Associate – Group Actions and Competition

What we will offer

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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 gain 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
• We support the causes you care about, by giving you one day per year off to volunteer with any charity that you are involved with outside of work.
• 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.
• 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.
• We are an equal opportunity organisation, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture, or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives

Team Structure

We are currently seeking an enterprising Associate with solid competition and group actions experience (claimant and/or defendant side) to join our Group Actions and Competition team, who enjoys leading on cases and driving forward business development ideas. They must be willing to participate actively in the team’s business development and have the desire and ambition to identify and develop claim opportunities.

The ideal candidate will have experience in the areas set out below:

• Cartel and abuse of dominance claims (Chapter I and Chapter II);
• Preferably experience of the opt-out collective actions regime in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and more generally of working on funded claims (whether bringing them, or defending them);
• Providing pre-action advice and support to clients in relation to potential competition damages claims, and assisting with the identification and development of claim opportunities;
• Preferably some broader experience of mass claims (e.g., securities litigation, consumer protection litigation and/or broader ESG focused actions).

Stephenson Harwood’s commercial litigation practice, of which the Group Actions and Competition team forms part, has been named “Disputes Team of the Year” at The Legal Business Awards 2026.

• Recognised in the Global Competition Review 100 - an annual list of the world’s best competition practices.
• The team and/or the Partners are recognised by Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 for Competition Law: Private enforcement, Group Litigation and EU and competition law.
• Nominated for Most Notable Class or Collective Action at ILFA’s Legal Finance Awards.
• Nominated at The British Legal Awards 2025 for Competition/Regulatory team of the year.
• Head of practice, Genevieve Quierin, is one of the leading competition litigators in the UK. She has been named in this year’s The Lawyer: Hot 100 and featured in Global Competition Review’s Women in Antitrust.

About the Firm

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 and ever-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 1,500 people, including 250+ partners, across twelve 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.

250 + PARTNERS

12 OFFICES45+ LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY OUR PEOPLE

Offices in Al Khobar, Athens, Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Paris, Riyadh, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and associated office in Guangzhou

Our brand strengths:

GO FAR, GO TOGETHER

EXPERTS IN MORE THAN LAW

CAN DO PERSONALITIES

ALWAYS READY