Buchanan
Leveraged Finance Associate
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Leveraged Finance Associate - NQ – 2PQE - US International Firm
A leading US international law firm is seeking to enhance its Leveraged Finance practice with an ambitious junior associate, offering a brand-new role—not a recycled post.
This team is at the heart of the market’s evolving activity, advising a range of sponsors, borrowers, bank lenders, and direct lenders on:
- Sponsor-backed acquisitions
- Refinancings
- Term loan B, unitranche, and high-yield financings
- The ongoing convergence of syndicated loan and private credit markets
This is a lean, high-performance team delivering real, hands-on exposure right from day one:
- Running signing conditions independently
- Direct client liaison
- Immersive deal work (not months of document review alone)
- Limited junior headcount (two Associates) means immediate direct access to partners and early responsibility—guaranteed, not promised.
About the Team
Their small yet vibrant core (3–4 partners) has recently expanded with:
- New partners bringing fresh momentum, client relationships, and a strengthened private credit offering
- A broad mandate covering:
- Acquisition finance
- Refinancings
- Recapitalisations
- Restructuring-adjacent work
- Balanced opportunity across both sponsor-side and lender-side mandates
- A collaborative culture with genuine partner accessibility
- No fixed seating plan: the team is distributed across floors to encourage cross-practice interactions with Corporate, Restructuring, and Private Credit colleagues
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Zero “back-office” mentality—Business Services are treated as full team members.
A vibrant social culture, including:
- Regular team dinners
- Casual drinks events
- Concierge-style perks when work demands extended hours
Requirements & Qualifications
- NQ up to 2PQE (trainees qualifying this September strongly considered)
- Preferred training paths:
- Magic Circle or elite US firms, though exceptions for exceptional candidates from other leading international firms will be considered
- Common law qualification preferred; strong relevant experience will override non-common law qualifications
- Highly valued but not mandatory:
- Direct experience in:
- Leveraged/acquisition finance
- Term loan B, high-yield, unitranche, or private credit financings
- Direct experience in:
- Technical skills: Demonstrable expertise in drafting:
- Facility agreements
- Intercreditor arrangements
- Security documents
- Confidence managing signing/closing processes, particularly for high-stakes deals
- Multidisciplinary comfort: Must be agile across:
- Multiple time zones
- Cross-border transactions spanning various jurisdictions
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Note: In-house candidates will not be considered.
Process
A clear three-phase shortlist:
- Initial chat with a hiring partner and HR
- Regulated meeting with two partners
- Informal catch-up with current team associates
Why Apply?
If you’re a driven junior finance lawyer, seeking a firm that:
- Trusts you with real responsibility early
- Offers sponsor and lender mandate exposure
- Is riding real momentum in a growing sector
[Contact the firm] to listen.
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