Senior Employment Lawyer

Direct Line Group Careers; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job description

About us

Everyone deserves access to justice. That’s why, at DLG Legal Services, we’ve made it our mission to make quality legal services affordable and accessible. We tackle everything from inheritance, personal injury, and property claims to contract and insurance disputes, keeping our customers at the heart of everything we do.

Who are we looking for?

We are now looking to recruit a Senior Employment Litigator into our team on a full-time, 12 Months Fixed Term Contract basis.

This role will be home-based 3 days a week and 2 days will be spent in either Bristol, Leeds or Bromley office.

What will you be doing?

The role involves handling a complex caseload of employment claims of varying degrees of complexity. You will be taking initial instructions, providing clear and accurate legal advice while promptly progressing claims in a timely manner. The whole process will be done in line with the terms of the client’s legal expenses insurance policy. You will also supervise other employment lawyers within the team providing support and guidance throughout the litigation process.

What will be your responsibilities?

• You will act for clients on the full range of employment disputes, handling conduct of the claims from the initial assessment stage through to final hearing and beyond to enforcement where appropriate.
• You will provide accurate and clear legal advice, handle clients’ expectations and explain decisions and the steps in the claims process clearly and succinctly.
• You will deliver a professional service to clients by providing timely and accurate advice, as well as handling their expectations.
• You will apply a consistent approach to assessing the legal merits of claims.
• Your responsibility will be to record time spent accurately and maintain accurate system records.
• You will identify and manage the risks involved in running our business appropriate to the role, in line with the relevant risk framework and in compliance with all DLG Legal Services policies and procedures and the SRA Code of Conduct at all times.
• You will lead your learning & development needs and opportunities for self-progression.
• You will work together with colleagues to build relationships with other departments and suppliers, acting as a subject matter expert to your peers.
• You will support the strategic development of department standard methodology, product performance, and the customer experience through continuous improvement initiatives.

What skills are required?

• You will need to have at least 3 years' experience in handling a caseload of employment claims.
• You will either need to be a Solicitor, Legal Executive, or a Paralegal with relevant experience.
• A deep understanding of employment law and Employment Tribunal procedure is essential.
• Experience of dealing with Legal Expenses Insurance-funded claims would also be desirable but not essential.

Hours: 35 hours per week (Mon-Fri), working hours 9am-5pm

Location: Bristol (BS1 6JS), or Leeds (LS1 4AZ), or Bromley (BR1 1DP)

Home Working: Hybrid model (2 days from the office, 3 days from home)

What we’ll give you:
We wouldn’t be where we are today without our people and the wide variety of perspectives and life experiences they bring. That’s why we offer excellent benefits to suit your lifestyle and a flexible working model combining the best parts of home and office-working, varying with the nature of your role.

Core benefits include:

• Generous 9% employer pension. Regardless of whether you contribute into your pension or not, DLG pays 9% into your pension (but you can take this as cash if you want!).
• 25 holiday days (plus public holidays). Plus an option of buying or selling up to 5 holiday days each year!
• 50% off motor, home and pet insurance.
• Free travel insurance and Green Flag breakdown cover.
• Electric Vehicle car scheme which allows all colleagues to lease a brand new electric or plug-in hybrid car in a tax-efficient way.
• Buy-as-you-earn share scheme.
• Employee discounts and cashback.

Being yourself:

Direct Line Group is an equal opportunity employer, and we think diversity of background and thinking is a big strength in our people. We're delighted to feature as one of the UK's Top 50 Inclusive Employers and are committed to making our business an inclusive place to work, where everyone can be themselves and succeed in their careers.

We know you're more than a CV, and the things that make you, you, are what bring potential to our business. We recognise and embrace people that work in different ways, so if you need any adjustments to our recruitment process, please speak to the recruitment team who will be happy to support you.

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