Head of Legal & Recoveries in Birmingham

A rare opportunity for a commercially-minded insolvency litigator to step out of private practice, or to move from another in-house role, and lead the legal engine of a fully-funded investment business — with the autonomy to run cases your way and a genuine financial stake in the results you drive.

About RylandBell

RylandBell is a specialist insolvency and company-law claims business based in Birmingham. We are a fully-funded investment boutique with a significant and growing live portfolio — currently c.£30m+ in claims face value across several dozens of live cases. Our model is straightforward and powerful: we take a pragmatic, commercial approach to acquiring and funding claims from creditors and insolvency practitioners across a wide variety of corporate misfeasance situations — from anti-phoenix claims through to wider breaches of director duty. We bear the litigation risk, and we win when we recover.

One of our principals is a highly experienced insolvency solicitor with deep, market-leading expertise in precisely the type of contentious work we pursue. The successful candidate will work directly alongside that expertise while owning the day-to-day legal function and, crucially, the commercial outcome of our portfolio.

The role

This is a leadership position, not merely a case-handling one. As Head of Legal & Recoveries, you will own the entire legal function and carry direct responsibility to the Board for the timely, value-maximising monetisation of our portfolio of live claims. You will report to the Board of Directors and line-manage a junior solicitor (with a paralegal hire to follow), while sharing day-to-day administration with our COO and the incoming paralegal — giving you more time to focus on legal strategy and commercial results.

What you’ll own:

• Recoveries and monetisation. You are accountable for getting cases resolved. For every live claim you will determine and drive the optimal route to value — negotiated settlement, ADR, Part 36 strategy, or litigation — and hold the portfolio to a commercial timetable.
• Settlement leadership. You will personally manage the smaller cases and the early stages of larger ones, leading settlement negotiations and bringing a deal-maker’s instinct to every file.
• Pipeline validation. You will assess and validate prospective cases on legal merit and recoverability, presenting your recommendations to our investment committee.
• External professional advisers. You will direct and manage the relationship with our external law firms, Counsel and other professionals setting strategy, controlling cost and ensuring cases move.
• Building the function. You will mentor and develop the junior legal team and help shape how a lean, modern legal operation runs inside an investment business.

Your first 12 months

In your first year, we’d expect you to:

• Take full ownership of the live portfolio and drive the optimal monetisation route for each case.
• Lead the first wave of settlements and recoveries against a commercial timetable.
• Establish a sharp, repeatable legal-validation process feeding the investment committee.
• Develop and mentor effectively the legal team beneath you.

What we’re looking for

This role suits a litigator who is energised by commercial outcomes rather than process for its own sake — someone who wants to lead, decide, and be measured on results.

Essential:

• A qualified solicitor (England & Wales) with 8+ years PQE.
• Direct, substantive experience in insolvency law and contentious insolvency matters.
• A track record of managing and developing junior legal staff.
• Strong commercial acumen — you think about value, risk and return, not just legal merit.
• The appetite and ability to transition from legal practice into an investment business, where the objective is monetisation, not billable hours.

Desirable:

• A following of commercial clients and/or Insolvency Practitioner contacts.
• Experience with director-duty, misfeasance, wrongful trading or anti-phoenix (ss.216/217) claims.
• Exposure to ADR, mediation, ENE, arbitration and Part 36 settlement strategy.
• Comfort working in a small, fast-moving, partner-led team.

What’s on offer

• An attractive base salary of £70,000–£100,000 (FTE), depending on experience.
• An annual recovery-linked bonus rewarding the monetisation outcomes you deliver.
• A back-ended profit share, equivalent to a carried-interest participation, aligning you directly with the principals and the long-term success of the business.
• A high-autonomy leadership role with real ownership and Board-level visibility.
• Flexible, hybrid working — based in our Birmingham office 2–3 days per week, with flexibility around the rest.

How to apply

Apply via LinkedIn Easy Apply, including:

• Your CV, and
• A short covering note (a few paragraphs is plenty) answering one question: why does moving from legal practice into an investment business appeal to you?

We are recruiting for an immediate start and move quickly: a two-stage interview process, with a decision typically within two weeks of first interview. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. Closing date: 10 July 2026.

If you are currently employed and would value an informal, confidential conversation before applying, we are happy to arrange one.

RylandBell is an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background, and we are committed to building a team on merit. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.