Grade A Solicitor AOD North (6416)

Irwin Mitchell; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holidays + option to buy more

Generous pension schemes

Volunteering days

Westfield Health membership

Flexible hybrid working

Job summary

Irwin Mitchell is seeking a Grade A Solicitor with ~4–10 years' PQE in asbestos and occupational disease litigation in Newcastle. You will manage a litigated caseload, advise clients and families, and support senior colleagues on high‑value matters. Expect client‑facing work, complex cases, and opportunities to develop business relationships from day one.

The role offers a hybrid working model with a supportive, inclusive culture and a national reach.

Qualifications

• Approximately 4–10 years PQE with asbestos and occupational disease experience.
• Able to work with empathy and integrity in challenging cases.
• Experience managing your own caseload while supporting senior colleagues.
• Enthusiasm for this area of law and achieving the best client outcomes.
• Aptitude for business development and building client/referrer relationships.
• Excellent oral and written communication, plus strong drafting and research.

Responsibilities

• Manage your own litigated caseload and assist Partners on high‑value matters.
• Provide exceptional legal advice to clients and their families throughout claims.
• Work closely with clients to secure the best possible resolutions.
• Hit the ground running and contribute independently to cases from outset.

Skills

Empathy & integrity

Caseload management

Business development

Client relationships

Excellent communication

Legal research & drafting

Independent working

Education

Solicitor qualification (UK)

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.

This role is based out of our Newcastle office and sits within our Asbestos and Occupational Disease Team, led by Ian Toft, Regional Lead Partner for Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.

Your Role And What You'll Be Doing

We are seeking a Grade A Solicitor with approximately 4-10 years' PQE and a strong background in Asbestos and Occupational Disease litigation.

You’ll join a highly respected specialist disease practice working with clients diagnosed with a wide spectrum of asbestos related and non asbestos respiratory conditions. This includes mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural thickening, occupational asthma, silicosis and other workplace related respiratory illnesses.

This is an exciting opportunity to enhance your litigation skills while also taking ownership of your own litigated caseload, as well as assisting senior colleagues on high value or complex matters. You’ll work closely with clients and their families at difficult moments in their lives, ensuring they receive exceptional advice and the highest standard of support throughout their claim.

You’ll work closely with clients and providing them with exceptional legal advice to achieve the best possible resolution for our clients. You’ll have the opportunity to get involved in an interesting and diverse caseload and right from the beginning you’ll play a key part in securing justice for our clients and making a real difference in their lives. You will have the confidence to hit the ground-running and have the ability to work independently on litigated cases.

• Approximately 4-10 years PQE with Asbestos and Occupational Disease experience
• The ability to work with empathy and integrity
• Experience managing your own caseload, while also assisting Partners and senior team members on high value cases
• A clear enthusiasm for this area of law and a commitment to achieving the best outcomes for clients
• An aptitude for business development and a passion for building strong client and referrer relationships
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including high quality drafting and undertaking detailed legal research
• 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 2024!

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.