Legal Director - Commercial Dispute Resolution in London

Location: London

Job role: Legal Director

Hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00 - 17:30 (37.5 hours per week)

Hill Dickinson are proud to be named as a Top Ten Employer for Working Families 2025 for the second year running and so, we are happy to consider flexible working opportunities to help you balance your work and home life.

Benefits:

• Annual leave starting at 25 days
• Birthday privilege day and Christmas shutdown
• Holiday buy, sell and carryover scheme
• Optional private medical insurance via BUPA
• Annual fitness allowance
• ISA saving scheme and independent financial advice
• Electric or hybrid vehicle lease scheme
• EAP with access to counselling
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Access to confidential, expert support via Fertifa in relation to reproductive health and wellbeing
• Access to 10 days fully subsidised emergency or back-up care per year via Bright Horizons
• Life assurance
• Group income protection
• Annual travel season ticket loan
• Hybrid working and dress for your day policy
• Bespoke training and development opportunities

Role overview:

We are looking for a Legal Director to join our established and very highly regarded Commercial Dispute Resolution Team in London.

Introduction to the team:

The National Commercial Dispute Resolution team, headed up by Nina Ferris, comprises of 9 Partners, 2 Consultants, 6 Legal Directors, 8 Senior Associates, 9 Associates, 4 Paralegals, 4 Trainees and 4 Secretaries/PA, covering a wide breadth of commercial litigation and arbitration work. Individually we all have a broad range of experience across both general Commercial dispute work and various individuals in the team also carry out more specialist work, including in relation to tech and IP disputes. We have monthly team meetings, annual and ad hoc social events, training and BD related planning activities.

Key responsibilities:

• Represent clients in litigation, arbitration, mediation, and other ADR processes
• Act as a trusted advisor to key clients, building long-term relationships
• Lead client meetings, negotiations, and settlement discussions
• Engage with external stakeholders such as barristers, experts, and all other interested parties
• Instructing Counsel and experts
• Supervise, mentor, and develop junior lawyers
• Promote best practice, innovation, and use of legal technology within dispute resolution
• Business development including preparation of articles and insights

What are we looking for:

• Excellent understanding of the Civil Procedure Rules and all relevant court and other ADR processes
• Experience of and an interest in general Commercial Litigation Disputes
• Able to work as a team player assisting across the team as well as being able to work independently
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build strong relationships internally and externally
• Hard working and professional
• Demonstrates an understanding of clients’ needs/expectations to meet client protocols/agreed service levels
• Excellent organisational and time management skills including ability to plan and prioritise work appropriately so that deadlines are met
• Excellent attention to detail
• Adheres to guidelines, procedures and ethics
• Demonstrates the firm’s values
• Basic understanding of the use of AI in CDR.

It would be beneficial for you to have some of the following:

• Experience in one or more of the following areas: contract disputes, shareholder disputes, professional negligence claims, breaches of director’s duties, IP and Tech, fraud, arbitration, property disputes and construction related disputes
• Record of contributing to team business development and developing internal and external relationships to generate opportunities.

If you don't meet all of the criteria above but feel that you could add real value to Hill Dickinson, we encourage you to submit an application and if successful, we can help you develop along the way.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

Hill Dickinson is committed to providing fairness and equal opportunity for all regardless of age, gender, gender identity, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital or transgender status, nationality, religion or belief. We understand that our power as a firm comes from empowering our people and that it is only by encouraging and enabling individuals to be themselves at work that we can truly benefit from their rich and varied strengths.

Disability Support:

We are a Disability Confident employer, which means if there is anything that we can do to make your visit easier, so you are able to perform at your best, please let us know. You can contact the HR team should you require any adjustments to the application or interview process.

Hill Dickinson is an equal opportunities employer. All applications received by the firm will be considered based on their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background and from all routes to qualification, with both the SRA and CILEx. All successful candidates will be subject to our standard pre-employment screening, including a basic criminal record check via Disclosure and Barring Service. Any offer of employment made is conditional upon completion of all checks.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.