Firm Summary White & Case is an elite global law firm serving leading companies, financial institutions and governments worldwide. Our long history as an international firm means we are perfectly placed to help our clients resolve their most complex legal challenges wherever they may be. With lawyers operating from more than 40 locations, working in virtually every country of the world, we have invested heavily in building a high-quality full-service practice competing at the top of the market. We are distinguished by our on-the-ground presence in the world’s key financial markets and our strengths in handling complex cross-border work. It’s not just about our global network of offices; it’s the global interconnectedness of the Firm that our people, and our clients, value most. We work well together across geographic and practice boundaries. It’s one of the reasons we attract and retain cross-border work. And why we attract a diverse group of people. Our lawyers are globally minded, enterprising, collaborative and committed to excellence. Diversity is a core value of our Firm and it has been recognized with numerous awards and top rankings around the world. Our people represent 90 nationalities and speak 80 languages. Our Private Equity Group Private Equity has been a primary growth driver for White & Case in London and across Europe over the last 10 years. The Group is currently 18 partners and 40 associates and we are looking to continue growing, including by focussing on our organic partner pipeline. We are proud of the international nature of the Group, with regular collaboration with our colleagues in the global White & Case network and an associate base representing a wide variety of nationalities. This diversification drives an international and outward-looking culture in the team, supporting our mantra of being a truly European PE team. We are focused on building a “repeat business” business with the key financial sponsors operating in the markets where we are present and are one of the few firms to work with the full financial sponsor market across a spectrum of clients – from traditional Private Equity to Technology, Sovereign Wealth Funds and Infrastructure & Energy funds. Our sponsor client roster has produced more than 100 investee companies that we also advise as we are the original innovators of the standalone portfolio company team concept. Our Knowledge Team Our global Knowledge teams keep White & Case at the forefront of today’s changing legal landscape. We help lawyers practice smarter as they deliver world-class client service. Our work ranges from helping the Firm leverage the latest legal, client and market knowledge to providing front-line support for legal teams in their client work. We have a broad platform: Professional Support, Research, Practice Technology, Information Governance, Knowledge Systems, and Practice Innovation. Our professionals use information management, research, training and technical solutions to help lawyers work efficiently and collaboratively. The goal is to make sure the Firm’s shared knowledge is leveraged for the benefit of our clients. Position Summary An experienced Professional Support Lawyer with ambition to develop a greenfield PSL role. You will be responsible for devising and implementing a Knowledge Strategy for the Group; shaping and influencing policy and implementing projects to meet the Group’s knowledge needs; monitoring developments in the legal and business environment in order to keep both the Group and its clients up to date and identifying areas to develop the Firm’s reputation and practice; providing legal and practical expertise to support the Group’s practice, both through responding to fee earner queries and through the mentoring of junior lawyers on client matters; creating, developing and managing the Group’s collection of forms, precedents and research materials; organise, design and deliver Group training; and provide other support as needed. This role will involve a limited amount of client billable work in terms of supporting associates in the background on active client matters and debriefing client matters on completion. Specific responsibilities described below may vary depending on the Group’s needs. Duties and Accountabilities Standard Forms and Know-How Develop and maintain precedent standard forms and precedent documents. Ensure standard forms are updated to reflect changes in law, regulation, market standards and best practice. Conduct deal debriefs for precedent collection and deal/market analysis. Implement and operate procedures for capturing, filtering, storing, accessing and disseminating know-how within the Group including implementing processes to capture matter descriptions and categorisations in the Matter Profiling System. Publish material on the Firm’s intranet / KM systems and encourage fee-earners to use KM systems and other resources. Lawyer Training and Technical Expertise Work with the Group and other Professional Support teams to identify practice-related training needs of the Group; organise, design and deliver Group training, including as part of a rolling 12-month training program. The program should cover key aspects of private equity transactions. Be a source of legal, market and practical expertise for all members of the Group and more widely around the Firm, including the provision of direct support for client matters where appropriate. Work with the partners and other PSLs to deliver and support workshops and trainee inductions and to provide insight into and explain market developments. Where required, assist with the running of client training programmes. Occasional involvement in firm wide training programmes, as required, including core training programmes and induction courses. Current Awareness and Thought Leadership Monitor and keep the Group informed about important developments in the law or business environment. Use knowledge and expertise to identify trends in the law or business environment and help the Group to develop new legal products, identify possible new services, and suggest innovative ways to deliver the Firm’s services more efficiently to its clients. Prepare regular current awareness newsletters for the Group and the Firm’s clients. Work with the Global Research team to determine requirements and policies and to implement processes regarding practice-related current awareness and alerts from internal and external sources. Attend regular meetings of the Group and provide professional support updates to meeting Evaluate individual lawyers’ contributions to know-how, training and knowledge sharing and provide timely feedback to HR and heads of Group. Client-Facing Initiatives Work with the Group and the Marketing Department to identify opportunities to develop business from new and existing clients through articles, briefing notes, client training, etc. Matter Management and Collaboration Work with the Group and Marketing Department to establish processes to capture matter descriptions and categorisations in the Matter Profiling System and conduct post-matter review of lessons learned. Central Knowledge Projects Contribute to global knowledge programmes and projects to support Firm collaboration and efficiency and to enhance English law expertise across the Firm. Attend regular global, regional and practice meetings of Professional Support and Business Development, Knowledge and Marketing (BDK&M). Attend global conference calls of PSLs and Knowledge teams. Attend external training and conferences to keep up-to-date with relevant developments in the law, business environment and professional support. Essential Job Requirements Solicitor qualified in England and Wales, with experience as a practicing solicitor in private equity transactions. Prior experience as a Professional Support Lawyer in a large law firm is essential. Commercial awareness and client orientated approach. High professional standards with commitment to quality product. Excellent drafting and research skills. Well-developed organisational and communication skills. Understanding of learning process and different ways of training. Personality to make impact in group and to shape and influence policy. Effective interpersonal skills and ability to interact with people at all levels, including other support areas. Pragmatic, self-motivated, flexible and good team-worker. Lateral thinker with initiative to establish, implement and complete projects. Competent with typical law firm technology tools. Location & Reporting This is a role based in London. This role reports into the PSL Practice Group Reference Partner. Our standard office hours are 09:30-18:00, with a current requirement for 3 days in the office per week. Equal Opportunities White & Case is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, 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. If you require assistance and/or accommodation to participate in our application and/or interview process, please email the recruiting contact listed for the relevant position. We will be happy to work with you.