Senior Associate

The role

We are looking to recruit a Senior Associate to our Finance, Projects & Restructuring team in Johannesburg. 

Giving you the widest platform to progress, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to advise on various types of local and cross border financing transactions, including secured lending, acquisition and asset financing, leveraged financing, preference share funding, syndicated lending, corporate financing, project finanancing and restructuring. 

The role will be based in our Johannesburg office, but will involve working on a portfolio of cases on a national basis as well as working with DLA Piper offices worldwide. The role may also require travel to our other offices from time to time. 

We have the international reach and innovative mind-set to represent a broad range of clients and advise them on high profile and pathfinding transactions.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This is an opportunity to join a highly successful and growing team, and to play a key strategic role future development. The successful candidate will enjoy a uniquely dynamic range of work that will cover our core services including: 

• Work on a diverse portfolio of complex and high value cases
• Act for both lenders and borrowers
• Contribute to the delivery of the highest technical standards of client service
• Work closely with the other members of the team on the execution of key mandates
• Assume responsibility for the running of lower value cases
• Conducting major research, depending on client needs
• Have excellent prospects for personal career development and advancement

ABOUT YOU
We do not set upper or lower limits of PQE for any of our vacancies. We have however given an indicative PQE as an approximate guide for applicants. Candidates who have between 3 and 6 years PQE are likely to have the right level of knowledge and have gained the right level of experience needed to be able to undertake this role. Candidates are expected to have: 

• Strong Finance, Projects & Restructuring experience gained in an international or leading national firm is preferable
• An international awareness and focus
• A commitment to technical excellence
• The ability to work co-operatively and collaboratively in a team, sharing information and knowledge
• The ability to provide professional, quality service, executed in a timely manner and to respond effectively to requests from internal and external clients
• Commercial awareness and understanding of current key legal and business issues
• Experience of business development initiatives and the ability to identify ways to contribute collaboratively to the development of the team’s relationships with clients
• A desire to develop an effective network of internal and external contacts
• Strong personal motivation, and a desire to manage and develop their own career path

ABOUT US

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING

We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.