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 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: Real Estate Corporate Services Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

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.

Our vibrant energetic Employment Team boasts some of the best lawyers in the business specialising in all aspects of employment law facing a companys board or the HR professional - from everyday operational challenges through toadvising onstrategic issues.

The team currently comprises nearly 40specialist qualified employment law solicitors including 10 partners working across 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 a team of accredited mediators and an immigration team.

Our office in Chelmsford has a highly experienced and dynamic employment team and due to growth we are now recruiting for a Solicitor or Associate ideally between 0-3 and 3-6 years PQE.

Sectors in which we work include education financial services construction transport and private client/agriculture charities and public areas of expertise sought include:

• General employment issues ranging from maternity rights to general contractual issues.
• Drafting service agreements contracts of employment and staff handbooks
• Drafting and reviewing employment policies ranging from performance sickness and misconduct procedures to maternity and parental leave schemes.
• Transactional corporate support work
• Wrongful and unfair dismissal
• Restrictive covenant enforcement and defence
• Advice to Executives on joining and exiting appointments
• Redundancy and restructuring
• Transfer of Undertakings
• Awareness of boardroom disputes and severance claims
• Employment litigation in the employment tribunal
• Discrimination (including sex race disability and age)
• Trade union work for employers.
• Professional Discipline and conduct including advising professional conduct/fitness to practice panels

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 offers future career progression opportunities for the right candidate who demonstrates a strong business case during their career.

• Excellent training seat or PQE gained within a strong regional national or city firm.
• Interest in and aptitude for business development and growth opportunities.
• A strong drive 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 Essex/London and the surrounding areas as well nationally.

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 a wide range of corporate education and high net worth individual clients 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.

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

At Birketts our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success development and wellbeing of our colleagues helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays (rising to 30 days)
• 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% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy
• Dress for your Day Policy

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.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age disability sex race religion or belief gender reassignment marriage or civil partnership pregnancy or maternity or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all valuing the right mix of talent skills and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.