Solicitor / Chartered Legal Executive - Regulatory (Safety, Health and Environmental) - Leeds

Job Introduction

Are you looking for a role where you will be intellectually challenged, but treated with respect? Or an environment where you can enjoy industry-leading work quality without compromising on client contact and business development? An opportunity in our Regulatory SHE team may be for you.

Our market leading Regulatory Team are specialists in Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) work. We employ over 30 specialist lawyers across a number of key locations, including Leeds, where we are looking to expand due to client and case demands.

The work includes advising insurers and corporate clients in relation to investigations and prosecutions by a wide range of regulators including the Police, Health and Safety Executive, Environment Agency, CQC and Local Authorities. We deal with all aspects of advice and defence. We have a busy practice instructed in a number of high profile investigations and in cases involving a range of health and safety, fire and other regulatory breaches.

So, why should you be excited about a career with us?

Our diverse range of clients provides top-quality instructions and a varied and sustainable pipeline of work. Our team are empowered to develop their own client contacts and relationships from the start of their careers; you will see how your contribution directly impacts on your clients and understand how the service you provide helps them.

All across our team, from our emerging talent to our senior leadership, you won’t find a closed door, real or virtual.

We are a truly international firm with over 2,500 colleagues across 9 countries and with a myriad of international associations further bolstering our capabilities.

Our team are very busy and work hard, but we offer genuine flexibility to allow you to meet your personal and work commitments – and that flexibility hasn't disappeared post-Covid!

Whilst this role is advertised as Leeds we are happy to receive applications from other locations.

Role Responsibility

• Undertake a busy and varied case load encompassing a range of contentious and non-contentious regulatory issues for a variety of clients. You will also be expected to delegate work to junior fee earners and to assist with their supervision
• Act as a point of contact for clients working in accordance with client protocols, demonstrating a level of knowledge and skill commensurate with experience
• Assist with business development activities with a view to developing and establishing contentious and not contentious work streams for the firm. Where appropriate assist in the preparation and delivery of pitches, presentations and training events
• Demonstrate sound file management – to include compliance with DAC Beachcroft protocols and any client protocols as required
• Assume responsibility for quality control and benchmark compliance on own caseload, including accuracy and timeliness of management reporting and information
• Maintain an understanding of other practice areas and an active internal network
• Maintain and develop technical knowledge through attendance at training sessions, reading appropriate publications and exceeding Law Society CPD requirements

The Ideal Candidate

• Solicitor / Chartered Legal Executive who is NQ-5 years PQE with experience gained within a regulatory and / or commercially focused environment
• You will have  experience of advising on regulatory work including - health and safety incident investigations, interviews under caution, prosecutions, environmental breaches, breaches of trading standards, food law and/or fire safety
• You will have experience of business development, building client relationships and client relationship management
• Willingness to travel at short notice in order to assist clients to manage situations on the ground as they happen – driving licence essential
• Demonstrate knowledge and technical skills as well as a commercial understanding of the client’s business
• Excellent commercial understanding and awareness
• Excellent legal drafting, analytical and negotiating skills
• Demonstrate ability and exceed budgetary requirements in terms of both time and fee income
• Change oriented with a positive, flexible approach towards the implementation of new initiatives
• IT literate

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,500 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 Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, 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