Senior / Principal Associate – Commercial Litigation

We have more than 1,400 legal professionals working around the world. Our offices span across 19 cities in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There’s strength in our global presence – we embrace our differing cultures and work together as one team. We also understand the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, while we provide legal advice that’s tailored to our clients’ world.

’Our people and distinct culture are what makes us different. We know this through client and employee feedback and this drives everything we do’’ Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director.

There are great opportunities for all our people to flourish. Through training and personal development they can grow in their role. Our people are the cornerstone of our success, across legal, business support and early talent. We care about their happiness and believe in the power of teamwork. We want them to feel empowered and recognise that by supporting, respecting and embracing everyone’s different contributions we achieve more.

Main purpose of the role:

Deliver a sector-leading end-to-end resourcing service to meet the needs of the firm’s legal and business services teams.

Leading on our cost-saving direct sourcing attraction strategy, act as a business partner to our senior stakeholders, whilst ensuring a first class candidate experience.

Working flexibly, working fairly

Agile working offers people more freedom and flexibility in where, when, and how they work. As technology advances and our workforce becomes more diverse – and with clients often working to a 24/7 rhythm – having extra flexibility is key to helping us balance work and other commitments sensibly and productively.

By supporting people to choose where and when they get their work done, we help them to make a full and fair contribution to their team – while maintaining that all important work-life balance.

Our 100 strong commercial litigation team advises and deals with a broad spectrum of matters, from multi-million pound claims to issues of principle or reputational concern.

Some of our recent work highlights include:

• Acting on the long-running Hellas Telecommunications (Luxembourg) II SCA liquidation, where the main proceedings seek damages in excess of US$1b.
• Following historical cross-border investigations and litigation involving the former Mayer or Sao Paulo (Paulo Maluf), we continue to be instructed by the liquidators of three BVI companies connected to Mr Maulf. The liquidators are in the process of bringing claims through companies, principally in BVI and Brazil. Claims in the estates exceed US$300m. To date, recognition and related investigations have spanned several jurisdictions including Switzerland, Brazil, Jersey and the USA.
• Acting to obtain a freezing order on behalf of a clearing bank to prevent the further disposal of corporate assets at a significant undervalue, and then secured the appointment of an administrator to successfully sell the business for the benefit of creditors.
• Successfully defending wrongful trading proceedings brought against two directors to the sum of £7 million.
• Acting for multiple Liquidators in respect of release of assets stranded in complex trust structures. Investigated and progressed a successful application at Court which resulted in a pro forma sale process to enable the sale of Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) on behalf of Liquidators, acting as Trustees. Liaised and tendered with various MNCs for the sale of VCUs on the APX Registry in the US. Currently in the process of identifying individual investors who were mis-sold the VCUs at hugely inflated prices with a view to eventual distribution of sale proceeds.
• Acting for the Official Receivers of Public Interest Units on VAT fraud. Investigation various companies including telecoms, metals and diamonds on complex extra territorial VAT Fraud. Liaising with HMRC VAT Officers and Specialist HMRC MTIC Officers. Drafting of multiple complex statements and issuing and progressing proceedings at Court through to conclusion.
• Acting for an asset-based lender in recovering in excess of £2m from a director who had misapplied funds advanced pursuant to fictitious invoices.
• Advising an international aerospace client on supply chain issues following the financial difficulty of a key component supplier based in England and Sri Lanka.

• Main purpose of the role:

  Gowling WLG specialises in complex, high-profile sizeable insolvency disputes and are looking for a senior/principal associate with expertise in contentious insolvency and general commercial litigation experience, working for IPs, corporates and directors together with a range of other clients.

• Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• The ability to take instructions from and liaise throughout with the client and to build strong trusted relationships.
• Issuing proceedings and thereafter running all interlocutory stages of proceedings including through to trial showing attention to detail at all stages in the consideration and preparation of documents and evidence.
• Instructing, and liaising with witnesses, expert witnesses and counsel where appropriate.
• Any other reasonable duties delegated by any Partner, Senior Manager or Practice Operations Manager of the firm.
• Attending court hearings (directions/trials).
• A precise and concise approach to drafting in correspondence and evidence.
• Management of own caseload with the ability to organise workload on a day to day basis.
• Use of the bespoke client gateway to share case related information.
• Active participation in team training as well as self-development of related skills.
• Meeting personal time recording targets and assisting in the team’s financial management.

Key Skills and Experience:

• A lawyer with an excellent training background.
• Experience of general litigation and the CPR.
• An ability to analyse and report on significant quantities of evidence, with a keen eye for detail.
• A desire to progress and support the team’s business development activities, and provide an external face to the market.
• A proactive approach to case management and a willingness to undertake a demanding caseload and remain calm under pressure.
• Acted for insolvency practitioners pursuing substantial claims
• Some advocacy experience would be preferable.
• A team-player with a flexible and adaptable approach and experience of establishing and developing relationships with the client.
• Experience of meeting personal time recording targets and assisting in the team’s financial management.

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.