Knowledge Lawyer - Tax

Job Description

The role

This is an opportunity to join our global Knowledge and Training  function (K&T function) as a Knowledge Lawyer supporting our London Tax team.

Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms. Clifford Chance's vision is to be one of the elite global law firms and we aim to achieve this through a focus on client service excellence. The K&T function drives quality, consistency, efficiency, and innovation across Clifford Chance, producing better-trained fee earners, supported by gold-standard knowledge resources. We use tools that leverage firm-wide knowledge and artificial intelligence (AI) to create competitive advantage through smarter, more complex, more accurate and more efficient legal work.

Our London Tax team works on a wide range of market leading transactional and advisory matters, providing advice across international and domestic tax issues.

You will be responsible for ensuring that relevant fee earners have legal knowledge and knowhow at their fingertips, with a particular focus on keeping abreast of UK and international tax developments relevant to London Tax fee earners. You will be the "go to" resource for the Tax team for relevant legislative developments, be responsible for designing, coordinating and delivering training, as well as template maintenance and production.  You will also play an important role in internal knowledge sharing, thought leadership and client briefings.  You will work closely with our fee earners to ensure that relevant legislative, regulatory, transaction and advisory knowhow and insights are collated, analysed and shared within the Tax team and other global product groups, as appropriate.

Whilst your area of expertise will be focused on matters relevant to the London Tax team, the K&T function is global and you will be expected to support, and coordinate with, colleagues across our international network. Your role will play an important part in ensuring that our knowledge assets are properly captured and utilised for the benefit of the global Tax team as well as other relevant global product groups within the firm.

You will use technology, including appropriate use of the firm's AI tools, to manage and deliver your own work effectively and also help to drive the adoption of legal technology by fee earners. By combining this focus on innovation 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 primarily alongside the partners and fee earners in our market leading London Tax team.  As part of our global K&T function, you will work collaboratively with Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists across our global network.

You will also work closely with our Thought Leadership function, Business Development, Marketing and Communications, PR and other business professional teams on the preparation of external-facing materials.

Work on innovation and AI projects will also bring the opportunity to work with Clifford Chance's Transformation team and Legal Technology Advisors who work collaboratively with fee earners and Knowledge Lawyers to deliver the highest-quality, efficient and cost-effective client service. 

What you will be responsible for

Training and support

• Preparing, delivering and/or coordinating training on UK and international tax related matters.
• Delivery of knowhow updates to the London and global Tax teams and other relevant global product groups within the firm.
• Responding to fee earner queries on UK/international tax related matters, including on relevant legal developments.

Tax Law Developments

• Identifying forthcoming legal developments relating to UK and relevant international tax matters, including proposed changes to the UK tax rules and relevant case law.
• Analysing and assessing the impact of relevant legal developments and communicating the developments and their impacts to the London and global Tax teams and any other relevant global product groups, including through relevant training.
• Agreeing any consequential impacts from relevant legal developments on templates, practice notes or other knowledge assets with the Tax team partners and implementing the same.
• Preparing client briefings and thought leadership on relevant tax related developments or market practice.
• Coordinating and contributing to relevant consultation responses (both with respect to submissions that Clifford Chance might make, but also assisting with our input into industry body responses).

Knowledge management and sharing

• Working with relevant information management teams to maintain an up-to-date knowledge database, ensuring content is well curated, structured and optimised for effective use with the firm’s AI tools.
• Encouraging and engaging with fee earners to share and submit knowhow to the firm's knowledge database.
• Identifying improved ways to capture, organise and share knowhow.

Templates

• Auditing, maintaining, reviewing and updating existing templates and practice notes to ensure they remain accurate, current and aligned with legal and market developments.
• Identifying and creating new tax related templates and practice notes as required.
• Working with Knowledge Lawyers and stakeholders in other global product groups to ensure the tax-related elements of non-tax templates and practice notes are maintained.
• Improving the accessibility and ease of use of relevant templates and practice notes, including through template automation and optimisation for effective use with the firm’s AI tools.

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 identify and develop appropriate use cases to improve matter delivery and lawyer productivity, share best practice, and embed new ways of working.
• 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 other Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists across global product groups that involve UK tax to ensure activities are co-ordinated in respect of legal, regulatory and market practice developments, knowledge management, training, thought leadership and AI/innovation.
• Participating in external Knowledge Lawyer community discussions to share knowledge and information on relevant tax related topics as well as market practice.
• Working with our Thought Leadership function and business professionals across the firm to support relevant thought leadership activities and other market outreach.
   

Qualifications

Your experience

You will be a mid to senior level lawyer or existing Knowledge Lawyer (PSL) with significant experience in UK tax matters.

An interest in knowledge management and legal training is critical, and experience would be an advantage, however you do not necessarily need to be a current Knowledge Lawyer.

You will have an excellent academic background. You will have strong research and drafting skills, good attention to detail and robust organisational skills. You will also be proactive and committed to providing a first class service to our fee earners and clients.

You should have excellent interpersonal, communication and analytical skills, along with a high level of commercial awareness, and a track record of keeping abreast of legal developments. You will need the ability to engage effectively with key stakeholders, including partners, clients, and industry leaders.

You should also have a strong interest in engaging with 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 varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and 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.