Commercial Associate - Manchester

Commercial Contracts Associate - Manchester Are you a commercial lawyer ready to accelerate your career within a high-performing national practice? Our client - a leading UK law firm with a Tier 1-ranked commercial team - is seeking a talented Commercial Contracts Lawyer (2PQE+) to join its Manchester office. This is an excellent opportunity for a junior associate looking for exposure to market-leading work, a supportive culture, and a clear pathway for long-term professional development. The Opportunity As a commercial associate, you will join a collaborative, energetic, and nationally integrated Commercial team advising major UK and international clients across sectors including retail & consumer, sports, technology, financial services, digital, aviation, health, and advanced manufacturing. You will play a key role in delivering end-to-end commercial advice, gaining significant client contact and ownership over your work from day one. The firm also offers genuine opportunities for client secondments, should you wish to broaden your experience further. Key Responsibilities - Draft, negotiate and manage a wide range of commercial contracts for both customer and supplier-side engagements. - Advise on the full lifecycle of commercial arrangements, from structuring and risk assessment through to execution and implementation. - Support on large-scale, complex outsourcing, technology, SaaS, logistics and cloud-related matters. - Provide commercial and pragmatic advice on IT, data protection, and intellectual property issues. - Manage your own matters while working alongside partners and managing associates on strategic transactions. - Build strong client relationships and contribute to ongoing business development initiatives. About You To succeed in this role, you will ideally bring: 2-5 years' post-qualification experience in commercial contracts, gained in private practice or a reputable in-house team. A strong technical grounding, project management capability, and the ability to deliver commercially tailored advice. Some exposure to IT/IP agreements such as software licensing, SaaS, managed services or hardware procurement (desirable but not essential). Ambition, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to lead on complex transactions. This commercial associate role is ideal for someone who wants to develop quickly, handle sophisticated work, and engage closely with FTSE-level clients. There is also an excellent salary and benefits package. For more information or a confidential chat about this commercial associate role, please contact Nicola O'Hanlon at BCL Legal. BCL Legal is an equal opportunities employer.