M&A Associate, 5-8 yrs — Lead Deals & Ownership

About the Firm Our client is a top-tier, internationally recognized law firm with a longstanding presence in Texas and a global platform spanning more than 20 offices across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Consistently ranked among the elite firms nationally for Corporate/M&A work, the firm holds Band 2 recognition in Chambers USA's "Corporate/M&A: The Elite" category for Texas, alongside top-tier Vault and Am Law rankings for its national M&A practice. The Dallas office has grown rapidly in recent years as the firm has deepened its investment in the Texas market, reflecting the office's standing as a genuine profit center rather than a satellite outpost. The Practice This M&A practice advises public and private companies, boards of directors, and private equity sponsors on high-value, complex transactions across energy, technology, financial services, and industrials. Recent matters have included billion-dollar-plus acquisitions, cross-border deals, and sponsor-side buyouts and exits - the kind of sophisticated, headline transaction work typically associated with New York or Chicago practices, now anchored locally in Dallas. The group works closely with the firm's national private equity, capital markets, and tax teams, giving associates exposure to the full lifecycle of a deal rather than a narrow, siloed slice of it. The team is intentionally lean relative to its deal volume, which means associates at the mid-to-senior level are given real transactional responsibility - running diligence workstreams, negotiating ancillary agreements directly with opposing counsel, and interfacing with clients - well before that would typically happen at a larger, more heavily staffed shop. The Role The firm is seeking a 5th-8th year Corporate/M&A Associate to join its Dallas office. Candidates should have substantive experience across the M&A deal lifecycle, including:

• Leading due diligence and disclosure schedule processes
• Drafting and negotiating acquisition agreements, ancillary documents, and closing deliverables
• Managing deal timelines and coordinating cross-practice work streams (tax, antitrust, employee benefits, real estate)
• Direct client and opposing counsel interaction
• Mentoring and delegating to junior associates

Prior experience at an Am Law 50 or equivalent national/international firm is expected. Energy, private equity sponsor-side, or public company M&A experience is a plus given the group's client base, though not required. What This Opportunity Offers a Candidate

• Compensation at the top of the market. The firm compensates on the Cravath scale, with class-year-based bonuses and, in many cases, additional discretionary bonus opportunity tied to origination or exceptional performance.
• Real deal ownership, faster. The lean team structure means less time as a "diligence associate" and more direct negotiation seat time - associates report running points on deals well ahead of where they would be at a larger, more heavily leveraged practice.
• A credible path to partnership. The Dallas office's growth trajectory has created genuine partnership opportunities for associates who build a track record here, rather than a de facto ceiling that pushes senior associates out.
• Sophisticated deal flow without the New York cost of living. Associates get exposure to billion-dollar, multi-jurisdictional transactions while based in a lower cost-of-living market - a combination that's increasingly rare.
• Platform and mobility. As part of a full-service global platform, associates have access to secondment opportunities, cross-practice collaboration, and the brand recognition that comes with a nationally ranked M&A group.
• A market-competitive billable hours framework, with the firm's bonus structure designed to reward - rather than merely expect - hours above target.

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