Lawyer, Corporate PE M&A, Tokyo

We are looking for an Associate to join our highly successful corporate practice in Tokyo. Our teams specialize in advising on some of the world's largest and most complex Corporate and M&A transactions. Our diverse clientele includes public and private corporations, private equity investors and financial institutions, governments, and international bodies. Our lawyers provide a seamless integrated service across our network of offices and across different areas of expertise.

As a Corporate Associate, you will engage in a broad spectrum of activities, focusing on public and private M&A and private equity transactions into and out of Japan. Your role will encompass involvement in various stages of growth and pre-IPO investments, strategic joint ventures, leveraged buyouts, and auction sale processes. In terms of sectors the group handles investments across all major sectors such as energy and infrastructure (particularly renewables), tech, real estate, industrials, private funds, healthcare, agribusiness and more.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver expert legal advice and services on complex M&A and private equity transactions.
• Engage with a diverse client base on high-profile deals, ensuring seamless and effective legal solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across our global network to provide integrated legal support.
• Lead transactions with confidence and minimal oversight, while effectively managing multiple work-streams.
• Cultivate and maintain client relationships, contributing to business development and client retention.

• The candidate should be 1 - 4 PQE (UK notional) with a law qualification from England & Wales, Japan, the US, or other common law jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated expertise in M&A (especially in private equity or energy & infrastructure), preferably gained in a top-tier private practice within an international setting.
• Proactive and independent with a proven track record of initiating and nurturing client relationships.
• Exceptional team player with the ability to lead complex deals and coordinate with various stakeholders.
• Proficient in legal drafting with impeccable attention to detail and clarity.
• While not mandatory, proficiency in the Japanese language is advantageous and will be considered favourably.

Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the three key markets of the Americas, Asia and Europe and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution.

 About the Firm

Clifford Chance is one of the world's pre-eminent law firms, with significant depth and range of resources across five continents. As a fully integrated global partnership, we pride ourselves on our approachable, collegial, and team-based way of working which combines the Firm's global standards with in-depth local expertise.

As well as the opportunity to work on exciting and complex matters which frequently headline the financial and business news, a role with Clifford Chance affords you the following benefits:

• You will be working with a broad range clients and the firm's other teams and practice areas, not only in Australia, but across the globe.
• Extensive client contact, both as a part of your daily working routine and special opportunities such as providing client training and organizing client seminars
• You will develop an unbeatable multi-disciplinary skill set as well as client facing skills whilst working with some of the best-known market leaders in their respective practice areas.
• You will benefit from a comprehensive training program in a broad range of client-focused skills.
• A highly competitive base salary, with potential for a significant bonus under the Clifford Chance bonus scheme

To find out more about what it is like to work in Clifford Chance in Asia Pacific, please visit link.

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance we understand that our true asset is our people. We believe that each and every one of us should experience an equality of opportunity and an equality of experience here. We are always working to develop and deliver the best and most innovative approaches to make that happen. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are therefore committed to treating all employees and job 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.

The firm will regularly review its procedures and selection criteria to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted, and otherwise treated according to their relevant individual abilities and merits.

We have several initiatives and networks that support our aspiration to be the Global Law Firm of choice. These include our LGBT, Gender Parity, Ethnicity and Disability networks.