Senior Associate/ Principal Associate - Insurance

Mills & Reeve LLP; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Career progression

Prestigious firm

Job summary

Mills & Reeve LLP in London is seeking a Senior/Principal Associate to join our Insurance Disputes team. The role focuses on defending professional indemnity claims for insurers and insured professionals, with scope to grow client relationships and supervise junior lawyers.

You will work within a leading UK practice, advised on by senior partners, with opportunities for leadership and career progression in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience handling insurers and/or insured professionals in professional indemnity matters.
• Strong technical defence of professional negligence claims.
• Experience managing complex, high-value disputes with commercial sensitivity.
• Excellent drafting, analytical and communication skills.
• Strong commercial judgement with pragmatic approach to problems.
• Ability to manage matters independently within a team.
• Experience supervising and developing junior lawyers.
• Strong client relationship and client management skills.
• Effective time and matter management.
• Proactive approach to business development and client growth.

Responsibilities

• Defend professional indemnity claims for insurers and insured professionals.
• Manage own caseload and supervise junior lawyers.
• Develop and maintain client relationships and cross‑team collaborations.
• Deliver high-quality advocacy, drafting and negotiation on complex disputes.
• Contribute to growth of the insurance disputes practice.

Skills

Insurance disputes

Client management

Legal drafting

Regulatory matters

High-value litigation

Education

Solicitor qualification

Job description

Senior Associate/ Principal Associate - Insurance (0526)

We have an excellent opportunity for a senior insurance disputes lawyer to join our London Insurance Disputes team as a Senior/ Principal Associate.

The role

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented and ambitious lawyer to join our growing Financial Lines team in London.

This role sits within one of the UK's largest specialist professional indemnity practices. We act for many of the UK's leading insurers, MGAs and Lloyd's syndicates and are regularly instructed on complex, high-value and commercially sensitive claims, coverage disputes and regulatory matters involving a broad range of professions.

The role is predominantly focused on defending professional indemnity claims on behalf of insurers and their insureds. While our work spans the full spectrum of professions, there is a particular emphasis on claims involving solicitors, accountants and other financial professionals. Experience of claims involving technology professionals would also be advantageous.

You will advise insurers and insured professionals on a wide range of matters, including:

• Professional negligence claims and associated commercial disputes
• Coverage and policy interpretation issues
• Multi-party and high-value litigation
• Regulatory and disciplinary matters affecting professionals
• Risk management and claims mitigation

This is a genuinely senior role offering significant responsibility and direct client exposure. You will manage your own caseload, work closely with insurer and insured clients, supervise junior lawyers and play an active role in developing client relationships and growing the practice.

You will work closely with Partners Neil Davis, Lisa Taylor and Neil Shah, together with colleagues across our national Insurance Disputes team, which is led by Niall Innes.

The role would suit a lawyer who enjoys technically challenging work, values close client relationships and wants to play a meaningful part in the continued growth of a leading London financial lines practice. You will benefit from:

• Exposure to major insurer, MGA and Lloyd's market clients
• A broad mix of defence, coverage and advisory work
• Direct access to partners and clients
• Opportunities to supervise and develop junior lawyers
• A supportive and collegiate working environment
• Genuine opportunities for career progression within a growing practice

The person

• Senior Associate: generally 5+ years PQE
• Principal Associate: generally 8+ years PQE (and subject to experience)

You will be able to demonstrate:

• Significant experience acting for insurers and / or insured professionals in professional indemnity matters
• Strong technical expertise in defending professional negligence claims
• Experience managing complex, high-value and commercially sensitive disputes
• Excellent drafting, analytical and communication skills
• Strong commercial judgement and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving
• The ability to manage matters independently whilst working effectively as part of a wider team
• Experience supervising and developing junior lawyersli>
• Strong client relationship and client management skills
• Effective time and matter management
• A proactive approach and enthusiasm for business development
• A genuine interest in helping to grow client relationships and the wider practice

The benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.

We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,450 plus people and over 850 lawyers share one vision – achieving more for clients.

By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. We're also ranked in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and have been awarded Platinum Investors in People. Our mantra is “Achieve more. Together.”, which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

Our values are the principles that help us fulfil our purpose. Our people shaped them and live them every day.

• We're ambitious - We aim high, we embrace new ideas and we're passionate about our work
• We're open - We communicate openly and honestly to build trust, and we do what's right
• We care - We're committed to each other, our clients, our communities and the planet
• We collaborate - We're easy to work with, we offer help willingly and we get things done – together

And finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.

Find out more about some of the people that work at Mills & Reeve.