Travers Smith is a leading full-service law firm, with a wealth of experience in its areas of specialisation. The firm has a market-leading reputation for its international expertise in Asset Management, M&A and Dispute Resolution & Investigations. Clients include asset managers across the alternative asset classes (private equity, venture, credit, infrastructure and real estate), publicly listed and private companies, financial institutions, and other business enterprises involved in large and complex UK and cross-border matters, transactions and disputes.
Department
Our ESG practice is recognised as market-leading and we pride ourselves on having a highly-skilled and engaged multi-disciplinary team drawn from across all of the firm's practices. Our ESG experts collaborate to provide holistic solutions to complex ESG problems across a broad range of industry sectors, in the UK and internationally.
We work with asset managers, lenders and companies to manage the operational, reputational and compliance risks associated with ESG factors. In doing so, we seek to have a positive impact on engagement with the ESG agenda and to help our clients to do so. We seek to have enduring relationships with our clients, some of whom we have worked with for decades.
Our practice spans the key elements of the ESG agenda for our clients, including:
- Environment, Climate and Biodiversity
- Sustainable Finance and Investment
- Business Ethics and Human Rights
- ESG Litigation and Crisis Management
- Corporate Advisory and Governance
- People and Diversity
- Real Estate and the Built Environment
- Tax and ESG
Our Knowledge capability is critical to our ESG offering and the successful candidate will play a crucial role in helping us to stay abreast of regulatory change and developing market-leading knowledge products and services for our clients, in collaboration with KLs from other relevant practices as well as our partners and associates with specialist expertise in the areas listed above.
Reporting Line
The successful candidate will report into the co-Heads of ESG and Impact, who lead the firm's cross-practice ESG and Impact offering. For pastoral purposes the successful candidate will be situated within the firm's innovative Operational Risk & Environment department, ensuring they are fully integrated within the firm.
The Role
As Senior Knowledge Lawyer – ESG, your role will be to support the ongoing development of the firm's ESG practice and help to build and maintain its profile and reputation in our key markets.
Given the breadth of the ESG agenda, this role is highly collaborative and in performing the responsibilities outlined below, we will expect you to work closely with a range of stakeholders across the firm, including the co-Heads of ESG and Impact, the members of the firm's ESG and Impact Committee, our BD team, other members of the KL team, the firmwide KM team and the wider group of partners and associates with ESG expertise across the firm, where relevant.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Knowledge Management – Client Facing
Taking overall responsibility for building and maintaining a high-performing ESG Knowledge function and delivering, in consultation with the partners, product which maintains the firm's market-leading reputation for ESG expertise through:
- Thought leadership and (b) the development of a range of knowledge products and tools to showcase our ESG practice, targeting our ESG knowledge offering to support the needs of existing clients and win new business with target clients and sectors in line with the firm's ESG strategy;
- Organising/coordinating training, knowledge-sharing and networking sessions for clients and targets on ESG topics, using different media and fora to suit the topic, the target audience and the business development objectives;
- Helping us to develop and maintain close collaborative relationships with our chosen ESG contacts in our overseas law firm network, organising joint thought leadership, training and other joint profile and relationship-building activities and helping to facilitate the sharing of ESG knowledge between our firms;
- Developing the external profile of our ESG practice by building and maintaining an active social media presence yourself as well as for the wider ESG practice and our key ESG contacts, coordinating the social media activities of other members of the ESG group across the firm in doing so;
- In close collaboration with our BD team, identifying and pursuing opportunities to develop our business and strengthen existing networks, including attending and/or coordinating attendance at conferences and external ESG-related knowledge sharing and networking events;
- Facilitating seamless communication and cooperation between the ESG BD and Marketing Manager and the ESG practice's fee earners, ensuring that ESG knowledge creation and distribution is fully aligned with and a key component in the success of the firm's ESG business development strategy;
- Helping our BD with award submissions with a view to achieving external recognition for our firmwide ESG expertise and initiatives;
- Representing the firm and its ESG practice on relevant industry groups as required, participating in specialist interest groups and helping the firm to remain at the forefront of regulatory developments and market practice and sentiment in relation to ESG; and
- Building a network with ESG knowledge specialists at our peer firms (for example through the ESG PSL City Group).
Internal Facing Knowledge and Training
- Developing and maintaining a clear understanding of ESG workstreams across the firm by keeping in regular contact with relevant partners and attending relevant departmental ESG meetings;
- Playing a prominent role in weaving together the strands of ESG and sustainable finance experience and expertise across the firm and encouraging cross-departmental collaboration on ESG topics, among our lawyers and knowledge lawyers;
- Taking an active role in the Sustainability Working Group and as required, ESG-related focus groups across the firm, leading the development of knowledge-sharing fora within the firm;
- Staying abreast of key developments in ESG law and regulation, working with other KLs and members of the firmwide KM team in coordinating horizon-scanning and the dissemination across the firm of key ESG developments which are "need to know" at firmwide level;
- Management of ESG knowhow development, storage and retention, building and maintaining ESG knowhow resources at firmwide level;
- Organising and where appropriate, delivering firmwide or department-specific training on relevant ESG topics, whether as part of the firmwide Legal Training Programme, or otherwise; and
- Where appropriate, guiding and mentoring our lawyers in ESG-related problem analysis, helping them to formulate solutions (practice-specific issues and queries to be triaged and delegated to other Knowledge Lawyers or fee earners, as appropriate).
- The role is full time, and our agile working policy applies to this role.
Personal Specification – Experience, Knowledge & Skills
- An excellent technical lawyer with superb people and project management skills who can keep pace with fast-moving regulatory change, you will most likely have at least seven years' experience. The role would suit:
- Qualified lawyer (England and Wales), with significant experience in a relevant specialism or broader ESG practice, with experience and/or a strong interest in environment, climate, human rights, corporate governance and reporting or sustainable finance being highly relevant and desirable.
- Knowledge lawyer/PSL experience an advantage but not a pre-requisite for the right candidate.
- Strategic and analytical thinker, able to set and measure the success of knowledge deliverables.
- Strong leader who is committed to 'trusted advisor' status, internally within Travers Smith and externally.
- Adept at managing under pressure and managing (and meeting) multiple deadlines.
- Consultative approach with a strong ability to influence and persuade key stakeholders.
- Credibility to advise partners, and challenge and change behaviour where required.
- Adheres to the firm's core values through working relationships, attitude and behaviour.
- Pragmatist with excellent commercial acumen.
- Understanding of the commercial environment – a strong client focus. Expert communicator, both in writing and in person, with the ability to tailor your communication style to your audience and gravitas and confidence to deal with senior individuals and senior professionals, whether in Travers Smith, with clients, or through participation in external networks.
- Curious and entrepreneurial mind-set, identifying opportunities to improve and innovate in the development of our knowledge function and ultimately our delivery of our client service.
- Collaborative attitude, operating as a "team player" and working effectively as part of a wider team.
We are excited to be moving from our London headquarters in Snow Hill, to a brand-new building in the City – Stonecutter Court. The move is expected to take place in early 2026.
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Support and Adjustments for candidates: At Travers Smith, we are committed to ensuring that people who are disabled or have a long-term condition are empowered in their identity, valued equally, and listened to. If we can adjust the recruitment process to make it more accessible, please let us know. For further information please visit our website: Recruitment - Support and adjustments for candidates | Travers Smith
