Contentious Construction Managing Associate, 5PQE+, Manchester

Join our market-leading Construction and Engineering Disputes team as a senior lawyer, where you will lead on high-value, complex contentious matters for major national and international clients, drive business development, and play a pivotal role in shaping the future growth and success of our dynamic Manchester practice. This will focus predominantly on contentious matters both in formal disputes and project advisory stages - including acting for Developers, Lenders, Contractors, Consultants and Public Sector Bodies.

What You'll Do:

• As a Managing Associate of our market-leading construction team, you will play a pivotal role in driving the continued growth of our mandates, taking a lead in pitching for high-value, complex work and managing key client relationships.
• You will lead on a broad spectrum of high-value, contentious construction and engineering disputes, including complex contractual claims, high-profile professional negligence matters (acting for both claimants and defendants), and disputes arising from major infrastructure projects such as PFI/PPP schemes (including schools, hospitals, and regeneration projects), energy-from-waste (EfW) facilities, and engineering installation contracts (including MF1 contracts).
• You will provide strategic advice to clients on a wide range of construction issues and documentation, including consultant appointments, warranties, construction and development contracts, across sectors such as living, office, retail, life sciences, energy, industrials, and transport.
• You will be responsible for leading negotiations and ensuring the delivery of commercially focused solutions.
• You will have significant exposure in all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including leading "without prejudice" meetings and mediations (including multi-party mediations), and will be responsible for advising clients at all stages of the ADR process, including developing and implementing settlement strategies.
• You will be a key client contact for some of the Group's and firm's most significant clients, taking responsibility for relationship management, client retention, and identifying opportunities for further collaboration.
• Supporting and mentoring more junior team members, sharing knowledge and initiating positive change and helping others to develop to the best that they can be.
• Support and initiate activities to win new business and clients for the team and firm, representing the firm confidently in pitches and external presentations.
• Continuous self-development is highly valued. You will be encouraged to participate in formal training programmes (whether technical or skills-based) and to take advantage of mentoring, coaching, and leadership development opportunities available to you.

Who We're Looking For:

• Have at least 5+ PQE years' experience within contentious construction matters, and strong skills in dispute avoidance, dispute resolution and project management.
• You will have solid construction litigation experience with good experience of the TCC, adjudication process, high court litigation and arbitration and preparing pleadings, preparing witness and expert statements.
• Be a confident stakeholder manager, with evidenced experience of engaging with internal and external stakeholders of all levels.
• Excellent procedural and document management capabilities, and confidence in drafting clear and legally effective documents, which reflect the client's instructions.
• Maintain efficient diary and task management across a range of matters, ensuring the accuracy and levels of client service expected within a high performing team.
• Be inquisitive and want to understand our clients, their drivers and what matters to them, so that your advice has quality, imagination, and impact.
• Collaborative approach, with the ability to work effectively as part of a team and contribute to knowledge sharing and best practice in drafting.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and provide constructive feedback to more junior team members, supporting their professional development whilst ensuring effective supervision and maintaining quality standards across the team.

Why Choose Us?

Addleshaw Goddard is a place where you are not just valued but encouraged to reach your full potential. Our culture promotes improvement, growth, and collaboration, making us the natural choice for top-tier clients. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees.

Interested? If this role sounds like your next career step, we’d love to hear from you. Click the Apply button to view the full role profile on our website and start your application.