Associate - Pensions - Employment - Any Office

The role

The role will encompass all aspects of providing pensions legal advice as part of the firm’s full-service offering.

The Associate will work directly in the pensions practice that advises on occupational pension provision within both the private and public sectors. In addition to undertaking legal advisory work on a full range of pensions matters, the Associate will also provide support with business development.

The person

You will have at least 2+ years’ PQE and have trained and gained experience in a reputable firm well respected for its work in the area of pensions and pensions litigation. You will also have an aptitude and enthusiasm for pensions law as well as business development including the promotion of the team within pensions industry bodies.

The role additionally requires someone who:

• is self-managed and confident in setting and prioritising their own work agenda;
• has excellent written as well as verbal communication skills and so is able to demonstrate that they can convey complex matters in a way that different audiences can understand;
• is confident and able to build sustainable relationships with clients, lawyers and internal colleagues;
• is organised and methodical in how they approach their work;
• has excellent attention to detail;
• is a team player;
• is willing to take on new responsibilities and challenges;

Other skills and attributes

• Excellent technical ability.
• Excellent written English for drafting purposes.
• Experience in giving presentations on pensions topics.
• Self-starting with common sense and initiative, and ability to work as a team-player working on complex matters.
• Very good time and documentation management skills.
• Keen attention to detail.
• Ability to build very good relationships with clients, potential clients and multipliers.
• Very good research skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills, including ability to work with others, influence and persuade.
• Keen interest in developing client training skills.
• Project management skills.
• Experience of advising in respect of public sector pension provision is desirable but not essential as training, supervision and support will be provided.

What else should I know?

Mills & Reeve is a major UK law firm renowned for its outstanding service to national and international clients, for its collaborative culture and for its deep sector expertise.

The firm has a strong sector focus with expertise in agriculture, charities, education, food and beverage, health, insurance, private wealth, real estate investment, sport and technology. Clients include businesses from PLCs to start-ups, high net worth individuals and landowners, more than 120 universities, colleges and education bodies and over 100 healthcare organisations.

This is an ideal opportunity to build your skills and experience with a major UK law firm, listed as one of the “Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For” for the last 20 years - the only law firm to achieve this.

We are also proud to have been awarded Platinum Investors in People status this year.  The firm joins a select club of only 6% of 50,000 assessed organisations awarded the coveted platinum status.

The firm is also delighted to report for the seventh year running we were named as one of Roll On Friday’s ‘best law firms to works at’.

Pre-employment screening

Please note that, in the event that we make an offer of employment, we will conduct pre-employment screening that includes checks relating to your professional and academic qualifications, references from previous employers, your eligibility to work in the UK and any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You will also be required to complete a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability.

Disclosure and barring service check and security clearance

This post is also subject to a satisfactory response from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (to check for any previous criminal convictions and cautions) and, given the nature of the work-type, you may also be required to undergo national security vetting to SC level – the latter can be undertaken following commencement of employment.

And finally

Mills & Reeve is committed to building a diverse workforce and fostering an inclusive environment in which all our people can thrive. We hire people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our firm stronger, and we have a collaborative culture that celebrates different perspectives and values respect for one another, working together, and openness and integrity. Our approach to flexible working means that we work in a way that achieves the right balance for our people, our clients and for our business.