Financial Restructuring & Special Situations Managing Associate

The Debt Finance team is part of our wider Finance practice. The Debt Finance team deals with a wide range of transactional debt financings, including lender-side and borrower-side real estate finance, leveraged and acquisition finance, asset-based lending, speciality finance, and secured and unsecured corporate lending as well as non-contentious debt restructurings, special situations lending and distressed situations involving corporate trustees.

The team generates its own work, as well as supporting the firm's transactional practices.

You can expect to act for creditors, debtors, insolvency officeholders and trustees on all (non-litigious) aspects of financial restructurings as well as lenders on special situations and (to a lesser extent - there is another department that focuses on insolvency) formal insolvency proceedings. You can expect to work on some complex, cross-border restructurings as well as a number of more domestically focused cases.

You would join a culture that is informal and supportive; we are aiming to do work of the highest quality, but in an environment which is relaxed. The Debt Finance team benefits from the support of a dedicated PSL.

Main Responsibilities

The role

This role is to work within the growing financial restructuring and special situations team within our Debt Finance team. With the recent hire of a second partner, focusing on building out our special situations capability, the team has a need for an exceptional managing associate to work alongside the partners and play a key role in the development of the team.

You will have detailed experience of actual restructuring work, ideally involving more complex capital structures where the debtor is in financial difficulty, negotiating restructuring proposals and term sheets, contingency planning for security enforcement and/or the commencement of insolvency proceedings. Knowledge of standstill and lock-up agreements and the use of or reasonable grounding in and familiarity with general finance documentation will be important. You can also expect to undertake some general finance work including acquisition/leveraged finance, asset based lending, specialty finance, real estate finance and corporate lending.

Main responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiation of complex documentation

Conducting legal research using internal and external knowledge management resources.

• Liaising with clients and other law firms, mostly under the supervision of a partner but with the ability to run workstreams independently


• Taking lead in supervising matter teams including delegating work to, and managing, trainees and junior lawyers


• Active involvement in business development including preparation of pitches and attending and helping to arrange business development and profile raising events
  
  Qualified lawyer with proven and relevant financial restructuring and special situations experience gained in private practice


• Excellent academics


• Ability to acquire, consolidate and apply fundamental and up-to-date knowledge of the law


• Accuracy and attention to detail


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills


• Organised and able to work to strict deadlines with the ability to prioritise realistically


• Resilient with the ability to handle setbacks and pressure


• A self-starter, able to work alone and within a small team


• Cooperative and collaborative in approach and able to develop excellent working relationships at all levels and roles, both externally and internally


• Ambitious and keen to play a role in the growth of the restructuring and special situations capabilities of the firm
  
  With 8 offices worldwide and with our headquarters based in London, Stephenson Harwood is a law firm where our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients - listed and private companies, institutions and individuals across the globe. Our mix of expertise and culture results in a combination of deep local insight and the capability to provide a seamless international service.


Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, pensions and private wealth, finance, marine and international trade, and real estate and projects.

We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients' needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world.

We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.

Our values

Individuality
We encourage creativity and develop talent.

Commitment
To be the best and deliver the highest standard.

Teamwork
We work together to build close, long-term relationships

Straight talking
We say what we mean and do what we say.

These values express the personality of the individuals within our firm. They are the behaviours we encourage in our people and the standards which inform our decisions and actions.

Our vision into 2026

To be a successful firm where talented people work together in an entrepreneurial environment, building long term client relationships.

This vision is about who we want to be, as well as who we are. It is as much about our values as about our character - the attributes we want to see from all of our people. That's how we unlock our entrepreneurial spirit, advising our clients with top performing teams.

A key part of the 2026 strategy is to focus on five core sectors: decarbonisation, life sciences, private capital & funds, technology, and transportation & trade. These have been identified as crucial in the drive for accelerated profitable growth.

We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can get early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

You can expect:

• A competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies


• Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family


• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers


• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes


• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.