Construction Associate (No Agencies) in Devon, Exeter

Our priority will always be to nurture and retain the trainees we have invested in over the past two years. Our Launchpad NQ Training Programme, delivered through Michelmores Academy, supports newly qualified lawyers as they transition into their NQ role, helping you build a strong foundation of skills, confidence and role clarity in your first year's post‐qualification. It is designed to clarify expectations, support your development in practice, and smooth the move from trainee to NQ through a blend of structured learning and on‐the‐job experience.

Michelmores is the destination law firm for the ambitious, the imaginative and the distinctive. We help enterprises and individuals navigate change to find a positive future. We are a flexible, friendly and inclusive organisation with as clear a focus on fresh thinking as we have on growth and success. We value and nurture our people's potential and inspiration and give them a creative, open and collaborative environment in which to develop a career and succeed.

Wherever you have begun your career in law, we think that you'll find Michelmores different. From day one, we encourage our solicitors to forge direct client relationships and expand their understanding and knowledge of areas that interest them— developing an understanding of commercial challenges and opportunities, rather than just knowing the law. We nurture creative and commercial thinking to help in your long-term career success – it mirrors our approach to ensuring the very best outcomes for our clients too.

Right now, our highly regarded Construction team is looking for an Associate (NQ) to join them in our Exeter, Bristol or Cheltenham office. Working alongside Partners Anna Wood, Ashley Pigott, Maria Greener and Managing and Senior Associates across the team, you will act for both public and private sector clients across the construction supply chain, primarily on the employer/client side. Your workload will be a mixture of contentious and non-contentious construction and engineering work.

Your files will relate to high value and often high profile regional and national developments across a broad range of sectors including healthcare and infrastructure, real estate development, real estate finance, consumer brands, renewable energy, and high net worth individuals.

• Advising in relation to pre-action, adjudication, litigation and arbitration
• Assisting with all stages of dispute resolution including mediation and in the TCC
• Reviewing contracts and documents and advising clients in relation to resolution of disputes both during and following the completion of construction projects
• Preparation of correspondence with clients, opponents, adjudicators, Courts etc
• Assisting with the instruction of barristers and experts
• Non-contentious work: Interacting with clients and their other advisors both in person and on Teams calls
• Providing high-quality legal advice to clients.

Managing your own caseload under the supervision of senior solicitors and partners. Developing and maintaining relationships with clients, building trust and credibility. Our experienced Construction and Engineering practice advises regional, national and international clients on a wide range of issues across the supply chain providing first rate and solutions-driven advice at all stages from the outset of a project through procurement and beyond. Clients include owners and occupiers, developers, main contractors, project managers, members of the professional design team, funders and public sector authorities, at both local and central government level.

On the transactional side, the practice complements the work of the wider Firm, particularly in relation to its developer and public sector clients, advising on the complexities of multi-million pound multi-stakeholder procurement on prestigious regional and national projects. The team also has a busy construction dispute resolution caseload including both employer and contractor-side cases, whether in adjudication, Pre-Action Protocol, TCC or arbitration proceedings.

How do we work? We take a flexible, agile approach to working patterns. As a team we agree together on the best working arrangements that will enable each of us to provide exceptional client service, to collaborate and connect with colleagues, and to achieve the right home/work balance. We pride ourselves on our high-performance culture whilst offering a good work/life balance. We are open to talking about flexible working and empower any candidate to put forward a flexible working pattern to meet their needs.

We embrace change and constantly evolve to meet our people's diverse needs, in the same way that we help our clients to navigate and stay ahead of developments, to move forward together. Michelmores LLP is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We do not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, marital status, age, religion, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability or sexual orientation in the selection, recruitment and treatment of our staff.

As part of our recruitment policy our candidates are subject to pre-employment screening checks. The Employee Screening Process includes DBS screening, adverse media checks, financial screening, and will also involve verification of employment history, your right to work in the UK and any relevant qualifications and memberships.