Buchanan
Corporate Associate
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Corporate Associate (0.5–2 PQE, Junior) M&A / Private Equity / Public M&A
Location
London
Practice
Corporate / M&A
Level
0.5–2 PQE (Junior)
The Opportunity
We're working with one of London's leading US-style Corporate practices, a genuinely sizeable and highly regarded team that's actively looking to grow its junior ranks. While hiring here has historically been opportunistic, the partnership has become noticeably more proactive over the last period, and is now prepared to move quickly and decisively for the right candidates rather than waiting for the perfect moment to come along.
This is a substantial team by any measure well into three figures once you count partners, counsel, and associates and covers a genuinely broad Corporate platform spanning M&A, Private Equity, and Public M&A. What sets it apart from a lot of the market is that associates aren't siloed into narrow specialist teams; instead, they move across both sponsor-side and strategic transactions, building a rounded skill set rather than being pigeonholed early into a single product line.
What the Role Involves
Junior associates joining this team can expect genuinely broad Corporate exposure rather than a narrow diet of similar deals. Work spans public and private M&A as well as private equity transactions, giving associates a chance to advise both sponsors and strategic corporates rather than being pushed down one path.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Deal teams here run lean, which in practice means early responsibility, meaningful client exposure, and genuine involvement in transactions rather than sitting on the periphery.
Public M&A experience in particular is something the team is keen to build out, simply because it's relatively rare to find at the junior end of the market candidates who've had a taste of listed company work will find that experience stands out disproportionately here.
What They're Looking For
The search is deliberately aimed at general Corporate lawyers rather than narrow specialists, and the team has been clear about wanting associates who are genuinely comfortable moving between sponsor and strategic work rather than treating one as a fallback. In practice, they're looking for:
- Associates trained and qualified at an elite US or Magic Circle firm
- Strong, consistent academics throughout
- Broad Corporate experience with solid M&A exposure; private equity experience is desirable, and public M&A exposure is particularly attractive
- A genuinely commercial, collaborative, and technically strong approach to the work
There is some flexibility here for the right person: exceptional candidates from outside the traditional target firms will still be considered, provided they can clearly demonstrate they've significantly outperformed their platform, with strong deal exposure, early responsibility, heavy transaction involvement, and high billable hours to back that up.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
On the flip side, the team has been equally clear about what doesn't fit well here — weak academics, a narrowly specialist profile, a reluctance to move beyond purely Private Equity or purely Public M&A work, or a deal sheet that shows limited real responsibility or thin-quality exposure are all likely to count against a candidate.
Why Join
This is a genuinely rare chance to join one of the strongest Corporate brands in the market while still keeping a true generalist skill set, rather than being forced to specialise early. Associates get high-quality, international deal work, lean teams, early responsibility, and significant direct client exposure, all while working across both sponsor and strategic mandates.
Importantly, this is a team where the partnership is actively investing in growth rather than simply hiring to replace departures, which tends to translate into a genuinely positive, forward-looking atmosphere internally.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location