Senior Corporate & Commercial Solicitor

[FLSA0826]

Senior Corporate/Commercial Solicitor (10 years’ + PQE)

Due to extensive growth and multiple acquisitions, Fusion Consulting Group are looking to recruit a Senior Corporate/Commercial Solicitor to join us in our City of London office in Moorgate.

For the right candidate, the role comes with a clear path to partnership.

FCG, now in its tenth year of trading, established its Legal Services division in 2018. That division now trades as Fusion Law, an SRA-regulated firm working across corporate and M&A, commercial contracts, commercial property, banking and finance, and non-contentious employment. We do advisory and transactional work; we are not a contentious firm. A good deal of our corporate work is group restructuring tied to our tax colleagues’ planning, so we sit alongside tax, accountancy and financial-planning teams down the corridor and work as one team on a client’s affairs.

The firm offers excellent career prospects to somebody who wants to embed themselves as a key player in a small but rapidly growing team.

Key Responsibilities

You will be working directly with clients and other members of the team across a range of business-to-business practice areas and sectors.

The heart of the role is corporate restructuring and M&A: mergers and acquisitions, share and asset sales and purchases, management buy-outs, group reorganisations and demergers, share buybacks, joint ventures, and shareholders’, LLP and partnership agreements.

Much of our restructuring work runs alongside our tax team’s planning, so you will need to be genuinely comfortable with the corporate side of family investment companies, freezer and growth share structures, share-for-share exchanges and section 77 relief, and the everyday tax reliefs a restructuring solicitor is expected to know. You do not need to be a tax lawyer, but you do need to hold your own with one.

Alongside the corporate work you will handle general commercial matters, including business terms and conditions and the full range of commercial contracts, non-contentious intellectual property, and non-contentious employment (contracts, policies, TUPE on transactions, incentives and share schemes, settlement agreements), with support on property and finance from colleagues in those teams.

This is a senior role within our corporate and M&A team, with a clear path to partnership for the right person. You will run your own files with minimal supervision and manage and delegate to a small team of junior lawyers. Experience acting on nursery, care home or dental transactions is a real advantage, though it is not essential.

The role will require you to supervise other members of the team with their client matters in all aspects of the corporate and commercial work.

• Running share and asset sales and purchases end to end: taking instructions, drafting and negotiating the SPA and ancillary documents, leading due diligence and disclosure, and seeing the deal through to completion and post-completion.
• Leading group restructurings and reorganisations, often alongside the tax team: share-for-share exchanges, insertion of new holding companies, demergers, hive-ups and hive-downs, and the introduction of family investment companies, freezer and growth share structures for founders and the next generation.
• Drafting and negotiating shareholders’ agreements, articles, joint venture and partnership agreements, and the full range of commercial contracts (supply, distribution, services, NDAs), together with non-contentious intellectual property (assignments, licences, IP schedules on deals) and non-contentious employment work (contracts, policies, consultancy and IR35, TUPE, incentives and settlement agreements).
• Giving clients clear, commercial advice on terms, risk and what to push back on, and telling them what you would do, not just listing the options.
• Supervising and delegating to junior solicitors and paralegals: allocating work, reviewing drafts, and keeping matters moving to deadline.
• Taking on a proactive role in the negotiation of key documents and project management of the above types of work (direct client contact will be involved)
• Creating and maintaining client and referral relationships (attending meetings and calls)
• Assisting with the generation of new client work
• Attending events such as firm socials, trade shows and other opportunities
• Supporting other members of the team with training and mentorship with professional development
• Using your initiative with self-development, training and development

Candidate Requirements

You will be required to embrace the values and culture of the firm, and you must be happy to work autonomously but within a collegiate and supportive environment

• You will need to have the ability to manage several matters concurrently, be comfortable with taking pragmatic decisions on legal risk and be able to empathise with stakeholders in other teams at all levels in the Group.
• At least 10 years’ PQE, at a level where partnership is the natural next step.
• A solid corporate M&A and restructuring track record. The type of firm you are coming from matters less than your ability to run your own deals with little or no supervision.
• Enough working knowledge of the tax that drives restructuring work (family investment companies, freezer and growth shares, share-for-share exchanges, section 77 relief and the common reorganisation reliefs) to lead the corporate side confidently and work hand in glove with the tax team. Sector experience in nursery, care home or dental transactions is welcome but not essential.
• The judgement to manage and delegate to a small team of junior lawyers, and the appetite to develop them.
• Supervise experienced and junior solicitors and paralegals
• Excellent drafting skills
• Good attention to detail and sound judgement
• Strong technical and project management skills
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail
• Ability to use your initiative and solve problems independently
• Ability to manage time well, prioritise effectively and handle multiple deadlines
• Be enthusiastic and energetic with a team approach to working
• Be enthusiastic and passionate and have genuine care about the standards of your work
• You are professional, personable and approachable
• You are articulate both verbally and in writing
• You enjoy being part of a dynamic team but comfortable working autonomously
• You are comfortable prioritising a varied workload
• Our values resonate with you

It is a condition of your employment that you remain on the Roll of Solicitors. Your duties are to act as a Solicitor and carry out those functions which, in the reasonable opinion of the firm, are appropriate and consistent with the role.

What we Offer

• Competitive base salary, plus a performance bonus
• Private medical insurance
• Group life insurance at three times base salary
• FusionPoints bonus scheme
• An additional day off for your Birthday every year
• Tailored training and development plans for every employee
• Participation in the law team’s incentive program

Job Type: Full-time (three-month notice period, start date as soon as possible)

Job Location: London, Moorgate, EC2Y 9AW (hybrid working with 3x a week in the office)

About Fusion Consulting Group:

Fusion is a multi-discipline consulting practice assisting entrepreneurial businesses and private clients by delivering an end-to-end solution throughout their business journey.

Fusion crafts client solutions using its in-house team of highly skilled consultants with a diverse range of expertise within International Taxation, Company Accounting, Executive Recruitment, IT Strategy, Business Advisory, Legal Services and Financial services ensuring a joined-up approach and a single, coordinated client experience.

Equal Opportunities

Fusion Consulting Ltd is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.