Associate – Emerging Companies

Our Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Practice is globally recognized as a top-tier leader in both public and private M&A transactions. We deliver unparalleled legal services for complex corporate deals, offering strategic planning, due diligence, negotiation, and execution of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and other business combinations. Serving a diverse clientele, including multinational corporations, private equity firms and banks, our team ensures regulatory compliance, manages risk, and structures transactions for optimal outcomes. By combining extensive legal expertise with deep market insight, we help clients navigate high-stakes transactions, fostering growth and creating value, solidifying our reputation as one of the premier M&A practices worldwide.

Position Summary

We are currently looking for a junior associate who has 1 – 3 years’ experience representing emerging companies, their founders and venture capital funds to join the Corporate and M&A practice in our Silicon Valley office. The ideal candidate will have experience representing emerging growth companies and their founders at all stages of their lifecycle (business formation, financing transactions, and mergers and acquisitions) as well as the funds that invest in them. Our practice is across a broad range of industries, such as software, enterprise, security, digital health, AI, fintech, gaming, and blockchain.

As well as possessing excellent academic credentials and legal knowledge, you should also be commercially minded, with a solid grasp of the market, an enthusiasm for the cut-and-thrust of international deal making, and an ability to synthesize issues in a manner easily understandable by our clients and other team members.

Highly focused, you should display the organizational skills and composure needed to thrive in a demanding, fast-paced practice, working to tight deadlines and managing multiple workstreams and communication channels. Given the fluidity of the deal-making process, you should also be mentally agile—adept at thinking on your feet, and quickly adapting to changing circumstances.

Excellent oral and written communication skills will be major assets—enabling you to negotiate effectively and to seamlessly manage the flow of information between practice groups, clients and stakeholders. Regularly working in large, international and multidisciplinary teams, you should also demonstrate a collaborative approach and an ease interacting with a wide range of legal and business professionals. Proactive and self-motivated, you should be eager to take ownership of your work product and demonstrate the skill, talent and commitment to deliver outstanding results.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Representing emerging technology and life science companies and venture capital investors in a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, including incorporation, early and late-stage venture financings, mergers and acquisitions, and private and public offerings.

• Advising on start-ups, venture capital financing, corporate formations, shareholders agreements, and corporate restructures

• Initial drafting efforts for all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity transactions, joint ventures and investments for sophisticated public and private clients

• Regularly interacting with clients and ensuring that their interests are properly represented and protected at all times

• Leading on due diligence

• Conducting and overseeing legal research

• Ensuring clients’ interests are properly represented and protected at all times

Qualifications

• 1-3 years experience with emerging companies with solid understanding of corporate matters, including venture financing and mergers & acquisitions

• Ability to interact directly with client’s senior management

• Strong academic record and intellectual curiosity, creative thinker

• Commercial and business awareness

• Outstanding communication skills

• Strong time management skills, ability to stay calm under pressure when juggling multiple projects

• Excellent drafting skills

• Driven by professional growth

• Strong professional presence

• Client service focus

• Team player

• Strong judgment

• Proactive, resourceful, takes initiative and a self-starter

• Fluency in English

• Admitted to the CA bar and in good standing

Locations and Compensation

Offices: Silicon Valley
Salary range: US$225,000 - $260,000

This role reports to

Partner

Equal Opportunities

White & Case is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact [email protected].

Benefits at White & Case

White & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible.

The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.

The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Our internal Recruitment team manages all aspects of lateral hiring. All agencies must have signed terms of business—specific to the relevant office—before submitting any candidates. CVs or applications sent directly to White & Case partners or employees will also not be considered formal introductions. If you have questions, please contact the relevant Recruitment team. We work with our preferred suppliers when engaging agencies.