Overview
Are you keen to find an exciting new role where you will be part of a dynamic, forward-thinking, agile team? If so, come and join us on the journey.
Michelmores is the destination law firm for the ambitious, the imaginative and the distinctive. We help enterprises and individuals navigate change to find a positive future.
We are a flexible, friendly and inclusive organisation with a clear focus on fresh thinking, growth and success. We value our people’s potential and give them a creative, open and collaborative environment.
What sort of work?
Our highly experienced Employment team is looking for an Associate to join either our Exeter or Cheltenham office. In this role you will support the team in delivering a first‑class service to clients.
Responsibilities
- Providing expert legal counsel to clients on a wide range of employment law issues, including employment status and associated rights, contracts and handbooks, redundancy and discrimination.
- Providing clear, decisive, commercial and sensitive HR support to clients and their in‑house HR teams to ensure the safe and effective management of their workforce, including dealing with grievances, performance issues, sickness absence management and disciplinary matters.
- Conducting thorough legal research and analysis to support client cases and providing strategic advice.
- Managing Employment Tribunal claims from ACAS Early Conciliations right through to Appeal Hearings and Cost Applications.
- Representing clients in Employment Tribunals, mediations and other dispute resolution proceedings.
- Collaborating with colleagues across all teams within the firm to deliver comprehensive legal solutions to clients in a timely manner, such as supporting corporate deals, working with our Commercial team to help our clients ‘future‑proof’ and expand their businesses and working with our Commercial Dispute Resolution teams on injunctions and defamation issues.
- Staying up to date with changes in employment law, including case law decisions. Providing regular updates to the rest of the team, drafting related articles and proactively advising clients on changes that may impact their businesses.
- Working with our Professional Support Lawyer and Paralegals to update and refine our policies, contracts and templates.
- Proactively engaging in the team and the firm’s business development projects and strategies, such as attending company and client events, solidifying relationships with clients and partner organisations through events, meetings and training and facilitating referral relationships.
Why this team?
Our Employment team, led by James Baker, supports employers across all sectors, especially in cases involving media scrutiny, highly unionised and litigious environments, where legislative uncertainty and organisational change compound pressures. We work as an expert extension to in‑house HR functions, providing reassurance and guidance in difficult, time‑sensitive cases such as complex discrimination claims and whistleblowing investigations.
Qualifications
- Become a vital member of a busy and friendly team. Enjoying our work and the people we work with is essential to our success.
- Be a qualified solicitor in England and Wales or Scotland with 1‑5 years post‑qualification experience in employment law.
- Have in‑depth knowledge of UK employment legislation, case law and best practices. Understanding the differences between England & Wales and Scotland is desirable but not essential.
- Have a proven track record of successfully handling complex employment law matters, including settlement negotiations and Employment Tribunal cases, and achieving favourable outcomes for clients. Experience of advocating for clients at Tribunal is desirable but not essential.
- Demonstrate excellent communication, negotiation and advocacy skills with the ability to build rapport with clients, colleagues and partner organisations. The successful candidate will need to deliver outstanding client service, having plenty of day‑to‑day contact with clients, colleagues and partner organisations.
- Show a keen attention to detail. This is absolutely critical for the quality of output we and our clients expect.
- Have strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
- Have excellent organisational skills with a methodical approach to workloads and an ability to adhere to strict deadlines. Candidates will need to manage a diverse caseload, work with different Senior Associates and Partners in the team and be able to prioritise tasks effectively to thrive in a fast‑paced environment.
- Be prepared to put forward and develop ideas to improve our transactional processes and delivery of client service.
- Be keen to contribute to the team’s growth by identifying opportunities and participating in team and the firm’s business development projects and strategies.
Equal Opportunities Employer
Michelmores LLP is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We do not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, marital status, age, religion, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability or sexual orientation in the selection, recruitment and treatment of our staff.
View our Inclusion and Belonging pages for more information.
As part of our recruitment policy our candidates are subject to pre‑employment screening checks. The Employee Screening Process includes DBS screening, adverse media checks, financial screening, and will also involve verification of employment history, your right to work in the UK and any relevant qualifications and memberships. If you would like further information around this, at this stage, please get in touch with our recruitment team (careers@michelmores.com).
*No agencies please – any agency assistance will be via invitation only. Please note any speculative candidates submitted via agencies without invitation will not be considered as representative.
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