About Herbert Smith Freehills As one of the world’s leading law firms, we advise many of the largest and most ambitious organisations across all major regions of the globe. With over 5,000 people, including 3,100 lawyers and over 2,000 business services professionals, operating from our global network of offices across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. We recognise that the success of our business and our clients relies on the skills, knowledge and ideas of all our people. Our environment is one in which high performance is expected, in return, we will provide you with rewards and opportunities tailored to your personal and professional goals. The Opportunity We are seeking a Solicitor to join our premier Band 1 Corporate team in Melbourne. In this role you will have exposure to some of the best and highest profile deals in Australia and work closely with Partners Rodd Levy, Baden Furphy, Raji Azzam, Kam Jamshidi, Jason Jordan and Claire Thompson, as well as other leading Partners across our Melbourne and interstate corporate group. Your day could typically involve: Being involved in all aspects of corporate transactions including public and private M&A deals and takeovers for listed companies, disposals, private equity transactions, venture capital, joint ventures and shareholder arrangements. Drafting and negotiating key transactions documents, providing advice on areas of legal risk for clients and managing external client relationships. Ensuring key deadlines are met, including working closely with other legal teams across the firm to deliver an integrated service to our clients as well as working closely with other advisers on transactions. Developing relationships with key internal stakeholders and your counterparts within our clients, showing an interest in supporting business development activities for key existing clients and new clients. Mentoring more junior team members and assisting with providing training both in the team and across the firm. To be successful in this role, you will: Be an admitted Lawyer in Australia or New Zealand. Possess at least 2 years’ experience in a corporate M&A practice or equivalent. An excellent academic record, and a high level of attention to detail. A proactive approach and desire to be an integral member of, and contributor to, our leading and supportive team. An ability to work to tight timeframes, collaboratively and at times autonomously. A curiosity about our clients, and an eagerness to create an exceptional experience for them. A genuine passion for M&A and corporate transactions, with a natural desire for continuous learning. The team: Our market-leading M&A practice has a long-standing reputation for advising corporate and private equity clients across multiple jurisdictions on their most-significant, complex and innovative M&A, joint venture, takeover, demerger, venture capital and corporate restructuring transactions. We are consistently ranked as a leading firm in this area when measured against international benchmarks. We have secured our status as the leading legal adviser in Australian mergers and acquisitions, topping three different M&A league tables after acting on more deals than any other firm during the 2023 calendar year. The firm ranked: 1st by deal count and 1st by value of announced AU/NZ deals (Refinitiv). 1st by deal count in announced AU/NZ deals (Bloomberg). 1st by deal count and 1st by deal value of Australasian deals (Mergermarket). What we offer: The opportunity to partner with prestigious clients based in Australia and globally on some of the largest, most strategic and most complex matters, and develop deep expertise across a range of sectors, as well as opportunities to collaborate on cross-border matters with our global network. We also encourage your involvement in our various networks, pro-bono legal offerings, learning and development initiatives and innovation groups such as Innovation 10, Digital Law Group and our Alternative Legal Services (ALT) practice group. We recognise that the success of our business and our clients’ businesses relies on the skills, knowledge and ideas of all our people. We are dedicated to creating an exceptional experience for our clients and we value empathy, simplicity and commerciality. At Herbert Smith Freehills you will be part of a diverse, innovative culture where high performance, client focus and highly engaged people are our differentiator. People at our firm come from a range of backgrounds and bring a wide variety of experiences and perspectives to their work with us. We strive to ensure that our inclusive environment means you feel valued and able to perform at your best by being your authentic self at work. We know that our future success not only depends on being innovative and progressive in the changing legal market but, most importantly, on our people feeling highly engaged in meaningful work. We value your wellbeing, both at home and work and we place a strong emphasis on mental health. If you need support, you’ll have it and we’ll empower you to harness your personal strengths, navigate uncertainty, embrace opportunities, and effectively manage things within your control. To view our benefits in Australia, click here. This vacancy is being managed directly by Herbert Smith Freehills Recruitment team. We will contact our preferred agency partners should we require additional assistance. Thank you. For any questions, please contact Carissa Bartels, Recruitment Manager on carissa.bartels@hsf.com. Team AU LG Corporate Mel Level 2, Corporate Working Pattern Full time Location Melbourne Contract type Permanent Contract Diversity & Inclusion At Herbert Smith Freehills you will be part of a diverse, innovative culture where high performance, client focus and highly engaged people are our differentiator. People at our firm come from a range of backgrounds and bring a wide variety of experiences and perspectives to their work with us. We strive to ensure that our inclusive environment means you feel valued and able to perform at your best by being your authentic self at work. We know that our future success not only depends on being innovative and progressive in the changing legal market but, most importantly, on our people feeling highly engaged in meaningful work. We understand that you have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to create a working environment based on mutual trust and respect, in which you can perform at your best whilst maintaining sustainable balance across your life.