Reputation Management Associate in Vauxhall

Working Hours: Full-time (Monday - Friday; 9.30am - 5.30pm)

Reports to: Head of Reputation Management

Our reputation management practice is long-established and very highly respected. Our clients include:

• high net worth and high-profile individuals (including international ultra-high net worth clients, entertainment and sports clients, entrepreneurs, senior executives and those in the political space)
• corporates (multinational companies, brands, private companies and family businesses)
• financial and professional services firms (banks, asset managers and wealth managers)
• leading institutions (sports governing bodies, Premier League football clubs, schools and universities, and leading charities)
• governments

Alongside this, we also retain a small publisher client base ensuring that our lawyers gain a broad experience on both sides of disputes, something which is virtually unique in the market. Our experience across this range of sectors ensures that our lawyers have experience advising in a variety of contexts and are adept at adapting to clients’ needs and providing advice that is properly targeted.

The team is a standalone group of lawyers but operates within the wider Dispute Resolution (DR) practice. The DR team handles a full range of litigation, arbitration and other contentious matters which are often large scale, complex multi-jurisdictional disputes. The DR practice is organised into eight sub-groups or “pyramids”, including reputation management, which reflect the disputes it handles. The reputation management pyramid works most closely with the data, intellectual property and technology disputes (DIPT) pyramid.

The role will involve advising on a variety of reputation management issues, from pre-action and pre-publication advice to post-publication complaints, High Court litigation and injunctions. Lawyers have and gain experience in a range of areas of law, including defamation, misuse of private information, data protection, breach of confidence, harassment and intellectual property. Cases will often be high profile and involve mainstream media coverage, but the role will also encompass more strategic issues, such as managing online reputation risk and wider privacy or confidentiality concerns. An increasing part of our work involves large scale projects that require advice in relation to traditional media, digital content, synthetic media (including deepfakes) and online mis- and disinformation (including as a result of Generative AI). Alongside this, the candidate will have the opportunity to assist on contentious data matters, such as data breaches and litigation arising from unlawful data processing.

Sitting within the Dispute Resolution team, there will in addition be scope to work on smaller commercial litigation cases from time to time if that is something the candidate desires (although it is not required).

Key responsibilities

• Assist on a range of matters, honing legal technical knowledge, client relationship skills and the ability to judge fast-moving, diverse challenges faced by clients.
• On a day-to-day basis, draft inter party communications and advice to clients, liaise directly with clients, run smaller matters, assist in project managing longer-term reputation management tasks, handle and be familiar with civil litigation procedure, assist on urgent pre-publication matters and attend calls, meetings and hearings.

Business Development and Profile

The team is very active in developing business and consolidating its profile through a range of activities including thought leadership. The successful candidate will therefore have the opportunity and be expected to: write articles and prepare marketing materials, participate in promotional business development campaigns, give presentations, attend events (both in-house and externally), take an active role in the team's annual reputation management and media law conference, and build a network.

Skills and Experience:

• Proactive team player and supportive colleague, with an enthusiastic manner, who takes a flexible, ‘can-do’ approach with interest in the areas of law we cover.
• Confident in working autonomously/independently and able to ensure that ever-changing deadlines are met and cases move ahead smoothly.
• Ability to assimilate complex facts as well as being meticulous and well organised.
• Good IT, tech and AI skills, and a working understanding of the digital aspects of the role (social media, search engines and similar).
• Adaptable and open to change, with a strong sense of responsibility.
• Possesses a proactive and innovative approach to problem solving, demonstrating sound judgment.
• Ability to deal with a diverse range of client personalities.

Education and qualifications

The candidate will hold a minimum 2.1 degree and a training contract from a specialist reputation management or mid-sized or city firm. Experience in reputation and crisis management/media litigation is required, although candidates who trained at large City firms will also be considered.

This list of responsibilities is not exhaustive. It outlines the general scope and expectations of the role, but additional tasks may be assigned as necessary to meet the needs of the firm. Even if you don't meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply - your unique experience and perspective could be just what we are looking for.

Join us for the journey

Farrer & Co is synonymous with the highest quality legal advice and service. We advise individuals, families, businesses, financial services, educational and not-for-profit organisations on every aspect of the law, wherever the need arises. From our offices in London we work with trusted professionals around the world to deliver a seamless international service. Our clients present us with complex and varied challenges. Whether that's a complicated family trust issue, a multinational corporate transaction, or an emerging threat to their reputation, they need clear thinkers who can advise on the best solutions, fast thinkers when speed is of the essence and agile thinkers who can produce a fresh approach to get the job done. That's why they choose us. Our clients value our in-depth knowledge, technical excellence and diversity of disciplines. But what really binds our long-standing relationships with them is our approach: pragmatic, plain speaking and always steadfast in our values, which we hold dear. Values which mean we gain our clients' trust, always strive to do the right thing, and aim for the best results for them. Superb client service sits at the heart of everything we do.

What we offer

A career with us offers the chance to be part of a firm that values its people as much as its clients. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow, you’ll find opportunities to contribute, collaborate, and develop in an environment where traditional values and innovation work side by side. We offer:

• A culture where people come first
• Opportunities to develop and grow your career
• Flexible working options – we welcome applications across a variety of working patterns
• An agile working policy, with a minimum of 40% of your working pattern in the office
• A comprehensive benefits package

Our commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences, and we recruit based on merit, potential, and the value each person brings to our team. We actively encourage applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also welcome applications from neurodiverse candidates and are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any adjustments or support at any stage of the application or interview process, please contact our Recruitment Team.

A responsible business

At Farrer & Co, conducting business responsibly is fundamental to who we are. Our commitment to excellence, integrity, and partnership runs through every corner of the firm, guiding both our client work and our broader impact on society. Our vision is clear: to lead with integrity, innovate with purpose, and make a meaningful impact through the work we do with our clients and in our communities.

Recruitment process

Applications should be submitted via the Candid portal. We review submissions on a rolling basis up until the advertised closing date. All offers of employment are subject to standard pre-employment checks. These may include, but are not limited to, verification of qualifications, right to work, employment references and background checks. If you would like more information or to review the screening policy, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Agency notice

We welcome direct applications and work with a select group of recruitment agencies who have agreed to our terms of business. These agencies have exclusive access to specific roles for a two-week period from the start of our recruitment process. During this time, we are unable to engage with other external agencies. All applications must be submitted via the Candid portal; CVs sent through other channels cannot be accepted. For any queries, please contact the Recruitment team. We kindly ask that you do not contact partners or hiring managers directly.