Associate Solicitor

About us

Stone King is an ambitious and friendly firm specialising in the Business & Social Enterprise, Charity, Education, Faith and Private Client sectors.  Our collaborative culture and core values are intertwined with our ethos of doing the right thing by our clients, communities and our people.  Our passion for the sectors we work in and the purpose-driven work we do with our clients has resulted in SK being recognised as a national leader in our specialist fields across the country.

The opportunity

This is a unique and exciting opportunity for a talented individual looking to develop their career to join the Corporate and Commercial Team.  The role will be based in the London or Cambridge office, but hybrid working will also be available as part of the role.  

You will be advising a diverse portfolio of clients across our specialist sectors, including business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, companies, partnerships, social enterprises, charities and schools.  The role also involves supporting clients with intellectual property matters, particularly in corporate and commercial transactions, strategic collaborations and services agreements, as well as general advisory work on the protection and exploitation of IP and some IP disputes.  An important aspect of the role is working as part of a cross-sector team to support our clients in corporate and commercial matters. 

Your work will encompass a broad range of commercial and intellectual property legal matters which may include:

• Commercial Agreements: Drafting and negotiating supply, distribution licensing and services agreements, including those with a focus on technology and innovation.
• Intellectual Property: Advising on IP protection strategies, licensing  and managing IP portfolios in the context of corporate and commercial transactions and arrangements.
• Strategic Collaborations: Facilitating technology transfers, R&D agreements and partnerships for innovation.

Key responsibilities

General duties include, but are not limited to:

• Effectively manage an individual caseload,
• Attend to clients of the Firm in the office or elsewhere if needed,
• Work in a collegiate and collaborative way within an immediate team and wider firm environment,
• Communicate promptly and effectively both internally to colleagues and externally to clients,
• To attend regularly, and be involved in preparation for, team meetings,
• To attend and be involved in preparation for marketing and business development events and activities,
• Advising clients on commercial and intellectual property matters,
• Maintaining continuing professional development and taking an active interest in expanding your knowledge of commercial law, IP law and related legal fields,
• Supporting business development initiatives, including presenting on commercial and IP issues.

Reasons to apply

• Opportunity to work across our friendly Corporate & Commercial Team - you’ll have the opportunity to work closely with other specialists across the firm in our various sectors.
• To be part of an ambitious, collaborative and friendly national firm where our culture and values are at the heart of everything we do.  We believe our people are our greatest asset and strive to create the best place to work.
• Excellent benefits for our people, with a focus on wellbeing and development at the forefront.
• Hybrid working - Stone King is proud to be a signatory of the Mindful Business Charter as part of our commitment to mental health and wellbeing.  We want to support all of our people in achieving a healthy work/life balance and would be happy to speak with prospective candidates about flexible working arrangements.

Essential

• An experienced Solicitor, of a minimum of two years’ PQE, with extensive experience of running own caseloads and a proven track-record of supervising and delegating to others effectively.
• Ability to work autonomously, although support will be also available from other members of the team.
• Previous experience in commercial and IP law.
• Strong drafting, file management and client relationship building skills. 
• Ability to communicate effectively with team members and clients (both oral and written communication).
• Good analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Strong organisation skills, technologically proficient and capable of working on their own and within a team.

Desirable

• Proven track record in marketing and business development or a keen interest to lead on BD initiatives, both internally and externally.
• Prior experience supervising and developing others would be beneficial.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Individual differences are embraced at Stone King and we strive to create an environment in which people feel supported and able to be themselves.  We have a partner-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy Group and a dedicated DE&I Adviser.  We are committed to promoting an inclusive working environment that supports the growth and development of all our people and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities.  As part of our continued commitment to an inclusive working environment, we are proud to be part of the Race Fairness Commitment, the Age Friendly Employer Pledge and a Disability Confident Employer.

As part of our commitment to DE&I, we want our recruitment practices to be as inclusive as possible, which means that we shall make reasonable adjustments to help you perform to your best, so please let us know if you need us to make any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process.  Our recruitment team is on hand to discuss any reasonable adjustments with candidates and can provide full job details and applications in alternative formats if required.  You can contact our recruitment team via email at Recruitment@stoneking.co.uk or 01225 326770.

As a Disability Confident employer, Stone King LLP is committed to offering an interview to any job applicant who declares that they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the role as defined by the job description and person specification.  A full copy of the person specification and job description can be provided by contacting our Recruitment team.  In some recruitment situations, such as high-peak times, we might need to limit the overall numbers of interviews we offer.  This will include the number of interviews offered to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria.  When that happens, we’ll still aim to offer a proportionate number of interviews to disabled applicants.

• Competitive salary
• Profit-Share Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Benefit Platform
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life assurance (4 x salary)
• Pension scheme
• 28 days holiday (in addition to statutory UK holidays)
• Additional day allocated for CSR activities per annum

Closing date: 6 January 2025

Adverts normally close at midday on the closing date, however vacancies may close early if sufficient applications have been received. Therefore we would encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Stone King LLP is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity by encouraging all our staff to achieve their full potential and guaranteeing that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant information or discriminatory practices.

Recruitment agencies – please do not send us unsolicited CVs. If you do so, we reserve the right to contact the candidate directly and your T&Cs will not apply.

#LHybrid