Senior Associate - Employment (12 month fixed term contract)

Clyde & Co; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Clyde & Co in Glasgow is seeking a Senior Associate (5+ years' PQE) to join the Employment team on a hybrid basis. The role focuses on advisory and litigation work for employers, handling a varied caseload across UK and Scottish clients.

You will lead contentious matters, supervise juniors, and contribute to business development initiatives. The successful candidate will bring strong drafting, advocacy, client management, and leadership skills, with a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with a minimum of 5 years' PQE, gained predominantly in employment law.
• Strong technical expertise in employment law.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with the wider team.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong client relationships.
• Experience in business development activities.
• Ability to supervise and lead junior team members on projects.
• Commitment to mentoring and supporting colleagues.
• Experience handling Employment Tribunal litigation and advocacy.
• Strong drafting skills, including pleadings, contracts, and advisory documentation.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to deliver pragmatic, client-focused advice.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Confidence in managing client relationships and acting as a key point of contact.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal.
• Experience advising employers on complex HR and workplace issues.
• A proactive and solutions-oriented approach to problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Civil employment law advisory and litigation-focused role with emphasis on contentious matters.
• Spend majority of time acting for employers, supporting UK-based and Scottish-based clients.
• Manage a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters.
• Conduct Employment Tribunal advocacy where appropriate.
• Support and contribute to business development initiatives.
• Supervise and mentor junior team members on projects.

Skills

Employment law expertise

Contentious matters

Tribunal advocacy

Client relationship management

Business development

Mentoring juniors

Independent working

Strong drafting skills

Commercial awareness

Time management

Leadership

Communication skills

Job description

Role: Senior Associate (5PQE+) - 12 month Fixed Term Contract

Department: Employment

Location: Glasgow

The Role

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Associate (5+ years' PQE) to join our Glasgow team on a hybrid working basis. This is an employment law advisory and litigation-focused role, with a strong emphasis on contentious matters. The successful candidate will spend the majority of their time acting for employers, primarily supporting UK-based clients, while also advising and supporting Scottish-based clients as part of a varied and dynamic caseload. The role will involve managing a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters, including conducting Employment Tribunal advocacy where appropriate, as well as supporting and contributing to business development initiatives.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Qualified solicitor with a minimum of 5 years' PQE, gained predominantly in employment law
• Strong technical expertise in employment law
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with the wider team
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong client relationships
• Experience in business development activities
• Ability to supervise and lead junior team members on projects
• Commitment to mentoring and supporting colleagues
• Experience handling Employment Tribunal litigation and advocacy
• Strong drafting skills, including pleadings, contracts, and advisory documentation
• Commercial awareness with the ability to deliver pragmatic, client-focused advice
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Confidence in managing client relationships and acting as a key point of contact
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal
• Experience advising employers on complex HR and workplace issues
• A proactive and solutions-oriented approach to problem solving

The Firm

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 500 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Our Commitment

Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity. Learn more about our interview process.

A Note on Privacy

Please take a moment to read our privacy notice. This describes what personal information Clyde & Co (we) may hold about you, what it's used for, how it's obtained, your rights and how to contact us as a data subject.

If you are submitting a candidate as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is an essential requirement and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to Clyde & Co are aware of this privacy notice.

This is the job description as constituted at present; however, Clyde & Co reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.