Employee Relations (In House) Lawyer in City of London

Linklaters is a leading international law firm providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices. Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere.

We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common goal. Linklaters are a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.

The ideal candidate will need solid experience working as an employment lawyer able to advise with authority and steer senior stakeholders adeptly through complex situations, so we would anticipate at least 6+ PQE (including some meaningful prior experience in an in-house role). We would also particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience working in a regulated and/or partnership environment, and with demonstrable experience dealing with employment law matters on an international basis.

Due to an ongoing high level of work and the forthcoming transition of our function to a global Centre of Excellence for ER and in-house employment law, we have an exciting opportunity for a smart, pragmatic and experienced employment lawyer in our team. This is a permanent role, based in the UK but with a global flavour, and a strong initial focus on supporting with complex international restructuring and outsourcing projects.

The individual will also need to be comfortable adeptly handling the usual range of employment law and policy work, including advice and support with:

• ER cases (disciplinary, grievance, performance, capability, investigations etc);
• conduct of claims, settlement and employment litigation (including managing external counsel and experience with disclosure/DSARs etc);
• review and updating of relevant policy framework;
• contractual T&Cs (including standard templates, new joiners, reward policies etc);
• employment support on commercial/corporate transactions (inc. TUPE);
• employment law updates and training for wider HR team/business.

This role is a key contact point for the wider HR team, colleagues in the Legal & Risk function (with whom we work closely), and wider stakeholders in the business (e.g. relevant project leads), and will be a core addition to our team as we look to drive greater global oversight, consistency and best practice across the business.

We are looking for a pragmatic, versatile and collegiate individual who is able to hit the ground running and quickly establish good working relationships with colleagues and key stakeholders at all levels in the business. You will need to be able to advise with authority whilst being user-friendly and approachable. The successful candidate will also be organised, able to manage and prioritise a varied workload that can involve tight deadlines, and comfortable handling a range of sometimes challenging matters and stakeholders.

What sets us apart:

• We offer a truly global work experience and the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that drive innovation and shape the future of our business.
• We belong to a firm that embodies its corporate social, environmental, and governance responsibility commitments.
• We remain focused on talent and having the best people which will result in a diverse workforce.
• Having got the best people, we want them to feel included, valued and respected so they can perform at their best.
• We advocate a speak-up culture to empower our people in sharing their voices and an open-door policy to ensure they are listened to.
• We invest in custom-fit career paths for our people in line with their talents and aspirations.
• We provide agile working solutions to meet the changing needs of our people and our business.
• We are committed to people-first relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation.
• We support the health and wellbeing of our people, providing a safe space to talk about emotions and mental health with access to expert advice as needed.
• We invest in developing leaders of the future who demonstrate emotional intelligence and a passion to discover, coach and develop the talents of others.

We are a friendly, informal practice and are committed to providing you with the support and training you need to maximise your potential. We place great value on working as a team in a positive, supportive, fair and open working environment. We respect and value difference and insist on inclusivity, celebrating all aspects of diversity because we want everyone to feel that they belong.

You will be challenged, mentored and supported in the development of your career and given access to professional learning and skills-based programmes aimed at providing you with the tools to meet your career ambitions. This list of responsibilities and skills is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for the performance of this job, and as such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to our roles must be directed to the relevant recruitment team and not the partners, practices or stakeholders.