Solicitor, Disputes

JOB DESCRIPTION

About Herbert Smith Freehills

As one of the world’s leading law firms, we advise many of the largest and most ambitious organisations across all major regions of the globe. With over 5,000 people, including 3,100 lawyers and over 2,000 business services professionals, operating from our global network of offices across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice.

We recognise that the success of our business and our clients relies on the skills, knowledge and ideas of all our people. Our environment is one in which high performance is expected, in return, we will provide you with rewards and opportunities tailored to your personal and professional goals.

The Opportunity

About Digital Legal Delivery

Digital adaption is presenting businesses with efficiencies and opportunities at pace – Herbert Smith Freehills is no different. Continuing to support our clients with this rapid change, we have created a team of the best analytical legal minds with investments in cutting-edge technology and technologists in our Digital Legal Delivery (Digital) practice.

Bringing together legal, project management, process design and technology expertise, our Digital group supports businesses who need invention from their legal advisors. Leveraging experience to map the intersections where people and tech deliver results, this team supports businesses undergoing their own digitisation projects and those who seek disentanglement from the manual and inefficient processes in the delivery of legal services. Experienced at delivering large and complex legal services, we are experts in the delivery of data-intensive mandates.

Imagining possibilities, HSF’s Digital Legal Delivery practice is implementing the best technology solutions today, while horizon scanning and experimenting with emerging technologies to understand their practical applications.

Legal

In Legal, we help shape how the firm delivers legal matters to clients. We have longstanding experience in thinking differently about law, and we are at the forefront of making legal services more efficient – particularly at scale.

We have a deep knowledge across a broad range of sectors, and a wealth of experience in delivering large and complex mandates. We are specialists in contract management, document review, volume claims and remediation, and due diligence.

Working collaboratively with colleagues from across the firm, we use our expertise in law, process design and technology to deliver solutions for our clients. Underpinned by our legal project management capability, we organise our collective effort as efficiently and seamlessly as possible.

This ensures consistent delivery throughout and enables our clients to achieve efficiencies across their operations.

Legal Technology

In Legal Technology, we deploy the firm’s established technology efficiently and reliably across a range of client matters and projects.

We combine our expertise in document automation, custom development, eDiscovery and data analytics and client reporting – to work collaboratively across the firm on disputes, transactions and projects.

Digital Change

In Digital Change, we innovate, invest and push our firm’s boundaries when it comes to new uses of legal technology.

We experiment with technology and pilot tools to understand them deeply: their potential challenges and benefits, and how they can be used in our day-to-day work to provide better solutions for clients.

And we ensure we have the right internal governance when it comes to making decisions, so we can minimise risk, maximise our opportunities and provide consistency for our stakeholders.

Advisory

In Advisory, we bring deep expertise in legal operations and emerging technologies, working across any sector, alongside our teams or directly with clients.

We are trusted advisers to our clients on new ways of working as we scan the horizon, together.

About Digital Legal Delivery Disputes

We are experienced in complex large scale document reviews, sensitive and time critical investigations and regulatory matters, consumer claims assessments and volume claims management. Our teams work closely with and provide support to other Herbert Smith Freehills practice groups and we are continually expanding our service offerings. We are experts in complex review elements including legal professional privilege, commercial sensitivity and data protection working across all industry sectors including financial services, energy, retail, TMT and construction.

The Role

Solicitors will be part of our legal team, working closely with Managers, Senior Solicitors, Solicitors, Trainees and Legal Analysts.

Note: travel, to the Herbert Smith Freehills offices, including London and Belfast, or to clients, may be required from time to time.

Key responsibilities

Conducting document review, preparing chronologies, providing litigation support and undertaking other practice area-specific fee-earning work (there will be target average daily chargeable hours).

Conducting claims assessment or assisting with the management of claims which are part of a portfolio.

Conducting case assessments in respect of claims arising out of Group Litigation Orders and Remediation schemes.

Undertaking Quality Control and provide constructive feedback to reviewers to ensure that output is consistent with HSF quality standards.

On appropriate projects, as required, working directly with other HSF practice groups in our global network to deliver high quality support to clients.

On appropriate projects, as required, supervising Trainees or Legal Analysts in relation to individual matters, dealing with complex legal matters or generally as directed by Senior Solicitors, Managers or Senior Managers of the Disputes practice group.

Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of areas of law relevant to the practice.

Ensuring compliance with financial disciplines on matters (e.g., daily time recording).

Providing any other assistance to the business on client matters and related tasks as required.

The responsibilities outlined above cannot totally encompass or define all tasks that may be required of the post-holder. The outline of responsibilities given above may, therefore, vary from time to time without materially changing either the character or level of responsibility or grade.

Qualifications and skills

Essential

Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, but Republic of Ireland or other common law jurisdictions will be considered. (If not qualified in England and Wales then willing to complete process to requalify as such, if required); and

Minimum of 2 years' PQE working in commercial litigation.

Desirable

Experience working in a commercial legal environment, ideally a private practice law firm.

Experience of successfully managing others, including direct reports.

Knowledge and experience of legal work for the Disputes practice group, for example large scale document review or claims assessment.

Please note that applications for this role will close 12pm (BST) on Friday 30th August 2024

Team

Digital Legal Delivery

Working Pattern

Full time

Location

Belfast

Contract type

Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion

At Herbert Smith Freehills you will be part of a diverse, innovative culture where high performance, client focus and highly engaged people are our differentiator. People at our firm come from a range of backgrounds and bring a wide variety of experiences and perspectives to their work with us. We strive to ensure that our inclusive environment means you feel valued and able to perform at your best by being your authentic self at work. We know that our future success not only depends on being innovative and progressive in the changing legal market but, most importantly, on our people feeling highly engaged in meaningful work.

We understand that you have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to create a working environment based on mutual trust and respect, in which you can perform at your best whilst maintaining sustainable balance across your life.

---