Knowledge Director - Head of Corporate Transactions & Advisory

Job Description

The role

This is a senior opportunity to join and lead the London Corporate Transactions & Advisory (CT&A) Product Group's existing Knowledge & Training and Thought Leadership team (K&T and TL team), consisting of experienced Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists.

Our London CT&A Product Group advises on some of the world's largest and most complex M&A transactions, including private M&A, joint ventures, restructurings and corporate advisory work.

Our K&T and TL team is focused on delivering practical and insightful knowhow and advice to lawyers, predominantly in London but also across our global network.  Key to achieving this goal is the need to keep abreast of legal and regulatory developments and work closely with our lawyers in order to ensure that deal and advisory knowhow and insights are collated, analysed and shared across the CT&A Product Group as well as other relevant Product Groups within the firm.

In summary, you will be responsible for ensuring that the London CT&A K&T and TL team delivers on ensuring that lawyers have legal and regulatory knowledge and knowhow at their fingertips, whether that is internal knowhow or knowledge on legal and regulatory developments. 

In addition, your particular area of expertise will be company law and corporate governance.  You will keep up to date with, and analyse, all legal and regulatory developments in respect of these areas.  You will also be the "go to" resource for legal and regulatory developments, template maintenance and production, knowledge sharing, training, thought leadership, client communications and AI and innovation in respect of company law and corporate governance. 

Your role will also play an important part by ensuring our collective experience is captured and utilised for the benefit of all across the CT&A Product Group as well as other relevant Product Groups within the firm.

You will provide valuable support to the Chair of the CLLS Company Law Committee and any partner on the Company Law Committee of the Law Society, which will involve taking part in working groups, alongside members of these Committees, formed to respond to Government and regulatory body consultations that impact the work of the CT&A Product Group, with a particular focus on company law and corporate governance.   

You will also help drive the adoption of legal technology, including the firm's AI tools, by fee earners.  By combining this focus with your legal expertise, you will support the delivery of more efficient, consistent and client-focused legal services.

Who you will work with

You will work in our leading, world-class CT&A Global Product Group, alongside the partners and lawyers.

What makes us one of the most respected Corporate Transactions & Advisory practices globally is our client base, the mandates we win, our industry expertise and commercial approach, and our people and their intellectual capability.  We are consistently retained as lead international counsel on cross-border mandates and our team has a diverse client base that includes a number of FTSE350 and Fortune 500 listed corporations. 

You will work within the London CT&A Product Group and also be part of our London and global K&T and TL teams.  This means you will work collaboratively with Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists in other Product Groups in the London office (including Private Equity, Debt Finance, Employment, Incentives and Real Estate) and in our offices across the globe.

The role more generally and the work supporting the partners involved with the CLLS and Law Society Company Law Committees will provide opportunities to interact with other City law firms, Government departments such as the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) and industry bodies/regulators such as the FCA, the Takeover Panel, Companies House and the FRC.

You will also collaborate with our Corporate Governance Team, Business Development Team, Transformation Team and Legal Technology Advisors.  Clifford Chance's Transformation Team and Legal Technology Advisors work collaboratively with fee earners and Knowledge Lawyers to deliver the highest-quality, efficient and cost-effective client service, including by leveraging developments in AI and legal technology.  

What you will be responsible for

Leading London CT&A K&T and TL team

• Managing the CT&A Knowledge Lawyer team, with responsibility for appraisal reviews, objective setting, performance management and monitoring progress against strategic priorities.
• Leading CT&A K&T and TL business planning, including setting the strategic direction for the CT&A K&T and TL team and overseeing implementation of the business plan.
• Leading on ensuring effective collaboration with the Corporate Governance Team on relevant legal and regulatory developments. 
• Running the London Corporate Knowhow Committee, including liaising with Knowledge Lawyers and the Corporate Governance Team, preparing and circulating agenda and supporting information, facilitating meetings and ensuring appropriate follow-up. 

Legal/regulatory

• Analysing forthcoming legal/regulatory developments in respect of company law and corporate governance in order to update lawyers and clients on their impact (including supporting the team, led by our Corporate Governance specialists, that prepares a corporate governance update emailed to clients on a weekly basis and preparing other client communications and client presentation materials) and to update internal resources e.g. templates/practice notes/Topic Guides.
• Responding to fee earner queries on legal/regulatory matters in respect of company law and corporate governance, including on legal/regulatory developments.
• Contributing to legal/regulatory consultation responses relevant to company law and corporate governance.
• Supporting Clifford Chance partners on work relating to external legal committees, such as the Company Law Committees of the CLLS and the Law Society.
• Preparing and presenting summaries on legal/regulatory developments in respect of company law and corporate governance at London Corporate Knowhow Committee meetings.

Knowledge management and sharing

• Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge database, ensuring content is well curated, structured and optimised for effective use with the firm’s AI tools.
• Encouraging fee earners to share and submit knowhow to the firm's knowledge database.
• Assisting with the development and maintenance of any relevant bespoke knowhow collections.
• Identifying improved ways to capture, organise and share knowhow.

Templates

• Maintaining, reviewing and updating existing company law and corporate governance templates to ensure they remain accurate, current and aligned with legal, regulatory and market developments.
• Identifying and creating new company law and corporate governance templates as required.
• Improving the accessibility and ease of use of company law and corporate governance templates, including through template automation and optimisation for effective use with the firm’s AI tools.

Training

• Preparing and/or delivering training on company law and corporate governance, including legal/regulatory developments in these areas.
• Delivering knowledge updates on company law and corporate governance to the CT&A Product Group as well as other relevant Product Groups within the firm.

AI and innovation

• Supporting the development, adoption and effective use of legal technology tools, including the firm’s AI tools, across the London office and globally, helping to share best practice and embed new ways of working.
• Promoting and assisting fee earners with the use of legal technology tools, including the firm’s AI tools, and helping to identify and develop appropriate use cases to improve matter delivery and lawyer productivity.
• Supporting the responsible use of the firm's legal technology tools, including the firm’s AI tools, in line with firm policies, client requirements and confidentiality obligations.

Collaboration

• Collaborating with Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists in Product Groups that deliver M&A and corporate advisory client work to ensure activities are co-ordinated in respect of legal, regulatory and market practice developments, knowledge management, training, thought leadership and AI/innovation.
• Collaborating with other Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists in London and globally to ensure knowledge is shared and activities are co-ordinated within Product Groups globally and across other relevant Product Groups within the firm, particularly in respect of company law and corporate governance.
• Participating in external Knowledge Lawyer community discussions to share knowledge and information on legal and regulatory topics as well as market practice.
   

Qualifications

Your experience

You will be an existing Knowledge Lawyer (PSL) (with significant senior experience in company law and corporate governance.  Experience in M&A (including private M&A, joint ventures and reorganisations) would be beneficial. 

You will have strong drafting skills, good attention to detail and strong organisational skills.  You will also be proactive and committed to providing a first class service to our lawyers and clients.

You should have strong leadership, communication and analytical skills, along with a high level of commercial awareness.  You should also have a strong track record of keeping abreast of legal and regulatory developments.

You should also have a strong interest in legal technology, AI and innovation and prior experience in this area would be beneficial.
 

Additional Information

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge through formal training, informal coaching and mentoring, technical training and on the job learning.

Hybrid working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way in line with the hybrid working policy.

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK, please visit our What We Offer page on our career site. 

Equal opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.