Senior Associate / Legal Director

Birketts LLP; Chew Magna; Hybrid; GBP 95,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Private Healthcare

Pension scheme

Profit share

CSR Day

Electric car scheme

Job summary

Birketts LLP in the UK seeks a senior associate or legal director with contentious construction expertise to lead complex projects. You will advise borrowers and lenders, navigate adjudication, arbitration and litigation, and mentor junior lawyers within a cross-office team.

The role sits in the Construction team within Dispute Resolution, with hybrid working (60/40 after probation) and a broad client base including public and private sector clients.

Qualifications

• Experience in contentious construction matters (contracts, disputes).
• Ability to mentor junior team members and develop others.
• Proven track record in adjudication, litigation and/or arbitration.

Responsibilities

• Ensure client needs are met with high professionalism and efficiency.
• Provide live project and dispute avoidance advice.
• Offer contentious advice across ADR, mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation.
• Provide project support to other departments within the firm.
• Maintain and grow client relationships and contribute to strategic direction.
• Lead and mentor a team of junior lawyers and promote a collaborative environment.
• Participate in networking events and business development to promote services.

Skills

Construction law

Adjudication

Litigation

Negotiation

Mentoring juniors

Client relationship management

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Case management systems

Outlook

Job description

About Us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

About Us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

The team you will join

Our Construction team operates as one team in a joined-up manner across a number of our office locations and encompassing both contentious and non-contentious specialists. The team sits within our wider Dispute Resolution Division. The team's lawyers are experienced in dealing with both contentious and non-contentious construction matters, acting for a variety of both public and private sector clients, including further and higher education colleges, academies, local authorities and NHS Trusts, as well as funders, developers, contractors, sub-contractors and consultants.

Coming from a range of backgrounds, the depth and range of expertise means the team can work together in major and complex transactions and provide a sector based offering for all our clients. There is a strong team ethos which also means there is support and opportunity across the spectrum, ensuring pastoral support at all levels, mentoring, regular communication and a clear route for advancement.

The team’s transactional work includes advising on industry standard form contracts (such as JCT, ICE, NEC, GC/Works, ACE, RIBA, RICS), as well as regularly preparing and advising on bespoke forms of contract, specialising in acting for both borrowers and lenders on the construction aspects of real estate finance transactions.

The work you will be doing

We are seeking the appointment of a senior associate / legal director level lawyer who is experienced in dealing with contentious construction matters.

You will be responsible for:

• Ensuring client needs are met with the highest standard of professionalism and efficiency.
• Live project and dispute avoidance advice.
• Contentious advice re the typical dispute resolution forums e.g. ADR, mediation, adjudication, arbitration, and litigation.
• Project support advice for other departments within the firm e.g. real estate, corporate etc.
• Maintaining and growing client relationships and contributing to the strategic direction and success of the firm.
• Leading and mentoring a team of junior lawyers, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Participating in networking events, conferences and other business development activities to promote the firm’s services.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for

• Knowledge of the main standard form construction contracts, in particular JCT and NEC forms.
• Experience of Adjudication, Litigation and/or Arbitration.
• Knowledge of methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
• Ability to mentor junior team members and contribute to team development
• Brings specialist legal expertise, aligns advice with clients’ commercial objectives, directs research effectively, and drafts clear, accurate complex documentation
• Manages time recording and billing effectively, prices work profitably, supports credit control, meets financial targets.
• Demonstrates strategic business development, winning new clients, driving high-profile pitches, building a strong regional profile, and identifying cross-selling opportunities across the firm
• Manages matters and client relationships to a high standard, maintaining regular contact, meeting expectations, and demonstrating deep understanding of clients’ businesses and strategic objectives
• Builds credibility and trust through strong relationships, continuous professional development, and championing positive change
• Proactively manages risk and compliance tasks, follows best practice, maintains practical Lexcel knowledge, and seeks feedback to drive continuous improvement
• Strong attention to detail to produce work documentation which is consistently of a high standard
• Professional integrity and a commitment to providing excellent client service
• To be competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, time recording software, case management, Outlook and digital dictation

Hybrid Working

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. During your 6 month probation period, there will be a requirement to be in the office full time whilst you are developing in the role. Once you have successfully passed probation, this role attracts a split of 60% office days and 40% working from home days per week.

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
• Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
• Paid CSR Day
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Electric car scheme
• Dress for your Day Policy

You can find out more on our website: https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/

Inclusivity and Culture

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.

If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visit https://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.

Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:

• Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
• Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
• If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
• Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
• AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.

If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team via [e-mail]