Head of Practice Development

Irwin Mitchell; England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days holidays plus bank holidays

Private medical insurance

Flexible pension schemes

Volunteering days

Job summary

A national law firm in the UK is seeking a Head of Practice Development. The successful candidate will lead the Practice Development team, drive firmwide knowledge initiatives, and manage collaboration with various partners. Ideal candidates are seasoned lawyers with strong strategic thinking and leadership skills, committed to legal excellence and innovation. This full-time position offers competitive benefits including medical insurance and flexible working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Senior qualified lawyer with deep expertise in legal technical knowledge.
• Proven leadership experience, ideally managing teams of PDLs or PSLs.
• Comfortable balancing high-level leadership with hands-on delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the Practice Development function.
• Manage Lead PDLs and their sub-teams across the firm.
• Align development activities with business strategy and legal excellence.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Collaboration skills

Passionate about legal excellence

Knowledge in legal training programs

Education

Senior qualified lawyer

Job description

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Senior Specialist- Recruitment & Onboarding

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.

Your Role

Reporting to the Technical Director in Technical Client Services, you will serve as the Head of Practice Development, combining strategic leadership with hands-on delivery as a Senior Practice Development Lawyer (PDL) within a designated business unit. This dual role involves managing the Legal Practice Development team, aligning legal excellence with business priorities, and driving firmwide knowledge initiatives.

What You Will Be Doing

• Lead and coordinate the Practice Development function
• Manage Lead PDLs and their sub-teams across the firm
• Collaborate with Managing Partners, Heads of Departments, and Technical Leads
• Align development activity with business strategy and legal excellence
• Support the implementation of the Technical Client Services (TCS) strategy

PDL Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage legal technical knowledge within your practice area
• Lead initiatives on precedents, guidance, and legal training
• Provide horizon scanning, commentary, and analysis
• Ensure knowledge is accessible to support legal work, client relationships, and business development
• Contribute to cross-practice consistency and firmwide knowledge sharing

About You

• A senior qualified lawyer with deep expertise in legal technical knowledge
• Proven leadership experience, ideally managing teams of PDLs or PSLs
• Strategic thinker with strong collaboration skills across departments
• Passionate about legal excellence, innovation, and client service
• Skilled in developing precedents, training programs, and knowledge systems
• Comfortable balancing high-level leadership with hands-on delivery

We’re proud of our values, and we’re looking for people who share them:

• To be pioneering with an imaginative outlook
• To be approachable and caring
• To be tenacious in the pursuit of our objectives
• To be efficient in the provision of our services
• To work with a foundation of integrity.

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You

• 28 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Private medical insurance – single parent or couple
• 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.
• Car parking in regional offices

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

Additional Information

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.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Not Applicable

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Legal

• Industries

  Law Practice

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