Employment Senior Associate

Think Legal Recruitment; Bradford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Think Legal Recruitment is seeking a Senior Employment Associate in Leeds. You’ll handle a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters and play a senior role within the team.

You’ll manage complex Employment Tribunal litigation, deliver strategic advice to employers across sectors and help develop client relationships and business growth within a national practice.

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with 5+ PQE in employment law.
• Experience handling both contentious and non-contentious employment matters.
• Ability to develop client relationships and contribute to business development.

Responsibilities

• Handle a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters for employers.
• Lead sophisticated Employment Tribunal litigation and advisory matters.
• Develop trusted client relationships and contribute to the practice’s growth.

Skills

5+ PQE

Employment law

Client relationships

Job description

Senior Employment Associate | Leeds | 5+ PQE

A senior employment law role combining complex litigation, high-quality advisory work and the opportunity to build client relationships.

This is an opportunity for an experienced Employment Solicitor to join a well-regarded national law firm with an established Leeds team and a broad client base.

The team advises organisations across a range of sectors, including commercial businesses, large national employers, NHS bodies, healthcare providers, charities, educational institutions and public sector organisations.

The work spans complex Employment Tribunal litigation, strategic employment advice and the full range of day-to-day issues facing employers. Alongside managing your own matters, you’ll have the opportunity to develop client relationships, contribute to business development and support the continued growth of the team.

For a solicitor with 5+ PQE, this offers a varied workload and the chance to play a more senior role within an established employment practice.

The work

You’ll handle a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters, advising employers on both individual disputes and wider workplace challenges.

• Complex Employment Tribunal litigation, including discrimination, whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and other significant employment claims.

• Strategic employment advice, helping employers navigate sensitive employee issues and make commercially sound decisions.

• Day-to-day employment matters, including disciplinary and grievance procedures, sickness absence, performance management, flexible working and employee relations.

• Contracts and agreements, including employment contracts, settlement agreements, policies and other employment documentation.

• Organisational change, including restructures and wider workforce issues.

• Healthcare and public sector employment, advising organisations operating in highly regulated environments where employment decisions can have significant operational and reputational implications.

• Client training and development, helping employers manage risk, understand their obligations and deal with challenging workplace situations.

• Corporate support, including employment aspects of transactions, due diligence and related documentation.

The litigation work can be particularly involved, with exposure to substantial employer-side claims, including complex discrimination and whistleblowing cases.

You’ll need to be comfortable taking the lead on matters, managing competing priorities and advising clients not just on the legal position, but on the practical and commercial considerations surrounding it.

The clients

The client base is broad, covering commercial organisations, large employers, healthcare providers, NHS bodies, charities, educational institutions and public sector organisations.

Healthcare is a particular area of strength. The team advises NHS organisations and other providers on employment and strategic workforce issues, including complex disputes where the implications can extend beyond the immediate legal claim.

There is also a strong charity and wider employer offering, providing a varied mix of work and the opportunity to develop relationships across different sectors.

For someone who enjoys getting to grips with the pressures facing a client and providing clear, commercially focused advice, this is an interesting platform.

The team and opportunity

You’ll join an established Leeds employment team as part of a wider national Employment, Pensions and Immigration practice.

The team works collaboratively across offices, bringing together expertise across a range of sectors and employment law issues.

At this level, you’ll be expected to take a leading role on your own matters, develop trusted client relationships and contribute to the wider success of the practice.

There’s also scope to support and develop more junior lawyers, share your experience and contribute to client training, networking and business development.

This isn’t simply about managing a busy caseload. The opportunity is to build your profile within the team, strengthen existing relationships and help develop the practice’s offering to its clients.

Who might suit this role?

We’re keen to hear from qualified Employment Solicitors with 5+ PQE and a solid background in employer-side employment law.

You’ll ideally have:

• Strong experience handling Employment Tribunal litigation, including complex claims.

• The ability to manage matters independently and provide clear, commercially focused advice.

• Experience advising employers on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues.

• Confidence dealing directly with clients and building long-term relationships.

• Strong drafting, communication and presentation skills.

• An interest in client training, business development and contributing to the development of more junior colleagues.

Experience advising large employers would be useful, alongside exposure to corporate transactions and advocacy. A background in healthcare, charities or the public sector could also be particularly relevant, although experience across other employer-side environments will be considered.

Salary and benefits

• A competitive salary and benefits package is on offer, alongside the opportunity to develop your career within a substantial national practice.
• Flexible working arrangements are available, with an emphasis on creating a supportive and inclusive working environment.