Employment Partner

JMC Legal Recruitment; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Top 50 National Firm in Manchester seeks an Employment Partner to lead the practice from its Manchester base, covering contentious and non-contentious matters. You will work to grow the client roster and develop the practice in line with the firm’s expansion strategy.

You will collaborate with the Head of Employment and fellow partners, shaping strategy and delivering high-quality service to major corporate clients and individuals alike in a growing national team environment.

Qualifications

• Senior Employment Partner with a focus on either contentious or non-contentious matters.
• Commercially minded with a track record or clear interest in business development.
• Ambitious and motivated to play a senior role within a growing national team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and shape the national Employment practice from Manchester.
• Drive high-value client relationships and identify growth opportunities.
• Oversee advisory work, tribunals, and high-stakes matters as part of the team.

Skills

Employment law expertise

Client relationship management

Strategic business development

Job description

Employment Partner | Top 50 National Firm | Manchester Base

With Employment workstreams up significantly over the last two years, major legislative change on the horizon and sustained double-digit firm-wide growth for six consecutive years, the timing to join could not be better.

The Firm

This Top 50 UK firm is consistently recognised for delivering high-quality advice to major corporate clients and private individuals alike, holding Tier 1 Legal 500 rankings and strong Chambers recognition across numerous practice areas. The firm stands firmly among the country's most respected full-service practices.

The firm has achieved double-digit revenue growth for six consecutive years and is targeting a significant revenue milestone this financial year. The Manchester office has experienced substantial growth over the last eight years and continues to expand. This is a firm on a clear upward trajectory, and the Employment team is one of its primary engines.

The Team

The Employment team sits within a broader integrated function spanning Employment, Pensions, Immigration and related disciplines, comprising over 50+ lawyers nationally. Employment makes up the significant majority of that group, operating as one cohesive national team rather than separate regional silos, allowing expertise and workflow to be shared freely across offices.

The Employment team is led by a Tier 1 ranked Employment Partner and the Manchester office is structured evenly across Partner, Senior Associate and Associate Level. Offering a blend of both non-contentious & contentious services, this firm is keen to hear from those focusing on both, or either exclusively.

Employment workstreams have grown substantially at a national level, with significant legislative change expected in early 2027 creating further demand across the practice. The team is also benefiting from strong trainee retention into Employment, multiple lateral hires joining the wider firm and a growing pipeline of premium work. The client base spans large household-name businesses and a significant SME following, with the practice well-positioned as a strong mid-market Employment offering mostly respondent based work, with supporting claimant practices.

The Role

The firm is looking to appoint a Partner to join their heavy hitting national practice based from their Manchester office.

The firm is looking to appoint a Partner to join their nationally recognised Employment practice from their Manchester office, working alongside an established and high-performing group of partners on the full spectrum of Employment matters. This spans strategic HR advisory work, tribunal and High Court litigation, corporate support, outsourcing and large-scale projects. The firm has sensible and considered expectations when it comes to business case.

They are genuinely open to a conversation about how your existing client relationships, sector focus and areas of specialism can complement and integrate with the wider team, rather than applying a rigid template to what you need to bring on day one. Equally, they understand the reality of lateral moves at senior level. Clients take time, relationships need to be nurtured and the first year rarely tells the full story. They are looking at the long-term picture and are happy to think about business development in those terms, rather than placing undue pressure on short-term results.

Day to day you will work closely with the Head of Employment, who is based in a separate office, as well as the partners within the existing Manchester team. The expectation is that you contribute to driving growth, maintaining high-quality service delivery and playing an active role in shaping the direction of the practice going forward.

The Ideal Candidate

• Employment Partner with a focus on either contentious or non-contentious matters
• Commercially minded with a track record or clear interest in business development
• Ambitious and motivated to play a senior role within a growing national team

What's on Offer

• A platform within a L500 ranked Employment team experiencing exceptional and sustained growth
• Commercially reasonable expectations regarding business cases
• High-quality, complex work across a broad and impressive client base
• Significant firm-wide investment in both the Employment team and the Manchester office