We have an opening for an experienced mid-level Associate to join our leading Tax practice in London.

Practice and Role Summary
The UK Tax Group at Freshfields continues to excel, providing top quality advice on a broad range of the highest profile and most complex mandates and contentious tax matters. We are (and have for many years been) ranked in the top tier and are consistently recommended as a leading tax firm by the major tax directories, which note our impressive strength in depth. We are the only firm to be ranked as Band 1 by Chambers in both the UK Tax and UK Contentious Tax categories (as well as Band 1 for Europe-wide Tax and Global Tax). Rather than one or two star names, the entire team is of high calibre. It is this which distinguishes our practice and accounts for the quality of the work we attract and the standard of advice we deliver. Our partners feature heavily in the top echelons of various tax directories and rankings and many of our associates are regular contributors to our blogs, podcasts and thought leadership pieces.

The London tax team offers specialist advice on all areas of corporate tax. It provides support for the firm’s corporate clients and also has a strong stand-alone tax practice, advising on some of the most complex tax disputes and advisory tax mandates in the market.  You will have the opportunity to work on challenging, engaging work across the breadth of the team’s practice that will give you the opportunity to make your mark and progress your career. We believe there is no better place to work.

Key Responsibilities
Our associates enjoy a wide range of work including:

• Corporate & Private Capital - Our corporate tax practice covers the full spectrum of public and private M&A, IPOs, demergers, restructurings, returns of capital, joint ventures and private capital transactions.

• Finance and Restructuring - Our tax finance and restructuring work covers all types of corporate equity and debtbased work as well as innovative solutions for restructuring and refinancing corporate debt in turbulent markets.

• Real Estate - Our real estate tax practice continues to cover a wide range of commercial real estate activity, acting for developers, institutional investors, lenders and fund managers.

• Tax Disputes - Our tax practice works with clients to solve some of their most difficult contentious tax issues globally.  We represent clients dealing with large scale and multi-faceted tax disputes in the UK and internationally and we have a strong track record for successfully resolving disputes in and out of court.

Due to our large international network and the multi-jurisdictional nature of many of our clients, much of our work has a cross border element, involving a number of our international offices. This gives London tax associates a chance to work with lawyers in different jurisdictions and to gain familiarity with international tax aspects.  There are also opportunities for client and international secondments.

Requirements

• Candidates must be admitted as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or have an equivalent common law qualification.

• Excellent technical and commercial abilities.

• Able to work effectively as part of a team.

• Highly effective communicator (both orally and in writing).

• Able to take on a high degree of responsibility and manage a challenging workload.

• Committed to providing an excellent service to our clients.

• Proactive involvement in business development and knowledge management.

• Committed to supporting initiatives that promote our values and culture.

Freshfields Overview

Freshfields is a major international law firm, providing business law advice of the highest quality. We want to be the law firm that clients turn to for legal advice where it most matters, wherever in the world that may be. The firm has over 2,400 lawyers in 28 offices around the world, providing a comprehensive service to national and multinational corporations, financial institutions and governments.

Our people make our firm - we are a people business and want to create a welcoming and supportive environment where all can flourish. Freshfields is committed to promoting equality and diversity and to developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds make important and positive contributions to our business and how we service our clients. We see diversity as a strength which creates fresh perspectives and generates new ideas.

We enjoy our work and are determined to do an outstanding job. We deliver best when working in teams. Our culture is a product of the combined mindsets and behaviours of our people, embodied in the Being Freshfields principles, outlined below:

• we show respect to everyone

• we are there for one another

• we are open with each other

• we are positive role models

We think and work globally - we don’t just say we are one firm; we act like one firm right across the world. We work wherever our clients need us. This is how we define ourselves, not by reference to where we have offices. Cross-border work isn’t just what we do, it is what we excel at. We understand what it really takes to work across different legal systems and commercial environments and to bridge language and cultural gaps.

We aim to add value in everything we do - we are passionate about helping our clients succeed. We use our experience and creativity to help clients make judgements and achieve their goals. In everything we do, we seek to make a real difference to the communities in which we operate.

Inclusion
Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered on the basis of their merit alone. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing.

Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case-by-case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.

Please let us know if you require any support or adjustments to be made in order to submit your application to Freshfields.