LLP - Senior Associate/Legal Director - Professional & Commercial Risk - Manchester

Job Introduction

DAC Beachcroft is seeking an experienced commercial disputes Senior Associate / Legal Director to join our highly reputed Commercial Dispute Resolution team in Manchester, comprising 9 lawyers.  Legal 500 says: "The Department has a well-established influential reach … and receives instructions from a notable roster of blue chip clients …".

We are looking for a technically strong and ambitious commercial disputes lawyer to work in a dynamic and growing team, with exposure to the very best work.  Our commercial disputes lawyers have an impressive range of specialist skills, with a strong and growing list of international and national clients.

We have a broad portfolio of work, including handling heavyweight disputes for leading clients including in High Court litigation, arbitration and other proceedings arising from high value and complex contractual disputes, information technology disputes and other commercial disputes matters, including soft IP, procurement and sports disputes.

We offer the opportunity to bring your whole self to work and genuine flexibility, underpinned by our employer brand of A Life That Works.  Across the firm and team, from our emerging talent to our senior leadership, you won’t find a closed door, real or virtual.

We would also welcome the opportunity to support the successful candidate with their own career and business development goals

Role Responsibility

• Progress and manage High Court litigation, arbitration and related proceedings across a range of commercial disputes.
• Use a strong understanding of the factual and commercial context to drive tactical thinking and decision-making from the outset of disputes.
• Deal with urgent applications for injunctive relief.
• Gain broad experience across our practice, whilst also helping to develop existing specialisms including in technology, sports and reputation management.
• Helping to develop a reputation for leading client service, taking responsibility and being encouraged to strengthen existing relationships and develop new ones.  
• Support marketing and business development activity, contributing to strategic thinking and helping to implement it.
• Work closely with partners and legal directors in team management matters.
• Build an awareness of the firm's other services and effective internal and external networks.

The Ideal Candidate

• Experience in leading on complex and high value disputes under strategic partner supervision
• Ambition to develop technical and tactical skills as part of a strong and growing team
• Very good client handling skills
• Experience of specialisms, such as sports law and alcohol/gaming licensing, a plus
• Expertise in all forms of ADR 
• Strong technical skills and experience
• Client following desirable but not essential
• Willingness to work with disputes lawyers in different locations and to travel as required

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,900 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Rome, Singapore, Argentina Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Central America, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in 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 all of the UK’s top-ten insurers, we are market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-12 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 142 Chambers UK 2021 practice area and individual lawyer rankings. In Legal 500 UK 2021, the firm received a top tier ranking for 37 of its practice areas, and 58 DACB lawyers were singled out in the ‘Leading Individual' rankings.

Our successes have been recognised by the legal industry and the markets in which we operate. These accolades include two top prizes in the ‘Excellence in Business Development’ and ‘Excellence in Technology & Innovation’ categories of the 2020 Law Society Excellence Awards – the highest accolade for law firms in England & Wales. Our health sector team won the ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ award at the 2020 British Legal Awards for its support to the NHS at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Cyber & Data Risk team received the ‘Business Development Innovation Award’ at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards, as well as ‘Cyber Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards, for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help our clients prepare for and respond to cyber and data risk crises.

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.

Application Details

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 also want you to be at your very best.  Please feel free to let us know of any changes we can make at any point in the recruitment process that will help support your application.  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.

Note for Recruitment Agencies – the DAC Beachcroft recruitment team is responsible for managing all current vacancies through direct hiring and referrals wherever possible.  We do work with recruitment agencies and where we require external support we will formally release those vacancies to the agencies on our Preferred Supplier List deemed best placed to assist us.  Speculative CVs sent by any agency to any DAC Beachcroft employee without a specific request by the recruitment team will not be accepted and with no introduction fee applicable.  Our recruitment team can be contacted at recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com

DAC Beachcroft