Employment – Associate (3-6 PQE) 12m FTC

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Charles Russell Speechlys LLP is seeking an Employment Associate (3–6 PQE) for a 12-month fixed-term contract to cover a maternity leave. The role involves advising a broad client base, handling both advisory and litigation work, and contributing to cross-practice initiatives.

You will work within a high-quality Employment team, enjoy hybrid working, and support Partners in client development while managing a busy workload autonomously.

Qualifications

• England and Wales qualified (or equivalent) with 3–6 years’ PQE.
• Strong drafting and advisory skills across contentious and non-contentious employment work.
• Autonomous, collaborative, and capable of handling a busy maternity-cover workload.
• Ability to contribute to business development and client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day employment advice on documentation, policies, disciplinary and grievances, and GDPR.
• Manage employment tribunal litigation, including drafting grounds and handling case management steps.
• Deliver due diligence on transactions, advise on red flag issues, warranties and TUPE.
• Advise Senior Executives on severance terms and exit strategies.
• Handle employment and partnership disputes and contribute to cross-practice projects.
• Maintain proactive file management and use precedents for complex drafting.
• Support Partners with client development and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Skills

Employment law

Litigation

Contract drafting

TUPE

Data protection

Collaborative teamwork

Client advisory

Education

England & Wales qualified (or equivalent)

Job description

Employment – Associate (3-6 PQE) 12m FTC

The Employment team at Charles Russell Speechlys advises a broad range of clients, including businesses, senior executives and entrepreneurs, across the UK and internationally. The work mix is varied and high quality, covering day-to-day strategic HR advisory work, Employment Tribunal litigation, complex exits, restrictive covenant and confidentiality issues, workplace investigations, TUPE and transactional support. The team works closely with colleagues across the Firm, including Corporate, Real Estate, Private Client, Immigration and Dispute Resolution, providing an excellent opportunity to be involved in cross-practice, commercially focused employment work for an international law firm that has a diverse and sophisticated client base.

This role is a 12 months fixed-term contract to cover a period of maternity leave.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Providing all aspects of advice to clients on employment documentation, policies, disciplinary and grievances, family friendly issues, redundancy processes and GDPR.
• Running employment tribunal litigation including drafting Grounds of Resistance, Particulars of Claim, attending Preliminary Hearings and dealing with case management steps.
• Carrying out due diligence on transactions and advising on “red flag” issues, drafting warranties and indemnities and advising on TUPE.
• Advising Senior Executives on maximising their severance terms on exit.
• Advising on all aspects of employment and partnership disputes (knowledge of High Court CPR is valued but not a pre-requisite).
• Taking a ‘hands on’ approach to managing own files and a broad case load
• Drafting more complex documents with minimum instruction and supervision, making use of appropriate precedents
• Applying a commercial approach to research and evaluate relevance and accuracy in delivery of advice
• Where appropriate, delegating, co-ordinating and supervising the work of more junior members of the team.
• Supporting Partners in client marketing and business development activities to develop the team’s client base, the individual’s contacts and the team’s network of referrers
• Contributing to group knowledge and know-how initiatives
• Complying with all relevant legal and regulatory obligations including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations, and Principles.

Skills and Experience

• Strong drafting skills both in respect of non-contentious and contentious work.
• Ability to demonstrate conduct of employment tribunal proceedings on behalf of Respondents and Claimants.
• Familiar with employment data protection and privacy issues including Data Subject Access Requests.
• Experienced in giving advice on transactions both for buyer and seller and advising on all aspects of TUPE.
• Expertise in dealing with employment status issues including worker status and drafting contracts for services.
• Experienced on all aspects of grievances, performance issues and disciplinary matters.
• Ability to present employment training to peers and clients alike.
• Ability to contribute to business development initiatives, such as through article writing and attendance at networking events.
• Experience of handling dismissals in the context of the financial services industry and an understanding of relevant regulatory issues.

Person Specification

• England and Wales qualified (or equivalent) with 3-6 years’ PQE.
• Be confident to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Willing to contribute to a busy and successful team with growth ambitions.
• Demonstrate excellent time management skills and have the ability to work to (often short) deadlines.
• Have the ability to develop effective working relationships at all levels.
• Be confident in both verbal and written communication with a diverse range of clients.
• Have a flexible approach and willing to go the extra mile.
• Have a pragmatic and results-oriented approach.
• Have a willingness to engage in business development activities to raise the profile of the team internally and externally.
• Balance both team and independent working practice.

Hybrid working - We adopt a hybrid and flexible working approach, dependent on the requirements of the role and subject to manager approval.

Reasonable Adjustments
At Charles Russell Speechlys we are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, where candidates can perform to the best of their ability at an interview or in a test situation. At any point in the hiring process for this role, if you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation that might assist you during the application and interview process, please reach out to the above-named contact and they will work with you to understand your requirements. For more information, please see our Workplace Reasonable Adjustments Statement.

Any information you disclose will be kept confidential unless otherwise instructed by you, and will only be used to provide appropriate support to you during our assessment process.

Charles Russell Speechlys is an Equal Opportunities Employer, and we are committed to developing an increasingly diverse, inclusive and supportive culture where everyone can be themselves, feel valued, and that they can thrive and belong. Please see here for more information on our employee-led DEI Networks.

For a detailed specification please download the job description in the documents section of this page.