Description:

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 mid-level associate with private equity and/or M&A experience to join the M&A Corporate practice in our Chicago office. This role will advise privately held and high growth companies, as well as venture capital funds, private equity funds and corporate strategics, in connection with equity financings, mergers, acquisitions, divestures, joint ventures and general corporate matters.

As well as possessing excellent academic credentials and legal knowledge, you should also be commercially minded, with a solid grasp of the market and an enthusiasm for the cut-and-thrust of deal making. Ideal candidates should have excellent drafting, writing and analytical skills, strong attention to detail, organizational, verbal, interpersonal and project management skills. Experience in drafting and negotiating purchase and merger agreements, LLC and LP agreements and other ancillary transaction documents and otherwise meeting the day-to-day requirements of private equity fund and portfolio company clients is expected.

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:

Advising and leading drafting efforts for all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity transactions, joint ventures and investments for sophisticated public and private clients
Leading on due diligence
Conducting and overseeing legal research
Ensuring clients' interests are properly represented and protected at all time

Qualifications:

4+ years of substantive M&A and Private Equity experience at a leading law firm, with a strong foundation in public and private company transactions
Experience representing buyers, sellers, and financial sponsors in domestic and mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, equity financings and joint ventures
Ability to run discrete aspects of transactions independently, with appropriate supervision
Exercises sound legal and commercial judgment; identifies issues early and proposes practical, business-oriented solutions
Demonstrates intellectual curiosity and creative thinking when addressing complex legal and structural issues
Anticipates client needs and maintains a service-oriented mindset consistent with our client expectations
Communicates clearly and professionally with clients, opposing counsel, and internal stakeholders
Strong academic record and excellent legal drafting and analytical skills
Contributes to a collaborative, high-performing deal team culture
A Juris Doctor (JD) degree (LLM or foreign equivalent) from an accredited law school
Admitted to the Illinois bar (or the ability to become admitted) and in good standing
Strong time management skills, ability to stay calm under pressure when juggling multiple projects
Proactive, resourceful, takes initiative and a self-starter
Fluency in English