PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT LAWYER PDL BIRMINGHAM/MANCHESTER/LEEDS/EDINBURGH/GLASGOW

Job Description

PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT LAWYER (PDL)BIRMINGHAM/MANCHESTER/LEEDS/EDINBURGH/GLASGOWBriefWe are looking for an enthusiastic, highly technical, commercially astute, well organised, and self-motived practice development lawyer to join our expanding team.Background to the RoleThe Pinsent Masons Finance practice is a large and varied global team working on a broad range of finance transactions including corporate lending and acquisition finance, real estate finance, structured finance, debt capital markets, social housing andeducation finance, asset-based lending, project finance, sustainable finance, Islamic finance and more. We have Finance lawyers working across a network of offices across the UK in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, London and internationally in Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Dubai, South Africa, Singapore and Australia. The Finance practice has had an exceptionally busy few years across all our sectors, locations and work types, and plays a key role within the wider business of the firm with many of our clients repeatedly featuring in the top 10 clients of the firm.The Banking PDL team is integral to the success of the firms global Finance practice and to many of the firms Atlas+ relationships in the Financial Services sector. The PDL team leads from the front not only internally but also with clients and in themarket generally on legal and non-legal issues, best practice, and innovative thinking. The PDL teams work (including in the past two years in relation to Brexit changes, on emergency Covid-19 funding schemes, eSignatures, the LIBOR transition, and in relationto Sustainability and ESG) has enabled Pinsent Masons finance lawyers around our international network to perform at a market leading level. The pace of change in recent years has been phenomenal and shows no sign of slowing.The PDL teams work is extremely varied, comprised on a daily basis of both internally facing traditional PSL work (such as working on precedents, providing internal training, and guidance) and externally focussed advice, training, and guidance. Clientscome to the team directly as experts on technical legal issues, and to help them formalise their thinking on internal policies and panel firm requirements. They look to our PDL team for training and thought leadership, because they are excellent at relatingit specifically to the clients business and needs. Members of the PDL team are on legal and financial market working parties on broad ranging issues from eSignatures to Sustainability. They work with partners from all Groups and specialisms within the firmand across the globe. The PDL team is at the pinnacle of legal knowledge and practice and are exceptional conduits for the firm, constantly looking for ways to improve the way Pinsent Masons delivers its services including prioritising the increased use oftechnology to maximise consistency and ease of delivery, leveraging Pinsent Masons significant firm-wide investment in ground-breaking innovation in the delivery of legal services.We are looking to expand our high functioning Banking and Finance PDL team by the addition of a further PDL. That PDL would, together with our existing PDL team, play an integral part of supporting our lawyers and clients globally through best practicein knowhow, precedents, tracking and disseminating developments, high quality training and engagement with clients.The TeamOur team is led by a very experienced Legal Director Pippa Whitmore, who has been a PDL for 7 years and with the firm for 19 years, working in a number of the firms UK offices. Pippas specialism is corporate lending and education finance and has lead onLIBOR transition work over the last year. Pippa is a great role model, with a wide internal and client network, and is well known to be a very effective manager and developer of talent.Pippa is supported by one Associate level PDL, a paralegal and a dedicated Senior Training and Knowhow Coordinator, each of whom reports into Pippa. We would expect the new PDL to work alongside (and at times with) the other Associate level PDL, to ensurea fair allocation of workstreams and projects.The firmwide PDL team is a close-knit community across all practice areas and locations, ensuring that knowledge and best practice is shared across the firms international network.Purpose of the RoleTo work as an integral member of the Banking and Finance PDL team delivering high quality knowhow, guidance, and training, internally and externally, and continue to build on the PDL teams expertise and reputation, enabling our lawyers and clients, developingour finance practice, and building client relationships through:-(1) tracking, creating, managing and disseminating technical and commercial intelligence to clients and lawyers;(2) spotting opportunities and shaping new and innovative practices, products and resources for external clients and lawyers;(3) delivering strategic knowledge and client initiatives working closely with the firms Atlas+ teams and lawyers across the firms international network;(4) developing and maintaining technical and commercial resources (including drafting and maintaining legal precedents and guidance notes) to enable our lawyers to provide the best possible service to clients;(5) providing training and working on training programmes for internal lawyers and external clients; and(6) developing relationships with Atlas+ clients including through liaison in relation to client policies and precedents, horizon watching, training, briefings and other activities.Detail of the RoleWe are looking for an enthusiastic, highly technical, commercially astute, well organised, and self-motived practice development lawyer. Working with our existing Banking and Finance PDL team, resp