Employment Solicitor 2-6 years PQE London

Our client is a top tier global law firm seeking an Employment lawyer for their London office. 

Job Title: Employment Associate

Department: Employment

Location: London

Working Hours

35 hours per week, 9:30am to 5:30pm but additional hours may be required.  The Firm is happy to consider agile and flexible working patterns. Their approach to hybrid working allows for up to 40% of time working from home and 60% working in the office.

Firm Description

The Firm is one of the leading global law firms. Their distinctive market position is founded on the Firm's exceptional breadth of their practice, on deep industry knowledge, and on their 'one team' global approach. Formed through the combination of two top international law firms, they have over 40 offices in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. With a presence in the world's major financial and commercial markets, they are well placed to provide excellent business-oriented advice to the their clients locally and internationally. The Firm's people are the key to their success, which is why they seek to recruit and retain the most talented individuals in all regions of the Firm's global practice.

Department Description

The Firm's employment team has a longstanding reputation as one of the best in the business.  It acts for a high quality client base of financials and blue chip corporates, advising them on some of their most challenging employment law issues. The group’s work is a mix of litigation, cross border project work, employment advisory and a limited amount of transactional support work.

Recent representative experience includes:

• Advising a global consumer products conglomerate on the potential restructuring at one of the company's heavily unionised manufacturing sites. Their work has involved planning for engaging in consultation with the GMB and Unite unions, advising on appropriate pools for selection, selection criteria and the redundancy terms that might be offered to affected employees.

• Acting for a global pharmaceutical business on its defence of proceedings brought to enforce threatened injunctions to enforce post-termination restrictions contained in both an individual’s employment contract and a separate shareholder agreement. This included acting for the client in both High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings.
• Advising a global transportation company on proposed EU legislation to create a presumption of employment in favour of those working in platform businesses, and a range of other rights for platform workers.
• Acting for a global bank in defending multiple claims of race discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and whistleblowing detriment.
• Advising a leading engineering institution in respect of multiple investigations into potential misconduct and wrongdoing at board level.  This included conducting interviews, gathering evidence, reaching findings and advising the institution on next steps. The Firm have also advised on the institution’s options and the necessary legal processes for handling disciplinary action and potential terminations of employment and directorships.
• Advising Shaftesbury plc, which owns some of the most iconic areas of London, on its merger with another listed real estate business. Their work involved advising on the departure of three executive directors and on the structuring of the retention terms to be offered to key employees to incentivise them through the merger process

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Technical Ability

• Understanding of legal principles of own practice area, along with a working knowledge of other practice areas

• Has project management responsibility, ensuring timely delivery to high quality standards.

• Stays aware of legal developments affecting any specialist areas and regularly attends appropriate training sessions.

Client Focus

• Has good working relationships with clients.

• Has a good understanding of client, the sector and the associated risks and opportunities.
• Actively works to develop and strengthen new client relationships.

Team Work and Interpersonal Skills

• Acts as a source of advice to others, sharing knowledge and expertise.

• Has strong relationships and profile amongst senior colleagues.
• Ability to work effectively with others.

Firm Mindedness

• Understands the industry and market in which the practice stream and clients operate.

• Contributes to the management of the group/practice area by understanding the areas of specialism, the firm’s capabilities and business plan.
• Takes an active role in managing the firm's reputation both in and out of work.
• Understands the responsibility to give back to our communities.
• Understands the value of a diverse workforce.

Person Specification

The Firm has an opening for a first rate Employment lawyer.  Experience, which should include a mix of contentious, advisory and transactional work, gained within a top tier firm is preferred.  It is essential that the candidate has a strong academic background (minimum 2.1 degree) with excellent written communication and drafting skills. The successful candidate will also have outstanding technical skills, together with the ability to build relationships with clients and colleagues and work well in a team. The ideal candidate will have 1-3 year post qualification experience (or equivalent experience).

In return, the Firm offers excellent training and development, a superb working environment together with a competitive salary and benefits package.

Agile Working Statement

The Firm's goal is to embed flexibility across their business by giving everyone the opportunity to work in an agile way, whether as a regular pattern or on an ad hoc basis, and we will be happy to discuss this further.

