Solicitor/Associate - Commercial/Insurance Litigation - Bristol

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 market-leading Bristol Professional and Commercial Risk team may be for you.

What do we mean by Professional and Commercial Risk?  We mean providing expert legal advice to clients across a broad range of industries and sectors via our two complementary practice areas:

Professional Indemnity - acting for insurers and the professionals they insure dealing with the full range of issues that they face.  Insured clients include Surveyors & Valuers, Brokers, Solicitors, Directors and Officers, Construction Professionals, Accountants, Pension professionals, Trustees and Financial Advisers; and

Commercial Dispute Resolution - specialising in financial services disputes, commercial fraud, injunctions, cyber and data risk, white collar crime, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions and specialist health litigation.

We work collaboratively across these disciplines and, whilst everyone will have their area of particular expertise, we encourage involvement in all areas of the team so colleagues have genuine variety in their work and can use their rounded expertise to provide creative, bespoke solutions for our clients. 

Although the team is agile, meaning location is not a limitation, we are based in our modern, purpose-built and environmentally friendly office a stone’s throw from Bristol Temple Meads, a space where we can work closely with our teams and with the tools we need to help our clients and colleagues succeed.

So, why should you be excited about a career with us?  The members of 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.  We are also very proud of our client base, who provide us with repeat business and top-quality instructions.  We have the scale, resources and profile of a truly global firm with over 2,500 colleagues across 9 countries.

We encourage diversity by offering the opportunity to bring your whole self to work, underpinned by our employer brand of A Life That Works.  Whilst our team is very busy and works hard, we offer genuine flexibility to allow you to meet your personal and work commitments – and that flexibility won’t disappear post-Covid – it has been hardwired into our DNA for years.  All across our team, from our emerging talent to our senior leadership, you won’t find a closed door, real or virtual. 

Read on for more information about our specific vacancy and the firm as a whole.

Role Responsibility

The Professional and Commercial Risk team is growing in all areas and is offering a number of new and exciting opportunities.

As part of the Professional and Commercial Risk team you will:

• Have the opportunity to interact on a regular basis with clients.  You will share your knowledge of key issues and provide meaningful advice to clients;
• Be involved in the day to day conduct of complex and high value cases, including Pre-Action and High Court litigation, with the ability to shape and implement strategy;
• Be involved in running disclosure exercises and drafting witness statements;
• Run or support the team with other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution, such as mediation;
• Have the opportunity to instruct and liaise directly with experts and Counsel;
• Have the opportunity to become involved in fast-paced work such as injunctions, search orders and adjudications; and
• Draft complex advice for insurers and other clients.

We are looking for colleagues who enjoy litigation and dispute resolution, who are interested in gaining a wide variety of experience early in their career and in how the law can help clients to achieve their goals! 

Not only can we offer high quality work and the opportunity to carve the career path that works for you, but also a competitive salary, an impressive benefits package and a bonus scheme that is designed to be achievable.

The Ideal Candidate

Due to our growth and the reshaping strategy, we are open-minded about the qualification level of the candidates we see as we are most interested in what you think you can bring to the role and to the team, and whether we are the right fit for you.  Ideally, we are looking for a range of experience levels from NQ to 5 years PQE.

About the Company

If you are planning on applying to DAC Beachcroft, we want you to understand why we are here and how we work together: these things are expressed in our purpose and vision, underpinned by our cultural principles, strategy and brand.

Our purpose is to help our clients and our colleagues succeed, creating sustainable value.

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.

We strive to create a Life that Works for our colleagues under our employer brand, reflecting our long history as an employer of choice offering both opportunity and flexibility.  We are a diverse organisation and we continue to strive to be more so, through extensive colleague networks such as Spectrum, our LGBTQ+ network, and Access, our BAME network.  We also partner with external organisations such as The Social Mobility Foundation and Working Families, amongst others, to provide an objective eye to our progress.

Our culture and inclusivity underpins an impressive legal pedigree with our market-leading presence in Insurance, Health and Real Estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory offering.  We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies and enjoy over 150 Chambers rankings at practice area and individual lawyer level.

Our international reach is extensive with 9 offices across Europe, Asia and the Americas, with further associations and alliances and, as a founding member of Legalign, we thrive in a cooperative international legal network.  We are constantly developing our international pedigree, whilst maintaining a strong domestic focus, allowing us to service all our clients to the highest possible standard.

We are proud of our recent catalogue of awards in a variety of areas.  Three of these many awards included ‘Out Sourced Partner of the Year’ at the British Insurance Awards for our market-leading suite of innovative digital tools; ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ at the British Legal Awards which highlighted the excellence of legal teams in supporting their clients through significant crises; and ‘Best CSR Award’ for our Helpforce volunteering programme with our major client, the NHS.

We hope that you will decide to make an application to join us and look forward to discussing how DAC Beachcroft can help you on your career path and how you can help us to continue making our firm a success.

DAC Beachcroft