Employment Counsel- Any location - Perm or FTC

Employment - Any M&R Location -  Perm / FTC

The role

Due to significant growth of our employment practice, a unique and brand new opportunity has arisen for a barrister specialising in employment litigation to join our Employment, Pensions & Immigration NSL and lead the NSL’s internal Advocacy Unit.

You will undertake advocacy on behalf of our growing client-base across our three core sectors; commercial/private sector; health and education.  Clients include Jaguar Land Rover, AIG, Lloyds Pharmacy, Wilmington Group, River Island, Bosch, Carlsberg Marston’s, Volkswagen Financial Services; numerous NHS trusts including West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust and South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust; and numerous higher education establishments including St John’s College Oxford and the University of Birmingham.

It is envisaged that this advocacy will involve all areas of employment-related litigation, predominantly within the Employment Tribunal, but also appellate courts and potentially the High Court.

In addition to conducting advocacy, as head of our internal Advocacy Unit, the role involves the opportunity to develop more junior members of the team and support them in developing their Employment Tribunal litigation and advocacy skills.

At this level, you will be expected to perform as follows:

Client service 

• Deliver outstanding client service to both internal and external clients
• Have a sound understanding of clients' legal, commercial and service requirements
• Have effective client relationship and client service skills

Technical excellence

• Be a qualified barrister / member of the bar
• Be a confident and experienced advocate in the Employment Tribunal and appellate courts
• Have strong technical competence and legal knowledge in employment law
• Deliver high quality and commercially focussed advice
• Deliver training to clients and target clients
• Carry out supervision of junior lawyers

The team

The Employment, Pensions and Immigration NSL consists of over 70 lawyers and is headed by David Mills.  There are monthly cross-office NSL training sessions delivered by our professional support lawyers, together with cross-office and sector away days.

In joining the NSL, you will be part of a fast-growing and collaborative team that continues to develop. You will have the opportunity to work alongside lawyers from across our offices and to be part of our exciting growth plans.

Skills and attributes

Given the nature of this role, it is likely that your background and experience will include the following:

Essential 

• Good academics – 2.1 degree or equivalent with good A levels or equivalents
• Experience of Employment Tribunal advocacy
• Clear enthusiasm for employment law
• Excellent written drafting skill
• Excellent presentational skills
• Very good time and documentation management skills
• Keen attention to detail
• Ability to supervise and assist more junior lawyers
• Ability to build very good relationships with clients, potential clients and multipliers
• Very good research skills, including an ability to use online information sources
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills, including ability to work with others, influence and persuade
• Keen interest in developing client training skills

Desirable 

• Experience of other employment-related advocacy
• Marketing and business development skills
• A passion for developing others

What else should I know?

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

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.