Team Leader - Matter Support in England

We are looking for a Team Leader to join our Matter Support management team in Bristol on a fixed term basis until April 2027 to cover a period of maternity leave. The role will involve managing a team of approximately ten Paralegals and Apprentices growing by a further three in September when we welcome our next cohort of Solicitor Apprentices.

Management responsibilities will include full supervision responsibilities for team members, including being the first port of call for guidance and support, quarterly conversations, managing performance and development, delivering training, supervising work as part of our Quality Assurance practices, and taking part in the team's Resource Management activities to allocate work for the wider team. We envisage the Team Leader will need to do some fee earning work initially to get to grips with our standard tasks to enable them to provide training, support and Quality Assurance for their team, and to support the team during busy periods. The ideal candidate will therefore have fee earning experience as well as experience training, mentoring and supervising others.

Our Apprentices join post A-Level and work 4 days a week and take one day for study (for an LLB degree and then SQE). Managing them will involve working closely with our Early Talent team, and our training provider. This will include attending review meetings with their skills coach to gain insight into progress with their studies and provide feedback on performance at work and feed into objectives for growth as they grow their skillset. Our future Apprentices are likely to be junior professionals joining an office environment for the first time and will require pastoral support and guidance.

The successful candidate will report into the team's Senior Manager, based in Bristol, and will work closely with Matter Support Team Leaders in both Bristol and London. Support is on hand as they develop their knowledge of the firm, our work, and leadership skills. At RPC, training and development is important. You will receive bespoke training with an induction built around a combination of regular tasks the team complete and day to day line management responsibilities. You will also have access to a broad curriculum of firm wide training events.

RPC offers hybrid working with a combination of working from the office and from home. The successful candidate should expect to work at least two days from the office and flexibility will be required to meet the needs of their junior team.

The team Matter Support is a growing team of Apprentices and Paralegals providing support to a range of legal teams. Junior fee earning support is integral to our business, and we are keen to provide an environment where employees can develop both legal and business skills. We have a central team supporting various legal teams, and once team members have gained necessary experience and skills, they can work within legal teams on an informal internal placement basis. Subject to business need, these placements are usually 12 months long, with direct Associate supervision, providing broad paralegal experience and the opportunity to build relationships across the firm. There may also be client secondment opportunities for our team members.

The team works with talented lawyers and a wide range of clients in a fast-paced environment. Over time, our team gains exposure to a range of work types, primarily in our insurance litigation practice. Matter Support offers experience in a range of practice areas, with work coming from various legal teams including Professional and Financial Risks, Construction, General Liability and Medical, Property and Casualty, Data and Cyber, and Employment. Most of the teams' work is supporting our insurance teams, usually with matters that involve defending professionals (such as architects, financial advisors, and solicitors) alongside their professional indemnity insurers in the event of a claim, meaning an interest in civil litigation is a must. We are also actively working to support more teams across the business and gain exposure to more non-contentious work.

Key fee earning tasks for the team include:

• Drafting, including engagement letters, disclosure letters, Letters of Acknowledgment, Settlement Agreements, and various court forms such as Acknowledgment of Service, Notice of Change of Solicitors and Part 36 offers
• The review and compilation of client documents in the preparation of bundles e.g. for exhibits for witness statements, mediation, Costs and Case Management Conferences, or for court
• Contract review, including drawing attention to clauses in proposed construction contracts that could compromise insurance cover
• Legal research and the preparation of case summaries
• Supporting the firm with translation services using a machine translation tool and our panel providers
• Contributing to the development and improvement of the team's service, support, processes, and procedures

Knowledge, skills and experience:

• A law degree (or equivalent)
• Two plus years of fee-earning experience
• Experience training, mentoring, and supervising others with strong interpersonal skills to provide pastoral support, fostering well‑being and long‑term development for their team members
• An ability to manage competing priorities, solve problems, adapt to challenges, and support team members through the demands of balancing work and study, as well as balancing your own workload effectively
• An ability to build internal relationships and understand the expertise across the firm to help deliver an excellent client service and grow the team's skillset. Be a clear and empathetic communicator, adept at engaging people at all levels of the firm
• Having a commercial, committed, and proactive approach, including responding in a timely manner to meet clients' needs and deadlines
• Committed to being part of a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative firm culture with a proactive approach to creating an inclusive environment that supports team members from diverse backgrounds, recognising and addressing their unique needs

Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging:

We are problem solvers. Whether in front of clients or behind the scenes. To solve problems creatively for clients, we need diverse collaborative thinking; drawing on different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. That means that everyone who either applies to, or works for, the firm is treated equitably. We believe in removing barriers to equal access not least because our people define us and define what we do. If you need support and adjustments to do your best work, whether that's during the recruitment process or throughout your time at RPC, we're here to help.

Flexible working that supports your commitments outside of work is an important part of our culture and, where possible, we will support this across all roles. Please get in touch with our recruitment team if you have any questions about our hybrid working approach or flexible working policy.