Employment Associate / Senior Associate (6174)

Irwin Mitchell; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holidays

Bank holidays

Volunteering days

Westfield Health

Job summary

Irwin Mitchell LLP in Sheffield invites applications for an Employment Associate or Senior Associate to join the Leeds/Sheffield Employment teams. You will advise a broad range of employer clients across sectors including education and manufacturing, working with a senior partner to grow the practice.

You will handle day-to-day and complex employment matters, manage client relationships, and contribute to business development while mentoring junior lawyers in a supportive, inclusive environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyers with 4–8 years PQE in Employment law.
• Technically strong grounding in employment law.
• Commercially aware with excellent client-handling skills.
• Motivated to contribute to business development and team growth.
• Collaborative and supportive, with interest in developing junior colleagues.
• Experience advising employer clients in education or STEM sectors is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Advising employers on day-to-day issues and complex matters.
• Representing clients in Employment Tribunal claims and higher courts where appropriate.
• Collaborating with HR and leadership teams as a trusted adviser.
• Leading matters and client relationships with supervision.
• Contributing to BD activity to grow the team’s client base.
• Mentoring junior lawyers and coordinating with regional and national teams.
• Delivering seamless service across the regional employment team.

Skills

Employment law

Client handling

Business development

Mentoring juniors

Commercial awareness

Job description

We're a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it's personal or business, we understand that everyone's situation is different. But we're more than just a law firm – we're a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life's ups and downs. Working here you'll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We'll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

Our Leeds and Sheffield Employment teams, led by partner Jenny Arrowsmith, are continuing to grow, and we are looking for a talented Employment Associate or Senior Associate to join our employer-focused practice.

This role offers the opportunity to work closely with a highly regarded partner and play an active part in the next phase of the team's growth, advising a broad range of employer clients across sectors including education and manufacturing.

The Role

You will be part of a collaborative and ambitious team advising clients on the full spectrum of employment law matters, both contentious and non-contentious. The role offers genuine responsibility and the opportunity to develop your own profile within the practice.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Advising employers on day-to-day employment issues as well as complex and sensitive matters.
• Representing clients in Employment Tribunal claims and, where appropriate, higher court proceedings.
• Working closely with clients' HR and leadership teams as a trusted adviser.
• Leading matters and client relationships with appropriate supervision and support.
• Contributing to business development activity and helping to grow the team's client base.
• Supporting and mentoring junior lawyers.
• Collaborating with colleagues across the regional and national employment team to deliver a seamless service.

Under Jenny's leadership, the team continues to build a strong market reputation and is recognised in Legal 500 (2025) for being friendly, adaptable and approachable, with an emphasis on strong, long-term client relationships.

We are keen to hear from candidates who are:

• Qualified lawyers, ideally between 4 -8 years PQE
• Technically strong, with a solid grounding in employment law.
• Commercially aware, with excellent client-handling skills and the confidence to build trusted relationships.
• Motivated to contribute to business development and the continued growth of the team.
• Collaborative, supportive and keen to play a role in developing junior colleagues.
• Experience of advising employer clients in the education and STEM sectors would be an advantage but is not essential

This is an excellent opportunity for a lawyer who is looking for greater visibility, autonomy and the chance to help shape a growing practice, within a supportive and well-regarded team.

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can 'buy' up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days - Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you're fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2026!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We're committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It's made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group's on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group's employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.