Solicitor/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 in 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.  RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

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.

The Property Litigation team sits within the Litigation department and has sub-teams in 4 of our 5 offices (Chelmsford, Ipswich, Norwich and Cambridge); the Property Litigation team is the largest in the region, consisting of 4 partners and over 30 fee-earners.

Consistently ranked Top Tier for Legal 500 and Chambers directories, our Property Litigation Team acts for a wide range of clients including private individuals, partnerships, trusts, registered social landlords, national housebuilders, and corporate clients in both the public and private sectors, also providing essential support to what clients and legal commentators consider to be one of the largest and best regarded property departments in the East of England.

Our lawyers come from a range of backgrounds, including major City practices, other major national and regional firms, industry, and local government. Within the team there is a commitment to providing our clients with the very best level of service based on a thorough understanding of the law, applied with common sense and commercial acumen. We aim to provide ‘next level’ law.

We also pride ourselves in our expertise in specialisms that attract nationwide instructions for matters such as telecoms, leasehold enfranchisement, insolvency, rights of way, commons and greens, rights to light, and agricultural property.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a dynamic market leading team dealing with exceptionally high-quality work.

Due to growth, we have an exciting opportunity to recruit an ambitious, driven, and forward-thinking qualified Solicitor, ideally with 1-5 years PQE. You will come and join our highly regarded Property Litigation team on a permanent basis, where we deal with a wide range of property disputes including residential and commercial landlord and tenant; breach of contract; easement and covenants; overage and freehold title disputes including land registration and adverse possession. Our Norwich team also deal with several specialised dispute areas including leasehold enfranchisement and Building Safety Act / fire safety matters, which you will be involved in from an early stage.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Running and managing files under the supervision of senior members of the team.
• Interacting directly with clients and managing their expectations.
• Assisting senior members of the team as required.
• Business development to help build the reputation of the firm and the team throughout the Norfolk and Suffolk region and beyond.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a dynamic and growing team dealing with high quality and varied property litigation work. We are willing to consider candidates from a litigation or property law background, and whilst some property litigation experience would be very much welcomed, it is not essential.

• Qualified Solicitor with 1-5 years PQE (approx.)
• You will have high diligence to produce work/ documentation which is consistently of a high standard with a flexible approach to work to ensure client deadlines are always met and clients are communicated with on a consistent and regular basis.
• You will have an interest in and aptitude for business development.
• Excellent computer/technical skills in particular working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite of software including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Strong written and oral communication skill.
• Ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels of seniority and liaise effectively with other internal departments and external contacts.
• Good organisational skills, able to prioritise, make decisions and work effectively within a sometimes-pressurised environment.
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development.

We are committed to recruiting individuals on merits of suitability for each role, on the basis of qualifications and experience. All applications are treated fairly and equally regardless of sexual orientation, race, disability, religious beliefs and any other protected characteristic, ensuring that there are equal opportunities at all stages of the recruitment process.

Benefits

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 rising with service. 
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare - BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share / Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance   - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Season Ticket Loan
• Gym Flex membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy
• Agile / hybrid working Policy
• 35 hour working week.

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.