Associate / Solicitor

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 Dispute Resolution team deals with all types of commercial disputes, in particular complex and high value commercial and finance disputes, as well as corporate disputes, professional negligence claims, property and insolvency disputes. We pride ourselves on our technical expertise, a can do attitude, a will to win and resources to deliver the best possible solutions for our clients, ranging from large household names and multi-million pound turnover companies to small owner managed businesses. We also have particular expertise in the real estate and finance sectors.

The role: 

We are looking for a 3-6 yr PQE Solicitor /  Associate to join our London based Dispute Resolution team, part of the firm’s wider Litigation & Dispute Resolution group.

You will be involved in all areas of our work combining expertise with a sound understanding of the commercial landscape to provide exceptional solutions for every aspect of our clients’ requirements.

This role will involve a high degree of client contact, as well as an active participation in the expansion of the Dispute Resolution team’s profile and client base.  

Your key duties will be:

• working alongside senior lawyers to provide assistance on a wide range of litigation and arbitration work.  This will involve assisting in all aspects of our matters, including:
  • contractual disputes
  • shareholder disputes
  • breach of sale and purchase agreements
  • warranty and indemnity claims
  • mis-selling financial instruments
  • professional negligence claims
  • real estate and construction disputes
  • freezing, search, seizure and disclosure orders
  • assisting with complex and high value claims for various insolvency office holders in relation to wrongful trading, breach of trust, preference transactions, transactions at an undervalue and transactions defrauding creditors.
• assisting with further developing the team’s cross-border expertise
• involving a high degree of client contact
• working with marketing strategies to attract new clients and developing relationships with current clients
• handling queries and enquiries efficiently
• maintaining good file management
• working to strict deadlines

Skills and experience you will have:

• ideally 3-6 years’ previous experience in a similar role with particular exposure to a wide range of dispute resolution matters
• strong legal analytical skills with excellent attention to detail
• strong advocacy skills
• experience in drafting documents such as court applications, preliminary documents and detailed letters of advice to clients, statements and briefs to counsel
• a proven ability to be flexible in your approach in finding practical and innovative solutions to a range of problems
• a proven ability to undertake business development both internally and externally
• strong IT skills

Key competencies you will need: 

• to be personable with the ability to deal with a broad range of clients and build relationships with partners / key stakeholders
• a high degree of initiative and a proactive approach
• the ability to cope in a demanding environment with strict deadlines
• excellent organisational and prioritising skills
• to be willing to attend marketing / networking events and contribute to marketing publications to develop the profile of the team
• exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
• the ability to effectively manage your own workload
• to work independently and as part of a team
• the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels
• to be resilient, confident and calm under pressure

About you – you will be:

• highly enthusiastic, willing to the extra mile and be happy to go beyond the job description
• highly ambitious, hardworking with an excellent work ethic, taking pride in all you do
• 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.