Principal Associate - Insurance Disputes

The role

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Principal Associate (generally 8 years PQE or above) to join our Legal 500: Tier 1 defendant professional indemnity team in Leeds on a permanent basis.

The role is predominantly professional indemnity focused.  You will be acting for members of various professions but primarily lawyers (both solicitors and barristers), construction professionals, accountants, insurance brokers and Independent Financial Advisers). Clients are located nationally, with work referred at their nomination or directly by insurers, most of which are located close to our London office but with developed regionally based teams.

The firm’s client base includes an enviable list of major insurers, MGAs and Lloyds syndicates.

You will be part of a growing and supportive team in Leeds, working with Partners Neil Howes, Liam Burnett and other partners within the firm’s wider Insurance Disputes Partner group.  The team is part of the firm’s national Insurance Disputes team, which is headed up by Niall Innes, and supported by a professional support lawyer.

What skills and attributes would I need? 

• You will have a strong background in professional indemnity and/or commercial litigation work with a passion for the law and for delivering outstanding client service.

• You will ideally have some experience of the professional indemnity insurance market, although this is not essential.

• You will have gained your experience in private practice (preferably at a large regional of City Law firm) or, alternatively, in-house with a major insurer or MGA.

• Degree educated or equivalent

• Litigation experience and strong analytical skills

• Excellent drafting and ability to produce clear, logical advices and reports

• Lateral thinking and problem-solving skills

• Excellent interpersonal and team skills, including ability to work with others, influence and persuade

• An enthusiasm for helping others to grow and develop

• Effective time and matter management and a systematic approach to work

The package

As you’d expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits. You can find out more about our core staff benefits here.

Pre-employment screening

If we make you an offer for a role, we will conduct a range of pre-employment screening. This will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS check, right to work check, address verification, any disciplinary history recorded with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our screening process are available on 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 – on everything from wellbeing, diversity and inclusion to global trends. The wider community benefits from a focus on sustainability in client and business decisions.

Clients get a consistent experience with no surprises – we tell them what they need to know, when they need to know it. Our sector and market expertise helps us understand clients’ issues. And our technology and innovations help them achieve more with less effort.

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 1,250 plus people and over 750 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. Our mantra is “Achieve more. Together.”, which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase!

We’ve been listed in the Best Companies to Work For list the last 20 years - the only law firm to have achieved this, and we hold Platinum Investors in People status, something which only 6% of 50,000 assessed organisations achieve. We’ve also been ranked in the top 10 of RollOnFriday’s Best Law Firms To Work At list for the past eight years, taking the top spot in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Don’t just take our word for it though. Have a read through our People Perspectives to find out more about some of our team and their experiences at Mills & Reeve.

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.

Promoting equality and diversity across our firm is a key pillar of our strategy, and our five staff networks are an integral part of this. To find out more about our diversity and inclusion work, visit our webpage here.