Projects & Infrastructure Associate

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We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can get early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

You can expect:

• A competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies
• Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family
• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes
• The opportunity to support the firm's charity through volunteering leave
• Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.
• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.

The Stephenson Harwood's projects, energy and infrastructure team provides a unique offering of transactional projects and construction expertise. Whilst you may be required take on matter across both these specialisms, the main purpose of this hire is to work with our existing transactional construction and engineering lawyers and assist with the growth in this area.

 The practice group also has a strong focus on energy transition and is advising on nuclear, hydrogen and carbon capture projects as well as energy from waste, district heating, battery storage, solar and onshore wind projects. You can expect to advise clients throughout the lifespan of a project. This includes feasibility, procurement and bidding, variations and on-site project support, refinancings and secondary market acquisitions and disposals.

Our dedicated team of transactional construction and engineering lawyers provide specialist advice on construction and engineering projects across a range of sectors. In addition to acting in the domestic market, the team has an international offering and frequently works alongside colleagues in the Middle East and Asia on developments in those jurisdiction as well as inward investment into the United Kingdom.

The team acts for a diverse client base of institutional investors, project sponsors, private developers, owner/occupiers, government bodies and public authorities, funders, contractors, consultants, and other stakeholders involved in high value construction and engineering work. You can further expect to advise on a broad range of commercial real estate developments in several sectors including mixed-use commercial, industrial, hotel & leisure and retail and on infrastructure and engineering projects in sectors such as energy and renewables, decarbonisation, transport including rail and utilities.

You will work closely with, and be supervised and mentored by, 7 partners with varying clients and areas of expertise.

The team works collaboratively with several other practice groups within the firm too e.g. the wider real estate team, real estate finance, rail, corporate and with the construction and real estate disputes teams. Therefore, this role will entail providing expertise on the construction elements of other practice groups' matters and commercial pragmatic advice on construction risks having regard to the fundamentals of the wider project.

Your main responsibilities would include:

• leading matter management on smaller/less complex matters with minimal supervision of a partner;
• working alongside partners and managing associates on more complex matters;
• clear, concise and unambiguous preparation and drafting of relevant documentation;
• conducting legal research using internal and external knowledge management resources;
• liaising with clients under the supervision of a partner or managing associate;
• assisting partners with matter management and financial hygiene of matters;
• supervising more junior associates and trainees;
• developing own informal internal and external network of contacts;
• building excellent working relationships with clients and peers within the firm; and
• attending business development and profile-raising events (client seminars, industry and trade body networking, graduate recruitment activities).

• UK-qualified lawyer with demonstrable mid-level experience gained with a strong private practice law firm in the UK is likely to be the best fit for the current needs of the team. However foreign qualified candidates with equivalent and/or comparable experience in the domestic market will be considered.
• The candidate should be self-starter who take the initiative.
• Relevant experience drafting and amending suites of construction documents across various standard forms as well as drafting bespoke appointments.
• Strong technical knowledge and experience of working on commercial real estate development, JCT, NEC, FIDIC, MF/1, IChemE and bespoke contractual arrangements as well as non-contentious construction elements of real estate and funding documents such as agreements for lease, Sale and Purchase Agreements, development funding and forward funding agreements, security agreements and other ancillary documents under the supervision of a partner or managing associate.
• Experience and expertise at independently managing non-complex transactional construction files with little supervision.
• Preferable but not critical for the role: Experience in dealing with PFI and PPP projects including greenfield projects, asset management (including variations), sale and acquisition of operational projects and construction and facilities management work
• Delivering commercial pragmatic advice to clients and colleagues which places the construction risks in the context of the wider transaction.
• Ability to acquire, consolidate and apply fundamental and up-to-date knowledge of the law.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and numerical communication skills.
• Organised and able to work to strict deadlines with the ability to prioritise realistically including flagging any conflicting urgent deadlines to partners in a contemporaneous fashion.
• Good housekeeping/file management practices.
• Manages and records time promptly and accurately.Resilient with the ability to handle set backs and pressure.
• A self-starter, able to work alone and within a small team.
• Ambitious, keen to work in a developing department.
• Cooperative, affable and collaborative in approach and is able to develop excellent working relationships at all levels and roles.
• Ability to operate professionally and proactively at all times.
• Exhibits an understanding of the firm’s position in the market and how it distinguishes its services from its competitors.
• Excellent academic and professional qualifications.

This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm's strategy and business needs.

Stephenson Harwood is an international law firm, and we're committed to creating 'positive partnerships' with our clients. We represent listed and private companies, institutions and individuals, building lasting relationships to help them succeed in a complex andever-changing world.

Our focus is on five core sectors: Energy Transition, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Private Capital and Funds, Technology, and Transportation and Trade.

With more than 1,400 people, including 210+ partners, across eight offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we combine deep legal capabilities and broad commercial expertise. We have also forged close ties with high quality law firms around the world, blending local knowledge with global savvy for clients in over 100 countries.

We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.

Our brand strengths:

• GO FAR, GO TOGETHER
• EXPERTS IN MORE THAN LAW
• CAN DO PERSONALITIES
• ALWAYS READY