Dispute Resolution & Litigation Associate

Shoosmiths; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Shoosmiths is recruiting an Associate with conveyancing experience to join our Belfast Dispute Resolution team. You will work with partners and a local team in a hybrid office environment, handling a mixed caseload of property disputes and conveyancing matters while developing your expertise within a UK-wide firm.

You will manage cases from instruction through resolution, draft pleadings and statements, advise lenders on title issues, and contribute to business development to grow the Belfast

Qualifications

• Detailed working knowledge of the conveyancing process and sale of recovered properties.
• Ability to manage a caseload of property and conveyancing disputes from instruction to resolution.
• Experience advising lenders on title defects, mortgage issues and related disputes.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of property and conveyancing disputes from instruction to resolution.
• Draft pleadings, statements and settlement documentation.
• Advise lender and financial institution clients on title defects and potential litigation strategy.
• Act in negotiations, mediations and court proceedings where appropriate.
• Support business development to grow the Belfast team.

Skills

Conveyancing knowledge

Caseload management

Negotiation

Independent work

Client advisory to lenders

Job description

The role

We have an exciting and unique opportunity for an Associate with experience in conveyancing to join our Dispute Resolution team in Belfast. You will be part of a dynamic local team with ambitious plans to develop - with the support of a large UK-wide infrastructure behind you. We are passionate about the work we do and will encourage you to develop your own skills alongside our experienced partners and legal team. We pride ourselves on working collaboratively in relation to our caseload and across our different office locations as required. We welcome transparent conversations about your career goals and are ready and willing to reward your effort and contribution.

The team

Our Belfast Dispute Resolution team is looking to grow, and we are excited about adding further talent to our existing team. We specialise in all forms of civil and commercial litigation. We work on a hybrid basis. We are pleased that our state- of-the-art office provides space for a collaborative working culture and a fantastic environment to enable a mix of office and home working, as required by our caseload. We currently act for an impressive number of large national and multi-national corporations, High Street banks, financial institutions, and FTSE 250 clients. We provide our clients with a wide range of advisory and litigation services covering all aspects of commercial litigation.

The Firm

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all our ability to focus on what matters most. With offices across the UK and Brussels, we partner with some of the world's most exciting, innovative and ambitious organisations, helping clients make a meaningful impact in their industries and communities. Our people are empowered to bring their authentic selves to work, collaborate in high-performing teams and deliver exceptional results through a culture built on excellence, innovation and mutual support. As the first Top 50 law firm to achieve the Investors in People Platinum Standard, our values are more than statements on a website. They are embedded in everything we do and form the foundation of our success. Alongside a competitive remuneration package we offer high quality work, a supportive environment and a comprehensive, flexible benefits programme designed to reward and support our people. We believe our success is driven by our employees and we are committed to recognising their contribution to the firm's continued growth and achievements. To discover more about our benefits, please visit our Benefits Package page. Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long-term conditions. As part of our accreditation we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. In some circumstances we may only be able to interview those that best meet the essential criteria due to the volume of applications received. Further information on the Disability Confident scheme is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign. We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone. If you have a disability or long-term condition and would like to receive information in a different way, or need us to make any adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team on [e-mail]. We can consider your needs and requirements, and how we can assist you to apply for our roles. For example we can provide a copy of our application via email so that you can complete it using your own accessibility software.

What We Require From You

• Detailed working knowledge of conveyancing process as the role will primarily relate to the sale of recovered properties on behalf of lenders/ financial institutions
• Experience in the sale of recovered properties is not essential but would be helpful. The role may also offer a varied caseload to include title rectification, financial services and real estate litigation.
• Managing a caseload of property and conveyancing related disputes from instruction through to resolution.
• Ability to progress matters independently.
• Advising lender and financial institution clients on title defects, mortgage fraud, professional negligence and property transaction disputes.
• Handling disputes arising from residential and commercial conveyancing transactions.
• Investigating complex title issues and advising on potential litigation strategy.
• Managing high volume sale matters whilst maintaining excellent client service standards.
• Drafting pleadings, witness statements, correspondence and settlement documentation.
• Acting in negotiations, mediations and court proceedings where appropriate.
• Working collaboratively with clients and colleagues to identify commercially pragmatic solutions.
• Supporting business development initiatives and contributing to the continued growth of the Belfast team.

We hope you’ll share our commitment to putting the client at the centre of everything we do and work with us to deliver an excellent service in a friendly, supportive environment. We place a lot of belief in culture and community, and genuinely think we have something different to offer you at Shoosmiths. This is reflected in everything we say and do from our use of technology to enable agile working, to the team spirit and culture.

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. These checks will include employment references covering the last 5 years, proof of ID, proof of address covering the last 5 years, Personnel Vetting credit search (which will only highlight insolvency or County Court Judgments - should any adverse data show on the Personnel Vetting search then any offer of employment made will be withdrawn).

A DBS check (previously known as a Criminal Records check) and check of social media will also be carried out.

Equal opportunities

Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues. This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.