Legal Senior Associate (Dublin Based) in London

Schillings handles high stakes opportunities and threats for an international clientele: successful individuals, businesses and high-profile organisations across the world. We support our clients to achieve their goals by developing winning strategies to protect their freedom to operate, and are the first port of call in a crisis, defending our clients from attacks on their reputations, privacy and security. Schillings’ offer is unique to the market, combining strategic communications with law, intelligence & investigations, digital resilience and security. Schillings is a collaborative and welcoming place to work, with a positive culture, strong values and a developed service ethic. We require commitment, diligence, curiosity, agility and professionalism, and in return provide competitive packages, stimulating challenges and interesting work. We are committed to sharing learning and creating development opportunities so you can progress your career with us. Our people’s career trajectories and average longevity at Schillings underline this.

The Senior Associate role involves working collaboratively across a variety of matters from global multidisciplinary reputation, privacy and security retainers to discreet legal issues. They run urgent pre‑and post‑publication/broadcast matters, supervise complex litigation and offer strategic solutions to the Partners as to the way forward in matters. Senior Associates ensure work is of high quality and delivered to time. As experts, they use feedback, coaching and mentoring to share knowledge with more junior colleagues to develop our talent. More widely, Senior Associates work with teams across the business to develop and execute strategies that leverage Schillings’ unique skillset. They promote the firm and build relationships with existing and new clients.

Role Accountabilities

• Act as an expert in our field of specialism in dealing with complex cases brought to the firm by its clients, supervising the work of more junior staff to provide a successful outcome.
• This includes managing complex reputation, privacy and security projects and ensuring holistic solutions to client problems.
• Responsible for all aspects of client management, anticipating clients’ needs and providing advice while ensuring the highest standard of client care and communication.
• Develop the skills and experience of other fee‑earners, sharing knowledge and best practice to the benefit of the firm, its clients and employees.
• Adhere to firm guidelines to successfully run matters.
• Must be an excellent people manager, time manager and project manager who is strongly task‑focused and delegates effectively.
• Support partners and colleagues across the business in developing the business and improving operations.
• Complete all mandatory training and understand the firm’s responsibilities in effective risk management.
• Act as an ambassador for the firm and its Bold, United, Innovative and Excellent values.

Technical

• Demonstrate an expert level of legal knowledge and experience in core areas: defamation, privacy, confidence, harassment, DPA/GDPR and complementary areas such as employment litigation and commercial litigation.
• Continuously develop technical and business knowledge and skills and maintain CPD requirements.
• Be able to draft and interpret complex legal arguments, possibly without precedent, identifying and analysing all legal, commercial and reputational issues.
• Think through concepts, analyse risk, and problem solve at speed, developing creative solutions to client issues.

Commercial

• Commercially minded with a sensible approach to risk management, proactive in avoiding and addressing potential issues as appropriate.
• Commercially aware of clients’ business interests.
• Active in managing files, taking responsibility for projects, billing, account management and time management processes.
• Understand all the skillsets available at Schillings – Critical Risks, Intelligence & Investigations, Digital Resilience and Schillings Communications – and spot opportunities to utilise these to best solve clients’ problems.

Client Care

• Develop relationships with clients and be comfortable and personable in interacting with clients.
• Actively participate in marketing events and client seminars.

Knowledge and Experience Required

• Appropriate level of post‑qualification experience in reputation management, privacy, data protection, cyber litigation, employment litigation or commercial litigation gained in a comparable firm in Ireland – perhaps developing a reputation as a leader in their field of expertise.
• Agile, flexible and able to pivot to evolving client needs while delivering high quality advice at speed.
• Be a creative, strategic and critical thinker who demonstrates confidence in own judgement, can navigate ambiguity and is sufficiently robust to say ‘no’.
• Have good interpersonal skills with experience of (1) managing more junior members of the team (on client work or as their line manager), (2) project managing delivery of client work, and (3) handling high‑profile clients.
• Experience working in large cross‑disciplinary teams is beneficial.
• Be a skilled and active listener with excellent written communication; succinct, clear, concise and persuasive.
• Perform consistently well under pressure: a positive self‑starter who inspires and motivates others.
• Act as mentor and provide know‑how to more junior staff.
• Demonstrate highest standards of professional and personal integrity.

Life at Schillings

Our culture is built on the values ‘Innovative; Bold; United; and Excellent’. The atmosphere is highly collaborative and focused on excellence. We pride ourselves on a coaching culture and welcome candidates from all backgrounds. Diversity of thought, background and culture creates the best environment to truly innovate, solve problems and achieve our goals.