Clinical Risk Solicitor (0-5+ PQE), Manchester

Job Introduction

DAC Beachcroft are seeking a 0-5+PQE Solicitor/Associate to join our Manchester office. This role presents an excellent opportunity for an ambitious and passionate individual to join an award-winning, progressive and highly specialised team.

Our Clinical Risk cluster is the biggest nationally- handling a challenging but fulfilling caseload of defendant clinical negligence work- acting for a variety of clients, which may include work for NHS Resolution, NHS Trusts, MDU, independent providers, and medical malpractice insurers.

We pride ourselves on our supportive, approachable culture. We are trusted, appreciated as individuals and embraced as part of a team. At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences, we celebrate them. From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you as an individual. Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the ‘whole you’ to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are.

Our flexible approach means that we help our colleagues to be their best at work, while recognising that they have all sorts of different interests and commitments outside work. Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. Combine this with our supportive culture, and you have: a Life that Works.

Role Responsibility

• Handle a challenging caseload of defendant clinical negligence work on behalf of NHS Resolution. This will include drafting pleadings, witness statements and letters of response, conducting face to face negotiations and mediation of claims as well as preparing counter schedules
• Act as first and primary contact for clients on a day to day basis providing them with commercially focused legal advice
• Adhering closely to client protocol and process
• Provide supervision and coaching to junior fee earners
• Make an appropriate contribution to non-fee earning activity e.g. knowledge sharing, training, client seminars, and business development
• Comply with the required standards for internal procedures e.g. financial
• Management of files, billing regimes etc. as well as the specific requirements of individual clients
• Writing articles for publication both for in-house and external publications
• Handle confidential information in line with the firm's data security protocols

The Ideal Candidate

• A Solicitor with experience in defendant or claimant clinical negligence, or defendant insurance law. Ideally 0-5+ PQE, however we are happy to consider applications at all levels
• Experience gained within an NHS Resolution panel firm would be preferable (but not essential) as would an understanding of the NHS and their business drivers, including knowledge of and ability to deliver against client protocols and KPIs
• Strong technical skills and an ability to understand and work through complex issues
• A demonstrable ability to adopt a commercial perspective rather than an ‘academic’ approach to legal issues and to be highly client focused
• Ability to operate with a high level of self-sufficiency, combined with an awareness of the boundaries of own competence/authority
• Team oriented and collegiate with an experience of and a willingness to mentor, coach and supervise less experienced members of teams
• Exposure to and success within business development activities
• Confident communicator with an ability to develop relationships, undertake client marketing and influence at all levels. Ability to deal confidently and professionally with clients on day to day issues, building up strong relationships
• Strong organisation skills to ensure a pragmatic and methodical approach to handling a variety of clinical negligence claims simultaneously, through an IT case management system
• Change oriented with a positive, flexible approach towards the implementation of new initiatives
• Able to handle a complex and constantly changing workload and to work under pressure
• Detail conscious with a concern for quality

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,400 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We act for the majority of the top 30 insurance and financial services companies operating in the UK.

At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences we celebrate them.  From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you like an individual.  Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the whole you to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are.  We welcome direct applications and are happy to talk flexible working.

We are a Disability Confident employer and guarantee to interview anyone with a disability, long term health condition or neurodiversity whose application meets the essential criteria for the role. If this applies to you and you feel you meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy as set out in this advert then please contact disabilityconfident@dacbeachcroft.com in confidence, quoting the reference number for this vacancy in the subject box of your email, and a member of the Recruitment team will be in touch.

DAC Beachcroft