Associate (Employment) in London

We are recruiting a full time, London based, experienced employment lawyer, to work in our outstanding Employment department. The team acts for employers, partnerships and senior executives, on both contentious and non-contentious / advisory matters and is highly ranked for both, in Chambers and in the Legal 500.

Our employer practice accounts for approximately half of our department’s workload and in this aspect of the role you will be advising a client base made up of a growing range of household names and private businesses, across a range of sectors including leading financial and regulatory bodies, financial services, hedge funds, real estate and built environment, media and PR, professional services, charities, family offices, and partnerships. We also have a highly regarded and growing investigations practice.

Our Senior Executive practice has particular expertise in advising on strategic (often urgent), senior level moves, exits and disputes, often involving interesting and complex legal points. This work requires an adaptable and sensitive approach to client care and negotiations and often involves significant financial value. The team is regularly instructed on complex and high value litigation, both in the Employment Tribunals and the High Court, in relation to the full range of statutory and employment claims – with particular experience of running high-stakes and often very interesting discrimination and whistleblowing claims.

You would be joining as a key hire with the support of a team of fifteen fee-earners (including six Partners), and the department’s legal secretaries. You will have a rich and varied workload acting for our existing client base and will also have the full support of the team and our Marketing department as we continue to grow our practice.

If you are feeling that you can’t see a pathway for progression in your current role, then this position would be the ideal fit for you. You would be provided with high quality work and the chance to work with a talented, but down to earth employment team. Technically, you will be an experienced employment lawyer, who is used to running your own files (with support), and be able to confidentially discuss your experience, providing complex & high value litigation / financial services employment legal advice (particularly in the Employment Tribunal). Exposure to working on cases that proceed to the High Court would also be an advantage. You will also need to demonstrate experience of providing non-contentious employment advice to employers.

The work that the team do is roughly split 50/50, between employer and senior executive work, so if you don't have experience of working on senior executive matters, that’s OK. If you have the desire to take on this challenge, the team can support and upskill you in this area. In return, you will be joining an incredibly friendly, talented team, who were nominated for Employment Legal Team of the Year by LexisNexis at their 2025 awards. One of the partners in the team has also been independently rated as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer.

Winckworth Sherwood is an exciting, diverse, and growing business. We are a full-service law firm with a diverse client base, that prides itself on providing advice across a broad range of sectors and markets. Delivering a first-class service is key to everything we do. Our clients range from some of the UK’s largest businesses and institutions, housebuilders and developers through to investors, professional partnerships, family offices, not for profit organisations and private individuals – all of which benefit from the flexible, practical approach of our lawyers. We recognise that our people play a key part in our success and as a result we are committed to their development and well-being. We promote a healthy work-life balance and flexibility, keeping our people motivated and stimulated to deliver great things.

Your application journey includes:

• Application review: Your profile will be screened by a member of the WS recruitment team. If your CV is shortlisted, you will be invited to have a short call with our Recruitment Manager, Ash Evans, to discuss your interest in the vacancy.
• 1st interview: This will be with the Head of Employment and another Partner from the team, who will discuss your interest in the role, what you are looking for professionally, and ask some competency/behavioural questions that relate to the key skills/behaviours needed for this position.
• 2nd interview: At this stage, you will have the chance to meet two more of the team’s employment Partners, who will provide you with their insight into the team, discuss your technical experience and answer any final role/firm specific questions, that you may have.
• Offer of employment: If you are successful and accept our offer of employment, we will submit your details to our background screening company (Giant), who will conduct a series of background checks.