Associate / Senior Associate

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based across our 7 locations to include Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property, corporate services, litigation and private client advisory.

We are defined by our next level law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 40% of our partnership.

Our vibrant, energetic Employment Team boasts some of the best lawyers in the business specialising in all aspects of employment law facing a company's board or the HR professional - from everyday operational challenges through to advising on strategic issues.

The team currently comprises over 40 specialist qualified employment law and immigration solicitors, including nine partners in six offices, making us one of the larger employment teams in the country. We have the strength and depth of expertise to ensure we deliver the service you would expect in respect of technical quality, practical approach, and timeliness of advice.

Birketts employment law team has experience in all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, representing clients from a broad range of public and private organisations as well as individuals and senior executives and we are proud to act for sector leading clients nationwide and some important and high-profile businesses and institutions across a number of key sectors.

Ranked 1 tier in Chambers and Legal 500, you will join a highly successful Employment team who is seeing consistent and continuous growth, and which works and collaborates closely as a supportive team of colleagues. Our employment advice is supplemented by a well-developed in-house employment client training offering, a HR consultancy service, a workplace investigations service, an employee incentives group and an immigration team.

Our office in Sevenoaks, Kent already has a highly experience and dynamic employment Legal Director in post assisted by a trainee and we are now recruiting another Employment lawyer to join her and the wider team. We have ambitious growth plans for the Southeast and our Sevenoaks office which has already more than tripled in size since we opened there earlier this year (Apr 2023).  

Our recruit will be expected to have an eye to and desire to be actively involved in business development and client relationship management and an ability to help win work as well as do it. There are huge opportunities in the Crawley/Gatwick area and surrounds and we are poised to make the most of these.

Sectors in which we work include education, health, energy, construction, transport and private client/agriculture, motor retail and public sector. Areas of expertise sought   include:

• Education sector work
• Transactional corporate support work
• Wrongful and unfair dismissal
• Redundancy and restructuring
• Transfer of Undertakings
• Restrictive covenants
• Severance claims
• Employment litigation in the high court, county court and employment tribunal
• Discrimination (including sex, race, disability and age) and equal pay.
• General employment issues ranging from maternity rights to general contractual issues.
• Service agreements, contracts of employment and staff handbooks
• Employment policies ranging from performance, sickness, and misconduct procedures to maternity and parental leave schemes.   

To join our Employment team, we are seeking a candidate who is a solicitor with ideally 5+ year’s employment law experience gained within a well-regarded city, regional or national firm. 

The successful candidate will have an exceptional knowledge of the law yet be able to think commercially and analytically to provide accurate and practical advice to employer clients and high net worth individuals which is tailored to their needs, with an ability to think clearly under pressure and write concisely. You will also be expected to play an active role in marketing and practice development as well as providing a prominent level of service to existing clients. 

Birketts has designed a career structure that will help us develop, retain, and reward talented people. Promotion is based on assessment of your performance, competency, and achievements. Our Talent Management Framework will see you joining as a Senior Associate at 6+ years PQE, or Legal Director at 8+ years PQE with the opportunity to be promoted to Partner over 10 years PQE.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated initiative-taker to join a successful and friendly team in our Sevenoaks office in a growing firm which enjoys an excellent reputation. 

We are looking to recruit an individual who has the drive and commitment to assist Birketts’ in the continued growth and development of our Employment practice and to become an essential core member of our team. You will be involved in a range of business development activities, including attending networking and other BD events, supporting on tenders/pitches, and drafting sector-relevant articles for our own and external publications.

The role can offer promotion opportunities for the right candidate who demonstrates a strong business case.

• 5 years+ PQE gained within a strong regional, national or city firm.
• Interest in and aptitude for business development and growth opportunities.
• A high diligence to produce work/ documentation which is consistently of a high standard.
• To have a flexible approach to work to ensure client deadlines are always met and clients are communicated with on a consistent and regular basis.
• Knowledge of clientele within the Kent/Surrey/Sussex area or a desire to become embedded and live within this business community. 

One of the best things about joining Birketts is our rewards package. At Birketts we are appreciative of the people who work for us, and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. A competitive salary and benefits package is given but you can also expect a great team and supportive colleagues, a strong focus on diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities, a programme of wellbeing and mental health support and structured career development and study support.

https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays (Senior Associate 30 days FTE)
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employer
• Staff Profit Share / Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance   - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid ESG day (Environmental, Social and Governance)
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Eye Care Voucher
• Agile Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.