Job Title: HR Director
Location: London
Working Arrangement: A minimum of 3 days in the office is required.
Requirements: Generalist HR experience required in a law firm – ideally a small London office.
The HR Director acts as the key HR and compliance advisor for the London office, overseeing all core people activities including recruitment, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, training, and regulatory compliance.
Key Responsibilities
- Build strong relationships with partners, managers, and employees, ensuring clear and effective two‑way communication.
- Advise on and consistently apply HR policies, handling employee relations issues, disputes, and grievances.
- Lead disciplinary processes, including investigations, improvement plans, warnings, and terminations.
- Investigate harassment and discrimination complaints, ensuring fair and compliant outcomes.
- Coach and support managers to enhance engagement, performance, accountability, and culture.
- Ensure compliance with employment law, regulatory requirements, immigration obligations, and internal policies.
- Lead London‑based HR programmes, including benefits, reward benchmarking, workforce data, and HRIS oversight.
- Manage end‑to‑end recruitment and onboarding for the London office, working with agencies and internal stakeholders.
- Coordinate and monitor SRA compliance including annual firm renewal, attorney practising
- certificates, competency plans, SRA audits, anti-money laundering reviews and compliance training.
About You
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively at all levels of the firm.
- Solid knowledge of core HR principles, including recruitment, reward, benefits, training, and UK employment law.
- Good understanding of business and management principles, including strategic planning, resource allocation, and leadership.
- Sound awareness of human behaviour, performance, motivation, and individual differences.
- Ability to balance the needs of partners and employees with the commercial interests of the firm.
Application Process: For further information and to apply, please submit your resume. Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to respond to all inquiries. If you have not received a response within 72 hours, please assume you have not been shortlisted.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Ryder Reid Legal is a recruitment specialist. For almost thirty years, we’ve been connecting legal talent with many of the leading law firms in London and internationally. Follow our LinkedIn page for our latest vacancies. https://uk.linkedin.com/company/ryder-reid-legal
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