Birketts LLP
Paralegal - Employment
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About Us
Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.
The Team You Will Join
Our vibrant, energetic Employment Team boasts some of the best lawyers in the business specialising in all aspects of employment law facing a company's board or the HR professional - from everyday operational challenges through to advising on strategic issues.
The team currently comprises over 40 specialist qualified employment law solicitors, including eleven partners in seven offices, making us one of the larger employment teams in the country. We have the strength and depth of expertise to ensure we deliver the service you would expect in respect of technical quality, practical approach and timeliness of advice.
Birketts employment law team has experience in all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, representing clients from a broad range of public and private organisations as well as individuals and senior executives and we are proud to act for sector leading clients nationwide and some important and high profile businesses and institutions across a number of key sectors.
Ranked 1 tier in Chambers and Legal 500, you will join a highly successful Employment team who is seeing consistent and continuous growth and which works and collaborates closely as a supportive team of colleagues. Our employment advice is supplemented by a well-developed in house employment client training offering, a HR consultancy service, a workplace investigations service, an employee incentives group and an immigration team.
The Work You Will Be Doing
If you are seeking a new, challenging role with a modern, forward-thinking firm, then this could be the role for you! We are looking for a Paralegal dedicated to our professional discipline work, within our Employment Team.
This role will involve being responsible for the administration of our contracts with our professional regulatory clients and assisting with the preparation of cases for professional conduct hearings. As a Paralegal, you will be given training and support to develop expertise in professional discipline matters and the chance to get involved in some really interesting and complex matters.
You will:
- Have primary responsibility for our work undertaken on behalf of a large regulatory body including:
- Regular client contract to receive and confirm instructions;
- Allocating new instructions to team members, including ensuring compliance with Lexcel standards;
- Administrative tasks including ensuring the hearings spreadsheet is kept up-to-date at all times;
- Monthly reporting to the client and billing;
- Reviewing a bundle of documents and identifying key pieces of evidence to refer to when preparing the key documentation referred to below;
- Preparing key documentation for hearings including decision documents and legal advice, to be used by the legal adviser at the professional discipline hearing; and
- Liaising with the client and team members on day to day administrative matters.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
You may, on occasion, assist with broader employment work, including to:
- Prepare training materials.
- Review and draft legal documents including settlement agreements, employment contracts, handbooks etc.
- Assist with the preparation and filing of pleadings.
- Prepare matters for hearings including preparing bundles.
- Liaise with the employment tribunal and the employment appeal tribunal.
- Conduct legal research and preparation of advice notes.
- Draft emails and letters to the client, employment tribunal and other parties.
- Undertake general office work and administration including organisation of files and billing.
Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking a candidate who ideally has a Law degree and is looking to start a career with a prestigious law firm, or you may have gained experience within a regional or City firm and are looking for that next step.
You will need to have strong attention to detail skills to produce work/documentation which is consistently of a high standard within specific timescales. You will have exceptional organisation skills as well as a flexible approach to work, to ensure work is prepared in a timely manner and that client deadlines are always met.
You need to have strong communication skills as you will need to communicate with clients on a consistent and regular basis, and an interest in and aptitude for business development. You will need the ability to manage sensitive and complex regulatory matters, be confident in handling, reviewing and assimilating high volumes of documentation, and demonstrate resilience and professionalism when working under pressure.
Hybrid Working
Due to the nature of work required, this role is fully office based.
We welcome applications from people looking for flexible, agile, and part-time roles and we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.
Benefits
As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:
- 25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays
- Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous service
- Private Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)
- Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% employer / 5% Employee)
- Staff Profit Share and Individual Performance Bonus Scheme
- Salary sacrifice (Pensions, Staff Profit Share)
- Life Assurance - 4 x salary / Permanent Health Insurance
- Paid CSR Day
- Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
- Subsidised gym membership
- Electric car scheme
- Dress for your Day Policy
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
You can find out more on our website: https://www.birketts.co.uk/recognition-reward-benefits/
Inclusivity and Culture
At Birketts, our culture is driven by ambition and a commitment to positively impact all the communities we serve. We are dedicated to the success, development, and wellbeing of our colleagues, helping them achieve their goals and seize the opportunities that come with our growth.
Birketts is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is unequivocal: we do not tolerate discrimination based on age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation.
We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organisation that actively promotes equality of opportunity for all, valuing the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, and selection for roles is based solely on individual merit.
If you require this advert in an accessible format, please visit https://diversityjobsgroup.com/company/birketts/
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
At Birketts, we recognise the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal profession and recruitment. We welcome innovation and understand that candidates may use AI tools to support their job applications. However, we expect all applicants to use AI responsibly and ethically.
Our expectations regarding AI use in applications:
- Your application should reflect your own voice, experiences, and insights. AI may assist in structuring or refining your responses, but it must not replace your personal input.
- Do not use AI to misrepresent your qualifications, experiences, or skills. Any form of exaggeration or fabrication may result in rejection from the process.
- If you have used AI tools to assist with your application, be prepared to discuss how and why you used them during the interview process.
- Do not submit content generated by AI tools that may include personal or sensitive data not intended for public disclosure.
- AI-generated content should be reviewed and edited by you to ensure accuracy, relevance, and alignment with the role and our firm’s values.
We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment practices. The use of AI should enhance, not compromise, your application. We encourage candidates to demonstrate critical thinking, commercial awareness, and a genuine interest in our firm.
If you have any questions about our expectations or the use of AI in your application, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team via talent@birketts.co.uk.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London