs) at the firm must demonstrate technical excellence and legal
expertise in their area. They have responsibility for building best practice processes for creating,
capturing, curating and disseminating knowledge and supporting the practice. PSLs are expected
to apply a practical and client-centric focus to know-how, and to produce timely and insightful
content, which they impart using a variety of channels.

PSLs need to be able to be flexible, work well in a team, generate ideas, be self-sufficient and
proactive, and actively project manage their own deliverables. PSLs can expect to have substantial
contact with fee-earners from across the firm, and will need to develop strong working
relationships at all levels.

PSLs should have genuine enthusiasm for the use of technology and innovation in the support of
fee-earners and clients. All PSLs in the firm have a dotted line report to the Director of Knowledge
& Innovation, and work closely with our central Knowledge & Innovation department as well as
with the Business Development department and the Learning & Development team.

Professional Support Lawyer – Corporate/M&A/Private Equity (Permanent)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES //
The key responsibilities of this role are set out below and there may be others which are not listed.
You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm.

Know-how (internal)

 Keeping up-to-date with legal and  Drafting and delivering or assisting fee-
commercial developments that affect our earners in preparation and delivery of
practice. training for our fee-earners.

 Assisting with the organisation, capture,

Pitches, directories and website
review and creation of know-how and
ensuring that this is loaded onto our  Contributing practice-specific content to
knowledge systems. firm-wide pitches and relevant sections of
 Creating, maintaining, or commenting on our website.
standard documents, and considering their  Assisting with submissions to legal
automation potential. directories.
 Assisting with the organisation, capture
and review of precedents and ensuring External facing: client publications, client
they are loaded onto our knowledge training, industry or legal consultations and
systems. committees

 Maintaining, organising and updating the  Writing, editing or assisting in the

relevant practice pages on the Intranet. preparation of client briefings, training or
blogs on topical issues of relevance to our
 Producing updates and articles for internal
know-how briefings. clients.
 Drafting and delivering or assisting fee-
 Responding to queries from fee-earners.
earners in the preparation and delivery of
 Engaging in specific knowledge projects. client training.
 Replying to, or contributing to, replies to
Training industry or legal consultations.

 Liaising with the Learning & Development  Participating in, attending, or assisting
team on an engaging legal training fee-earners’ participation in, external
programme, maximising the use of all committees, conferences and events.
available formats.

Professional Support Lawyer – Corporate/M&A/Private Equity (Permanent)

CANDIDATE PROFILE //
Candidates for this position will be someone who:

Technical Competence and Knowledge Practice Development

 Has comprehensive knowledge and  Engages with fee-earners to inform

experience of technical and market strategic decisions about knowledge
developments that affect our practice and priorities.
clients.
 Participates in firm-wide initiatives in
 Acts as the go-to person for fee-earners areas such as legal tech, innovation and
with queries about law and market compliance.
practice.
 Seeks opportunities to undertake process
 Builds best practice processes for the improvement initiatives.
creation, capture, review, curation and
 Mitigates risk by scanning the horizon for
dissemination of knowledge.
legal, regulatory and market
 Identifies opportunities for producing developments.
timely and insightful current awareness,
client content, thought leadership content
People Skills
and training material.
 Designs, drafts and delivers dedicated  Speaks with authority on technical topics
training programmes for fee-earners of to a wide range of audiences.
varying levels of seniority.  Builds strong relationships with fee-
earners, other PSLs and Business Services
Client Activity teams.
 Actively promotes integration with other
 Identifies opportunities for supporting
practice support resource.
client relationships, with an emphasis on
content, including direct contact with  Experience of working in a diverse team
clients where appropriate. whilst fostering an inclusive team culture.

 Engages in business development  Has a high level of professionalism and

opportunities such as contributing to client integrity.
publications, client training and pitches.
 Builds an external profile through
activities such as speaking at conferences,
writing for external publications,
responding to industry or legal
consultations, and participating in
professional bodies.

Professional Support Lawyer – Corporate/M&A/Private Equity (Permanent)

Training and Development

Legal Training

All our lawyers are provided with an outstanding in-house programme of legal and skills training,
as well as individual support and professional development guidance where required. Underpinned
by guidance on ethics and compliance, our training supports our multi-specialist approach and
develop the technical excellence our associates are known for.

We hold regular, topical firm wide seminars, where leading lawyers and experts such as barristers
and academics are invited to speak on their specialist areas. This helps our lawyers build
connections and maintain a cutting edge understanding of the law and its application.

Skills Development

We also support our lawyers to develop key business skills. Our comprehensive skills offering
ensures our lawyers are more than simply technically excellent; they are also well-rounded
professionals who work effectively within teams, balance competing priorities and are able to
build and maintain successful client relationships.

Our programmes develop the skills necessary at each career stage, offering practical, relevant
guidance during key transition periods, as well as on an ongoing basis. At a junior level, important
areas of focus include communicating with impact, persuading and influencing and presenting with
confidence. Our leadership programme for senior associates takes an in-depth look at management
skills, team dynamics and building client relationships, helping lawyers to hone their own personal
leadership style.

Our Network of Networks

The firm has eight diversity networks run by employees and supported by partners. Collectively,
we form a Network of Networks, and our aim is to foster a spirit of inclusion, both amongst the
networks and the firm more widely. We work collaboratively to create a more open minded and
inclusive work environment.

We strive to make people feel comfortable about bringing their authentic selves to work.

Each network offers an informal support mechanism for employees with shared backgrounds,
perspectives or interests and
hosts a number of exciting formal
and informal events throughout
the year, which are open to
everyone. They’re a great way to
meet new people in the firm, as
well as to celebrate difference
and learn about a variety of
experiences and perspectives.

Professional Support Lawyer – Corporate/M&A/Private Equity (Permanent)

OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS //
We anticipate this being a two-stage process:

1 hour interview with Corporate PSL Counsel and one or two

1ST INTERVIEW
Partners in our Corporate group

Short-listed candidates will be asked to prepare a piece of work in

PRACTICAL
advance of the interview and may also be asked to complete a
ASSESSMENT
timed assessment

1 hour interview with our Director of Knowledge and Innovation and

2ND INTERVIEW
a Partner

Slaughter and May is committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are barrier-free and
as inclusive as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a
disability or long-term condition. If you have any questions, or require any adjustments to be made
to one or both of the application or interview processes, please let your recruitment adviser know.

The purpose of this description is to provide guidance in relation to the general requirements of
the position referred to. It is by no means an exhaustive list of the responsibilities that will be
involved.

Any offer of employment with us is subject to the firm’s receipt of a satisfactory report from its
third party screening and vetting provider in respect of the successful candidate. Your adviser will
be able to explain how this process works in practice in the event of any questions.

At Slaughter and May, we take the protection of your personal information seriously and we
are committed to safeguarding the privacy of the personal information that you share with us,
or is collected by us, during the course of our interactions with you. Our Recruitment Privacy
Notice (“RP Notice”) supplements, and should be read alongside, the firm’s Privacy Notice.

These privacy notices are always available to view within the Legal and Regulatory section of
our website.

Professional Support Lawyer – Corporate/M&A/Private Equity (Permanent) 6