Commercial Disputes Associate - Edinburgh

Live in Scotland work on national and International cases. A unique opportunity with CMS for an England and Wales Qualified Commercial Disputes Associate.

About us

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5800 lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients our people and the communities we work in.

We take a bold dynamic and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working. Our aim is to inspire impact and support our clients and our people helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role

We are looking for motivated people to join our market-leading hugely-successful disputes team in Scotland which continues to grow.
Our Edinburgh-based team advises on a wide variety of international and national disputes across all the sectors that the Firm specialises in including TMT financial services energy life sciences and more. The work we do for our clients is at the cutting edge of dispute resolution including class actions and high-profile instructions for blue-chip clients. Although this is a Scottish based Team the role is for English law work focussing on High Court litigation and international arbitration.
This team has a proven track record of providing practical and commercial advice to a wide range of clients at all stages of the dispute resolution process - from drafting dispute resolution clauses during pre-contractual negotiations through to obtaining emergency injunctions in situations where assets may be at risk to litigating and arbitrating complex multi-jurisdictional disputes and enforcing judgments and awards and recovering assets.
You will be expected to provide in-depth case analysis and briefings for the partners and the team whilst being able to manage substantial disputes under partner supervision. You will work directly with clients. This will include taking instructions and preparing high quality and concise party/party correspondence instructions to Counsel pleadings and other court and arbitration documents as required. You will also be able to support the partners with business development opportunities and you are encouraged to take the initiative in developing your own and the teams client relationships and market profile.

About you

We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants so to be considered for this role you must meet the following skills and experience:

You will have a well-developed understanding of litigation arbitration and ADR procedures with the ability to translate legal theory into practical commercial advice. You will be an excellent communicator. You must have solid experience within a comparable firm recognised for general disputes work and be able to handle clients in major blue-chip companies. You will be expected to work collaboratively within a team environment and support not only the development of the practice but also the teams culture and values.

You will be England and Wales qualified and 4 PQE.

Being Scotland qualified is beneficial but not expected.

The team is growing and we are looking to recruit in Scotland

Whats in it for you

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few these include:

Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
Flexible hybrid working policy
Generous bonus scheme
Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
Holiday exchange scheme
Private medical insurance
Enhanced parental leave

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities

At CMS we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise celebrate and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems we need the best and brightest minds available to us. In support of this goal we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field.

As a Future Facing Firm we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work.

When recruiting we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in but dont feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break.

We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index.

We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process please contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team at who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply Here are the next steps.

We look forward to receiving your application online via theCMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions.

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

#LI-DH1