Knowledge Lawyer

We are one of the biggest tax departments in a UK London law firm in relation to firm size (with circa 30 lawyers including 6 partners); this represents approximately 10% of the firm by reference to people and revenues. Our size gives us a breadth of expertise, knowhow and influence which smaller tax departments simply cannot match. Our key areas of expertise for which we are seen as market leaders are:

• private equity, venture, credit, infrastructure, and real estate funds;
• private equity transactional tax, advising both financial sponsors and management teams;
• tax structuring relating to infrastructure investment, capital markets, finance and real estate.
As a result, the variety of work available to our associates is very broad and of high quality. We are also heavily involved in a variety of industry representative bodies enables us to anticipate developments and help to influence policy to ensure that where possible, new law is clear, effective and well-targeted. [For our clients, tax is never a standalone conversation but is integral to every commercial engagement. As such, our Tax team is required to play a vital role in every major corporate and commercial decision faced by our clients and we expect our associates to be able to communicate effectively with internal and external clients to explain the tax issues relevant to their transactions and assist them in finding appropriate solutions. Tax advisory services form a core strength, but we make sure that we think beyond structuring and tackle real-world implementation too. Our lawyers have thorough technical understanding of tax legislation, policy and an awareness of our clients' commercial objectives.] The Tax team operates in a supportive and inclusive way, which aims to allow all members to perform to the best of their abilities and to be themselves at work. We continue to work hard to promote diversity of all descriptions within the team and have already achieved some notable successes in this regard, not least a partner group which is currently over 60% female. We place a value on being good "firm citizens" and we support our associates in taking part in a variety of initiatives at a wider firm level, including D&I, CSR, Graduate Recruitment, and other firmwide business development and management initiatives. We have our own associate social committee which organises a variety of department-focused and cross-departmental events and we have regular offsite and team-building events. We place a very high value on learning and development for our associates. This is achieved through structured formal training, including weekly whole department meetings and supplementary training for junior associates, and also through our room sharing system, where rooms are shared between a number of lawyers of varying degrees of seniority. Added to this, there is a programme of cross-departmental training which Tax associates can participate in, and regular "milestone training" sessions, aimed at giving associates training in a variety of skills relevant to their level of seniority. The Role The role involves working alongside two Tax Knowledge Counsel, our business development and Legal Ops team, taking the lead in matters relating to Transactional Tax (being broadly public and private M&A, equity capital markets, corporate restructuring, management advisory, acquisition financing and corporate real estate work). You will also be part of a group of firm wide knowledge lawyers working collaboratively on cross-departmental initiatives. This is an opportunity to make your mark on the way in which the Knowledge Lawyer role is delivered for the Transactional Tax Team. As well as organising and contributing to the programme of training for the Tax team and the wider firm, and collating and improving our knowledge resources and precedents you will be responsible for linking up with our business development team to promote Tavers Smith tax to clients and with our Legal Ops team to drive efficiencies within the team. Your role will encompass both internal and client-facing activities such as thought leadership publications, briefings, tailored training and responses to public consultations on new law on behalf of the firm and through industry bodies. it represents an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to help take the department's know-how function to new heights. The knowledge function is integral to the continued success of the practice; you will help to enhance our reputation for being at the forefront of thinking on legal and regulatory developments and market practice affecting our clients. Key Responsibilities
• Ongoing monitoring of developments and horizon-scanning.
• Supporting the collation of departmental know-how, including capturing know-how from recent transactions.
• Dealing with queries from fee earners at all levels, from partner to trainee, both within and outside the department.
• Creating and updating precedents and in response to current market trends, legal/regulatory changes, and feedback from client matters.
• Organising and/or delivering training programmes, as well as ad hoc training sessions, to a variety of audiences from a small group of trainees to the whole department and other departments as needed.
• Curating our internal knowledge resources and identifying content appropriate for sharing more widely on a need-to-know basis.
• Contributing to cross-practice knowledge-sharing initiatives and groups on topics such as ESG and asset management to support collaboration across practices.
• Building and maintaining the external profile of the department as knowledge leaders in our field, by drafting articles, briefings and commentary for our website and social media channels on developments in Transactional Tax.
• Briefing partners in advance of CLLS /Law Society Company Law Committee meetings.
• Collaborating with knowledge colleagues from other City law firms via networking groups.
• Attending webinars hosted by regulatory and industry bodies.
Key Stakeholders
• Head of Department and partners
• Director of Knowledge and Learning, + Advice on financing transactions, real estate transactions, restructurings and management equity incentives.
+ Tax advisory work on IPOs and other fundraisings and capital market transactions. Accessibility statement : If individuals have any accessibility issues when reviewing this document, please notify a member of the Travers Smith HR team so that the document can be provided in an alternative format. Support and Adjustments for candidates : At Travers Smith, we are committed to ensuring that people who are disabled or have a long-term condition are empowered in their identity, valued equally, and listened to. If we can adjust the recruitment process to make it more accessible, please let us know. For further information please visit our website: Recruitment - Support and adjustments for candidates | Travers Smith


• An outstanding academic record.
• UK Qualified Solicitor (preferably with experience at a City law firm).
• At least 5 years' PQE and high-quality fee earning experience at a leading City firm (in particular, in Transactional Tax). Knowledge experience may be beneficial but is not a pre-requisite.
• Evidence of strong verbal and written communication skills.
• An ability to demonstrate proactivity and good transaction management.
• A team player who thrives working within a collegiate environment.
• A willingness to show commitment and engagement to the firm's culture.
• Sound understanding/experience of:
+ Advising on the tax aspects of private M&A transactions (and related transactions and structuring) from the perspective of a variety of stakeholders, including financial sponsors, corporate shareholders, management teams and finance providers.

Travers Smith is a leading full-service law firm, with a wealth of experience in its areas of specialisation. The firm has a market-leading reputation for its international expertise in Asset Management, M&A and Dispute Resolution & Investigations. Clients include asset managers across the alternative asset classes (private equity, venture, credit, infrastructure and real estate), publicly listed and private companies, financial institutions, and other business enterprises involved in large and complex UK and cross-border matters, transactions and disputes. Our purpose is to provide the highest quality of service to our clients whilst enabling our people to achieve professional fulfilment in a supportive, inclusive and enjoyable working environment.