Contentious Construction - Associate / Senior Associate / Of Counsel - Scotland

This job is a fantastic opportunity to join the sizeable and expanding Infrastructure, Construction and Energy (ICE) Disputes Team at CMS. We are looking to hire an Associate/Senior Associate to join us in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen.

About us: CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in. We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working. Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role: The Scottish team is ranked Tier 1 in Chambers & Partners and a number of our team members are individually ranked for their market and sector leading expertise. Our team in Scotland is regularly called on by clients to advise on the highest profile, highest value construction and infrastructure disputes in sectors including energy transition, commercial developments, healthcare, education, waste, transport and engineering. We act for clients at all levels and entry points in the construction and energy sectors, including major institutional and private investors, public sector, contractors, insurers and all tiers of PPP contracts.

In this role, you can expect to get involved in a variety of work including:

• Working with the partners and other members of the ICE Disputes team advising on a wide range of construction, engineering and energy disputes both pre-action and in mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation.
• Actively involved in the team's business development initiatives.
• Providing a first-class professional service to our clients.

We understand the importance of creating an environment that allows our lawyers to grow and develop within the business. We offer a supportive environment with diverse, high-quality work and opportunities for professional growth and development.

About you: We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants, so to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience:

• Excellent legal skills in analysing and applying legal principles and an ability to apply those skills practically and commercially in a real-world context.
• Solid experience, or a proven interest, in contentious construction and infrastructure disputes.
• Experience of acting in mediations, adjudications, court and/or arbitration proceedings.
• Hard working, enjoy a challenge and be a strong team player.
• Well-organised and proactive with excellent attention to detail.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Proactive approach to business development.

What’s in it for you? We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

• Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually).
• Flexible, hybrid working policy.
• Generous bonus scheme.
• Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service).
• Holiday exchange scheme.
• Private medical insurance.
• Enhanced parental leave.
• Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities: At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us. In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field.

As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work. When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive.

If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break.

We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index. We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle.

If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the TA team at TalentAcquisition@cms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply? Here are the next steps. We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.