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Legal consultant

Employer
Macfarlanes
Location
London (Central), London (Greater)
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
19 Jun 2019

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Vacancy Type
Solicitors – Private Practice
Contract Type
Contract
Practice Area
Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Experience Level
2-5yrs PQE, 5+ yrs PQE
Role Classification
Other Professional

Job Details

We are looking to develop a legal consultancy unit to assist our successful litigation practice with interim assignments. This position offers the opportunity to work flexibly including working from home, part-time and/or fixed hours. Our education and training programme is second to none and is available to all lawyers.

The firm

We are a distinctive London-based law firm, focused on our clients and on delivering excellence in the international legal market.  

We are large enough to advise on the most complex matters, giving you the opportunity to work for big brand clients on challenging transactions.  We are also small enough to be able to give you greater responsibility in close-knit teams.  The size of the firm and its culture means that everyone knows each other and people are approachable and supportive. 

We are a firm which relies on the quality of its people and their experience; this is what distinguishes us from our larger competitors and enhances our reputation for solving our clients' most complex legal issues.

Our focus is to foster an inclusive culture throughout the firm, from entry level to partnership.  It is about recruiting, retaining and promoting all staff in the firm fairly, and we strive to ensure that everyone has the same chance to develop and advance.  An inclusive, forward-thinking culture also enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

The team

The practice has 13 partners, an in-house QC, 39 solicitors of which four are senior counsel, 10 trainees, one professional support lawyer, one costs lawyer and 10 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 developing a legal consultancy unit.

The role

The unit will provide the litigation practice with additional support during busy periods. 

Duties may 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; and
  • drafting correspondence.

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 freelance lawyers of the highest quality to our consultancy unit.  The ideal individual will fulfil the following criteria:

  • strong academic qualifications from A Levels, with a minimum 2:1 degree;
  • 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; and
  • 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; and
  • fraud and corporate crime matters.

For this role we will only accept direct applications.  We do not accept unsolicited CVs.

Our commitment to inclusion

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work.  We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, background, religion, physical abilities, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

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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