Solicitor

Overview 

This is a great opportunity for an ambitious solicitor (NQ) who is looking to build on their current experience, and who is keen to learn a new niche area of law, working principally with a wide range of commercial clients in the parks (holiday and residential) and marina sectors, and to develop a nationwide reputation as a sector specialist.

Job Purpose

To assist the partners and lawyers in providing a high-quality legal service to clients on all aspects of law within these sectors, in line with the firm’s standards of performance.

Ensure exemplary client care establishing trust and confidence and demonstrate strong financial management, commercial awareness and professionalism at all times.

To support the partners and fee earners to enable the team to engage in more complex work. It is envisaged that the principal responsibilities will include assisting in:

1.  Providing a high quality legal service to clients, including:

• Demonstrating an interest and understanding of the holiday/park home and marina sectors
• Demonstrating a knowledge of the relevant legislation in these sectors (specialist training will be provided where necessary)
• Acting in Court and Tribunal disputes between park/marina owners and residents, including advocacy opportunities
• Providing commercial advice and assistance to park/marina owners on all aspects of the law relating to their business
• Assisting the Commercial Dispute Resolution team as and when required

2.  You will also be expected to develop your own technical knowledge and skills including the ability to

•  analyse information and reach sound decisions
• understand and adhere to instructions
• communicate succinctly both orally and in writing
• research appropriate case law and technical and legal precedents to progress matters
• understand clients’ requirements and provide commercially sound guidance and advice
• conduct advocacy at an appropriate level where required

3.  Meet the firm’s quality standards including:

• ensuring personal time recording and billing targets are achieved
• ensuring that all chargeable work is properly recorded on client matters
• adhering to the SRA’s client care directive and to the firm’s own policies as set out in the Office Manual
• maintaining good file management as set out in the Office Manual
• understanding the obligations relating to client accounts and ensure preparation and delivery of bills in accordance with the Solicitors Accounts Rules

4.  Assist the team in its marketing and business development objectives, including activities such as attending client events and industry conferences, writing text/articles for the website and other publications, and assisting the Partners in organising marketing events.

5.  Develop own self-organisational and interpersonal skills so that:

•  work is prioritised and progressed
• you demonstrate a balance of working on your own initiative and seeking advice or guidance
• Partners are aware of your workload and specific issues which arise on your matter
•  you maintain a flexible and proactive approach to work
•  you can develop into becoming an expert advisor in this specialist area.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level (ideally with at least a 2:1)
• Strong LPC pass or equivalent

Skills and Experience

• Ideally suited to an NQ solicitor with pre-qualification experience within a Litigation/Dispute Resolution or Commercial department.
• Preference will be given to those who can demonstrate they have a genuine interest in, and understanding of, the relevant sectors.
• Ideally candidates will have relevant experience in marketing and business development activities, and a desire to support the team in this area.
• Analytical ability: able to get to identify and deal with the core elements of a problem.
• Adaptability: able to embrace change. Is responsive to different ways of working and learns new tasks quickly.
• Collaboration with others: able to work with others to achieve a task; active team member; able to build and sustain good working relationships with others.
• Communication: able to express oneself clearly orally and in writing, and to do so in a manner that is concise and assertive, but courteous.
• Quality: produces work which is consistently accurate, produces drafts which are thought through and completed as far as possible.
• Initiative: thinks through what may need to be done and makes suggestions; demonstrates ability to offer to assist colleagues who are busy and/or get involved in areas outside immediate work.
• Planning and organising: thinks ahead to plan work so that tasks are not affected when additional tasks arise; is able to track and monitor progress of own work and alert supervisor if schedule may not be met.
• Reliability: demonstrates commitment to achieving tasks; manages expectations of others and completes work when promised.
• IT literate including proficient with Microsoft applications and self-sufficient in using document management systems and the internet as business tools.