Associate / Senior Associate - Cambridge

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 various locations including 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: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition, working with clients as proactive partners, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities they may face. Our collegiate culture encourages everyone to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 5th best law firm to work at in 2024.

Our vibrant, energetic Employment Team boasts some of the best lawyers in the business specialising in all aspects of employment law. The team currently comprises over 40 specialist qualified employment law solicitors, including nine partners, making us one of the larger employment teams in the country. We deliver the service expected in respect of technical quality, practical approach, and timeliness of advice.

Birketts' employment law team has experience in all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, representing clients from a broad range of public and private organisations as well as individuals and senior executives. We are proud to act for sector leading clients nationwide and some important and high-profile businesses and institutions across key sectors.

Ranked 1 tier in Chambers and Legal 500, you will join a highly successful Employment team that is seeing consistent and continuous growth. Our employment advice is supplemented by a well-developed in-house employment client training offering, a HR consultancy service, a workplace investigations service, an employee incentives group, a team of accredited mediators and an immigration team.

Our office in Cambridge has an opportunity due to growth, and we are now recruiting for an Associate or Senior Associate Solicitor ideally at 5+ years PQE or above. Industries with which we work include financial services, insurance, tech, transport, education and non-profits. We often act for international businesses and also regularly act for senior executives.

Particular areas of expertise sought include:

• General employment issues ranging from maternity rights to general contractual issues.
• Drafting service agreements, contracts of employment and staff handbooks.
• Drafting and reviewing employment policies ranging from performance, sickness, and misconduct procedures to maternity and parental leave schemes.
• Transactional corporate support work.
• Wrongful and unfair dismissal.
• Redundancy and restructuring.
• Transfer of Undertakings.
• Advising senior executives on negotiating arrivals and exits including handling complex remuneration structures.
• Employment litigation in the employment tribunal.
• Discrimination (including sex, race, disability and age).
• Advising businesses on offshore and overseas placements.

At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth. Alongside a flexible and inclusive work environment, we offer the following core benefits:

• 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays (rising to 30 days).
• Long Service holiday award – 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service.
• Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed).
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee).
• Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme.
• Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share).
• Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance.
• Paid CSR Day.
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave.
• Subsidised gym membership.
• Electric car scheme.
• Agile/Hybrid Working Policy.
• Dress for your Day Policy.

Birketts is a flexible business which has embraced a hybrid working model where our colleagues enjoy a mix of home and office working. We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.