About the Freeths Corporate Team
We are looking for a talented Associate to join our Corporate team based in Bristol to help advise our fast-growing client base.
We trust our people to work flexibly in the way that works best for them, their teams, and our clients. Our firm is set up to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, and mutual respect is shown by all.
Joining Freeths is an excellent foundation for your future – you will be working closely with highly experienced, friendly senior lawyers who take responsibility with you to plan your development and a tailored approach to your career.
Within a supportive and collegiate team, you will also be encouraged to contribute to client relationship development and involve yourself in our many social initiatives.
The 90+ Corporate team at Freeths has extensive experience of advising businesses ranging from entrepreneurs, SMEs, financial institutions (private equity) to large national and internal corporates. Our Corporate team is top ranked in The Legal 500 and Chambers and are recognised as one of the most active in the UK with Corporate knowledge across a broad range of sectors. The team provides corporate support to businesses operating in various sectors including energy, life sciences, technology, logistics, financial services and consumer.
About Freeths and our Bristol Office
Freeths is a leading national law firm, with over 1,100 people working across 12 offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Oxford and Sheffield.
Our Bristol office was established in 2019 and has grown significantly to a lively, full office across many practice areas. Our Corporate Team in Bristol is highly successful, working in a collegiate and fast-paced environment to deliver exceptional service to clients in the South West, London and internationally.
About the role
The Bristol corporate team continue to grow by attracting top talent to our motivated team and are looking for an Associate to join them. The team provide the full spectrum of corporate services including private equity, venture capital, mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, equity capital markets, restructuring, reorganisations and governance.
The current team in Bristol comprises of 1 Partner, 1 Director, 2 Senior Associates, a Trainee, Legal Assistant and Executive Assistant.
You will be working closely with Emily Settle (Partner) and Lottie Hugo (Director). Profiles can be found here:
Emily Settle | Partner | Corporate | Bristol | Freeths
Charlotte Hugo | Director | Corporate | Bristol | Freeths
You will have trained or worked in a similar role at a City or highly regarded practice and have a high degree of self-motivation, be comfortable taking on responsibility and a desire and ability to effectively support, where needed.
Examples of the teams’ recent work
• Appointed to the Corporate Panel of Centrica Plc, advising on various M&A transactions.
• Acted for influencer Grace Beverley and her company We Are Tala on its corporate structuring and first fundraise.
• Acting for multiple global private equity portfolios to advise on M&A, share capital structuring and management incentive programs and governance
• Advised Carlberg Marston’s Brewing Company on the £780m joint venture with Marston’s Plc
• Acted for Maven Capital on multiple investments into companies in the South West
• Acting for multiple founders and management of SMEs in the South West on their sales (c.£5m to £50m) to private equity, overseas buyers or large corporates
Why us?
We’ve built our law firm on solid foundations of integrity, entrepreneurialism and expertise. This has helped us grow into one of the largest full-service law firms in the UK, with 12 offices and over 1000 colleagues, and counting. We are ranked 50 in The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For.
To be part of the Freeths team, you’ll be inspired by your ambition to make a difference, provide answers not options and start each day ready to give your best to your colleagues and our clients. We offer a friendly and dynamic environment to build your career, powered by a diverse, innovative team who live by our ethos of Freethinking and building trust.
Think ambition - Matching individual ambition and our firm’s ambition matters. That’s why we develop our people by making sure every one of our team feels connected through a clear progression pathway and leadership support.
Think recognition - Sharing success matters to us. From our annual all-staff bonus, which is shared with every one of the Freeths team, to lifestyle benefits that extend to families. Our rewards and benefits are among the best in our market
Think together – We are a firm where people care about each other and employee wellbeing is high on the agenda. We understand that differences add strength, which means we maintain a diverse culture where everyone has the freedom to be themselves and thrive.
Despite growing into a national firm, we’ve kept our culture and values. Our ethos of “doing the right thing” and dedication to supporting charities make us a positive, rewarding place to work. All this and more has helped us to grow an award-winning reputation in the eyes of our clients and competitors that each and every one of the Freeths team works hard to uphold in everything we do.
We trust our people to work flexibly in the way that works best for them, their teams and our clients. Our firm is set up to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, and mutual respect is shown by all. We’re widely recognised for our inclusive attitude and diversity, winning ‘Firm of the Year’ at the UK Diversity Legal Awards and we have achieved Silver in the Investors in People Award.
A few of our recent highlights:
• Listed in The Times Best Law Firms 2022
• Excellent legal directory rankings
• Winner of Equality Trailblazer of the Year at the Chamber Business Awards 2022; ranked 51st in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2020; and Investors In People status.
• 80% of employees feel respected and valued by both colleagues and line managers; 90% of employees feel that D&I is a priority to senior leaders at Freeths (D&I Survey 2022)
Do we sound like a match? If you’re someone who cares deeply, communicates openly and collaborates effectively, then we’d love to have you join our diverse, inclusive team.
As an equal opportunities employer, committed to diversity and inclusion, our aim is to attract and retain the most talented people. We know this means reaching out to diverse talent and we encourage applications from under-represented groups. We celebrate difference, encourage diversity of thought and are committed to continually challenging our processes to maintain fairness, equity and transparency. But its more than that, providing a great place to work with competitive benefits and encouraging a healthy work-life balance is central to our success. We are committed to creating an environment where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential, and this applies equally during our recruitment process. So, if you would like to discuss and accessibility requirements or reasonable adjustments needs during the recruitment process of for the role, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss.
If you have any questions please do contact blake.ulu@freeths.co.uk who will be pleased to help.