Solicitor-Senior Associate - Construction & Engineering Disputes in Newcastle upon Tyne

Department: Professional and Commercial Risk

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Newcastle

Are you looking for a role that challenges you intellectually while offering support, industry-leading work quality, client contact, and real flexibility? An opportunity in DAC Beachcroft’s highly rated Construction and Engineering team may be for you.

As one of the largest construction and engineering practices in the UK, we have more than 50 senior lawyers working on construction and engineering projects in the UK, Ireland and around the world. We provide trusted advice from project start to completion. We have an impressive roster of clients and have a wide variety of work, from litigation (including cases in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court), arbitration and adjudication but also dealing with dispute avoidance including by negotiation or mediation.

Our teams work collaboratively across these disciplines and, whilst everyone will have their area of particular expertise, we encourage cross-working so colleagues have genuine variety in their work and can use their rounded expertise to provide creative, bespoke solutions for our clients. Whether you’re in the early stages of your legal career or an experienced specialist in construction law, we’re looking to expand our successful and growing Bristol team.

Key Responsibilities

• Progress and manage High Court litigation, adjudication, arbitration and related proceedings.
• Draft documents, deal with correspondence and manage the relevant procedural process; supporting in larger matters as well as managing own caseload.
• Use a strong understanding of the factual and commercial context to drive tactical thinking and decision-making from the outset of disputes.
• Help to develop a reputation for leading client service, taking responsibility and being encouraged to strengthen existing relationships and develop new ones.
• Support marketing and business development activity, contributing to strategic thinking and helping to implement it.
• Build an awareness of the firm’s other services and effective internal and external networks.
• Maintain an awareness of the firm’s strategies and plans.
• Maintain and develop technical knowledge through attendance at training sessions, reading appropriate publications and exceeding Law Society CPD requirements.
• Handle confidential information in line with the firm’s data security protocols.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Due to our growth and the reshaping strategy, we are open minded about the qualification level of the candidates we see and also welcome applications from candidates wishing to develop an alternative specialism. We are most interested in what you think you can bring to the role and the team, and whether we are the right fit for you.

• Be a qualified solicitor with several years of post-qualification experience in construction and engineering law, although exceptional NQ candidates with a strong training seat in this area will also be considered.
• Experience in a commercially focused firm or experience in litigation would provide a useful foundation for the role.
• Have good relationship and client handling skills, commensurate with your experience.
• Be able to deal confidently and professionally with clients on day to day issues.
• Be able to demonstrate a good level of self-sufficiency, and manage a caseload including more complex and high value disputes.
• Be change oriented with a positive, flexible approach towards the implementation of new initiatives.
• Be team oriented and collegiate with a willingness to share knowledge with and support other members of the team.
• Demonstrate a willingness to work hard as part of a highly ambitious and driven team to help it continue to develop and to achieve its objectives.