About us
Making a profit is core to all businesses but our goal is to combine this with a real social purpose. Our values are pivotal to us, they shape our decisions and the way we live and work.
We focus on positive social impact as much as we focus on being a successful law firm. Our top tier legal advice is coupled with a real desire to drive change and we were the first UK law firm with B Corp certification, awarded to businesses that balance purpose and profit.
Today, our clients are diverse – from corporate household names, to public bodies, to start ups. We’re also the firm of choice for thousands of charities and social enterprises. We continue to lead the market we helped to shape.
Bates Wells challenges what is possible in legal expertise delivery.
About the role
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced debt finance lawyer to join our market leading impact finance team to work with our banking, finance, and impact investing clients (including ethical lenders, traditional bank lenders, impact investors, investment intermediaries, DFIs, social enterprises and charities).
You will have a high degree of client contact, developing your own relationships and networks as well as taking a lead on the day-to-day running of transactions and supervising more junior team members.
Impact investing, including development finance (around two thirds of the role)
We have a deep understanding of the issues faced by those seeking to make – or raise – investments which not only provide a financial return but create positive value for society as well. Most impact finance transactions call for a tailor-made approach, incorporating social impact metrics, to honour the integrity and social purpose of the organisation receiving investment. Our advice centres around this.
We don’t just advise on the law in this field, we shape policy and the most significant developments around it. We made the argument for the creation of the statutory social investment power for charities, worked with Government on the design of social investment tax relief, and structured key institutions such as Big Society Capital, Social Finance and Charity Bank.
Our development finance practice focuses on transactions in emerging markets and developing countries, typically through equity, debt (including development impact bonds), and fund investments. Clients include DFIs and other FIs, PE fund managers, foundations, and sponsors.
We support clients in structuring and documenting the whole spectrum of impact finance transactions and activities, and in navigating through the legal and regulatory issues that may arise from investment, including charity law issues, FCA regulatory considerations and related constitutional and governance issues.
Commercial financing, including real estate financing (around one third of the role)
We advise a broad spectrum of clients (including ethical and traditional lenders and borrowers, and private banks) on a wide variety of financing arrangements (including general corporate finance, acquisition, receivables, trade and real estate finance).
We are panel lawyers for several lenders from those focused on social impact to traditional clearing banks.
Our borrower clients range from small and medium-sized enterprises through to multinational corporations, social housing providers, charities of all sizes, other not-for-profit entities, developers and investors, corporates, funds, trusts and high net worth individuals.
We regularly handle the financing of real estate developments as well as commercial and residential portfolios, social housing, care homes, schools and sporting facilities, combining the experience of our real estate, construction, and planning teams with our banking expertise, supported by corporate, tax, charity and trust specialists.
About our Impact Finance team
Our Impact Finance team has a strong focus on impact investment transactions as well as social investment advisory work. The team is led by partners with specialist skills in debt and equity financing transactions combined with sector expertise and deep understanding of the charity and social enterprise sector. The team often advice on innovative and new models, which are cutting edge and aim to create a new intervention or solve a key social or environmental issue.
About the opportunity
We encourage all our lawyers to pursue their personal interests through their practice, develop management skills through supervising junior fee earners, contribute to business development and work cross-departmentally through our wide range of exceptionally strong sector groups.
Lawyers are provided with career development support, for example encouragement to co-manage client relationships with partners, support the development of recently qualified lawyers and be involved in the development of the department’s strategy.
Our team structure ensures a supportive environment coupled with the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across the department and with other teams in the firm.
The firm has a competency framework in place which sets out the competencies we expect from our people at this stage.
Specific tasks may change over time, so we’ll need you to be adaptable and flexible as we continue to meet our clients’ needs.
About you
- You will be a UK qualified lawyer with experience in a UK law firm having demonstrable banking and finance experience.
- You see the value in Bates Wells as a career choice and view Bates Wells as a high-quality employer.
- You share our values and want to make a difference.
- You want to feel that you are a part of the Bates Wells experience and ‘belong’.
- You are not afraid to test assumptions and challenge.
- You want exposure to a variety of challenges that will allow you to innovate.
- You are technically excellent, commercially minded and have great people skills.
About our culture
- A one firm approach means working together and improving to achieve common goals and to provide a consistent Bates Wells experience.
- As a values-driven firm we show commitment to our clients, our people, the environment and society. We take into account the Climate Emergency and Biodiversity Crisis in developing our business strategy.
- We work with exceptional clients to offer the very best work.
- We want to have a positive impact on our people who are our greatest asset so that they can have a positive impact on others. Purpose is baked into our partnership deed.
- Looking for better ways of working is always our priority.
- We promote a strong work/life balance with 25 days holiday with the opportunity to buy more and a ‘Summer in the City’ early finish.
- We have an agile and hybrid working environment – this means you might sit next to a different colleague every day or choose to work from our rooftop garden if you are in the office.
- Our culture encourages clear and honest dialogue and cross-team support.
- The firm review salaries annually as part of the appraisal process in July of each year. However, we encourage our staff to engage with their supervisors throughout the year on feedback and objective setting.
- We recognise success and contribution at any time of the year through our Recognition Scheme
- Our benefits and wellbeing package includes firm matching pension contributions, private medical insurance plus a medical benefit cash plan, discretionary bonus arrangements, life assurance, subsidised gym memberships, lifestyle discount scheme and a firm-wide profit sharing scheme.
- Everyone gets a bonus if there is one - a proportion of the LLP profit is distributed to our people when we exceed our financial thresholds.
- We strongly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their full potential whatever their background and believe a diverse team is integral to our success. We are signatories of the Halo Code Agreement, Race at Work Charter and Race Fairness Commitment
How to find out more about us
Don’t forget to review our website (https://bateswells.co.uk/) and ask around about us to find out more and whether we’re the right fit for you.
NB We will normally have at least 2 interviews – to test your skills and competencies to work with us and to see if your values align with ours.
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