CLO Associate

The role

We are seeking a highly motivated and commercially astute lawyer to join our market-leading team, to focus on Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs).

This role will focus on the analysis, structuring, and execution of CLO transactions while supporting portfolio management efforts. This position requires a strong quantitative background, a deep understanding of structured finance, and the ability to collaborate with various teams.

Who you will work with

Our Derivatives and Structured Products group is an acknowledged market leader. Our work reflects the dynamism and volatility of today’s financial markets, where competitive edge is built on innovation, foresight and speed of delivery.

What you will be responsible for

Most of our work is cross-border or international. You can expect to work on a mix of large and small transactional matters, as well as strategic projects for our bank and financial investor/fund clients. We also collaborate extensively with other practice areas across the firm to provide input and advice on the structured finance elements of their transactions. These can range from our top tier funds group to collaborating with other members of the global finance team on a wide variety of structures.

What you will do

We work with the world's leading financial institutions and financial investor/fund clients. The innovation and legal creativity which we bring to new financial products and financial market strategies is fundamental to the outcome of our clients’ businesses.

Our market-leading experience continues to attract the most complex, challenging and ground-breaking deals to the firm. And this, in turn, has enabled us to attract some of the best and most ambitious lawyers to assist our clients and build one of the market’s leading, and most diverse, practices.

You will play a pivotal role in delivering exceptional legal services and driving the success of our clients' transactions. Your responsibilities will include:

• Transaction Management: Managing multiple complex CLO transactions from inception to completion, ensuring all aspects are handled timeously, meticulously and efficiently. Advise on the structuring, negotiation, and execution of CLO transactions, including new issuances, resets and refinancings.
• Document Drafting and Review: Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of legal documents, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Client Advisory: Providing strategic and commercial legal advice to clients, addressing their needs and delivering tailored solutions to complex problems.
• Collaboration: Working closely with multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams, coordinating efforts to deliver seamless and integrated legal services.
• Legal Research: Conducting thorough legal research to support transaction structuring, regulatory compliance, and client advisory work.
• Business Development: Actively participating in business development activities, including client relationship management, thought leadership, and identifying new opportunities for growth.
• Mentorship and Training: Contributing to the development of more junior team members through informal and formal mentoring, training, and sharing your expertise and insights.
• Market Awareness: Staying abreast of the latest developments in the structured debt market, ensuring your advice is informed by current trends and best practices.

Your experience

We are interested to hear from outstanding finance lawyers with experience in CLOs from a similarly high-profile private practice. Your expertise will likely have been honed at a leading practice known for its work in the CLO space, where you will have developed first-rate legal skills and a reputation for delivering commercial solutions to complex problems in this space. If you have broader experience across structured finance, securitization and/or fund finance with the strong aspiration of targeting a career to specialize in the evolving CLO market, we will be also interested in hearing from you.

We are very open to candidates from or with experience gained in other leading financial centres outside London. We expect an outstanding academic history and proven first-rate legal skills, combined with a strong reputation amongst clients for providing commercial solutions, excellent transactional and management skills.

You will naturally be able to demonstrate excellent document drafting skills. You should also demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills, along with a high level of commercial awareness and will  have had strong exposure of collaborating with multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams.

It is crucial that you can demonstrate an appetite for business development, client relationship management and thought leadership.

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Hybrid Working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK, please visit our What We Offer page on our career site. 

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

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