Equal Opportunities Employment Statement

It is the policy of the Firm to provide equal opportunities for all employees in relation to recruitment, training and promotion.  Decisions in these areas will be made only by reference to the requirements of the job and shall not be influenced by any consideration of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender identity, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

Should you be interested in this opportunity, or for any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0203 355 2262 or contact Sasha@hunterslegal.com

Hunters Legal is working with a Top 50 Leading UK and international law firm, looking for motivated and proactive solicitors of varying experience to join their Court of Protection team, who are currently going through an exciting period of growth.

Associate/Senior Associate/Legal Director - Court of Protection

Locations - Basingstoke / London / Hybrid

Overview

The Firm is a leading UK and international law firm which provides high quality legal advice tailored to both businesses and individuals. They address the specific objectives of each client through their flair and technical expertise and offer a personal service founded on a strong team ethic.

Today, the Firm has UK offices in the City of London, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Cambridge, Guildford, Oxford and Reading while their growing overseas reach covers Singapore, Piraeus, Paris, Madrid and Sao Paulo.

Among their clients they count multi-national corporations, public companies, professional partnerships, banks and financial institutions as well as private individuals, owner managed businesses and start-ups. They are conscious that the Firm's culture and close working relationships are vital assets and they are determined to maintain these as the Firm increases in size.

The COP Team have established a significant reputation for advising and assisting individuals, their families, carers, trustees, beneficiaries and other professionals on a broad range of issues arising from catastrophic personal injury, including serious brain injury with high value compensation awards. The team supports litigation lawyers throughout the conduct of the claim.

The Firm work closely with the Court of Protection, the individual and their family to establish long-term relationships and to ensure all decisions are made in their best interests. Their aim is to relieve the pressure of financial decision making from family members, enabling them to continue to make the key choices and to support their relative on a day-to-day basis. Although their work largely focuses on financial management they also become involved with welfare matters such as care funding, welfare benefits, deprivation of liberty special education and generally issues relating to capacity. The quality of work is both complex and rewarding undertaken within a dedicated growing team.

In the Legal 500, the COP Team are noted as “a very friendly yet professional team and are keen to ensure everything they do is centred fully around the client and in their best interests”, which epitomises the ethos of the team; supporting each other and their clients to achieve the best outcomes.

The Firm are looking for a qualified solicitor of 2-5 year PQE with experience in Court of Protection work to increase and strengthen their successful team.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will be responsible for day-to-day general management of the clients’ affairs, and in most cases will act as a primary point of contact for the client.

Working on both Deputyships and Personal Injury Trusts, the successful candidate will be required to be aware of the full details of the clients’ affairs and ensure compliance with the OPG Deputyship Standards in all general management tasks.  They will have an allocated case load of clients with the support of a senior member of the team and a paralegal and will be expected to undertake all or any of the following tasks: Drafting routine and non-routine applications to the Court of Protection with accompanying documentation including Witness Statements;

• Supporting with the preparation of Expert Witness Statements;

• Assisting with the preparation of OPG Reports;

• Assisting senior members of the team with discrete tasks as required;

• Running their own case load with training and supervision

• Taking a role in the implementation of policies and processes relating to the team;

• Mentoring and training junior staff and delegating tasks as appropriate;
• Liaising with Case Managers, clients, and their family; and
• Liaising and consulting with senior members of the as appropriate on team policies and general management of client matters.

Essential & Desirable Criteria

• 2-5 years PQE with experience in Court of Protection.
• Degree qualification or equivalent.
• Expected to be broadly able to run own caseload with supervision.
• Part or whole STEP examinations.
• Good working knowledge of OPG deputy standards.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• IT literate, confident user of MS office and potentially legal systems.
• Ability to work to deadlines, manage a busy workload and to report on progress; appropriate balance between confidence in own judgement and knowing when to refer decisions to senior associates within the team.
• Collaborative team member with ability to quickly build relationships with a wide range of people.
• An interest and enthusiasm for BD including social media channel.

At the firm, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a priority and at the heart of everything they do. The Firm actively want to attract a diverse workforce and welcome applications from everyone, from all backgrounds. They are committed to promoting an inclusive culture where everyone can be their full selves and experience being seen and heard. 

Should you be interested in this opportunity, or for any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0203 355 2262 or contact Sasha@hunterslegal.com