Employment Associate – 1-3 years’ PQE in Belfast

We are looking to expand our team and have a number of opportunities for Employment Associates with 1-3 years PQE, to join the Employment & Reward Group in our Belfast office.

Our Employment & Reward Group is independently recognised as one of the best and most experienced teams in the country. We have one of the best resourced teams of employment specialists of any law firm in the country, offering both national coverage from our UK offices and an international offering through our employment specialists in Europe, the Gulf, Asia Pacific and Australia. We act as trusted advisors to a number of leading FTSE blue chip organisations (both in the UK and internationally). Our clients rely upon us to help them not only with technical legal issues but also to act as true business partners, understanding the challenges and opportunities within their respective sectors and businesses.

We pride ourselves on being confident and commercially aware, pragmatic and responsive. We provide our clients with innovative commercial solutions, not merely details of the legal issues. We help our clients navigate their daily challenges and deliver their strategic objectives. We do not let employment law get in the way of our client's workforce management. Our approach has resulted in us developing long term relationships and partnerships with clients, many of whom are household name companies.

We regularly deal with cutting edge claims, projects and corporate transactions for a variety of blue chip corporates and financial institutions. Our work regularly involves an international dynamic, working closely with colleagues in our international offices. For example, we regularly advise clients on cross border information and consultation, benefit redesign exercises and global mobility. Our team also regularly advises clients in relation to executive level employment law issues such as senior level recruitment and termination, executive compensation arrangements, bonus claims, team moves and enforcement of restrictive covenants.

The Employment & Reward Group are increasingly engaging with clients on strategic projects such as global change management exercises, reward philosophy projects and gender pay gap audits. The Employment & Reward Team's strategy is to continue to grow so this is an excellent opportunity for Associate lawyers who are looking for a platform for future career progression.

The successful candidates will have at least one year employment law experience in a commercial practice, having built up technical and market knowledge and with specific experience of dealing with strategic employment law advice, complex employment tribunal claims, cross-border issues, restructuring and redundancy, complex grievances at a senior level including discrimination and whistle blowing complaints and senior executive/board room issues. The role may also involve high value and High Court litigation so experience in this area will be an advantage.

In addition, the successful candidates will have the opportunity to help our clients deliver solutions within the M&A and outsourcing space, so an appetite for this type of work would be beneficial. The candidates will have a strong academic background and will be technically strong. Equally important, candidates must be commercially aware and understand how a large international firm operates. They will also be team players with excellent communication skills and a desire to help grow the team and be actively involved in multi-disciplinary cross-office initiatives.

We are a market leading, dynamic and growing global team who work together to produce outstanding results for our clients. We invest in our team and have a first class training and career development programme, regular 121s, career discussions and biannual appraisals. Our training reflects our position as a market leader in communications and sourcing. Our training will assist you to develop as a specialist with valuable sector knowledge and the ability to deliver "best of breed" services. Early responsibility and opportunities to develop client relationships.

At Pinsent Masons we value diversity and inclusion. We are committed to creating a better workplace where all our talent can succeed and feel like they belong. We want to attract, retain and develop people at all levels and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates whatever your ethnicity, religion, age, physical or mental disability/long term condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristics protected by local law in the jurisdictions in which we operate. As an inclusive employer, we are willing to consider any flexible working requests.