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Litigation 5 to 6 years' PQE

Employer
Macfarlanes
Location
London (Central), London (Greater)
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
25 Mar 2019

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Vacancy Type
Solicitors – Private Practice
Contract Type
Permanent
Practice Area
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Experience Level
5+ yrs PQE
Role Classification
Lawyer

Job Details

The litigation practice is seeking to recruit a solicitor to join its successful team.

The team

The practice has 12 partners, an in-house QC, 35 solicitors of which four are senior counsel, nine trainees, one professional support lawyer, one costs clerk and seven paralegals.

The department undertakes a broad range of litigation and arbitration work, including corporate and commercial disputes, financial services and regulatory issues and investigations, trust and probate litigation, major construction, fraud, corporate crime and cross border disputes, and real estate litigation.

We have experienced rapid growth in recent years, doubling revenue in under five years. We have promoted three partners in the past few years and expect further promotions to be made in the coming years.

In light of the success of our practice and the volume of instructions that we are receiving from our clients, we are looking to strengthen our team by recruiting a solicitor with 5 years' post qualification experience +.

The role

Duties will include:

  • Providing advice from the early stages of a dispute on litigation, arbitration and settlement strategies.
  • Day to day management of disputes, including drafting statements of case and application documents, witness evidence, etc.
  • Being involved in the management of substantial cases, from the outset of the case through to final hearing. On smaller matters, the role may involve working directly for the supervising partner. On larger matters, it is likely that the role will involve being part of a larger team.
  • Working with our Case Management Unit in relation to document and data review.
  • Drafting correspondence.
  • We would anticipate that these roles will have a comparatively high level of interaction with clients, counsel and other litigation support professionals.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the department.

The candidate

We want to add lawyers of the highest quality to our team. They need to have strong academics, be willing to take on responsibility (as client contact is encouraged), and to seek to realise their ambitions through the self-development of their technical and soft skills. The ideal individual will fulfil the following criteria:

  • Strong academic qualifications from A Levels, with a minimum 2:1 degree.
  • 5 to 6 years’ post-qualification experience from a highly regarded litigation practice.
  • The ability to advise on and deliver commercial solutions to complex disputes.
  • Good post-qualification experience in general commercial litigation, with experience in international cross border disputes and investigations.
  • Ambitious, with a genuine commitment to develop their professional and legal skills and the profile of the team.
  • Articulate and confident to deliver at the highest standard.

We are in essence looking for general commercial litigators but one or more of the roles may involve:

  • Dealing with corporate and shareholder disputes, joint ventures and other private company issues. Experience of funds and private equity structures would be useful.
  • Handling private client and contentious trust disputes.
  • Fraud and corporate crime matters.

Our senior solicitors undertake both arbitration and high court work and candidates should ideally have experience of both.

Why choose Macfarlanes

We believe Macfarlanes is a smart alternative to the US and Magic Circle firms, offering real opportunity for ambitious lawyers to develop and work closely with quality clients on difficult and rewarding matters. Our Litigation Department has a proven reputation for producing strong lawyers who feel part of a cohesive, friendly and supportive team, and whose efforts are appreciated and rewarded by the firm. 

Breadth of work

We encourage our associates to cover all areas of the department’s practice – no solicitor just works for one partner. We encourage some specialisation as associates become more senior but all our associates and partners cover a wide range of the team’s areas of expertise.

Teams are partner led and lawyers are not left in the lurch to fend for themselves. That said, we want to stretch our associates and they are given as much responsibility as they can handle. We staff projects with lean teams so all team members get real involvement in a project and close contact with clients.

Business development is very important and associates at all levels are encouraged to get involved with this.

Our matters often have a cross-border element, so our solicitors frequently liaise with specialists in overseas jurisdictions.

Client secondments are common and secondments to overseas law firms may be possible. We also encourage our associates to participate in our client and business development activities.

The team (and the firm) works in a very collegiate manner. There are no chargeable time targets for associates.

Education and training

We strive to provide our associates with long-term careers and have a career development programme in place which is designed to support each of our solicitors’ aspirations, enabling them to enhance their legal and commercial skills, and to reach their full potential. We believe our Education and Training programme is second to none. We also provide significant wider training on development, such as presentation skills, building a network, managing time efficiently and operating as a modern day lawyer. On average there will be at least one session per week and more at the junior end.

Prospects 

We expect the candidate will be concerned to know about partnership prospects. These are very real. We aim to grow the team organically over the next few years. We will consider candidates with partnership aspirations, as well as those looking for a long-term career at a senior level but without the responsibilities of partnership.

We see this as a fantastic opportunity for a lawyer to thrive in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial yet supportive environment.

Direct applications only.  Strictly no agencies.

Company

About Macfarlanes

We are a distinctive London-based law firm with a unique combination of services built and shaped around the needs of our clients. Our unrivalled blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet their most challenging demands and adapt to the changing world around us. While many of our services can be found at other firms, the mix cannot.

We find, recruit and train talented people from all backgrounds, building careers for the long term, to one day shape and lead the firm. We know each other personally which means we work together with more cohesion, and less formality. Our culture is thoughtful, challenging and supportive, and we are a place where everyone, at whatever level, can thrive. We remain focused on equal treatment in recruitment, retention and promotion.  

What this means for you

Offering a partner-led service enables our fee earners to learn and develop through working closely with a senior member of the team. Our size means that you will often be very close to the front line or in a client facing role, gaining a greater insight into the issues facing our clients. 

We expect all our fee earners to assume real responsibility, as well as to participate in client and business development activities. That means wider exposure for you and a steep learning curve.

Our matters often have a cross-border element, so our fee earners frequently liaise with global businesses and specialists in overseas jurisdictions.

The importance we place on the development of our fee earners’ legal and commercial skills has allowed us to develop the excellent reputation we have – we believe our education and training programme is second to none.

We all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, with the firm recognising, appreciating and rewarding the efforts of its employees.

Company info
Website
Location
20 Cursitor Street
London
EC4A 1LT
United Kingdom

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