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We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can get early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. Here you can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.
You can expect:
This senior role is in the employee incentives group, which sits within the corporate tax team.
The employee incentives group currently comprises 3 lawyers: Nicholas Stretch, who recognised as a leading individual in both Chambers and Legal 500 and well-known in the employee incentives space as a recent ex-Chairman of Share Plan Lawyers, the body for lawyers in this area, and a mid-level associate (Desiree de Lima). The group will also be adding a junior associate. Desiree has recently returned to full-time work after maternity leave when her worked was covered by two consultants, but we have identified the need to recruit a managing associate in this area while likely keeping access to the consultants as well. The existing volume of work and opportunities for further work both from within the rest of the firm and externally have meant that we have the opportunity to grow.
The corporate tax team, including the employee incentives group, currently comprises 4 partners and 6 associates, together with one or two trainees depending on the seat rotation.
This role involves working across a broad spectrum of employee incentives and executive remuneration issues providing, advice to both public and private companies on share plans, management incentives, bonus arrangements and related matters. Areas of expertise include:
Transactional Support
Share plans
Bonus arrangements
Corporate Governance and Company Law issues
Employee trusts
Appointments and terminations
Employment tax
Financial services Remuneration Codes
The ideal candidate will have a strong grounding in the UK taxation of employment-related securities well as having a sound knowledge of how corporate transactions are structured both for quoted and private companies. The candidate should have gained broad experience of running the share plan aspects of corporate transactions such that they can run with the relevant employee share plan documentation and timetable without close supervision, and be confident in supervising junior and trainee lawyers and working directly with the corporate department themselves. Familiarity with governance issues for quoted companies, employment tax and financial services regulatory issues would be welcome but not essential.
This is a great opportunity for an ambitious lawyer who already has strong incentives experience and who wants to join and make their mark at this highly regarded employee incentives practice of a prestigious international law firm. In summary, this role offers a range of high quality work within a universally recognised warm environment both in the firm as a whole and in the team, which prides itself on its collegiate atmosphere. There are clear opportunities for career progression.
This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm's strategy and business needs.
With 8 offices worldwide and with our headquarters based in London, Stephenson Harwood is a law firm where our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients - listed and private companies, institutions and individuals across the globe. Our mix of expertise and culture results in a combination of deep local insight and the capability to provide a seamless international service.
Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment, pensions and private wealth, finance, marine and international trade, and real estate and projects.
We assemble teams of bright thinkers to match our clients' needs and give the right advice from the right person at the right time. Dedicating the highest calibre of legal talent to overcome the most complex issues, we deliver pragmatic, expert advice that is set squarely in the real world.
We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.
Our Values
Individuality - We encourage creativity and devlop talent.
Commitment - To be the best and deliver the highest standard.
Teamwork - We work together to build close, long-term relationships.
Straight talking - We say what we mean and do what we say.
Our Vision into 2026
To be a successful firm where talented people work together in an entrepreneurial environment, building long term client relationships.
This version is about who we want to be, as well as who we are. It is as much about our values as about our character - the attributes we want to see from all of our people. That's how we unlock our entrepreneurial spirit, advising our clients with top performing teams.
A key part of the 2026 strategy is to focus on five core sectors: energy transition; life sciences and healthcare; private capital and funds; technology; transportation and trade. These have been identified as crucial in the drive for accelerated profitable growth.
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