Senior Associate​/Principal Associate - Competition, Foreign Investment & Trade

Overview

Gowling WLG's award‑winning Competition, Foreign Investment & Trade ("CFIT") team receives high‑quality instructions from a diverse client base and provides clear advice on complex issues. The CFIT team advises national and international clients on a broad range of areas, including merger control; NSIA/FDI issues; competition investigations (including dawn‑raid support); market investigations; the interface between competition law and IP; distribution and licensing arrangements;

subsidy control and State aid; and trade, customs, and sanctions. Recent instructions have included:

• Advising Clio on its $1 billion acquisition of vLex.
• Advising Empiric Student Property on its £723 million acquisition by Unite Group, which was notified to, and cleared by, the CMA under the UK merger control regime.
• Advising H&T Group on its $383 million acquisition by First Cash.
• Advising various clients on FDI issues arising in the context of acquisitions of targets with activities in sectors including advanced materials, AI, energy, and defence, including securing clearances under the NSIA.
• Advising RPSG Group on its acquisition of a majority stake in Manchester Originals.

• Advising a trade association subject to an investigation by the CMA into suspected infringements of UK competition law.
• Advising a manufacturer subject to an investigation by the CMA into suspected infringements of UK competition law, with the European Commission conducting a parallel investigation into suspected infringements of EU competition law.
• Advising businesses on responding to market studies and market investigations in the UK.
• Advising international brands on UK and EU competition law issues arising in the context of distribution arrangements.
• Advising public and private clients on UK subsidy control issues in the context of proposed arrangements.

Team members have direct contact with clients, and are encouraged to expand their internal and external networks, including by participating in sector‑aligned business‑development activities, social events, and client‑focused events. In addition to providing outstanding client service, the team provides an inclusive and supportive environment, encouraging colleagues in their development and the achievement of their goals. The team is committed to professional development, holding regular training sessions, combined with 1‑to‑1 feedback and mentoring.

Team members have individually mapped pathways for career progression, and have the opportunity to complete post‑graduate qualifications in competition law, deepening their knowledge and understanding.

• Qualified solicitor (England and Wales) with an enthusiasm for competition law, who has 3–5 years' experience of working on a range of significant UK and/or EU competition law matters, and is keen to work on high‑quality instructions within a supportive team environment.
• EU legal qualification, and/or an interest in trade, customs, and sanctions issues would be useful, but is not essential.

• A hybrid approach to office and remote working.
• 25 days annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave.
• Free private medical insurance, and the option to add family members.
• A generous pension allowance.
• Life assurance covering four times your annual salary.
• Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes.
• A range of health and wellbeing programmes.
• State‑of‑the‑art offices, in the heart of London overlooking Tower Bridge with onsite restaurants.
• Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development.

Many of our people work flexibly in some way. If you would like to explore your own flexible working arrangements with us, we are happy to discuss this during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunities:
Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re‑assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity.

This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment. At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.

Any offers we make will be conditional subject to clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance.