Regulated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, Duncan Lewis Solicitors was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in the City of London (Fenchurch Street EC3M), with offices nationwide. We are recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of our key practice areas – “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”. A paperless law firm with over 500 personnel that embraces hybrid-working, we service both corporate entities and private individuals in over 25 areas of law across 60 languages. We give people a voice - that is our ethos.
Recognised among The Times 200 Best Law Firms, we have been awarded Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Lexis Nexis Awards and 2023 Modern Law Awards, reflecting our dedication to legal expertise and client service. We hold Investors in People Gold Standard accreditation for over 15 years, showcasing our commitment to professional development. Duncan Lewis is also Law Society Lexcel, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring excellence in practice management and data security.
We are committed to recruiting dedicated and talented professionals and welcome applications from exceptional candidates. At Duncan Lewis, we value training and diversity, and we take pride in our inclusive workforce.
Duncan Lewis Solicitors is looking for an experienced Director to lead its renowned Claims Against Public Authorities and Inquest department.
This role demands significant supervisory experience and a strong command of public law and civil liberties. The successful candidate will be entrusted with strategic oversight of departmental operations, ensuring excellence in casework and mentoring across the legal team.
You will spearhead the preparation and execution of complex litigation matters, conduct high-level legal analysis, supervise evidence gathering, and represent the firm in critical hearings and external forums. As Director, you will also drive the success of key departmental initiatives, including a major outsourcing project, while championing the protection of civil rights and individual liberties..
It is imperative that you can demonstrate an unwavering commitment to protecting individual citizens’civil liberties and a preparedness to fight hard to enforce their human rights.
- Report directly to and collaborating with the Board to ensure performance targets are met
- Professional pro-active approach, strong client care skills and a sensitive and sympathetic understanding of client needs
- Lead and manage the Claims Against Public Authorities and Inquest department
- Responsible for mixed caseload of inquest work, complaints against public authorities and pre and post-issue claimant litigation.
- Ability to manage appropriate caseload types and supervision of a small team.
- Making CCMS applications to the LAA.
- Attending clients, taking instructions and briefing and liaising with counsel, negotiating with defendants, the IOPC and other legal professionals.
- Dealing with correspondence.
- Identifying the funding options and advising on the most appropriate one.
- To run the caseload of varied, challenging and interesting work.
- Ability to help in marketing the department and the firm through social media.
- Assisting in expansion of the department.
- Solicitor with 5+ years PQE
- Proven Supervisory experience managing legal teams or departments
- Experience working on publicly funded cases (CW1/Legal Help and Licensed/Certificated Work) and working with CCMS
- Ability to demonstrate experience in all areas of Claimant litigation
- Strong theoretical knowledge and demonstrable practical experience of the Civil Procedure Rules
- Strong research, analytical and critical thinking skills
- Knowledge and practical experience of applications for judicial review
- Effective organisational ability, able to work to tight deadlines under pressure
- Must meet LAA supervisor criteria for Legal Aid contract purposes
- Highly competitive salary
- A dynamic and committed team culture
- Excellent progression opportunities
- Opportunities for sector recognition and legal awards
The recruitment process will fully comply with GDPR and other applicable laws. Background checks including CRB / DBS checks will establish your eligibility to work in the UK and suitability to the role.
Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and embraces diversity of its staff. The Company strives to ensure that our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, which is reflective at all levels within our workforce.
We guarantee an interview for candidates that disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the post. Please provide additional details in your covering letter if this applies.
APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY AGENCIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THE ABOVE VACANCY
Disclaimer
Duncan Lewis Solicitors is an award-winning, nationally recognised law firm, ranked as a top-tier firm in current edition of The Legal 500 UK. With offices across London and the regions, we offer clear, practical and high-quality advice across a broad range of specialist areas. We act for clients on both a legal aid and private-fee basis, supporting individuals, families and businesses with everything from everyday matters to complex and high-profile litigation. Our continued growth, particularly in private client and complex dispute work, is driven by our reputation for professionalism, integrity and exceptional client care.
We are always keen to hear from committed and capable people, in both legal and non-legal roles. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or looking to begin your career, we welcome applications from individuals who want to contribute to the work we do.
Our recruitment and interview process is designed to understand how you think, how you work and what you can bring to the firm, and to assess your skills, knowledge and experience in a fair and consistent way. To support this, candidates must not use AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini or similar) to write or edit any part of their interview responses or written communication during the process. We want to hear your own experience, insight and perspective.
Duncan Lewis is committed to Equal Opportunities and values the diversity of its staff. We work to ensure that our workforce reflects the communities we serve at every level of the organisation. We offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who disclose a disability and meet the essential requirements for the role — please highlight this in your covering letter if it applies.
