Deputy insight editor
London, Waterloo (Hybrid)
About The Lawyer…
We have trained some of the finest business journalists in the UK: could you be next? The Lawyer is the multi-award-winning title for news, analysis and business intelligence to the influential commercial legal sector and has become a global digital brand with numerous events every year. It is recognised for its forward-looking content and senior audience and has regularly won trophies for its market-leading journalism, insight and data.
We report breaking news and pick out emerging trends in one of the most powerful and influential business sectors in the world. Our readers work at major global law firms, top barristers’ chambers and in-house departments in businesses across the UK and beyond.
The Lawyer is recognised as one of the best places to start a journalistic career, with unparalleled hands-on training. Our alumni are at major news organisations around the globe, but we also offer plenty of progression to grow within The Lawyer into more senior positions.
How You’ll Help Us Grow…
The writer will be responsible for researching client relationships and writing stories and commentary on major law firms with a strong transatlantic presence (London and New York, but also potentially the West Coast). They will work closely with the senior editorial team and will be keen to develop a strong understanding of transatlantic business trends.
The role would suit an ambitious journalist or researcher who is able to run meetings with senior lawyers and build their confidence, and who wants the freedom to sniff out stories and develop leadership skills.
The job involves working to daily, weekly and monthly deadlines and representing The Lawyer at industry events. Knowledge of professional services or related sectors is an advantage but not required; most of all, we want curiosity and flair, and there is plenty of on-the-job mentoring.
A Day In The Life Of…
- You’ll have a clear beat of the US-UK market in which to hone your research and commentary skills and market expertise, in order to understand and shape the general news agenda
- You’ll help spearhead the launch of The Lawyer’s coverage of the US side of the transatlantic market, in a format appropriate to the audience
- You’ll talk to lawyers on the phone and in person on a daily basis, interviewing them about transactions and client relationship history
- You’ll use these interviews and supplementary desktop research to build up a comprehensive picture of individual and institutional client relationships, firm by firm
- You’ll lead research on the top US firms in New York, the UK firms in the US and the top US firms in London
- You’ll track partner moves and associated client relationships in New York and London (and where appropriate other major financial or commercial hubs, such as West Coast, or Frankfurt/Munich)
- You’ll support the US-facing reporting team with deep client relationship content to deepen the context of daily and weekly stories and shaping the agenda for the commercial legal market
- You’ll develop a broad understanding of The Lawyer’s content from features to breaking news, in order to shape the weekly output in collaboration with the senior editorial team
- You’ll travel to the US on a (TBC) quarterly basis to meet key lawyers in the New York and/or West Coast markets, and inform the team of your findings
- You’ll review colleagues’ briefings on a weekly basis to shape new angles of investigation or analysis
- You’ll work to understand the histories and context of US players so that you can spot stories in the briefest tip-offs – including broader transactional trends
- You’ll edit and tag stories in the CMS, select pictures, create headlines and send out regular emails including breaking news
- You’ll plan and co-ordinate coverage for specific topics of US-related email sends, from deals to innovation and tech or litigation
- You’ll assess the analytics on stories to understand and communicate reader trends internally
- You’ll have a strong understanding of media law and ethical reporting
- You’ll make a name for yourself in the market through insightful commentary
- You’ll come up with ideas for investigative projects, using The Lawyer’s proprietary research and other data sources
- You’ll lead and collaborate on team projects, from financial reporting to live blogs
- You’ll contribute to The Lawyer Horizon, our daily must-read 7am analysis
- You’ll be proactive and have no problem turning copy round and meeting deadlines
- You’ll be a natural at networking, building relationships and confident when interviewing industry contacts
- You’ll be able to spot stories in data and be proactive in building contacts with external data providers
- You’ll enjoy asking challenging questions of influential figures in the law
- You’ll work with The Lawyer’s wider team on events-based content where relevant
- You’ll be happy working collaboratively and sharing information
What We Need You To Have…
- You’ll have a clear, elegant writing style that needs minimal editing
- A willingness to get to know the dynamics of the legal market and read around the topic
- Strong accuracy in analysing trends and data
- Ability to produce accurate copy within deadline.
- Intermediate numeracy skills in order to analyse numeric date
- Familiarity with Excel
- The ability to manage competing deadlines
- Strong news sense
- An understanding of ethics and confidentiality
- A knowledge of the legal industry would be desirable
Our teams will say you’re
- Confident when communicating both internally and externally
- Proactive and imaginative
- Full of ideas and always sharing your knowledge
- A stickler for detail
- Super organised and are always one step ahead
What we can offer you
- 25 days holiday, increasing by one day p.a. to a maximum of 30 days for every year served
- Medicash health plan
- Stunning Waterloo offices with views of the Thames plus complimentary barista coffee / free bar / table tennis tables – the works
- Complimentary access to accredited training programmes worth thousands of pounds including our Mini MBA
- Active Diversity and Inclusivity agenda (DICE – Diversity Inclusion, Culture, Engagement)
- Annual Wellness Day
- Share Incentive Plan
- Give as you Earn Scheme