Baker McKenzie

Following our recent growth, with the appointment of leading Partners Miles Wadley (Head of our Australian Project Finance practice) and Hamish McCormack, we are excited to be expanding our Banking & Finance team. We are looking for talented Senior Associates or Associates to join us in Melbourne or Sydney. 

This opportunity offers you the chance to advance your career, playing a key role on our complex, high-profile transactions. You will have the opportunity to regularly interact with our prominent clients and develop these relationships. And with our strong culture of mentoring, you can expect outstanding learning and development opportunities.

You will report directly to Partners, Miles Wadley or Hamish McCormack, and have the opportunity to collaborate with other Partners, including Bryan Paisley and Howard Fraser, as well as other Banking & Finance, Energy and Construction specialists across our national/global offices.

Our practice

With deep expertise across corporate banking, finance, infrastructure, energy, and project finance, our team has a strong track record advising major clients on complex transactions in Australia and internationally. 

You’ll work for market-leading clients such as major banks, credit funds, private equity sponsors, institutional lenders, funds, corporations and government entities. Our clients trust us with their most complex and valuable transactions, including cross-border project and infrastructure financings, leveraged and acquisition finance, and fund financing.

Specifically, Miles' practice has a focus on infrastructure and power projects, from renewable power plants, transmission assets, social and transport PPPs, infrastructure privatisations and secondary market acquisitions. Hamish's practice focuses on complex financing transactions, including private credit and syndicated acquisition and other leveraged and investment-grade financings, asset-based financings, liability management and special situations exercises, and structured credit financings (including trade and commodity finance). He also advises clients on derivative and repurchase agreements, and other complex structured products. 

Our team is committed to long-term growth, collaboration and delivering first-class advice to support our clients’ ambitions. We invest in our lawyers through excellent training, exposure to high-profile transactions and opportunities to develop strong client relationships.

About you

We are looking for senior/experienced lawyers with 4+ years’ PQE and mid-level lawyers with 2+ years' PQE. You will have relevant sector experience (i.e. general finance, project finance and/or leveraged finance) in a top tier or leading international law firm. We welcome applicants who wish to specialise in a particular finance sector or expand their career to work across multiple sectors. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to drive your career forward in the direction you wish. 

Our lawyers of all levels play a pivotal role in partnering with our leading clients and supporting them on complex, cross-border transactions. You’ll execute high-value deals, mentor junior lawyers and collaborate within a dynamic national team. 

Specifically, you will have:

• an impressive academic track record and deal sheet showcasing your experience (appropriate to the role you are applying for) with complex high value, cross-border transactions; 
• the ability to build trusted, long-term client relationships and deliver commercially focused solutions; 
• for the senior role, leadership in mentoring and developing junior lawyers, with confidence to work across multiple jurisdictions and integrate seamlessly into our national practice; 
• a proactive approach to business development and raising your professional profile; and 
• strong project management skills, balancing risk, quality and commercial outcomes. 

About us

At Baker McKenzie, we are different in the way we think, work and behave. The first local, truly global law firm in Australia, we commenced operations in Sydney in 1964, in Melbourne in 1982 and in Brisbane in 2014. With our breadth of experience in the local market and global connectivity, we are the law firm of choice for Australian and multinational companies. We have 6,500 lawyers globally who work seamlessly together – across practice groups, sectors and markets – to provide our clients with the connected perspectives, integrated solutions and seamless guidance they need to succeed in an increasingly interconnected global market.
 
 Baker McKenzie Australia can offer you access to complex, market-leading matters working with some of the world's best legal minds – people who know the law and who understand business. We have an unrivalled ability to provide training and secondment opportunities across our global network. Locally, we have an inclusive culture of learning, coaching and opportunity where you will work as part of teams on matters that often cross borders. We value people who think ahead and get noticed.
 
 At Baker McKenzie, our flat structure means you will have direct exposure to our clients, responsibility for meaningful involvement across a broad range of matters, and opportunities for progression. You will also regularly work with our extensive network of global colleagues and clients.

Additional information 

Our benefits

• Financial: competitive remuneration package, generous bonus scheme, salary continuance insurance, life insurance, salary sacrifice options, employee discounts, referral rewards and travel insurance for you and your immediate family.
• Learning & development opportunities: client and international office secondments, and regional and global development programs.
• Flexibility: hybrid and flexible working arrangements to balance your work and lifestyle.
• Leave: 26 weeks' paid parental leave for parents/carers (with no minimum service) with access to an external coaching service, ability to purchase additional annual leave, flexible public holidays and volunteer leave.
• Health & wellbeing programs: Employee Assistance Program including confidential counselling including wellbeing and financial coaching for you and your immediate family, flu vaccinations and discounted health insurance.

Inclusion, Diversity & Equity

Baker McKenzie is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive and equitable culture for all its employees, with equal opportunity for all to progress and have a meaningful career with our Firm. As part of our inclusive culture, we welcome applications from people of all genders (including if you identify as transgender or gender diverse), sexual orientations, abilities, cultural backgrounds, as well as First Nations peoples and people with caring responsibilities, neurodivergent lived experiences and disabilities. We want all applicants to be given the best possible opportunity to succeed in our recruitment processes, so invite you to let us know of any reasonable adjustments you require to equitably participate in our recruitment processes or in performing the requirements of a role at Baker McKenzie.

We appreciate that everyone's needs are different. Please contact us so that we can work with you to best support you in our recruitment processes. We are happy to share accommodations we've made in the past and are keen to work with you personally, to set you up for success.

Apply today!

If you are interested in the above role, we would love to hear from you! Please click "Apply". 

If you would like to find out more or have a confidential chat, please contact me by email on natalie.mascarenhas@bakermckenzie.com or by phone on +61 401 685 956.

We are working with select preferred agencies on this position and will not accept speculative candidates.