Advocate (Permanent)

Job Title: Advocate

Salary: Depends on Experience

Location: Manchester

Job Type: Full Time, Permanent

The Company is a top 200 Law firm that specialises in all areas of personal injury including public liability, occupier's liability, road traffic accidents, employer's liability, industrial disease, serious injuries and clinical negligence. They pride themselves in the work they do helping injured people.

They are Law Society accredited and are a Legal 500 Leading Firm for both Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence. Six of their Partners are members of the Law Society Specialist Personal Injury Panel and one is a member of the Law Society Specialist Clinical Negligence Panel.

Their employees are their most important asset and have been instrumental in helping them recover millions of pounds each year for injured people. No doubt at the Company they rate skill and ability above all else and their recruitment policy encourages applications from all.

The Role:

They are looking for a talented Advocate from either a chambers background or civil litigation background to join their Advocacy Team. Candidates will ideally have sound knowledge of the personal injury sector, but it is not essential.

This role will give you the chance to work with a successfully established and growing company with Solicitor owner-managers. You will be part of the advocacy team, working closely with their in-house barrister. This is an excellent opportunity to gain and develop first-hand advocacy skills.

Main Duties and Responsibilities;

• To undertake advocacy requirements that might arise, including but not limited to interlocutory application hearings, case management hearings, and infant approval hearings
• To undertake drafting tasks as required, such as advices (formal and informal), pleadings and skeleton arguments
• To keep up to date with procedural changes, caselaw and developments in legislation
• Ensuring the provision of a high-quality advocacy service
• Extensive travel across England and Wales that might require overnight stays

In addition to the above, you must be able to work independently and to a high standard, prioritising workloads and have fantastic attention to detail. While you will be working within the advocacy team, you will be provided with instructions in a similar way to external counsel.

The Successful Candidate should have/ be:

Essential

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Sound working knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules
• Fast learner with the ability to hit the ground running
• Resilience and able to think and perform under pressure to meet strict deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Flexible approach
• Able to act upon own initiative as well as taking direction from management where appropriate
• Strong understanding of confidentiality - tact and discretion are absolutely essential
• Strong academic achievement - (Minimum 2.1 at degree level and minimum Very Competent for the BPTC)
• Good IT skills including all Microsoft Office and knowledge of Case Management Systems

Desirable

• Knowledge of Proclaim Case Management System
• Own car preferred (although travel allowance will be available)

In return the Company offers:

• Excellent regular training including away days
• Strong development opportunities and regular supervision
• Their standard working hours are 8:30am to 5:30am Monday-Thursday and 8:30am to 5pm Friday
• 20 days holiday, rising 1 day per year to a max of 23 days, plus bank/public hols. In addition, the office is closed between Christmas and New Year and you are not required to use your holiday entitlement for this period.
• 3 holiday buy backs per year after 1 year of service
• Private medical insurance available after 2 years' service
• Death in Service - 2 x salary based on annual salary only - eligibility commences when you join the company
• Active social committee, firm pays for trips to e.g. Bowling, Chester Races, Christmas party, Summer Barbecue
• Employee Assistance Programme which offers 24-hour helpline, Legal info and CBT - available immediately
• Free fruit delivered twice a week

Interviews will be conducted by MS Teams or Telephone and will include scenario-based questioning.

Please click on the APPLY button to send your CV and Cover Letter for this role.

STRICTLY NO AGENCIES