Cleveland & Co
Employment Lawyer (Financial Services)
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Position: Employment Lawyer (Part-Time)
Company: Cleveland & Co
Location: London
Reports To: General Counsel, with regular interaction with the CEO and senior leadership team.
About Cleveland & Co
Cleveland & Co is a dynamic outsourced in-house legal team, delivering innovative, strategic legal solutions to clients across the investment management industry. We deliver high-calibre advice across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, private debt, hedge funds, and venture capital. Our clients trust us not only for our technical excellence, but for our commercial mindset and deep understanding of the market. We thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, where client service and forward-thinking legal strategy go hand in hand.
The Employment Lawyer role is designed for an exceptional lawyer who wants to make a significant impact without committing to a traditional full-time schedule. We’re open to candidates returning from maternity or parental leave or simply seeking greater flexibility. This is a genuinely part-time opportunity with meaningful responsibility, client ownership, and strategic impact from day one, with the potential to evolve into a full-time role as both our ambitions and our business grow.
At Cleveland & Co, we offer something different. This is a role for someone who wants to build something; inside our firm, and inside their own career. It’s a platform for a senior Employment Lawyer to operate at pace, at scale, and with real autonomy. For the right person, this is the opportunity that changes everything.
Role Summary
We are seeking an excellent Employment Lawyer with experience in Financial Services across our investment management practice. This is a great opportunity to take on a senior advisory role with direct client impact, breadth of exposure, and a clear path to firm-wide influence.
You will advise across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, credit, hedge funds, and venture capital; overseeing transactions, fund structuring, and regulatory navigation. The ideal candidate is a commercially minded legal strategist with deep private markets experience and a desire to operate at pace, lead teams, and build something significant.
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years PQE, significant employment law experience within the financial services sector, and a strong understanding of the commercial and regulatory environment in which investment management business operate. Experience of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) and financial services remuneration frameworks, including MIFIDPRU, would be highly advantageous.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide commercially focused employment law advice to clients across the investment management;
- Act as a trusted legal adviser to asset owners, asset allocators, asset managers, and financial services trade organisations;
- Co-advise together with the GC-Corporate Governance and Trading on regulatory and governance issues affecting FCA-regulated firms, including Senior Managers Certification Regime (SMCR), remuneration, conduct matters, and regulatory investigations;
- Co-advise together with the GC-Corporate Governance and Trading on complex and sensitive HR/Employment matters such as C-Suite exits;
- Present legal advice and strategic recommendations confidently to Executive Committees, Boards, and C-Suite stakeholders;
- Deliver clear, practical, and commercially driven solutions across multiple client relationships simultaneously;
- Deliver employment law training and legal updates to client teams;
- Build strong, trusted relationships with clients by acting as an embedded extension of their in-house legal teams;
- Provide strategic, commercially focused advice and drafting and negotiation support to firms on the full employee lifecycle, including:
- Recruitment and hiring
- Employment contracts and service agreements
- Executive appointments and departures
- Performance management
- Disciplinary and grievance processes
- Settlement Agreements
- Redundancies, restructuring, and reorganisations
- Employee Handbook including flexible working, family leave, and all HR-related workplace policies
- Advise on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, including acquisitions, business transfers (TUPE) and post-completion integration;
- Build strong, trusted relationships with clients by acting as an embedded extension of their in-house legal teams;
- Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting employment law within financial services and proactively advise clients on emerging risks;
- Provide drafting support to the marketing team on campaigns focusing on HR/employment matters;
- Collaborate closely with colleagues across the firm to deliver seamless, high-quality client service.
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Key Qualifications
- Qualified solicitor with a minimum of 10 years’ post qualification experience (PQE), with a demonstrable track record of delivering high-quality employment law advice;
- Extensive employment law experience gained within financial services, starting in private practice, and continuing there or in-house, or as part of an outsourced legal function, with a strong understanding of the commercial and regulatory landscape;
- Strong working knowledge of SMCR reform including the up-to-date regulatory position on Non-Financial Misconduct and NDAs as well as familiarity with financial services remuneration frameworks, including MIFIDPRU, considered highly advantageous;
- Excellent knowledge of the Employment Reform Act including changes to Unfair Dismissal;
- Exceptional drafting and technical legal skills, with the ability to produce clear, precise, and commercially focused documentation of the highest standard;
- Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the credibility and confidence to advise, influence, and present to Executive Committees, Boards, and C-Suite stakeholders;
- Proven ability to build trusted relationships across a diverse client portfolio, adapting seamlessly to different organizational cultures while delivering an exceptional client experience;
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple client relationships and competing priorities simultaneously, maintaining consistently high standards in a fast-paced, dynamic environment;
- Highly commercial and solutions-oriented, with the judgement to balance legal risk against strategic business objectives;
- Self-motivated, adaptable, and resilient, with the confidence to operate autonomously while contributing effectively within a collaborative, high-performing team;
- Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with a proven ability to deliver pragmatic, high-quality legal advice accurately and at pace;
- Proactive and responsive; solutions focused; has the ability to communicate legal risk in a clear, practical, business-focused way.
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Why Join Cleveland & Co?
- A Platform for Strategic Growth: Step into a role where you’re empowered to shape client strategy, mentor future legal talent, and help build the legal function of the future.
- High-Impact Work Across Leading Clients: Work directly with ambitious clients where your advice directly influences outcomes and value creation.
- Accelerated Career Trajectory: Gain the breadth, depth, and leadership exposure that would take years to build in a single in-house role.
- Entrepreneurial, High-Performance Culture: Join a team that’s scaling fast, values initiative, and thrives on challenge. You’ll be surrounded by brilliant people who love what they do, and push each other to be exceptional.
- Work That Doesn’t Stand Still: No two days are the same. If you’re tired of repetition, hierarchy, or stale environments, this is your chance to lead at pace, with purpose.
- Team: Our team includes former GCs, top-tier law firm alumni, and rising legal stars, united by a shared mission to build the legal function of the future.
LOCATION
This is a part-time, in-office role based at our London Bridge office.
Please note: Cleveland & Co is not a legal placement agency. We are a fully integrated, outsourced in-house legal team. You will be working as part of our core team, alongside colleagues, not deployed onsite at client offices. We operate as a collaborative, high-performing legal function, serving multiple clients from within our own firm.
Application Process
To apply, please send your CV and a short cover letter to hr@cleveland-co.com, outlining your relevant experience and what excites you about this opportunity.
We’re reviewing applications on a rolling basis and encourage early submissions. If you’re a strategic Employment/HR lawyer ready to take the next bold step in your career, we’d love to hear from you.
Cleveland & Co is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
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