About the Firm
Berry & Lamberts is a three-office firm of solicitors based in Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Paddock Wood. The firm provides private client, commercial property, litigation, family, residential property and company commercial services to individuals and businesses across West Kent, East Sussex and beyond. As the firm continues to grow, we are seeking an experienced Dispute Resolution Fee Earner to join our expanding dispute resolution team.
Role Overview
The role will involve:
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Property-related disputes, including boundary disputes, neighbour disputes, party wall disputes, easements and rights of way disputes.
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Residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes, including possession proceedings, disrepair claims, rent reviews, dilapidations and lease renewals. We mainly act for landlords, but do occasionally act for tenants.
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Inheritance disputes, including issues relating to the validity of wills, Inheritance Act disputes and applications for the removal of executors.
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General contractual disputes, mainly relating to the supply of goods and services.
While the candidate may not have experience in all of these areas, previous experience in property and landlord and tenant disputes would be desirable.
Key Responsibilities
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Conduct interviews with clients at the office where you are based, at any of the firm’s other offices or at the client’s premises.
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Assess legal problems.
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Advise clients on the likely cost of the legal advice they require and ensure that adequate funding is in place.
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Conduct legal research.
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Draft papers.
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Brief barristers where required.
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Meet deadlines for the submission of court papers.
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Respond to clients and other parties.
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Attend hearings and represent clients where appropriate.
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Maintain client confidentiality.
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Ensure that adequate funds are held on account to cover solicitors’ costs.
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Prepare regular invoices for clients.
Compliance
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Ensure that cases are handled in accordance with the departmental manual and the professional rules governing your conduct, including, without limitation, the SRA Regulations.
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Understand and correctly apply the law and practice relating to Anti-Money Laundering Regulations, and follow firm and departmental guidance.
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Maintain files to the required ISO 9001 standard and the department’s standard format.
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Comply with all relevant firm policies, including, but not limited to, those on client care, undertakings and key dates.
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Participate in team meetings.
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Attend internal and external courses.
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Keep up to date with law and practice and develop knowledge in specialist and technical areas.
Business Development and Role Requirements
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Record 50 hours of marketing and business development activity.
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Assist with the development and progression of the department and the firm.
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Record 1,200 chargeable hours per annum.
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Meet the financial billing target set by the head of department for the role
Person Specification
Essential
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NQ–2 years’ PQE.
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Strong working knowledge of practice management software commonly used in law firms, such as Actionstep or Advanced Legal.
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Excellent attention to detail, particularly given the compliance-critical nature of legal work.
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Confident communicator, comfortable communicating with clients and third parties.
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Willingness and ability to work across all office locations as required.
What the Firm Offers
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Competitive salary.
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Working hours: Monday to Thursday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.; Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
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Discretionary Bonus Scheme.
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Auto-enrolment pension scheme.
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25 days’ holiday per year, plus bank holidays and additional time off at Christmas.
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Birthday off work.
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Private healthcare.
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Death in service cover.
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Employee Assistance Programme.
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Local shop discount card, currently the TN card.
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Social events.
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Charity events.
