Associate, Disputes, Sydney

The Role

We advise on complex commercial litigation, including class actions, administrative proceedings, commercial and investment arbitrations, as well as high-profile white-collar defense, government and internal investigations, and criminal and regulatory proceedings. We are a global team with experience in state, national, federal and international courts, arbitral tribunals, and enforcement agencies throughout the world. Our clients are financial institutions, multinational private and state-owned entities, private equity firms, funds, and prominent individuals who turn to us to mitigate and manage business risk across virtually all sectors. We work seamlessly with our market-leading transactional and advisory colleagues to help clients realize their commercial objectives, whether through a win at trial or hearing, dismissal, or settlement.

Qualifications

We are seeking an Associate with 4+ years of post‑qualification experience and Australian legal qualifications to join our Disputes Group in Sydney.

• Strong background in commercial litigation.
• Exposure to contentious regulatory, class actions matters and investigations is highly desirable.
• Experience advising financial institutions, banks, corporates, and insolvency practitioners.
• Comfortable working on cross‑border matters, applying both local expertise and a global perspective.
• Demonstrated strong academic record and high‑calibre legal skills, supported by a developing industry reputation.
• Proven matter management, analytical, and organisational capabilities.
• Thrives in a busy, dynamic team environment and enjoys collaborating across multiple practice groups.
• Brings enthusiasm for business development, client relationship management, and other commercially focused initiatives.
• Shows a strong commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Passionate about coaching and mentoring junior team members, providing guidance and support.

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.