Associate in Cheltenham

Due to continued growth, our Education & Charities Team is looking to recruit an Employment Associate to support and further develop our highly regarded education sector practice. Employment law in education is fast-moving, complex and people-focused. This role offers the opportunity to work closely with independent schools, academies, maintained schools, higher and further education colleges and universities, advising on the full range of employment and HR issues.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues across the Education & Charities Team, becoming a trusted adviser to clients by truly understanding how their organisations operate, their approach to risk, and the practical realities of running an educational establishment.

As a firm, we act for over 300 educational institutions. We are also trusted advisers to national education associations and have played a key role in shaping sector-wide guidance, including developing a national Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and producing template policies and contracts for schools. Our lawyers are passionate about education and understand the interplay between education law, employment law and best practice. We work collaboratively across disciplines to deliver joined-up, commercially focused advice.

You will advise on a broad range of employment matters for education clients, including:

• Day-to-day employment and HR advisory work
• Complex staffing issues, disciplinary and grievance matters
• Safeguarding-related employment issues
• Senior appointments, exits and restructures
• Employment aspects of academy conversions, mergers and governance changes
• Drafting and reviewing contracts, policies and staff handbooks
• Providing pragmatic, commercial and solutions-focused advice

You will work closely with governors, heads, bursars, COOs and senior leadership teams, acting as an extension of your client’s in-house teams. Our education clients value clarity, confidence and practical guidance and this role is ideal for someone who enjoys building long-term client relationships and advising in a sector with real social impact.

About you: You will ideally have:

• 3+ years’ PQE in employment law
• Experience advising education clients or a strong interest in developing a specialism in the education sector
• The ability to manage client relationships with confidence and empathy
• Strong technical ability and excellent drafting skills
• A pragmatic, solutions-driven approach
• Commercial awareness and an interest in business development
• A collaborative mindset and a genuine enjoyment of working as part of a team

Ideally, you will be able to show an interest, and experience, in higher education employment work, but this isn’t a pre-requisite. Prior experience in education is beneficial but not essential — what matters most is your enthusiasm for the sector and your commitment to delivering clear, dependable advice.

Benefits of working with us:

• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Sight tests / Glasses discounts
• Bonus scheme
• Electric vehicle scheme
• Scottish Widows Pension Scheme
• 28 days annual leave (plus public holidays)
• Happy People / Perks at Work benefits portal
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Life Assurance
• 1/3 gym membership contribution
• Flu vaccinations

HCR suits people who love a challenge and want to work in an environment where careers thrive on the back of hard work and personal merit. Our people enjoy feeling part of something bigger than themselves, and whilst our clients drive our development, it is our people who bring their energy, enthusiasm, and entrepreneurial mindsets together to solve problems and help our clients succeed.

HCR’s growth constantly creates opportunities for people who want to go places and make a difference, your career plan can become part of our growth plan. At HCR you can expect to work with friendly, energetic, ambitious people, who love getting stuck into a client problem, and enjoy celebrating a good outcome. Our people value the sense of community provided by the individual personality of each office and the collegiate approach across all our service and sector teams.

As a Times Best Law firm, among the UK Top 50, we provide the full range of services that you would expect to organisations, business leaders and individuals. However, in our mission to give everyone the opportunity to experience a different kind of legal service we take an entrepreneurial approach. We’re flexible and responsive to the needs of our clients, delivering the best outcomes for them.

As HCR is an equal opportunities employer, we don’t just accept differences, we celebrate them. We want to attract a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and skills to create a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and which works together to achieve the best outcome for our clients.

If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV.