We are seeking a Junior/Mid-level Transportation (Asset Finance) Litigation Associate to join our very highly regarded team. The asset finance team principally focuses on ship finance and aviation finance and is part of the market-leading Transportation Industry Group, which sits across offices in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Houston, New York, Washington DC, Paris and Athens and presently has over 100 dedicated lawyers.
The Asset Finance team has extensive experience advising on transactions in all sectors of the asset finance industry. Our client base includes major international lenders, private equity funds, and owners/operators in relation to a broad range of aviation and shipping (including offshore, oil and gas) work.
We regularly act for major international banks, export credit agencies, funds, lessors, ship owners, airlines, equity providers, private individuals and builders and manufacturers across a whole spectrum of shipping and aviation deals.
We are the market-leading firm for fund-based ship finance and are very active in the loan portfolio sale and purchase market for debt secured against ships and aircraft. The directories also give plaudits to our work with alternative credit providers.
We advise on all types of debt, lease (both tax and non-tax-based) and capital markets driven products, as well as on the sale and purchase of ships and aircraft (and associated ship and aircraft infrastructure products). The team also advises on aircraft repossessions, ship arrests and airline and ship restructurings and insolvencies.
Our significant clients include the likes of Hayfin Capital Management, Fortress Investment Group, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, and York Capital, but this list is growing all the time.
The Firm
Reed Smith is a global law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 31 offices throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.
Operating as one global partnership, we represent leading international businesses, from FTSE 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises; advising clients on cross border transactions, international commercial disputes and regulation. We specialize in industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, energy and natural resources, entertainment and media, shipping and real estate.
Reed Smith in Singapore. Our Singapore office is strategically positioned to advise clients in Singapore and those conducting business throughout the region, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and elsewhere in South East Asia.
Our Singapore lawyers provide a seamless service with particular strength in transportation international trade and commodities, trade and ship finance, energy and natural resources, corporate, international arbitration, dispute resolution, and regulatory and investigations work.
Reed Smith is in a Formal Law Alliance (FLA) with Singapore law practice Resource Law LLC. The FLA significantly expands Reed Smith’s offering in Singapore and our ability to service our clients’ legal requirements in handling multi-jurisdictional transactions, disputes, and cross border work involving Singapore law and the Singapore courts. The full service offering of the FLA includes advisory, transactional, corporate, and dispute resolution expertise in all of Singapore’s core industries and practices, including energy and natural resources, transportation, financial industries, insurance, regulatory,
We all share a common culture, with core values supporting the firm’s commitment to add value, achieve excellence, and promote professional development. We place a huge significance on listening to our people and incorporating their ideas wherever possible.
Reed Smith devotes a sugnificant number of hours – more than 88,000 – to pro bono service on a variety of issues, including the global public health crisis, social upheaval, and natural disasters.
Responsibilities
The role will entail:
- Drafting, reviewing, and amending documentation
- Managing and conducting closings and managing closing documentation
- Strategically advising clients in meetings, on the phone and in writing
- Managing client expectations and project delivery appropriately
- Business development – development of personal plan, assistance with and implementation of business development campaign
- Legal research
- Identifying key legal and commercial issues and risks
- Providing support to clients and colleagues by working in integrated teams with clients and a full range of consultants and other industry stakeholders
- Conducting accurate due diligence of existing agreement and reporting to clients on the implications and structure of existing transactions
- Inputting and participating in pitch/panel presentations
- Identifying hot topics and supporting business development initiatives (including client presentations, webinars, social medial strategy)
Key Skills & Experience
- A qualified lawyer with at least 2-4 years’ post qualification experience with relevant asset finance experience in a well-regarded firm
- Previous exposure of project managing cross boarder asset finance matters. Direct aviation sector experience preferred.
- Undergraduate degree from a leading university and/or a relevant qualification in Law
- Excellent written communication and drafting skills
- The ability to interact and build relationships with people at all levels
- Commitment to excellent client service
- Strong international technical knowledge of the legal framework surrounding asset finance particularly in the fields of shipping and/or aviation, but with a willingness to work in both sectors (even where skills in one or the other may currently be more developed)
- Experience in advising banks and financial institutions in debt-financing and refinancing arrangements in shipping/aviation finance facilities
- Experience in advising on non-recourse and limited recourse project financings
- Experience in advising lenders and ship/airline owners on all aspects of transport delivery arrangements including sale and lease back agreements, registration, and financing schemes
- Intellectual curiosity and versatility
- Organised and detail-focused
- Ability to demonstrate a high degree of sector knowledge and commercial awareness with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice
- Self-confident, proactive, pragmatic approach to tasks and projects
- Highly enthusiastic and self-motivated with the desire and ability to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge
- Ability to work well in both a team and individually with the ability to develop and work in a fast-paced, intellectually rigorous environment
- Desire to be proactively involved in business development and marketing with a view to handling networking and client contact from the outset
Competencies
- Regularly demonstrates solid and deepening legal/practice knowledge
- Creates understanding and clarity of legal issues through effective questioning of client/senior internal team
- Comfortable with ambiguity, creating structure where there is no direct precedent
- Able to simplify complex legal issues for client/team stakeholders
- Understands the commercial drivers of the business of clients within the shipping and/or aviation industries
- Identifies commercial opportunities for business development and cross selling that arise from own work with the client and refers these as appropriate
- Demonstrates a clear understanding of the law firm as a business and the levers of profitability
- Contributes own views and ideas and is receptive to those of others.
Reed Smith's success depends heavily on the effective utilisation of qualified people, regardless of their race, ancestry, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability, veteran's status, or any characteristic protected by law. As a firm, we adhere to and promote equal employment opportunity for all.
No search firms/agencies please.
*We regret to inform that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
