Commercial Life Sciences Associate - London or Bristol

A chance to join our Life Sciences/TMT group in London or Bristol.

About us

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in.

We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working.  Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role

Our Life Sciences/TMT groups have an opportunity for an industry-focused commercial lawyer to join our prestigious technology team and top-ranked sector group of over 80 life sciences specialists in the UK and 300 globally.  The technology team operates as a seamless unit between the firm's offices in London, Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Glasgow, advising on a broad range of matters for clients ranging from large blue chip organisations to smaller commercial entities (including universities and charities).
The technology team advises across a number of sectors and this lawyer’s focus would be life sciences, advising clients at every stage of the product life cycle, from intellectual property issues, collaboration arrangements, commercialisation and supply chain and life cycle management. 

In this role, you can expect to get involved in a variety of work including:

- Drafting and negotiating a broad range of commercial contracts such as collaboration, licensing, supply and distribution agreements;
- Involvement in a broad range of commercial, IP, IT and data protection advice;
- Providing efficient professional support for partners and team members; 
- Developing professional relationships with clients;
- Supporting the wider group in developing business; and 
- Involvement in marketing events.   
 

About you

We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants, so to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience:
- Knowledge of, and/or experience in, the life sciences sector
- Knowledge of IP, IT, technology and data protection issues in addition to having developed strong general commercial expertise
- Understanding of the life sciences regulatory regime would be helpful but is not essential
- Appropriate level of post qualification experience in a City, major Regional or leading international firm or industry in-house company, to meet the demands of the role we envisage this to be 2-7 year PQE 
- Experience and confidence in dealing directly with clients in major blue chip companies
- Excellent drafting skills and the ability to translate legal theory into practical advice
- Excellent analytical skills and experience of running your own files and assisting partners on more complex, higher value deals and transactions - Due to the role being client facing you will need to have sound judgment and good interpersonal and consultancy skills

What’s in it for you?

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

•    Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
•    Flexible, hybrid working policy
•    Generous bonus scheme
•    Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
•    Holiday exchange scheme
•    Private medical insurance
•    Enhanced parental leave
•    Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities

At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us.  In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field. 
 
As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work.
 
When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break. 
 
We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index.
 
We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact Becky Lowe at TalentAcquisition@cms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply? Here are the next steps.

We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. 

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

#LI-DH1