Stephenson Harwood LLC
Leveraged Finance - Associate

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What we will offer
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:
- A competitive salary and a host of family-friendly policies
- Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family
- A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
- We support the causes you care about by giving you one day per year off to volunteer with any charity that you are involved with outside of work
- A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial, and social aspects.
Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.
We are an equal opportunity organisation, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture, or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
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.
Team Structure
We are currently looking for dedicated leveraged finance associates and are open to individuals who have at least four years of post-qualification experience in finance, including experience working on leveraged finance transactions.
The Leveraged Finance team is part of our Debt Finance practice which in turn is part of our wider Finance practice group. The Debt Finance team deals with a wide range of transactional financings including leveraged finance, real estate finance, asset-based lending, secured and unsecured corporate lending, non-contentious debt restructurings, and distressed situations involving corporate trustees.
OUR ROLE:
Our team operates in the mid-market and we are looking for someone who has in-depth experience of that market. You will work on a mix of both borrower and lender side transactions and the ideal candidate will have experience of both. Your clients will include traditional banks, challenger banks, alternative lenders, private equity sponsors, and corporates.
You can expect to gain experience across a broad spectrum of acquisition financings and cashflow lending transactions, including senior, unitranche, super senior, mezzanine, and holdco PIK facilities. You would also work alongside our Private Equity team on the financing aspects of leveraged buyouts for our private equity clients.
Much of the work is cross-border for which you will be navigating the challenges that can arise in overseas jurisdictions to ensure a smooth process.
You will join a team with an ambitious growth strategy backed by our senior leadership, in a role which offers room for career progression. You would join a culture that is informal and supportive; we are aiming to do work of the highest quality, but in an environment which prizes enjoyment as well as excellence.


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The Debt Finance team benefits from the support of a dedicated Knowledge Development Lawyer. The team is at the forefront of the firm’s testing and adoption of AI.
If you would like a copy of the full job description, please reach out to Luke Van Rooyen (Luke.VanRooyen@StephensonHarwood.com).
About the Firm
Stephenson Harwood is an international law firm, and we're committed to creating 'positive partnerships' with our clients. We represent listed and private companies, institutions, and individuals, building lasting relationships to help them succeed in a complex and ever-changing world.
Our focus is on five core sectors: Energy Transition, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Private Capital and Funds, Technology, and Transportation and Trade.
With more than 1,500 people, including 250+ partners, across eleven offices in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, we combine deep legal capabilities and broad commercial expertise. We have also forged close ties with high-quality law firms around the world, blending local knowledge with global savvy for clients in over 100 countries.
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 brand strengths:
- GO FAR, GO TOGETHER
- EXPERTS IN MORE THAN LAW
- CAN DO PERSONALITIES
- ALWAYS READY
Offices:
- Al Khobar
- Athens
- Dubai
- Hong Kong
- London
- Madrid
- Paris
- Riyadh
- Seoul
- Shanghai
- Singapore
- Associated office in Guangzhou
Diversity:
- 250+ PARTNERS
- 11 OFFICES
- 45+ LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY OUR PEOPLE
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