Insolvency litigation lawyer

Weightmans is a Top 45 law firm with offices throughout the UK. Having been recognised as the leading legal employer at the annual Britain's Top Employers awards 2021 and achieved record rankings in Chambers UK, we are immensely proud of the work we carry out for our clients and the culture we provide to our people.

Our Insolvency and Recoveries team is experienced in handling all kinds of insolvency and recoveries work nationally. We act on behalf of large corporates, owner managed businesses, public bodies, insurers, professional practices, regulatory bodies and private individuals. We also act on behalf of insolvency practitioners, financial institutions, litigation funders, fixed charge receivers, directors and other stakeholders. Members of all levels of qualification across the team regularly deal with complex, high profile and sensitive issues across a broad range of matters (both contentious and non-contentious) with far reaching implications as well as regulated and unregulated debt recovery from individuals and businesses. The team and many within it are recognised in both Chambers and Legal 500.

We are recruiting for an experienced Associate 3- 8 YR PQE  to work within the Insolvency and Recoveries team, specialising in Insolvency and Restructuring on a contentious and non-contentious basis.

This role can be based in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester or Newcastle.

Main duties and responsibilities (subject to skills and experience) include:

• Conduct of contentious and non-contentious insolvency matters, working independently and assisting other fee earners in more complex cases;
• Provide supervision to junior members of the team where appropriate;
• Prepare pre-formal insolvency and contingency planning advice
• Prepare personal and corporate insolvency documents – including but not limited to drafting the appointment of fixed charge receivers, notices of intention to appoint and notice of appointment of administrators by QFCHs and Directors, drafting reports on the validity of the appointment of administrators and fixed charge receivers, statutory demands and winding up petitions;
• Draft documents in relation to pre-pack administrations and sale of assets out of liquidation;
• Handling contested compulsory winding up and bankruptcy petitions and instructing Counsel accordingly;
• Investigate and pursue transactions conducted pre-insolvency against various third parties;
• Attending and conducting hearings;
• Drafting urgent applications for freezing injunctions and /or for the appointment of provisional liquidators;
• Managing and developing client relationships
• Perform asset tracing on target entities / individuals
• Complete MI procedures as required
• Achieve set targets/KPIs
• Ensure relevant deadlines, compliance and quality measures are adhered to
• Comply with relevant Weightmans and client policies and procedures
• Work in accordance with Weightmans’ values

This list is not intended to be exhaustive and you will be expected to perform other duties and have other responsibilities that fall within the wider remit of the role.

• At least 3 years’ PQE or equivalent
• Previous insolvency experience working on both insolvency litigation and restructuring transactions
• Motivated and highly-driven
• Ability to work to deadlines / targets, to prioritise and manage a caseload and deliver effective solutions
• Ability to work well as part of a team and on your own initiative with a positive attitude
• A commercial, solution-driven and client-focused approach
• Strong legal and analytical skills with an eye for detail
• Excellent organisation and time-management skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent IT skills
• Ability to work to strict deadlines and targets
• Flexible approach

Please note:

• Any reference to experience or PQE in our adverts or job descriptions is to be used as a guideline only. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and with different levels of experience who can demonstrate that they fulfil the requirements of the role.

• The successful candidate appointed to this role will be subject to our standard background checking process, and any offer of employment made is conditional upon successful completion of those checks. Further details can be obtained from the Recruitment team.

• We're committed to diversity and inclusion and to creating an environment where everyone can reach their full potential.  For more information please click  on the following link:

https://www.weightmans.com/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion