Professional Support Lawyer Tax (m/f/d)

Allen & Overy is a leading international legal practice with a truly global presence. The firm operates at the forefront of the legal industry. Our deals and cases often make headline business news. With many of our partners acknowledged as leaders in their field, and with all our people demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism, we have a reputation for delivering excellence in all that we do.

We have developed a culture in which difference is positively valued, and our people are free to be themselves. We are in every sense one global team; supportive and collaborative, but also ambitious and driven. Our capacity to combine these qualities and provide a setting in which our people can thrive is what makes us different.

Department purpose
Our clients require a seamless, multi-jurisdictional tax advisory service, whether on a stand-alone basis or as an integral part of the full legal service offered by Allen & Overy. We provide cutting edge advice to our clients in many areas, including M&A, reconstructions and reorganisations, strategic tax planning, tax investigations and disputes, joint ventures, asset finance, Tier 1 capital market transactions, banking, litigation, restructuring, tax, structured finance and indirect tax. A career in our Taxation team can be highly challenging given the complexity and international dimensions to our work and a continuous emphasis on intellectual growth.

With over 100 tax specialists across our international network, we are able to offer both domestic and cross-border advice wherever our clients need it, whether they are financial institutions, corporate entities, funds or governments. The depth and breadth of our knowledge ensures that we are able to support our clients’ business needs successfully and provide high quality, innovative tax solutions in the increasingly complex area of tax legislation and practice.

Role purpose
The role of PSL requires both creative thinking and efficient administration; working with our in-house specialists, you will have the opportunity to produce exceptional, innovative client products and events to enhance our brand; you will also have an important role in facilitating the day-to-day working of the Global Tax Practice Group and sector groups through training, meetings and technical support. You will need a keen awareness of global and regional tax developments, the wider commercial and corporate landscape, combined with an eye for operational detail.

You will be pro-active in identifying issues of global and regional significance on which the team and its clients need to be briefed, and able to pitch those briefings at the right level for the relevant audience (both tax specialists and non-tax participants). The ability to start a project and see it through to completion, together with a commitment to meeting regular deadlines and strong communication skills, are essential qualities to maintain the smooth running of our range of added value services.

Allen & Overy’s PSLs are highly regarded members of the teams they support within our international network. The PSL role offers flexibility and a good work/life balance.

Role and responsibilities

Legal developments, including liaising with other parts of the firm

• Current awareness alerting and impact assessment in relation to new global and regional tax developments;

• Enhancing and developing new technology/ mechanisms for capturing, sharing and communicating know-how;

• Producing, updating and collating core tax know-how and precedents;

• Proactively identifying the impact of tax legal developments on other practice areas around the firm as a whole, and delivering and developing know-how, training, and resources as necessary;

• Dealing with queries from fee-earners and liaising with lawyers and PSLs in other areas of the firm (e.g. litigation, capital markets, banking and corporate) in identifying and assisting in providing a coordinated approach to issues important to our clients;

• Liaising with professional associations and industry bodies and contributing to their market research and lobbying activities

Training

• Supporting the training function, including helping organise group training seminars (preparing training materials/ delivering training etc.);

Client contact

• The role will involve client contact. Producing targeted materials such as briefings on new developments for distribution to clients, some to a wide range of clients, some bespoke for particular client issues, but always with insightful and practical impact analysis.

• Identifying opportunities for client seminars / training and, ideally, involvement in liaising with clients;

Business development

• Liaising closely with business development and contributing ideas, enhancing business development through market or legal developments.

Key requirements

• Qualified lawyer with experience in private practice

• Strong technical knowledge of Corporate Tax law, including global and regional tax developments and initiatives

• Will have worked successfully as a lawyer or PSL/Senior PSL in a law firm, large corporate organisation or in government departments

• Excellent academic credentials

• Self-starter with the desire and ability to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge

• Sound experience of working with senior management within a complex international organisation

• Strong commercial/business acumen with the ability to deliver creative and pragmatic solutions and advice

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface at all levels and particularly to win the respect of the partner and fee-earner community, building and developing strong (internal and external) client relationships

• Collaborative team player with the ability to develop and work in a fast paced, intellectually rigorous environment

• A person who enjoys both the operational and strategic sides of this role and shows great flexibility Resilient; able to understand that credibility has to be earned in this environment and may take time

• A person of sound judgement, able to establish a high level of credibility in the organisation and act as a trusted advisor to fee-earners

• Bilingual English speaker with strong knowledge of at least one other major EU language