Knowledge Counsel (Insurance/Reinsurance)

The KM team consists of eight Knowledge Counsel and two Knowledge Management Paralegals in the London office, one Knowledge Counsel in the Hong Kong office and one in Sydney covering Australia. The Knowledge Counsel are qualified solicitors, each with over 10 years’ fee earning experience in their respective areas. HFW’s insurance & reinsurance practice is recognised internationally as an industry leader. Through our integrated global network of offices, we offer a comprehensive range of dispute resolution, transactional and regulatory legal services to the insurance sector, including insurance and reinsurance companies; policyholders; captives and mutuals; brokers and other intermediaries; managing agencies and MGAs; TPAs and other service providers. Our insurance and reinsurance work is high value, likely to be complex and multi-party, and often international in nature.

The aim of the KM team at HFW is to ensure that, in line with the firm’s business strategy, the firm is able to offer technical excellence with efficient delivery, so as to provide clients with valued quality legal advice globally.

The Knowledge Counsel will be a member of the KM team, providing a dedicated KM function for the Insurance/Reinsurance practice and working on firmwide KM projects aimed at promoting, embedding and enabling a culture of knowledge-sharing across the global firm.

Key responsibilities

• Current awareness: Responsibility for preparing regular internal bulletins and proactively alerting fee earners to key changes in the law and practice affecting their work. Chairing work group meetings and providing updates on current topics/significant changes in the law of relevance to the group.
• Knowhow: Taking responsibility for the collection, dissemination and management of the Insurance/Reinsurance team’s knowhow and ensuring that it is readily accessible to global fee earners on the firm’s knowledge base on the intranet.
• Maintenance of knowledge database: Analysis of material, profiling/indexing documents for inclusion in databases, reviewing material for currency and promoting the tools to end-users.
• Templates: Drafting, developing and maintaining necessary templates, checklists, practice notes and toolkits. Reviewing drafts prepared by others. Ensuring that the group has easy access to the necessary templates for use in client work.
• Intranet management: Performing a key role in the management of our on-line knowhow offering: updating, expanding and maintaining the group’s information and knowhow material available on the firm’s intranet site.
• Technical legal queries: Dealing with technical legal queries from fee earners within the group and the firm. Acting as a sounding board for complex legal, tactical and strategic queries. Advising fee earners on the appropriate use of knowhow resources.
• Training and development: Working closely with the Learning & Development Department and wider KM team, designing, organising and (where appropriate) delivering the group’s internal technical training programmes for lawyers across all levels.
• Supporting marketing and business development: Working closely with the lawyers in the group and the Marketing & BD Department: horizon scanning and identifying topics which can be used to showcase the group’s expertise. Preparing articles and content for published client briefings, bulletins, newsletters and information on the website.
• Client-facing knowhow: Supporting the firm’s client relationships by preparing and delivering knowhow and training to clients. Designing client training programmes, preparing materials for and speaking at internal and external seminars/conferences and assisting with other knowhow based client services.
• KM tools and resources: Reviewing new tools and resources, working with the Library and IT to ensure that the fee earners have access to the best tools/resources for their practice.
• Projects: Managing and leading projects within the group, for example to promote more efficient and effective working practices or help to attract more work of a specific type. Working with the wider KM team on longer-term KM projects to develop the firm’s KM function.
• Knowledge Management team: Working with the COO and wider KM team to contribute to the delivery of the firm’s knowledge management strategy and encourage the use of best practice in the group and the firm globally. Sharing ideas about knowledge management within the firm and identifying ways in which developments/innovations can best be communicated internally and externally.
• Any other ad hoc duties that may be required.

The person – Key skills and experience required

• Track record of high quality fee earning experience – a minimum of 7 years’ PQE – undertaking insurance/reinsurance work, gained in-house or, ideally, within a global law firm.
• Previous experience working as a PSL, or the ability to demonstrate an active involvement in KM initiatives whilst a fee earner.
• Keen interest in professional training and development, marketing and business development.
• Project management skills, and the ability to motivate and influence others to achieve goals.
• Self-motivated and excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate confidently at all levels.
• Good working knowledge of the main IT packages; familiarity with intranets and internet, and a process driven approach to matter management.
• A strong commitment to promoting the benefits of knowledge sharing.

Kindly note that this job description is not contractual. It will be reviewed periodically and may be amended or altered to meet the needs of the firm. HFW aims to ensure equality of opportunity, and we are actively working towards improving the diversity of our staff. All applications will be considered only on merit and the applicant’s suitability to meet the requirements of the role. HFW collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants to manage its recruitment process. The firm is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations.