Job Description

Our Project Development and Finance Practice specializes in advising clients on the legal and financial aspects of large-scale infrastructure and development projects. Our practice provides comprehensive support through all stages of project development, including initial planning, financing, construction and operation. Our team works with clients across various sectors such as energy, transportation, real estate and public infrastructure, offering expertise in structuring and negotiating project agreements, managing regulatory compliance and mitigating risks. We also assist clients in securing funding through various financial instruments and navigating complex financial transactions. By combining deep industry knowledge with a global perspective, our Project Development and Finance Practice helps clients successfully bring projects to fruition, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and regulatory requirements.

Our Practice Area

White & Case’s Energy, Infrastructure, Project and Asset Finance Group has a worldwide reputation for helping sponsors and developers to achieve their most complex and ambitious project goals. The preeminent global law firm in this field; we offer our clients an unrivalled depth and breadth of knowledge and experience, in jurisdictions across the globe and across all the major project development sectors.

From the moment you join us, you will be working with leading practitioners within our Group, as well as with colleagues from the firm’s M&A, Capital Markets and Regulatory & Compliance practices, who contribute their sector-specific expertise to our multidisciplinary project teams.

As an associate, you will handle a significant amount of contractual work, and have the opportunity to support both financing and project development work streams.

The work can be demanding but is always rewarding—both in terms of the constant opportunities for learning and professional development, and the satisfaction of contributing to high-profile projects which have a lasting impact on people’s lives.

Position Summary

We are currently looking for midlevel associates with domestic and international Agency Lender experience to join our Washington, DC office.

You should demonstrate excellent legal knowledge, with a strong intellectual curiosity to keep learning and to develop your expertise over a broad range of industries and sectors. Combining strong analytical and drafting skills, you should be comfortable navigating the contractual intricacies of complex, large-scale projects. Highly organized and deadline-focused, you should be adept at managing multiple work streams, and delivering flawless work within short timeframes.

Personable and cooperative, you should enjoy working as part of a team, and be adept at building strong professional relationships. Good communication skills will be a significant asset, as will fluency in other languages pertinent to our work.

Working on major, high-profile transactions which can take months or years to close, you will need patience and focus, and—given the fluctuations in the pace of our work—a flexibility in terms of your hours. Excited by our practice, you should be keen to take on as much responsibility as possible and display the proactivity of thought and action to exceed the expectations of both colleagues and clients.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating credit facilities and related financing documentation including security agreements, accounts agreements, intercreditor arrangements, etc.
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating purchase and sale, procurement, project development, construction, joint venture, supply and offtake agreements.
• Counseling clients on joint ventures, private equity investments and strategic transactions for public and private companies industries related to our practice.
• Managing deal teams and processes across practice areas and geographic locations.
• Solving legal problems relating to heavily-regulated industries.
• Managing and conducting due diligence.
• Conducting brief or more complex research, or drafting of memoranda, depending on client needs.
• Serving as primary point of contact for clients, opposing counsel and other transactional legal teams.
• Exercising good judgment in internal and external written and verbal communications.
• Providing direct assistance to senior lawyers on matters arising in the course of day-to-day provision of legal services to leading international and domestic clients.
• Mentoring and training of junior team members and attendance at, and participation in, continuing education classes and client development initiatives.
• Salary Range: US$310,000 - $390,000

Qualifications

• 4+ years of relevant law firm or in-house experience
• Strong academic record and intellectual curiosity, creative thinker
• Commercial and business awareness
• Ability to see the big picture
• Outstanding communication and negotiation skills
• Strong time management skills, ability to stay calm under pressure when juggling multiple projects
• Excellent drafting skills
• Driven by professional growth
• Strong professional presence
• Client service focus
• Team player
• Strong judgment
• Proactive, resourceful, takes initiative
• Long-term interest in business law
• International experience a plus
• Good understanding of the key risks and issues involved in cross-border transactions

This role reports to

Partner

Equal Opportunities

White & Case is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact talent.acquisition@whitecase.com.

Benefits at White & Case

White & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible.

The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.

The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Our internal Recruitment team manages all aspects of lateral hiring. All agencies must have signed terms of business—specific to the relevant office—before submitting any candidates. CVs or applications sent directly to White & Case partners or employees will also not be considered formal introductions. If you have questions, please contact the relevant Recruitment team. We work with our preferred suppliers when engaging agencies.