Join our top-ranked Employment Team advising education and charity clients on complex legal matters across the UK. Varied, meaningful work awaits you!
The role
Due to the continued growth of the work being done by our Employment Team for education and charity clients, we are looking for an experienced employment solicitor to join our top-ranked team to support further growth and make a real difference in the education sector by supporting over 120 universities, colleges, academies, and educational institutions across the UK.
You will undertake a broad mix of contentious and non-contentious employment work, primarily supporting our education clients as well as some large charities. The work is technically very interesting, arising from the size and complexity of many higher education institutions as public, private and charitable employers and the national and geopolitical context in which they sit.
As well as advisory and Employment Tribunal work, you will be involved in delivering our annual programme of training, seminars and legal updates to clients and targets and will assist with business development opportunities.
Training will be provided on sector specific issues, so if you have not worked in the higher education sector before, all you need is an inquiring mind and an interest in working with these great clients.
The person
You will ideally be 3+ years PQE and be able to demonstrate good employment experience gained in a reputable firm which specialises in employment law.
At this level, you will be expected to perform as follows:
Client service
Deliver outstanding client service to both internal and external clients to encourage client retention and referrals
Have a sound understanding of clients' legal, commercial and service requirements
Have effective client relationship and client service skills
Demonstrate strong business development credentials in terms of growth from existing clients and bringing in new work
Technical excellence
Have strong technical competence and legal knowledge in employment law
Deliver high quality and commercially focussed advice
Experience in managing Employment Tribunal litigation
Deliver training to clients and target clients
Carry out supervision of junior lawyers
The activities
Essential
Qualified Solicitor
Degree or equivalent with A levels or equivalent
Clear enthusiasm for employment law
Excellent written English for drafting purposes
Excellent presentational skills
Common sense and initiative, and ability to work as a team-player working on complex matters
Very good time and documentation management skills
Good attention to detail
Ability to lead on Employment Tribunal matters and on advisory matters on a day-to-day basis with appropriate supervision for a lawyer working at a senior associate grade
Experience of delegating to junior members of the team
Ability to build very good relationships with colleagues, clients, potential clients and multipliers
Very good research skills, including an ability to use online information sources
Excellent interpersonal and team skills, including ability to work with others, influence and persuade
Keen interest in developing client training skills
Good IT skills
Marketing and business development skills
Desirable
Previous experience of advising large employers
Advocacy experience
The team
You will work with Alex Russell, Employment Partner, as well as other members of our national employment education team. You will be part of the cross-office Employment, Pensions and Immigration NSL of 87 + lawyers which is headed up by partner, David Mills and supported by three professional support lawyers. You'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within the firm including through our monthly cross-office NSL training sessions delivered by our professional support lawyers, together with cross-office and sector away days. As part of that cross-office team, you may also be required to assist colleagues in other sectors and offices.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
The benefits
As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits. Click here to find out more about our core benefit offering.
Pre employment screening
If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.
The firm
Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.
We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,250 plus people and over 750 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.
By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. Our mantra is “Achieve more. Together.”, which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase! We're also ranked in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and were recently awarded Platinum Investors in People.
and finally
Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.
To find out more about our diversity and inclusion work, visit our website.
