Corporate finance law

Corporate finance involves mergers and acquisitions (M&A) work (essentially, companies buying other companies or businesses) and equity fundraising (which usually involves companies raising money by selling their shares to investors on the stock markets). Clients are typically large companies or banks.

Graduate careers in corporate finance law

Corporate lawyers are often at the centre of a hectic and pressurized deal process, co-ordinating a large team of lawyers and juggling the demands of other parties, while all the time making sure that the client’s business needs are met and its position protected. Although the hours can be long and the pressure intense, corporate finance involves big deals, sophisticated global clients and international travel and, for the right person, it can be an exciting and hugely rewarding practice area.

Corporate lawyers must have a broad understanding of the whole spectrum of civil law. If you are advising a company, bank or stockbroker on a high-profile international M&A deal then it’s not just some anodyne business which is being bought and sold: the deal can affect people, products, buildings, computers, and intellectual property, and you need to be able to provide your advice within the bigger commercial picture. Complex international takeovers are often high profile and much of the work has an international dimension to it, so you may also find yourself negotiating a deal in an exotic location or explaining to a room full of people detailed points of Dutch or US law, having only recently been briefed on this by your Rotterdam or New York colleagues.

When not involved in M&A work, you could be working on a public sector listing that requires a company to raise money by arranging for its shares to be bought and sold on a stock market. All dealsrequire working as part of a closeknit team: six or seven people for a small acquisition or 30 to 40 for a larger deal. Transactions tend to last a few months and work can be quite cyclical, so that you may have a few weeks without much to do followed by a month flat out.

Is corporate finance law recession-proof?

Although the recent economic turmoil has had some impact on the mix and overall volume of corporate finance work available, it has also created opportunities. For example, the lack of readily-available bank funding means that many companies are looking instead to raise additional funding on the public markets, and the depressed price of many publicly-traded shares means that there are bargains to be had for those with cash reserves and the confidence to continue buying.

What skills does a corporate finance law solicitor need to do the job?

• An analytical mind.
• A genuine interest in business and finance.
• Good communication and organisational skills.
• Being a team player.
• The ability to keep cool under pressure.

What's it like doing a trainee solicitor's job in corporate finance law?

Trainees are key members of the team and are involved in a range of tasks: taking notes at client meetings; drafting simple contracts; researching the companies and individuals who are backing/opposing your deal; investigating technical points of law; and helping to review and report on target businesses. They'll also be responsible for liaising with the client or its bankers. Trainees can expect to work with and receive work from all members of the team on a deal as well as handling other tasks on other deals at the same time so they will need to be organised and willing to play their part to the full.

Types of law practised

• Civil.
• Commercial.
• Company.
• Contract.

About the author

GILES DENNISON is a partner in the corporate group at SIMMONS & SIMMONS. He graduated in 1992 with a degree in law from the University of Manchester.