Corporate Associate - Hong Kong

We are seeking an experienced Associate for our expanding Corporate team in our Hong Kong office. 

About us

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in.

We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working.  Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role

CMS’s international focus means that you will have the opportunity to work on complex cross-border and international transactions across key industry sectors, and for excellent global and regional clients across Asia. You will be joining an established team that has a very strong reputation in the Asia market for complex multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, private equity and joint venture transactional work for multinational corporations as well as global and regional private equity funds and their portfolio companies.

You will be responsible for a variety of transactional work in a broad-based role, including: 

• Drafting principal documents for Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity and Joint Venture transactions
  - Taking the lead on transaction execution through to signing and completion, and acting as the key day-to-day contact for clients on deals
  - Providing efficient professional support to partners
  - Developing professional client relationships 
  - Supporting the wider team in developing business and raising the profile of the firm 
  - Involvement in marketing events 
  - Managing and supervising the work of others, including junior associates and trainees

About you

We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants so, to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience:

- You are qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong or another Commonwealth country.
- The focus of your current practice will be in the mergers and acquisitions and joint venture space, and ideally you will have experience of acting for corporate as well as private equity clients.
- You will have excellent drafting and negotiation skills, be able lead and project manage transactions, and are a motivated self-starter who is able to work independently when required (but you will always be supported in your work by close partner supervision, guidance and mentoring).
- Due to the role being client-facing, you will need to have sound judgement and good interpersonal and communication skills. The ability to communicate clearly and succinctly with clients is essential.
- Fluent Mandarin language skills would be ideal but not essential.
- To meet the needs of the role, you will have an appropriate level of post-qualification experience (we anticipate a minimum of 4 PQE) in a leading law firm.

What’s in it for you?

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

•    Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
•    Flexible, hybrid working policy
•    Generous bonus scheme
•    Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
•    Holiday exchange scheme
•    Private medical insurance
•    Enhanced parental leave
•    Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities

At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us.  In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field. 
 
As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work.
 
When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break. 
 
We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index.
 
We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact Becky Lowe at TalentAcquisition@cms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply? Here are the next steps.

We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. 

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

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