Job Description

About the role

Clayton Utz is seeking a Knowledge Lawyer to join its National KM team supporting the Corporate, M&A & Capital Markets practice on a full-time basis. This role offers a unique opportunity for a current or recent fee-earner to stay close to substantive legal work while stepping aside from fee-earning. The role is based in Sydney, however we are open to applications from professionals in Brisbane or Melbourne.

The role combines legal expertise with knowledge management to directly improve the quality and efficiency of Clayton Utz’s Corporate practice. You will be instrumental in ensuring our Corporate lawyers continue to have access to best-in-class precedents, know-how and research, and maintaining a strong knowledge-sharing culture in the Corporate practice.

The role

Reporting to Gareth Cantin, the Head of Knowledge, your key responsibilities will include:

• Developing, curating and maintaining high-quality precedents, practice notes and know-how resources for the Corporate practice.
• Monitoring legal and regulatory developments relevant to corporate practice (including M&A, capital markets, private equity and general corporate advisory) and preparing concise updates for the Corporate practice.
• Partnering with Corporate partners and senior associates to continuously improve knowledge resources with the latest transactional and legal developments.
• Supporting complex transactions by providing expert responses to ad-hoc queries.
• Working with multiple cross-functional teams reimagining legal work and driving the adoption of AI-augmented tools and legal technology within the Corporate practice.
• Contributing to firm-wide knowledge and transformation initiatives, including training programs, legal technology pilots and thought leadership.
• Delivering practical training and guidance to lawyers on precedent systems, know-how databases and best-practice use of knowledge management tools, including formal presentations, workshops and one-on-one training sessions for practitioners at different levels of seniority.

About you

You are an admitted Australian lawyer with a minimum of 10 years of post-qualification experience in corporate practice with impeccable legal fundamentals, attention to detail, intellectual curiosity and a commitment to excellence. You have a genuine interest in knowledge management, legal innovation and improving how lawyers work. Experience in or exposure to a knowledge, professional support or practice development role is highly regarded but not essential.

Skills and experience

• Deep understanding of corporate transactional work, including the underlying documents, market practice and precedent needs.
• Excellent legal research and analytical skills, with the ability to distil complex legal concepts into clear, practical drafting.
• Genuine interest in legal technology, AI-augmented tools and their application to legal practice.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an eye for detail and plain language.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Tact and an ability to deal constructively with competing interests and priorities across a large national practice group.
• Experience with precedent management, know-how systems or legal knowledge platforms is an advantage.

What we offer

• A unique role that combines substantive legal expertise with knowledge leadership.
• The opportunity to shape how a leading Australian law firm captures, shares and leverages its collective knowledge.
• Exposure to cutting-edge legal technology and AI tools.
• A supportive and collaborative national Knowledge team.
• Competitive remuneration and benefits, with flexible working arrangements.

This is a full-time position. Part-time arrangements may be considered for the right candidate.

About our Corporate, M&A & Capital Markets team

Clayton Utz maintains a top-tier multi-disciplinary Corporate M&A practice. Acting for many of Australia’s top 100 companies and leading multinationals, we provide corporate clients with the tools needed to manage all the issues that arise in a successful company. Whether it’s capital raising, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions or commercial contract negotiation, we offer leading-edge expertise, second-to-none execution skills and commercial judgment born from years of experience in the Australian corporate environment.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your interest in the role.

#LI-AS

How to Apply?

We prefer to work directly with candidates, if you are interested in this role, please click the ‘Apply’ button or contact the consultant, details below, for more information. Clayton Utz is an inclusive employer that supports flexible work arrangements, please feel free to discuss your flexibility needs with the recruiter for this role.

Consultant Contact Details

Alexandra Smith, (02) 9353 4446

Accessibility and Inclusion

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process. Do you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete your application? If so, please contact the recruiter via the above telephone number or via email to recruitmentsupport@claytonutz.com.

For more information on Clayton Utz, please visit www.claytonutz.com or follow us on LinkedIn here.

Agency submissions

Clayton Utz does not accept agency submissions unless the agency is specifically contacted by a member of the Clayton Utz Recruitment Team. Please do not forward candidate profiles or resumes to Clayton Utz partners, hiring managers or other employees - this will not constitute as an introduction to the firm and Clayton Utz will not be liable for a fee.