Corporate Associate

London – £190,000 - £270,000

If you're a private equity lawyer who wants proper sponsor exposure, lean teams, and genuinely commercial work, this is one of the more compelling platforms in London right now.

This isn't a volume mid-market shop or a siloed support role — it's a core PE/M&A team operating as an extension of sponsor investment teams, advising across the full deal lifecycle.

The Role
You'll work directly with partners on:

• Sponsor-side private equity transactions (mid-market to upper mid-market)
• Complex M&A and joint ventures
• Bolt-on acquisitions and buy-and-build strategies
• Exit processes, including continuation funds and secondary transactions

The work is hands-on, high responsibility, and commercially driven — you're not buried in process or overly layered teams.

The Work
Exposure includes:

• UK and cross-border PE deals
• Continuation fund and liquidity solutions
• Portfolio company strategy and bolt-ons
• Management advisory work alongside sponsors

Sector coverage is broad but consistent with active deal flow:

• Consumer, retail, hospitality
• Industrials and business services
• Tech and financial services
• Healthcare and real assets

The Team

• Lean, high-performing London PE team
• Works closely with major global sponsors and investment funds
• Known for being pragmatic, commercial, and sponsor-aligned
• Regularly described by clients as operating like an extension of the investment team

You'll get direct partner access, meaningful responsibility early, and visibility across transactions end-to-end.

What They're Looking For

• ~2-6 PQE from a strong corporate/M&A or private equity team
• Solid experience on sponsor-side or PE-led transactions
• Strong commercial instinct — not just technical execution
• Comfortable operating in lean teams with high autonomy

Why This Move

• Higher quality exposure vs mid-market volume teams
• More responsibility vs Magic Circle layering
• Better commercial seat at the table vs pure execution roles
• Strong cross-border work without the bureaucracy of larger platforms

Comp & Platform

• US firm compensation (top-end of London market)
• Strong deal flow and sponsor relationships
• Clear trajectory within a growing London PE offering

If you want a role where you're genuinely involved in how deals are structured, negotiated, and executed — not just turning the handle, this is worth a conversation.