Q1 2026 - Overview of Acq/Lev Finance and General finance roles in the London Market

During the first quarter of 2026, the London acquisition, leveraged and general finance recruitment market remained active, with a total of 27 roles advertised across UK international/global, US and City/regional firms. Of these, 11 roles were carried over from Q4 2025, while 16 were new to market in Q1.

Roles ranged from junior and mid-level associate positions through to senior associate, managing associate, principal associate roles as well as one PSL roles.  While 10 positions were closed during the quarter, 17 remained open going into Q2.

Below are overviews of roles advertised by firms during Q1 (we have included links to roles that are still open as of mid April):

Addleshaw Goddard:

Addleshaw Goddard carried over a Leveraged Finance Senior Associate or Managing Associate role (3+ PQE) from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. The role focused on advising credit funds, banks, direct lenders, sponsors and portfolio companies on mid-market private equity financings, including senior, second lien, unitranche, TLB and super-senior facilities, with responsibility for transaction management, drafting, supervision of juniors and business development.

In January, the firm also advertised two further managing associate roles, both of which remained open going into Q2. The first was a Finance Lawyer – Managing Associate role (5+ PQE), aimed at helping build the firm’s London transition finance practice through work on acquisition finance, project finance, private credit and structured finance involving transitioning assets such as data centres, renewables and decarbonisation projects. The second was a Corporate Debt Lawyer – Managing Associate role (5+ PQE), focused on structuring and documenting high-value syndicated lending, acquisition finance, refinancing and restructuring transactions for lenders and borrowers, with a strong emphasis on drafting standards, cross-border coordination and client development.

A&O Shearman

A&O Shearman carried over a Global Loans Associate role (2–4 PQE), from Q4 2025. The role sat within the Global Loans and Real Estate Finance group and the position focused on drafting and negotiating financing documentation, strategic client advice, project management and supervision of junior lawyers, with a strong emphasis on corporate lending and LMA-based work in a global environment.

Bird & Bird

Bird & Bird carried over an Associate – Banking & Finance (Mid) role from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. This position sat within the firm’s Finance & Financial Regulation team and covered a broad range of finance transactions, including renewable energy financings. The firm sought a commercially minded and entrepreneurial associate with strong transactional experience who could thrive in a collaborative, client-facing environment.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Cleary Gottlieb advertised a Leveraged Finance Associate role (2–5 PQE) in February, which remained open going into Q2. The role focused on leveraged financings and related transactions within the firm’s London team, often with a cross-border element. The firm sought an English law-qualified lawyer with strong transactional experience, technical drafting and negotiation skills, and the ability to manage workstreams effectively while working closely with clients and colleagues on complex deals.

Eversheds Sutherland

Eversheds Sutherland advertised an Associate/Senior Associate – Leveraged Finance role (3–6 PQE) in January, which closed in February. The position focused on private credit, sponsor-led and bank financings within the firm’s growing banking and finance practice, with significant pan-European exposure and collaboration across European offices. The firm was looking for a lawyer with strong leveraged finance experience, good client and stakeholder management skills, and an appetite for business development and junior development in a non-hierarchical team.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields carried over an Associate – Leveraged Finance role from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. This mid-level position focused on acquisition, refinancing and strategic financings for private equity sponsors and corporates, including drafting facility and intercreditor agreements and managing cross-border transactions. The firm sought candidates with solid leveraged finance experience from leading firms, coupled with strong technical judgement, commerciality and communication skills.

Gateley

Gateley advertised a Banking Solicitor/Associate role (2–6 PQE) in February, which remained open going into Q2. The role covered corporate lending, acquisition finance, real estate finance, asset-based lending and project finance within the firm’s London banking and finance team. The position involved drafting and negotiating facility agreements, managing transactions with partner support and developing client relationships across the firm’s national platform.

Gowling WLG

Gowling WLG advertised a Senior Associate – Banking & Finance role (3–6 PQE) in February, which closed in March. This was a non-contentious general banking role covering acquisition finance, corporate lending, asset and receivables finance, project finance, derivatives and some debt capital markets or structuring work, often on cross-border transactions. The firm sought a commercially astute lawyer able to run high-value matters with limited supervision, advise banks, borrowers and private equity houses, and contribute meaningfully to business development and relationship-building.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer advertised a Senior Associate role (6+ PQE) in January, which closed in March. The position sat within the firm’s general and acquisition finance practice and covered high-profile acquisition and leveraged financings, public bid and event-driven financings, as well as broader corporate debt work including bank loans, private capital and private placements. The role involved drafting and negotiating loan documentation, leading smaller matters, supervising trainees and helping build client relationships within a high-performing finance team.

Lawrence Stephens

Lawrence Stephens advertised a Senior Associate – Banking role (4+ PQE) in January, which closed in March. This was a senior fee-earning role within a fast-paced London banking practice, covering bilateral and syndicated lending, leveraged finance, refinancing and general corporate lending, often alongside real estate finance. The firm sought a lawyer capable of managing matters independently, building client relationships, supervising junior lawyers and providing commercially focused advice under tight deadlines.

Mayer Brown

Mayer Brown carried over an Associate / Senior Associate – Leveraged Finance role (4–5 PQE) from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. The role sat within the firm’s highly regarded leveraged finance team and focused on acquisition financings, refinancings and syndicated lending for sponsors, lenders and financial institutions. The firm sought a technically strong finance lawyer with leveraged finance experience, cross-border exposure and the confidence to take responsibility, interact with clients and contribute to business development.

