Buchanan
Restructuring Associate
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Restructuring & Insolvency Senior Associate (5–7 PQE)
Location: London
Practice: Restructuring & Insolvency
Level: Senior Associate, 5–7 PQE
The Opportunity
We're working with a growing London Restructuring & Insolvency team on a search for a Senior Associate who can genuinely lead transactions from day one. This isn't a role for someone looking to ease into seniority the team is explicit that they need someone capable of managing complex, high-profile restructuring and insolvency mandates independently, with minimal partner supervision, from the moment they walk in the door.
The team itself is a compact one: three partners, two senior associates, and two associates led by a highly experienced restructuring and insolvency partner with close to two decades in the field. The team advises across both contentious and non-contentious work, acting for a genuinely broad range of stakeholders: lenders, private equity sponsors, company directors, landlords, distressed investors, and insolvency practitioners on sophisticated domestic and cross-border matters, with particular strength in the consumer and retail sectors.
What They're Looking For
The PQE range here is a hard 5–7: this is deliberately a Senior Associate hire rather than someone likely to be looking toward Senior Counsel, and the team is quite strict on that point. Beyond seniority, they're looking for:
- The ability to lead transactions independently, managing matters with minimal partner supervision from day one
- Genuine experience across both contentious and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency work
- A strong grounding in restructuring and insolvency law, financial documentation, and corporate structures, along with comfort leading distressed M&A and coordinating cross-border elements where needed
- Strong drafting and negotiation skills across the full range of restructuring documentation: enforcement documents, security reviews, administration sale agreements, and court applications
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London-based restructuring and insolvency experience is strongly preferred over experience gained in other jurisdictions, though the team has no particular firm preference and is happy to consider candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, provided the technical experience is genuinely there.
In-house candidates will also be considered, provided they've maintained strong, current restructuring and insolvency experience at the right level. Beyond the core technical requirements, the team is looking for someone commercially minded, a strong communicator who can explain complex issues clearly to clients, comfortable running multiple matters simultaneously without losing attention to detail, and genuinely keen to get involved in business development and the team's continued growth.
Compensation and Hours
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Compensation is currently estimated in the region of £130,000–£145,000, hours are set at 1,650 billable annually, and the working pattern is hybrid: three days in the office, two from home.
Why Join This Practice
The firm's recent merger has created a genuine transatlantic offering, giving lawyers direct access to both the UK and US markets rather than a purely domestic practice. That's expected to translate into meaningfully larger and more complex mandates, a broader international client base, and higher-profile work generally. Combined with a lean team structure, that means real, immediate responsibility leading matters and working closely with partners rather than sitting several rungs down the ladder alongside a collaborative culture, strong development opportunities, and a genuine commitment to responsible business, all now underpinned by a much larger international platform.
Interview Process
The process currently runs across three stages:
- An initial interview with the hiring partner focused on background, experience, and motivation for the move.
- A more in-depth technical discussion with senior members of the team, exploring past matters and the candidate's ability to operate at Senior Associate level.
- A final, informal conversation with members of the associate team, giving candidates a genuine feel for the culture and day-to-day working life.
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