Private Equity Associate

Private Equity Associate

Office Boston

Department Corporate

Date Posted Jan 21, 2025

Application Deadline Dec 31, 2030

Since launching one of the nation's first ever private equity funds in 1983, Choate has become a nationally recognized leader in middle-market private equity. Our integrated team is known for providing strategic, commercially minded advice and executing transactions efficiently and collaboratively. The associate will work as part of lean deal teams, with meaningful responsibility and direct exposure to experienced partners, clients and all stages of the transaction process.

Job Functions / Responsibilities

• Work closely with partners and senior associates on private equity transactions, taking responsibility for and driving various workstreams.
• Draft and revise transaction documents, including purchase agreements, equity and rollover documents, ancillary agreements, disclosure schedules, corporate approvals and closing documents, with increasing responsibility for substantive provisions.
• Conduct legal due diligence, review and summarize key findings, and prepare diligence reports.
• Manage transaction work streams and signing and closing processes, including closing checklists, and coordination with clients, opposing counsel, specialists and other transaction participants.
• Assist with portfolio company matters, including add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations, equity issuances, management equity arrangements and other strategic transactions.
• Provide exceptional client service leading middle-market private equity funds and their portfolio companies.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of relevant transactional experience, particularly involving private equity, M&A or growth equity financing transactions.
• Excellent professional judgment.
• Strong commitment to delivering exceptional client service.
• Preference for candidates with large firm experience working on private equity transactions.
• Genuine interest in building a private equity practice focused on sophisticated middle-market transactions and long-term sponsor and portfolio company relationships.
• Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging generative AI tools to enhance research, drafting, analysis, and overall workflow efficiency, with appropriate attention to accuracy, confidentiality, and ethical obligations.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship by the Firm (either now or in the future).

About the Firm

One of the nation's premier law firms, Choate is intentionally structured to be different from the firms with which we compete and those differences materially benefit our clients and the best and brightest talent who join us. We focus on a core group of strategic areas where we practice at the highest level and represent clients in some of their most important matters across the US and internationally, including Fortune 500 companies, public and private companies, PE/VC firms, financial institutions and wealthy individuals.

Choate lawyers are highly integrated and work closely together every day and across services, maximizing value for clients by developing a sophisticated understanding of their businesses and goals and fostering long-term, collaborative relationships. Our balanced leverage model gives us the ability to match clients with a dedicated, leanly staffed team of lawyers led by highly experienced, hands-on partners and associates working under their direction. To capture the benefits of our model, attorneys are expected to work from our office at least four days per week.

Compensation

Choate offers market-based compensation for its attorneys. The current base salary range for on-track attorneys is $225,000 for first year associates to $435,000 for Principal level attorneys, excluding bonus compensation and a generous benefits package.

The anticipated salary range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the salary range for this specific position at the time of posting. The actual offered salary for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to qualifications and prior experience, attorney level placement, external market data, consideration of internal equity, and whether the role is on or off-track.

$225,000 - $260,000