Mills & Reeve

Mills & Reeve advertised a Principal Associate – Surety role (8+ PQE) in March, which remained open going into Q2. This was a senior transactional finance position within a specialist surety team advising global insurers on guarantee and on-demand bond facilities, security, intercreditor arrangements and related finance documentation. The role called for a lawyer with strong finance or project finance experience, sound commercial judgement and the ability to build strong client relationships, with partnership potential for the right candidate.

Osborne Clarke

Osborne Clarke advertised a Banking Associate role in February, which closed in March. The role sat within the firm’s Chambers-rated London banking team and involved advising major UK clearing banks, challenger banks, credit funds and insurers on large multi-bank deals and sector-led financings across technology, media and communications, energy and utilities, financial services and the built environment. The mandate also included leveraged and MBO finance, debt fund work, real estate finance and some project finance and fintech-related matters.

Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray carried over an Associate – Leveraged Finance role from Q4 2025, which remained open going into Q2. The position offered exposure to market-leading private equity sponsors, financial institutions and corporates on complex cross-border leveraged finance transactions. The role involved close work with partners and senior lawyers across jurisdictions and sought a lawyer with strong technical ability, excellent communication skills and confidence in drafting, negotiation, execution and client management.

Shoosmiths

Shoosmiths carried over an Associate – Banking & Finance role (2–4 PQE) from Q4 2025, which closed in February. This role sat within the firm’s national leveraged finance practice, with a London growth focus, and covered leveraged finance, corporate lending, sponsor-led transactions and venture debt. The firm sought a proactive lawyer with strong drafting and negotiation skills, familiarity with LMA documentation and a willingness to take early responsibility and contribute to client development.

Simmons & Simmons

Simmons & Simmons carried over an Associate – Banking role (2–3 and 3–4 PQE) from Q3 2025, which closed in January. This role sat within the firm’s transactional banking team in London or Bristol and covered leveraged, acquisition, asset-backed, trade and investment-grade financings for global banks, sponsors and corporates, with leveraged finance and data centre finance experience seen as particularly valuable.

In February, the firm also advertised a Knowledge Lawyer – Banking role, which closed the same month. That position focused on maintaining and developing precedent documentation, supporting AI and document automation initiatives, and improving standards and know-how across the banking group.

In March, Simmons & Simmons launched two further roles, both of which remained open going into Q2. The first was an Associate – Banking role (2–4 PQE), aimed at a lawyer with a broad spread of transactional finance experience, ideally including leveraged finance and corporate lending, across national and international banking matters. The second was a Supervising Associate – Banking role (5+ PQE), focused more specifically on complex leveraged and acquisition finance work for banks, sponsors, corporates and alternative lenders, with an emphasis on helping grow the firm’s private equity and acquisition finance offering.

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom

Skadden advertised a Leveraged Finance Associate role (4–6 PQE) in January, which remained open going into Q2. This mid-level role sat within the firm’s leading London finance practice and focused on advising banks, financial sponsors and corporates on complex cross-border leveraged and acquisition financings, including syndicated loans, private credit and digital infrastructure finance. The firm sought a lawyer with strong experience in loan and intercreditor documentation, leveraged capital structures and English law security.

Stephenson Harwood

Stephenson Harwood advertised a Leveraged Finance Associate / Managing Associate role in February, which remained open going into Q2. The role sat within the firm’s expanding mid-market team and involved acting for banks, alternative lenders, private equity sponsors and corporates on borrower- and lender-side deals, including acquisition financings and cashflow lending across senior, unitranche, super senior, mezzanine and holdco PIK structures. 

Taylor Wessing

Taylor Wessing carried over two banking and finance roles into Q1, both of which remained open going into Q2. The first was a Banking & Finance Senior Associate role (5+ PQE), first advertised in Q3 2025, focusing on leveraged and acquisition finance, corporate lending, receivables, asset-based lending and loan trading for private equity sponsors, banks, debt funds and corporates. The second was an Associate – Banking & Finance (Non-REF) role (1–3 PQE), first advertised in Q4 2025, covering non-real-estate finance work including leveraged and acquisition finance, corporate lending, receivables and asset-based lending, and loan trading. Both roles emphasised strong drafting, transaction management, client contact and participation in business development as the team continued to grow its non-real-estate finance offering.

Travers Smith

Travers Smith advertised a Leveraged Finance Associate role (3–5 PQE) in February, which closed in March. The role focused on mid-market sponsor and lender transactions, including private equity buyouts, private credit and direct lending, unitranche, super senior RCFs, holdco PIK and refinancings. The position involved leading deals end-to-end, drafting and negotiating LMA-based facilities, intercreditors and security documents, and managing due diligence, conditions precedent and closings while supervising junior lawyers.

White & Case

White & Case carried over an Associate: Banking – EMEA role from Q4 2025, which closed in January. This London banking role involved advising major global banks on complex multijurisdictional financing transactions and supporting cross-border deal teams through drafting, due diligence, corporate documentation and client communication.

Off-Market Roles:

The above provides an overview of roles advertised directly by firms on their career pages. However, not all firms advertise roles consistently, and some only promote selected opportunities.

In particular, a number of US firms do not actively advertise vacancies on their websites. As a result, several firms you might expect to see are absent from the data - including firms that have been notably active in the lateral partner market over the past 18 months, such as Cravath, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Paul Hastings, Sidley Austin, Simpson Thacher and Sullivan & Cromwell.