Banking & Finance Associate Attorney

Thinking of leaving BigLaw finance?

You’ve spent years on credit agreements and intercreditors, but you’re one of a dozen associates on the deal and your evenings belong to whoever’s closing next. Most finance associates who want out never actually move. They’re billing too many hours to look properly, and they don’t want their CV landing on desks they never agreed to.

So I do it for you.

What I’m working on

I’m hiring for banking and finance associates for a well established New York firm, with a collegial culture and ownership that you don't see in your first five years in BigLaw.

A lender-side banking practice representing leading financial institutions, adding a 4–6 year associate to a growing team. The work is the same quality you’re doing now. The difference is the seat you’re sitting in.

• Syndicated and bilateral, secured and unsecured, domestic and international lending
• Letters of credit, reimbursement agreements, participations, receivables purchase
• Real UCC work across Articles 9, 5, 8 and 12, plus Bankruptcy Code issues
• Trade finance and fund finance exposure is a plus, not a requirement
• You’ll structure, negotiate, document and close deals yourself, not just turn the ancillaries.

Who I’m looking for

• 4–6 years in banking and finance at a law firm, ideally lender-side
• Admitted in New York
• Comfortable running several transactions at once
• Letters of credit, trade finance or fund finance experience is a bonus

Compensation

$200,000 to $300,000 base depending on firm and experience, plus bonus and full benefits.

What changes when you move

The biggest shift for most finance associates leaving BigLaw isn’t the hours, it’s the ownership. In a smaller banking group you’re not three layers away from the deal. You’re the one on the phone with the bank’s counsel, you’re turning the credit agreement yourself, and the partner knows exactly what you’ve done on the file because there’s nobody else to credit it to.

That changes your trajectory. You build direct relationships with lender clients years earlier than you would in a 40-associate finance group, and those relationships are what partnership cases are built on. Lender-side LC and trade finance work is also a specialist skill set that fewer associates have, which makes you more valuable, not less, if you ever want to move again.

And yes, the hours are different. Deals still close when they close, but the culture around them isn’t built on billing for the sake of it.

Next step

Everything is confidential from the first conversation, and nothing goes anywhere without your say-so. If you’ve been thinking about leaving for longer than you’d like to admit, send me a message.