Solicitor/Associate/Senior Associate - Cambridge / Ipswich / Norwich

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm with a heritage spanning 160 years. We have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: property, corporate services, litigation and private client advisory.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition, working with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face. Our collegiate culture encourages everyone to achieve their next level in everything they do.

We are recruiting for an ambitious, driven and forward-thinking environmental lawyer to join our growing Planning and Environmental Team on a permanent basis. The team is spread over four of our offices and is expanding, so an ability to work across offices and travel from time to time is part of how the team functions. However, it is anticipated you would have a home office in either Cambridge or Ipswich to enable adequate supervision and a good diverse range of work.

You will provide professional, proactive, high level legal support to an allocated group of fee earners and to the wider fee earning team. The role will focus on delivering high quality environmental law advice to our varied clients. Experience of planning law as well as environmental law would be beneficial, but it is acknowledged that these areas are broad and complex, such that many candidates may only have experience of environmental law. A willingness to learn about planning law and the planning system as it relates to environmental work is required.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a highly regarded, dynamic and growing team dealing with high quality and varied property work.

We are looking for:

• A qualified lawyer with experience in environmental law commensurate with PQE
• Good computer/technical skills, particularly working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels of seniority and liaise effectively with other internal departments and external contacts
• Positive and enthusiastic approach to teamwork
• A flexible, highly motivated, proactive and ‘can do’ working style
• Self-motivated, ability to use initiative
• Good organisational skills, able to prioritise, make decisions and work effectively within a sometimes pressurised environment
• Commitment to ongoing learning and development for yourself and for colleagues

Professional Skills:

• To uphold the professional standards set for all lawyers by SRA
• To adhere to Birketts own Brand Signatures and Values
• To deliver high quality legal advice
• An ability to learn the complex and ever-changing law, policy and guidance surrounding environmental law
• To be responsive, a team player and deliver personal billing and time recording targets

General Approach:

• Show initiative when responding to queries and actively seek solutions to problems
• Support your colleagues when clients demand work product delivery
• Build working relationships within your own team and with other colleagues
• Liaise effectively with staff from other departments and external contacts as required
• Support the Planning and Environmental team in delivering on its strategy for growth and client service excellence
• Work with colleagues in a productive and collaborative way, supervising those more junior and seeking supervision from those more senior
• Be competent in a variety of software packages such as Microsoft Word and Excel to produce correspondence and documents, spreadsheets and presentations
• Prepare advice and documentation to a high standard and deliver to client demands and deadlines
• Proofread all work, checking for spelling and grammar
• Be involved in business development activities for the Planning and Environment team and the wider firm

We are committed to recruiting individuals based on the merits of suitability for each role, ensuring equal opportunities at all stages of the recruitment process.

Benefits include a competitive salary and benefits package, a great team and supportive colleagues, a strong focus on diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities, a programme of wellbeing and mental health support, and structured career development and study support.