Litigation Legal Assistant

Shakespeare Martineau is a leading law firm that combines creativity, commerciality and clarity. We work with blue-chip companies, leading organisations, high street brands and individuals across the country.

Our multi-disciplinary team delivers a broad range of specialist legal services, and particularly stands out for its expertise across sectors including, but not limited to: energy, education, banking and financial services, investment funds, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. 

We’re proud of our people’s varied backgrounds and expertise. Our different qualities stand out and make us interesting to our clients.

We firmly believe in working hard and being ambitious. We look to recruit and develop talented people to achieve their potential - and who will contribute to achieving ours too.

Here you can fulfil your ambitions, whatever they are and however rapidly you want to achieve them. Together, and individually, we create exceptional results.

Our Litigation & 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.

Our Real Estates Disputes team represents individuals, private and public companies, major corporate occupiers, high street retailers, shopping centres, clearing banks, universities and other public bodies in these areas. We advise on a wide range of disputes in relation to freehold or leasehold property, in particular advising on a large volume of business lease renewals for national chains. The team handle disputes arising from the redevelopment of land including rights of light, party wall and boundary disputes. We advise our clients on commercial landlord and tenant disputes including service of break notices, forfeiture and notices to quit, and the recovery of property or unpaid rent and service charges. Our particular expertise lies with handling large scale trespass and squatter eviction claims, for example when there is a mass trespass or riot and allegations of breach of human rights.

The role:

We pride ourselves on our technical expertise and resources to deliver the best possible solutions for our clients, ranging from large household names and multi-million pound turnover companies and institutions, to small owner managed businesses.  The core focus of the team in Birmingham is on commercial property litigation an involves acting for landlords and tenants on a range of disputes, together with advising on other property related issues such as title, rights of way, and possession / injunction claims.

We are looking for a Litigation Legal Assistant to join our Birmingham-based Real Estate Dispute team. 

You will provide administrative and fee earning support to our partners and senior fee earners to help deliver great service to our clients; this is with the aim of progressing to have the opportunity to conduct your own caseload under supervision. 

Your key duties will be:

• working closely with 2 partners to provide excellent client service
• having regular contact with clients and their customers
• providing paralegal support to the team which will include:

                - assisting on all aspects of their caseload (under direction and supervision)

                - assisting with court bundles

                - instructing Counsel

                - supporting on file management

                - scanning post etc. to electronic case plans

                - diarising hearings and appointments

• providing administrative support to the team which will include:

                - taking a lead role in the Real Estate Disputes team financials

                - producing monthly bills for clients, sending to clients, and requesting cheques etc.

                - dealing with general correspondence

                - handling telephone calls, as well as queries and enquiries where appropriate

                - producing forms and documentation, including recovering expenses from our Finance team

                - booking events and travel for the team

Skills and experience you will have:

• a minimum of 6 months’ previous experience in a paralegal / fee earning role dealing with contentious matters
• a legal qualification at degree level (or equivalent)

Key competencies you will need:

• a keen interest in specialising in property litigation work
• good attention to detail and accuracy
• the ability to prioritise your workload effectively
• strong IT skills
• drive, enthusiasm, commitment and a team player approach

About you – you will be:

• highly enthusiastic, willing to go the extra mile and be happy to go beyond the job description
• respectful towards others and have a positive, willing and ‘can do’ attitude
• keen to learn, interested in driving your own career progression and be proactive in taking ownership of this

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.

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.