Associate - Education Litigation in Birmingham

Our Litigation and Dispute Resolution team is a national team with a huge reputation for complex litigation. Clients receive an experienced partner led service supported by a team of talented legal directors, associates and solicitors well known for handling the full range of contractual, commercial and corporate disputes across a broad spectrum of industries including banking and finance, manufacturing and distribution, IT, higher education and energy.

We've recently invested in our Education litigation offering, led by a specialist who joined us from Coventry University last year where she spent a number of years as an in‑house counsel. Our specialist Education Litigation team works closely with the wider Education team whose combined mission is to help build the colleges and universities of the future. The Education Litigation team deals with a variety of disputes that involve education establishments, from judicial reviews to student claims for breach of contract and discrimination, to challenges to the decisions of the sector regulators.

Due to significant growth we're continuing with our team expansion and currently have a vacancy for a Senior Associate (6-8PQE) to join and be an integral part of this high performing team. This role offers the chance to work closely with experienced lawyers on high‑quality matters, while developing and managing your own caseload and building strong client relationships from the outset of your career.

What you will be doing:

• Managing your own litigation caseload from start to finish and managing and supervising other members of the team
• Working alongside senior lawyers to support a wide range of potentially reputationally damaging matters
• Working with Universities, Colleges and Education sector bodies
• Assisting on large and complex transactions, with appropriate supervision
• Handling client and internal enquiries efficiently and professionally
• Liaising directly with clients and internal stakeholders, particularly the core Education team
• Working effectively to meet strict deadlines and client and sector priorities
• Involvement in marketing activities including attending networking events and writing articles for professional journals
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a busy team at the same time as being able to work independently and proactively
• Ability to manage own litigation caseload
• Ability to effectively supervise more junior solicitors
• Genuine desire to specialise and develop growth in the Education practice
• High levels of initiative and the ability to thrive in a demanding environment
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A strong client‑focused mindset, with a commitment to building lasting relationships

Please be aware, for some vacancies, where we receive high numbers of applications we may need to bring the close date forward. Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found.

Equal opportunities

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.