It is the people at Shakespeare Martineau that make us so special. By understanding what our people want, giving them the support they need, recognising everyone’s contribution and realising the unique power of teams; together we win. As a firm we are focused on proactively building and developing diverse teams, bringing different backgrounds, personalities and perspectives together. We play to our strengths, pushing ourselves to be consistently better than yesterday and deliver amazing solutions for our clients. We empower our teams with a high degree of individual responsibility; we self-manage and encourage everyone to be responsible for their own learning, knowing it makes us even better at what we do!
We believe in trusting our people to make the right decisions for themselves from how you dress to how, when and where you work – we focus on outputs.
Want to find more about our amazing benefits?
Meet the team:
Our Litigation Services & Dispute Resolution group has a long-standing experience of working with some of the most successful and influential businesses in the UK and also internationally. Our specialist teams combine expertise with a sound understanding of the commercial landscape to provide exceptional solutions for every aspect of our clients’ corporate requirements.
Knowledge Management is one of the main pillars of our Managed Legal Services (MLS) offering. The flow of knowledge, into, within, and out of the firm, and the embedding of critical knowledge into the firm, is a process that is essential to the growth and development of Shakespeare Martineau. The Knowledge Management (KM) team facilitate collaboration, sharing and networking throughout the firm to improve the flow of knowledge, whether that is technical legal information about cases, legislation and regulation; client information for cross-selling; or experiences and top tips.
The opportunity:
Are you an experienced Litigation Solicitor looking for a new career move? Do you have a passion for adding real value through the generation and transfer of knowledge? Would you like to join a growing business with a strong track record of progression and development for its people? If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you…
As we thrive to become one of the most admired top 30 law firms by 2025 we have an exciting opportunity for a Professional Support Lawyer to join our Managed Legal Services Team, part of the firms wider Litigation Services & Dispute Resolution group.
This new position has come about due to our firm’s growth. The role will sit within our highly efficient Knowledge Management (KM) team where you will work closely with stakeholders across our Litigation Services and Dispute Resolution business group to establish an effective knowledge-sharing culture through developing strong relations; providing feedback and enabling focused communications.
Your key duties will be:
- assisting with the collection, drafting, maintenance and updating of knowledge management resources, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that a comprehensive set of first-class knowhow materials is accessible to all lawyers
- undertaking detailed legal research and business development research and track queries to identify knowhow and training needs
- helping to ensure accessibility of high-quality training materials by developing, coordinating, preparing, delivering and capturing training (using internet-based solutions where appropriate)
- assisting lawyers with the preparation of materials for internal and external training events
- drafting and coordinating current awareness updates, client alerts and other publications
- helping to research, monitor, and analyse legal and industry developments and trends on behalf of the litigation services and dispute resolution business group and their clients
- working in conjunction with marketing and the business development team to ensure our knowledge management supports and enhances our client service and interaction
- helping to review and develop business processes to improve efficiencies within the litigation services and dispute resolution practice of law and their ability to service clients efficiently and in a cost-effective manner
- communicating and implementing the knowledge management strategy and ensuring that fee earners’ knowledge of the firm’s knowledge management systems and processes is up-to-date
- contributing to internal knowledge management pages and assisting with developing online client-facing knowledge
- collaborating closely with the knowledge management team members, supporting other business units as necessary
- introducing new starters to knowledge management resources, systems and processes
Skills and experience you will have:
- a minimum of 2+ years’ experience in a similar role or 3+ year’s relevant post qualification experience gained within a litigation environment
- experience and understanding of knowledge management strategy and implementation
- first-class drafting and communication skills
- experience developing and delivering client and/or in-house training
- competency with online legal resources, Microsoft Word and other relevant software products (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint & Excel, document management systems and databases)
Key competencies you will need:
- a strong interest in the law, knowledge management and the use of technology to aid effective knowledge sharing
- the ability to respond promptly to firm-wide requests for work product, expertise, training materials and other information
- to be highly organised, with sound judgment and attention to detail
- to be self-initiating and take a pro-active approach towards projects; seek direction and advice as needed but also prepared to take ownership and progress tasks independently
- the ability towards deadlines and remain focused
- the ability to communicate effectively and clearly in a multi-cultural environment
- credibility, and the ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders
- confidence to work within a virtual team setting
- a strong understanding and ability to promote connections between other business units
How we work:
We embrace agile working and offer a blended approach to where and how we work.
We appreciate that people have different needs and preferences and we’re keen to be flexible, after all, we value what you do, not where you do it.
We have hubs in Birmingham, Leicester, London, Lincoln, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon and Sheffield. This role will have a blend of home and office working within our Birmingham or another West Midlands hub. |
Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. |
