Construction paralegal (contentious) - Leeds

Job Introduction

Following the continued success of the team and a number of further recent high profile client wins, we are looking to recruit a paralegal who will play an active role in the continued growth and success of the team. The successful candidate will have an exciting opportunity to form part of a prestigious and highly ambitious team

Our specialist Construction and Engineering Professional Indemnity teams in Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and London act for Insurers and their Insured Design & Build Contractors and Construction professionals in defending construction and engineering claims, including high value complex matters. The Leeds team act for clients including AXAXL , Allied World , Zurich and QBE. The team works very successfully in advising insurers and in representing insured construction professionals in a wide range of claims. The successful candidate will have a firm focus in this area of the team's work.

Role Responsibility

Specific responsibilities include but are not restricted to:

• Support senior fee-earners in managing a mixed workload of professional negligence claims against construction professionals in accordance with client protocols
• Where appropriate, handling claims subject to supervision
• Carry out research tasks to a high standard, particularly in relation to technical legal and procedural issues
• Assist fee-earners in the course of litigated proceedings, particularly with document handling, disclosure, case management etc.
• Act as a point of contact for clients where necessary, demonstrating a level of knowledge and skill commensurate with experience.
• Aim to achieve a minimum budgeted annual target of 1440 (1500 for bonus purposes) chargeable hours per year.
• Maintain an awareness of the firm's strategies and plans.
• Maintain and develop technical knowledge through attendance at training sessions, reading appropriate publications and exceeding Law Society CPD requirements.
• Exercise full compliance with DAC Beachcroft protocols on billing and credit control and demonstrate a high level of financial management when supporting others in managing files and in relation to own files, where appropriate.

The Ideal Candidate

A Paralegal, ideally with relevant professional indemnity or litigation/regulatory experience. LPC preferred but graduates (2.1 and above) will be considered.  Previous experience as a paralegal would be helpful but is not necessary.

• Any prior experience of handling claims against construction professionals would be highly desirable but is not necessary.
• Keen to learn, enthusiastic and determined with a genuine interest in litigation, insurance and/or professions.
• Organised and IT literate in order to produce (for example) spreadsheets and tracked-changed documents?
• Ability to deal confidently and professionally with clients on day to day issues.
• Able to demonstrate a reasonable level of self-sufficiency, combined with an awareness of the boundaries of own competence/authority.
• Experience in adhering to client Service Level Agreements and providing management information would be advantageous.
• An ability to adopt a commercial perspective rather than an ‘academic’ approach to legal issues.
• Change oriented with a positive, flexible approach towards the implementation of new initiatives.
• Committed, team oriented and collegiate with a willingness to share knowledge with and support other members of the team.

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,400 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Northern Ireland, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Peru, Central America, Argentina, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are known for our market-leading presence in sectors such as Insurance, Health and Real Estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for the majority of the top 30 insurance and financial services companies operating in the UK. We are the asset management lawyers for the UK’s largest shopping centres and act for 9 of the UK’s top 10 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 155 Chambers UK 2019 practice area and individual lawyer rankings, including 30 rankings at 'Band 1' level. In Legal 500 UK, 2018, the firm received top tier ranking for 32 of its practice areas and 59 practice areas in the top two tiers. In March 2018, we were named as one of Legal Week's Best Legal Advisors for the third year running, achieving category-leading satisfaction scores for our commercial approach, service delivery, quality of legal advice, communication & responsiveness and overall relationships.

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. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.

DAC Beachcroft is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from every sector of the community. We also welcome direct applications. If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

DAC Beachcroft