Associate (3 - 6 years PQE) in London

Location: Bristol, United Kingdom

What you'll do

We're looking for a confident, highly motivated Employment Associate (ideally 3–6 years' PQE) to join our award‐winning, highly regarded Employment team in Bristol on a full‐time and permanent basis. Previously named Employment Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards and consistently ranked in Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, our team is known for providing pragmatic, rigorous and commercially focused advice to clients across the public and private sectors, locally, nationally and internationally.

In this role, you'll advise a wide range of clients – including employers and senior employees/executives – on both contentious and non‐contentious matters. This will include complex employment issues and disputes, day‐to‐day HR advisory work across all sectors, and employment support on corporate transactions.

You'll work on high‐quality, high‐value matters and will be encouraged to take ownership of your own caseload from the outset. Reporting directly to senior members of the team, you'll play a key role across a broad spectrum of employment work, all within a friendly, collaborative and supportive environment.

Who you are

You will already have solid experience advising on employment law matters, ideally with an employer‐focused practice and hands‐on experience running your own Employment Tribunal and County Court/Restrictive Covenant litigation files, as well as experience in advising on day‐to‐day HR and employee relationship matters. Experience in providing corporate support would be a positive attribute for you.

A strong communicator, you'll be adept at gaining clients' confidence and handling their matters with empathy, clarity and professionalism. You'll bring the ability to build strong, long‐lasting client relationships and demonstrate resilience when dealing with demanding situations. You'll be comfortable working under pressure, meeting challenging deadlines, and applying commercial judgement to achieve the best outcomes for clients in complex circumstances.

At Ashfords, we believe in more than just doing great work – we believe in building a great place to work. When you join us, you become part of a team where everything we do is underpinned by our four core values: Be Open, Think Team, Make a Difference and Always Grow. These values shape who we are and how we work – they guide our decisions, influence our culture, and drive the way we support our people, clients and communities.

With a clear focus on innovation, community involvement, and supporting a healthy work‐life balance, we are committed to building an environment where our people can have a rewarding and meaningful career. Whilst we recognise that every career journey is unique, we will be ambitious for you, giving you the tools, trust, and opportunities to develop your career, your way. Our goal? To help you realise your full potential as part of a forward‐thinking team.

Our offer

We know that our people are at the heart of everything we do – and that's why we're committed to supporting your wellbeing, growth and work‐life balance. Beyond our benefits package, you'll be encouraged, no matter what your role or career level, to get involved in our Responsible Business programme, where you'll support initiatives such as charity fundraising, environmental causes and our employee‐led diversity and inclusion groups.

You can find out more about our benefits by visiting the Reward & Wellbeing page on our website.

What's next?

Our recruitment process typically involves two stages, which are designed not only to explore your skills and experience but also to give you a real insight into what it's like to work at Ashfords. Throughout the process, our dedicated Talent Attraction team will be here to support you every step of the way.

We believe that building a firm with a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences drives innovation and strengthens our teams, and we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. To support your growth, we offer ongoing training and development opportunities to help you reach your full potential – so even if you don't feel you match all the requirements of the job role, we'd still love to hear from you.

At Ashfords, we're committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or would like to discuss anything regarding your application, please contact us at talentattraction@ashfords.co.uk.

For an informal and confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Toby Tompkins, Talent Attraction Manager – t.tompkins@ashfords.co.uk.

Or apply now, and we will be in touch with you as soon as possible.