Job Description
Job DescriptionCareer Associate Attorney – Asset Management
Locations: Boston, MA | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA
Experience: 5+ years
Compensation: $290,000–$375,000 + discretionary year-end bonus
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Position Overview
Direct Counsel is seeking an experienced Career Associate Attorney with a strong background in asset management, private equity, investment funds, or fund management to join the Asset Management Practice of a leading global law firm.
This full-time position will serve as a dedicated legal resource supporting a sophisticated private equity client and its high-volume legal workflow. The attorney will advise on fund formation, co-investments, management company matters, fund-interest transfers, carried interest arrangements, and related fund operations and governance matters.
The ideal candidate is a highly experienced attorney who can work independently, manage a substantial volume of recurring matters, exercise sound legal judgment, and develop trusted relationships with sophisticated clients and cross-functional teams.
Key Responsibilities
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Provide day-to-day legal support for fund operations, including confidentiality agreements, intercompany agreements, and related asset management matters.
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Draft, review, and negotiate transfer agreements and related documentation involving fund interests, including transfer consents and associated due diligence materials.
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Advise on management company and general partner entity matters, including organizational documents, internal economic arrangements, award agreements, and vesting schedules.
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Support fund formation, co-investments, carried interest grants, and other investment fund and asset management matters.
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Collaborate with legal, finance, tax, compliance, management, and investor relations teams to execute transactions accurately and maintain well-organized records.
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Manage a steady pipeline of recurring matters while tracking deliverables, deadlines, templates, and workstreams.
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Identify opportunities to improve forms, develop precedent resources, streamline repeatable workflows, and reduce legal and operational risk.
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Apply strong drafting, legal analysis, practical judgment, and project management skills in a fast-paced asset management environment.
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Serve as a practical, responsive, and trusted legal partner to sophisticated clients.
Qualifications
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Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
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Admission in good standing to the bar in the jurisdiction corresponding to the applicable office.
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5+ years of relevant legal experience at a law firm and/or in-house legal department, preferably with a private equity firm, asset management firm, investment manager, or similar organization.
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Substantial experience with private equity, fund formation, investment funds, fund management, or related transactional matters.
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Strong knowledge of fund-related agreements, carried interest arrangements, management incentive structures, transfer documentation, and governance matters.
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Excellent drafting, legal analysis, organizational, and project management skills.
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Ability to independently manage a high volume of matters while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
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Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with clients and cross-functional teams.
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Experience developing or maintaining templates, playbooks, precedent libraries, or other knowledge-management resources.
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Ability to use artificial intelligence tools responsibly and ethically, including identifying appropriate use cases, protecting confidential information, verifying outputs, and applying independent legal judgment.
Compensation & Benefits
The anticipated base salary range for this position is $290,000–$375,000, depending on qualifications and experience. The position is also eligible for a discretionary year-end bonus.
Work Arrangement
This position offers a hybrid work arrangement, with periodic in-office and/or client-facing presence as needed.
Locations
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Boston, Massachusetts
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New York, New York
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San Francisco, California
