Local Government Solicitor

Our Market Leading Local Government team provides a full, expert service in defending public (PL) and employers' liability (EL) claims across the public sector.  Weightmans' team is second-to-none in providing defendant litigation services in these and other specialist Casualty areas. We operate on a national basis with dedicated commercial insurance and Local Government teams and as part of our wider specialism we have a dedicated Casualty Fraud team.

We are currently recruiting for a lawyer to join our Local Government Team based in Manchester or Liverpool.

We seek a lawyer to assist on high value and complex Inquiry claims and also claims relating to the Human Rights Act. As part of your role, you will assist one of the senior partners within the team and you may also have conduct of your own lower value FT/MT claims with the opportunity to progress to gaining more autonomy and handling the larger value and complex claims with experience. This is an excellent opportunity for a junior lawyer with a real interest in dealing with technical disputes and litigation.

You will be responsible for assisting on large scale disclosure exercises, the preparation and obtaining of witness and expert evidence, and meeting court deadlines together with the running of the day to day of your cases including liaising with clients, opponents, court, witnesses and undertaking your own liability investigations. 

Your key duties and responsibilities will include:

• Assisting on predominantly Inquiry claims or claims relating to the Human Rights Act.
• Assisting senior fee earners with various tasks including general case management, legal research, drafting of witness statements, instructions to experts and counsel, reports to clients and preparation for court hearings
• Attending client meetings and court hearings
• Responding promptly and accurately to correspondence and telephone enquiries from clients and other parties, with and without supervision
• Achieving set financial and chargeable targets
• Supporting the team’s business development activities

This list is not intended to be exhaustive and you will be expected to perform other duties and have other responsibilities that fall within the wider remit of the role.

You will be a qualified solicitor and you will have experience of assisting on Inquires and also the Human Rights Act. As the role is varied, we are looking for you to have a flexible approach to the work you do and be able to adapt to different tasks. We also require you to have:

• Experience in the above areas is essential.
• Ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative
• Knowledge of CPR procedure with proven technical abilities
• A proactive and forward-thinking mindset
• A willingness to ask questions and engage with the whole team
• Experience of handling own caseload
• Good drafting skills
• Good influencing skills.
• Good communication skills.
• Good IT skills
• Good written and communication skills
• Good time management and organisation skills
• Good attention to detail and concentration
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise
• Ability to work to strict deadlines

If you meet our criteria and think this is a job where you could bring enthusiasm and commitment, then we look forward to receiving your application.

Any reference to experience or PQE in our adverts or job descriptions is to be used as a guideline only. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and with different levels of experience who can demonstrate that they fulfil the requirements of the role.

Come and join our award-winning organisation and be part of a team where people truly matter.  

Weightmans is a Leading national law firm, with strong international capabilities.

Weightmans has been recognised as a leading employer for the 19th consecutive year at Britain’s Top Employers awards, and ranking top 10 in the list, the firm has also secured top positions in Chambers UK.

Why work for us? Take a look: Work for Weightmans: voted a top employer | Weightmans

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