THE TEAM

Ranked Tier 1 in Chambers UK and the Legal 500 for over 20 years, the  Professional Services Group (PSG) are the leading practice in our field and proud to be referred to as “the best transactional partnership team in the UK” by the Legal 500 and as a “formidable team” by Chambers UK. Our reputation has been built over more than three decades of dominating the sector – having been described as “having a client list to die for” and most recently the Legal 500 2025 again describing the team as the “best partnership team in the market” with “unrivalled strength in breadth and depth” with “exceptional knowledge of the sector”.  

Our diverse client base includes top UK and international law firms, accountancy practices, real estate firms, financial services firms, insurance businesses, hedge funds, as well as architects, consulting engineers, actuaries, patent and trademark attorneys, and consultancy businesses.

We act as trusted advisors on the issues our clients face, such as mergers and acquisitions, profit sharing structures, disputes, financing, and distressed situations. Our services also extend to advisory work drafting partnership and LLP agreements, other constitutional documents, and addressing regulatory, disciplinary and investigatory issues.  Our practice has seen notable growth in SRA, ICAEW, FRC and related corporate structuring advice, and we have been involved in some of the most significant transactions involving private capital investment into the UK professional services sector in recent years.

Our expertise is demonstrated by our involvement in some of the most significant professional firm deals in the past decade, and advice on intricate international structuring issues.

THE ROLE

• Working directly with and supported by the four Partners in this market leading team based in our new international headquarters at 41 Lothbury in the heart of the City, you will enjoy high quality and exacting work from day one. It is a rewarding yet demanding role. You will be encouraged to develop your skills and establish your own relationships by working with Senior and Managing Partners and Chief Executive and Finance Officers from a wide range of professional firms and organisations on a daily basis - giving you client responsibility from the start.
• We are looking for an Associate who has a background in transactional corporate law but who would enjoy the more varied and challenging work the PSG is famous for. You can find out more about the PSG team here: https://www.addleshawgoddard.com/en/specialisms/professional-services/
• The team currently consists of four Partners (including our Senior Partner), one Managing Associate and three other Associates plus a trainee. This is an exciting opportunity to play a central role in transaction delivery, client relationship development and the continued expansion of the team and practice, which will provide clear career progression opportunities.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS ROLE 

The following is just a flavour of the varied kinds of work that the PSG regularly encounters:

• third party investment in professional firms and transactional issues;
• UK and International mergers and de-mergers;
• international network structures and governance and liability issues;
• drafting LLP Membership Agreements, Partnership Agreements, and wider constitutional and governance documents;
• US firms starting up in London;
• advising on wider governance, structuring, profit sharing and internal arrangements and the management of firms;
• partnership disputes and partner exits, including enforcement of restrictive covenants and protection against team moves; and
• regulatory and disciplinary issues including SRA investigations; and
• structuring of professional services firms regulated by the SRA, ICAEW, FRC and other regulators in the UK and overseas.

Many of these areas arise in the context of transactional mandates as well as standalone advisory instructions.

If you enjoy varied challenges, are curious about the inner workings of professional businesses and would like the opportunity to work with clients' senior management and boards on a wide range of commercial and confidential issues, then this could be the opportunity you are looking for.

YOUR AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE

You do not need any previous experience of advising clients in the professional services sector, though any experience of the kinds of work noted above may be an advantage. We will support you though a tested training programme as well as daily one-to-one support from all members of the team. However, we are particularly interested in someone with experience in mainstream corporate M&A or private equity who is looking for a different set of challenges whilst being able to deploy their existing skill set on the increasing number of transactional mandates which the team is engaged on.

You must:

• be able to demonstrate an interest in the team's work and current issues facing the professions;
• be motivated, with an enquiring and adaptable mind and a strong eye for detail;
• be articulate in explaining complex legal and regulatory provisions as well as wider strategic issues;
• have excellent drafting skills and be able to draft without the comfort of direct precedents;
• have the potential to be seen as a trusted and knowledgeable business advisor to senior management, be capable of fostering and maintaining close and long lasting commercial relationships and to act with the utmost discretion on often very sensitive issues;
• enjoy providing a high standard of client care to a knowledgeable and exacting client base;
• want to contribute towards the development of the team and the Firm as a whole; and
• have an ability quickly to absorb new material, including regulatory rules and provisions.

OUR FIRM

Addleshaw Goddard LLP is a place where you are valued, encouraged, and challenged to fulfil your potential in a supportive and collegiate environment.  Our culture of improvement, growth and collaboration delivers results, drives innovation, and rewards ambition.

We not only provide technical excellence and experience but, crucially, demonstrate real insight into our clients and what really matters to them and as such we are natural choice for FTSE100 clients and their equivalents in other markets.

Our success has been built by people from the widest range of backgrounds, locations, and perspectives. We have a number of employee networks that provide the opportunity to discuss the differences that make us who we are and celebrate this at AG.