Senior Associate - Employment - Cambridge

The role

We are excited to be searching for an employment lawyer to join our top-ranked team in Cambridge.  You will undertake a broad mix of contentious, non-contentious and transactional work with appropriate supervision as needed, predominantly for employers in the private commercial sector.

The Cambridge team is part of the firm's cross office Employment, Pensions and Immigration National Service Line (NSL) which is led by Cambridge-based Partner, David Mills.  You will be able to develop your career within the NSL, which nationally consists of over 50 lawyers, with 17 of these in Cambridge.  The lawyers in Cambridge work in sector teams, supporting employer clients in the Commercial, Health, Higher Education and Charity sectors.  This opportunity is to join the Commercial team. The NSL is supported by two professional support lawyers who deliver our monthly in-house updates and assist with our know-how, precedents and client training.  We also have an in-house advocacy unit which supports some of the NSL's Tribunal work. As well as advisory work, you will be involved in delivering our annual programme of training, seminars and legal updates to clients and targets.

As a Senior Associate, you will be expected to:

Client service

• Retain and develop client relationships by delivering outstanding client service to both internal and external clients

• Have a sound understanding of clients’ legal, commercial and service requirements

• Demonstrate commercial and personable client relationship skills

Technical excellence

• Have strong technical competence and legal knowledge in employment law

• Deliver accurate, technically correct and commercial “advice that delivers advice” in writing, on the telephone and in person

New clients, new work

• Support the team’s business development activities and initiatives with existing, new and target clients as well as multipliers and other professionals

The person

You will have 5+ years’ experience gained in a reputable firm with an established employment law practice.

Skills and attributes 

Essential:

• Strong experience of acting for employers on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters

• Good academics

• Clear drive and enthusiasm for employment law

• Excellent written English for drafting purposes

• Well-developed presentation skills

• Self-starting with common sense, initiative

• The ability to work effectively both within a team and also independently

• An appetite to work on complex matters

• Proactive case management skills

• Keen attention to detail

• Ability to establish personal chemistry and build effective and long lasting relationships with colleagues, clients, targets and multipliers

• Appropriate IT skills, including an ability to use online information sources

• Sound research skills

• An understanding of business management and an ability to deliver profitable work

• A desire to develop yourself and your career within the team

Desirable:

• Previous experience of advising commercial clients in relation to a broad range of employee relations matters including workplace conflict (discipline and grievance), workforce planning (redundancy and reorganisation), capability and performance management (including ill health matters) and equality, diversity and inclusion matters

• Experience of drafting contracts of employment, executive service agreements, policies and procedures, settlement agreements and COT3s

• Previous experience of providing employment law support and input to corporate transactions, including undertaking due diligence and drafting and advising on the employment / TUPE provisions in transactional documents

• Ability to lead on Employment Tribunal matters, including drafting pleadings, Tribunal applications, case management agendas, witness statements, handling disclosure and conducting/concluding without prejudice negotiations

• Experience of conducting some Tribunal advocacy or an interest in doing so

• Experience of supporting clients in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors would be advantageous but not essential

Who will I be working with?

You will join a team of collaborative employment lawyers in our Cambridge office, ranging from newly qualified Associates through to Partners. You will primarily work with Partner, Melanie James, who will be responsible for mentoring, supervision and supporting your development.

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, 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.