Professional Support Lawyer (Part-time Optional)

Company Description

Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise.  The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the three key markets of the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution.

Clifford Chance has 35 offices in 25 countries, and the Perth and Sydney offices form part of the broader Asia Pacific region. This is an opportunity to join the Sydney office as a member of the existing global Knowledge & Training and Thought Leadership team, consisting of experienced Knowledge Lawyers and information specialists globally. 

Our Australian business works across several Global Product Groups in transactional and contentious practices. This role would see you flex across these areas, with an initial focus in Corporate and provide support nationwide.

Job Description

Our Knowledge & Training team is focused on delivering practical and insightful knowhow and advice to lawyers. Key to achieving this goal is the need to keep abreast of legal developments and work closely with our lawyers to ensure that deal knowhow and insights are collated, analysed and shared.

In summary you will be responsible for ensuring that lawyers have legal knowledge and knowhow at their fingertips, whether that is internal knowhow or knowledge on legal and regulatory developments. 

As well as keeping up to date with, and analysing, all legal and legislative developments relevant to the practice, you will be the "go to" resource for relevant legislative developments, template maintenance and production, knowledge sharing, thought leadership, client briefings and training.

Your role will play an important part by ensuring our collective experience is captured and utilised for the benefit of all.

Who you will work with

You will work in our leading, world-class global teams, alongside the partners and lawyers.

You will have support from within the Knowledge & Training and Thought Leadership team and will also work with our Business Development Team and Transformation Team. Clifford Chance's innovative experts work collaboratively with fee earners and Knowledge Lawyers to deliver the highest-quality, seamless and cost-effective client service. 

What you will be responsible for

Templates

• Review and audit existing templates, and develop a plan to create an appropriate practice template system.
• Curate and maintain high-quality reusable templates.
• Standardise templates and clause banks.
• Ensure legal and regulatory currency and accuracy.
• Improve the accessibility and ease of use of templates, including template automation.

Knowledge sharing

• Encourage knowledge sharing by fee earners and the submission of knowhow to a shared knowledge database.
• Facilitate post deal reviews, analysis and knowledge consolidation.
• Assist with the development and maintenance of the knowledge bank, together with our local knowledge coordinator.
• Consider better ways in which knowledge can be shared and develop other knowledge databases e.g. Topic Guides.

Training

• Assist in preparation and delivery of group specific training.
• Deliver knowhow updates.
• Promote and assist fee earners with use of AI software alongside our Transformation Team.

Legal/regulatory

• Analyse forthcoming legal/regulatory developments to brief lawyers and clients on their impact (including preparing client briefings or client presentation materials for the fee earners to use).
• Respond to fee earner queries on legal and regulatory matters, including on legal/regulatory developments.
• Contribute to relevant legal/regulatory consultation responses.
• Prepare and present summaries on legal/regulatory developments, and update internal resources e.g. templates/Topic Guides.

Qualifications

• Mid- to senior-level lawyer or existing Knowledge Lawyer (PSL), ideally with 4–7 years' PQE gained in a leading commercial law firm.
• Strong background in M&A, including:
  • Private M&A transactions
  • Joint ventures
  • Corporate reorganisations
  • Company and corporate law advisory work
• Exposure to Finance transactions is advantageous, although experience across other practice areas will also be highly relevant.
• Excellent academic credentials.
• Strong drafting and legal writing skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Highly organised, proactive, and committed to delivering a first-class service to lawyers and clients.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively across stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• High level of commercial awareness and business acumen.
• Demonstrated ability to stay current with legal and regulatory developments and translate them into practical insights.
• Open to a part-time working arrangement of 3–4 days per week.

Additional Information

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.

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 here.