Employment Associate

Job description

Department purpose

Recognised as one of the market’s leading employment practices, we have experience of working with clients on both contentious and non-contentious work including employment documentation, workplace issues and policies, data protection, discrimination, restructuring and redundancies, executive issues, employment-related litigation and the impact of corporate M&A and restructurings.
Many of our clients are heavily invested in globalisation and continue to expand their international platform. This means that workplace issues have multiple dimensions: a strategic level, a cross-border level and a local dimension on the ground. With employment lawyers located across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the U.S., we work in partnership with clients to develop individual, sophisticated and creative solutions to modern workplace issues.
Our team is renowned for being at the forefront of using innovative tools to assist clients to meet their needs and challenges on HR-related matters. With a client-centric approach we cover not only standalone advisory and corporate transactional support but also provide clients with a more bespoke approach which includes providing training, regular legal bulletins and a broad range of value added services. We are committed to the development of best practice within employment and devote a considerable amount of time and resources to training our lawyers to ensure our clients receive the best, practical and robust advice.
Key Relationships

• Employment Partners, Associates and the wider team
• PSLs
• Business Development Managers
• Wider A&O community

Role and responsibilities

• Providing strategic advice and guidance to clients
• Advising on restructuring programmes, employment contracts, HR policies, diversity initiatives in addition to general employee relations and employment related cases
• Managing employment tribunal claims in addition to corresponding litigation and mediation
• Acting as a business partner to internal practice groups, namely our Corporate department and their clients
• Attending client meetings
• Managing client expectations and project delivery appropriately
• Business development - development of personal plan; assistance with and implementation of business development campaign
• Drafting, reviewing and amending documentation

Key requirements

• Qualified lawyer; 1-3 years’ PQE
• Deep technical knowledge with regards to employment law
• Strong transactional experience
• Strong litigation experience
• Exceptional client skills with experience representing senior executives
• Outstanding academic credentials
• Intellectual curiosity and versatility
• Self starter with the desire and ability to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge
• Detail-focused and self-motivated approach
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines
• Excellent client relationship skills
• Sound experience of operating at senior level within a complex international organisation
• Strong commercial/business acumen with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface at all levels and particularly to win the respect of the partner and fee-earner community, building strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
• Collaborative team player with the ability to develop and work in a fast paced, intellectually rigorous environment
• A person of sound judgment, able to establish a high level of credibility

Who we are looking for
We are ideally looking for a highly motivated lawyer who combines good academic credentials with sound practical experience, good business judgment and strong interpersonal skills. Candidates should be articulate, show a genuine interest in the subject and be committed to their continuing development as a lawyer. We are looking for a lawyer who takes responsibility for, and pride in, the team's work product.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of Allen & Overy’s recruitment team who will work with you to provide any reasonable adjustments as required.
We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
At Allen & Overy, we recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.
Allen & Overy recognises the value of flexible working and embraces hybrid working, allowing our people to work from home up to 40% of their working time. We do however remain committed to working together in person for the remaining 60% of time so that we can learn, grow and succeed together. If you would like additional flexibility we will of course consider this in line with business needs.

Additional information - External

Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. We work on some of the most challenging and important deals and have built a reputation for delivering exceptional legal solutions that help our clients grow, innovate and thrive. The legal industry is changing, and we're committed to leading that change, putting our people first, embracing new ways of thinking and integrating technology into our everyday work.
Our culture is one of high-performance and we have high expectations of one another, in everything we do. Being a proud team player is essential. We work together, listen and learn from one another and achieve results we could never achieve on our own. When you join our team, you’ll become part of a flexible, inclusive environment underpinned by openness and consistent support for one another. At A&O, you're not only valued for what you do, but for who you are.
We have a powerful commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we’re working hard to create an environment where you can bring your authentic self to work. We know that to excel, we must nurture an environment where our people feel they belong.