Assistant HR Manager, Early Careers

Hogan Lovells; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international law firm is seeking a dedicated HR professional to manage and oversee HR processes for trainee solicitors and solicitor apprentices. The role involves overseeing budgets, managing relationships with future joiners, and conducting salary reviews. The ideal candidate will possess strong HR experience, preferably within a law firm, along with excellent communication and relationship-building skills. The firm supports agile working, balancing office and remote work options.

Benefits

Flexible working patterns

Agile work options

Collaborative work environment

Responsibilities

• Overseeing HR processes for future trainees and apprentices.
• Managing relationships and communication with future joiners.
• Conducting salary reviews for trainees and apprentices.
• Dealing with compliance regarding work permits and HR regulations.
• Chairing meetings and contributing to policy discussions.

Skills

CIPD qualification

Previous HR experience in a law firm

Effective presentation skills

Strong relationship-building skills

Problem-solving abilities

Confidence in communication

Job description

Overview

35 hours per week, 9:30am to 5:30pm but additional hours may be required. We are happy to consider agile and flexible working patterns. Our approach to hybrid working allows for up to 40% of time working from home and 60% working in the office, please contact a member of the recruitment team to discuss further.

Responsibilities

• Future Trainees
  • Reviewing all HR related correspondence concerning future trainees' employment.
  • Overseeing the correct payment of sign on bonus, maintenance grants and course fees for future joiners at law school and managing the grants and fees budget and overall responsibility generally for the budget relating to these costs (approximately £2.5 million).
  • Overseeing the timely response to future trainee queries.
  • Managing the future joiner relationship with the firm and ensuring loyalty is developed in line with the recruitment processes, as well as consistency in terms of relationship building.
  • Working with a consortium of leading City law firms and BPP Law School on HR issues and practicalities relating to future trainees undertaking the preparation courses for the SQE.
  • Working with the HR Advisor to manage the future joiner link programme (devising programme, arranging practice group workshops, practice group fairs and attending events) to ensure future trainees are well informed about practice groups prior to joining.
  • Dealing with any HR issues that may arise during the period before future trainees commence their training contract (for example health issues, bereavement, exam failure) that may impact on performance and the individual's well-being.
• Trainee Solicitors and Solicitor Apprentices
  • Reviewing all HR correspondence relating to the trainees' and apprentices' employment, ensuring fitness for purpose at all times and following any changes to current practice.
  • At all times managing trainee solicitor and apprentices expectations in relation to their training in a fair, frank and firm way.
  • Overseeing the induction programmes.
  • Conducting mid-seat meetings with trainees to catch up and review how they are doing.
  • Conducting regular review meetings with the solicitor apprentices, their BPP tutors and supervisors.
  • Working with the HR Advisors to oversee the seat plan and communicate seat plans to trainees (note that changes to this process in order to meet strategic business needs are likely to be an on-going priority).
  • Overseeing the application and selection process for international and client secondments.
  • Reviewing and agreeing secondment terms for client and international secondments.
  • Managing and devising strategy for the six-monthly trainee qualification process, including liaison with the firm's PR team and handling press queries.
  • Maintaining accurate qualification statistics to monitor and report on retention.
  • Moderating and reviewing trainee and apprentice appraisals to monitor performance.
  • Initiate regular meetings with Trainee Partners and Group Managers to discuss headcount planning and assess how Trainees are performing and promote a consistent approach to the management and development of Trainees across the firm.
  • Presenting at the 'Supervisor Skills' (supervisor training) sessions.
  • Devising bi-annual supervisor information briefings and chairing the events.
  • Overseeing the leaver process including collating the six monthly exit interview summary and reporting key findings.
  • Overseeing the Wellbeing and Performance programmes.
• Reward / Financials
  • Conducting a salary review for trainees and solicitor apprentices and a review of financial assistance for future joiners on an annual basis (currently May each year).
  • Conducting an annual review of the firm's cost of living allowances for international secondments.
  • Alongside the Senior HR Manager, monitoring the trainee and solicitor apprentice future joiner budget codes, including monthly and annual spend.
  • Alongside the Senior HR Manager, compiling annual budgets for financial assistance and expenses, compensation and benefits for future and current trainee solicitors.
• Specialist Knowledge
  • Alongside the Senior HR Manager, dealing with all HR matters relating to future and current trainees. For example, but not limited to, grievance and disciplinary, performance and capability, sickness or absence issues.
  • Overseeing the work permit application processes for trainees; liaising with the firm's Head of Global Mobility in relation to the completion of the necessary documentation required; and ensuring all practices are in line with the firm's asylum and immigration policy.
  • Appreciation of selection and assessment procedures
  • Appreciation of psychometric testing
  • Appreciation of diversity and social mobility issues
• Management responsibilities
  • Assisting with the management of the Early Careers team (a team of two advisors, one Senior Advisor based in London and Advisor in Johannesburg).
  • Ensuring good relationships are built with the wider People Advisory team to ensure consistency and best practice across the teams, including with colleagues in the Global Business Services Centre in Johannesburg.
• Strategic Focus
  • Chairing the Trainee Solicitor Liaison Committee (TSLC) meetings and contributing to debate on trainee solicitor policies with the Training Principal and the TSLC members. Managing relations with TSLC members in a fair, firm and frank way and helping them understand business requirements.
  • Completing ad-hoc projects and reports for the firm's management committees and panels.
  • Assisting with the delivery of the firm's Respect and Inclusion Programmes

Qualifications & Training

• CIPD qualified
• Previous experience of HR in law firm

General Attributes

• Commands respect from clients (partners, senior managers, trainee solicitors, solicitor apprentices, direct reports and other People team members);
• Appreciation of service delivery to clients;
• Effective, fluent presenter;
• Good at building external relationships (law school providers, consortium firm members, external consultants used for strategic projects and learning and development initiatives, legal press, peers in other law firms);
• Ability to problem solve and come up with ideas;
• Confident and articulate (verbal and written);
• Comfortable with change and being adaptable to changes;

Agile Working Statement

Our goal is to embed flexibility across our business by giving everyone the opportunity to work in an agile way, whether as a regular pattern or on an ad hoc basis, and we will be happy to discuss this further.