Associate / Senior Associate

Birketts is an ambitious and diverse top 50 UK law firm based in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, Norwich and London.  The firm provides a broad range of legal services to national and international organisations and institutions, small and medium sized businesses and private individuals. Multi award winning and one of the fastest growing full service firms, Birketts has a clear vision and strategy to establish a national presence beyond its East Anglian heartland. The firm has a total headcount of close to 900 including over 100 Partners.

With a rich heritage spanning over 150 years we’ve built an enviable track record advising businesses, institutions and individuals in the UK and internationally.
Throughout our history our ethos has remained simple: we provide clear legal advice and value and insight to our clients. We set out to truly understand our clients’ needs and help realise their ambitions.

We believe that through this approach and a combination of technical excellence and high quality service we can develop long-lasting partnerships and become our clients' solicitor of choice.

Our vibrant, energetic Employment Team boasts some of the best lawyers in the region 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 30 specialist qualified employment law solicitors, including six partners, making us one of the largest employment teams in the East of England.

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.

The 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 of the East of England’s most important businesses and institutions.

The role will include working with Associates, Senior Associates and Partners in a variety of sectors in which we work including education, health, energy, construction, transport and private client/agriculture. Particular areas of expertise include:

• Transactional corporate support work
• Wrongful and unfair dismissal
• Redundancy and restructuring
• Transfer of Undertakings
• Restrictive covenants
• Boardroom disputes and 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.

You will take accountability to work with our clients, advising and supporting on your own case loads with regular support from the team around you.

To join our Employment team we are seeking a candidate who is a solicitor with ideally 3+ year’s employment law experience gained within a well-regarded city, regional or national firm. 

The successful candidate will have an excellent knowledge of the law yet be able to think commercially and analytically so as to provide accurate and practical advice to company 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 high 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 an Associate at 3+ years PQE, with the opportunity to be promoted at 6+ years PQE to Senior Associate and Legal Director / Partner over 10 years PQE.

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

• 3 years+ PQE gained within a strong regional, national or City firm.
• Strong academic background.
• A high attention to detail 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.
• Interest in and aptitude for business development.

The information provided in relation to PQE is provided for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Any applicant with more or less PQE than that mentioned in the vacancy details will be considered on their individual merits.  However, the team is keen to recruit someone who will initially undertake work referred down from the Partners and Senior Associates and provide clients with good value services.

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’re appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. You can expect to receive:

• 25 days holiday (FTE), increasing to 30 days from Senior Associate plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare - BUPA (after 6 month's probation)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme 
• Staff Profit Share / Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Paid CSR day 
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership (Gym Flex)
• Electric Car scheme
• Life Assurance   - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Agile Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

For further details about this exciting role, please email harriet-griffiths@birketts.co.uk.