Senior Solicitor, Disputes

Senior Solicitor, Disputes, Digital Legal Delivery, Belfast.

Our client is a large global law firm based in Belfast City Centre, they are experienced in complex large scale document reviews, sensitive and time critical investigations and regulatory matters, consumer claims assessments and volume claims management. Their teams work closely with and provide support to other practice groups. They are experts in complex review elements including legal professional privilege, commercial sensitivity and data protection working across all industry sectors including financial services, energy, retail, TMT and construction.

Senior Solicitors and Senior Former Practising Barristers ("FPBs") are experienced qualified Solicitors or Barristers, who work closely with the Senior Managers, Legal and Managers, Legal supporting them in supervising and training teams of Solicitors/FPBs, Trainees and Legal Analysts.

The role involves supporting the Senior Managers, Legal and Managers, Legal in supervising the performance of Solicitors/FPBs, Trainees and Legal Analysts on fee earning projects on a day-today basis. Senior Solicitors/Senior FPBs will be expected to assist the Senior Managers, Legal and Managers, Legal with strategic management and delivery of matters. They will also be expected from time to time, to lead projects, escalating to Senior Managers, Legal and Managers, Legal who will support as necessary.

Senior Solicitors/Senior FPBs will also have people management responsibility for groups of Solicitor/FPBs, Trainees, Legal Analysts.

This role will require the successful candidate to balance using their legal knowledge, skills and experience to assist the Senior Managers, Legal and Managers, Legal in developing the disputes practice. It will also require a "can do" approach and – if appropriate, in specific circumstances – a willingness to lend a hand to other practice areas in the office, if time permits.

•Management of own fee earning workload, including fee earning of a complex nature.

•Supervision of the junior legal team on day-to-day fee earning projectsincluding dealing with complex issues on individual matters that are escalated by the team; ensuring that relevant legal issues are fully understood by the team working on an individual matter; and conducting quality control on the junior team's fee-earning work.

•Supporting Managers with and, where appropriate, taking responsibility for project management of large-scale document reviews, pre-trial support and customer file reviews or claims assessments.

•Build and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure that service delivery meets expectations.

•Support the development of workflows for specific projects, including drafting relevant sections of case and client manuals or review guides and supporting our instructing teams generally with the drafting of project instructions.

•Scoping, set-up, training and pricing in relation to fee earning projects, often which are large scale.

•Supporting Managers with financial management, including reporting on WIP recovery and managing billing procedures.

•Ensuring own compliance with financial disciplines on matters (e.g. daily timesheet recording and target chargeable hours).

•Recruitment support as and when necessary.

•Assisting with people management, including performance reviews and performance management.

•Contributing towards team business planning.

•Providing any other assistance to the business on client matters and related tasks as required.

Qualifications and skills

•Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, but Republic of Ireland or other common law jurisdictions will be considered. (If not qualified in England and Wales then willing to complete process to requalify as such, if required.)

•Minimum of 3 years’ PQE, the majority of which should be within Commercial Litigation, unless exceptional circumstances exist. If you do not meet the 3 years PQE requirement, but feel that exceptional circumstances are applicable to you, then you will be required to submit a supporting statement outlining why you are an exceptional candidate (including relevant skills and experience) – i.e. you have spent a significant amount of time undertaking Commercial Litigation work, during or prior to your training contract/qualification.

•Strong analytical ability, coupled with sound judgement and ability to provide solutions to challenges.

•Strong IT literacy, including an aptitude for learning (and becoming proficient in) the use of software and IT applications.

•Experience working in a commercial legal environment, ideally a private practice law firm.

•Knowledge and experience of legal work for the Disputes practice group, for example claims assessment, with the ability to project manage the process from instruction to completion.

•Experience of managing project teams, including direct reports.

For more details please contact Orla Milligan at Energis Recruitment on the number above or email your cv to in complete confidence.

By applying for this role you are consenting to Energis Recruitment holding your details for a period of 12 months to be considered for other roles. As a candidate you have the right to consent or object to this