About the role

Paralegal assisting in all aspects of work within the Commercial Litigation team at Shakespeare Martineau. Engaging with clients and supporting innovative initiatives focused on regulatory work.

Responsibilities

Working with clients in all sectors of the economy – including manufacturing, education, energy, agriculture, tech, food and waste management.
Collaborating closely with other teams across the firm.
Working as part of a team of experienced lawyers with a reputation as leaders in the fields.
Helping to build and grow the Regulatory practice – including being involved in business development initiatives.
Assisting on a wide range of projects with the opportunity to obtain experience in contentious and non-contentious work.
Liaising with external parties such as courts, and counsels’ chambers.
Conducting legal research for the team.
Preparing first drafts of correspondence, and assisting on cases, including preparing bundles for counsel, expert witnesses and court.
Working to deadlines.
Helping to support the training and BD initiatives run by the team.

Enthusiasm and application – in particular, being able to prioritise and manage your workload.
Willingness to learn new skills, and to become involved in novel and complex areas of law.
Confident people skills and the ability to work well with clients, counsel and the team.
Strong IT and admin skills.
The ability to support the team on urgent matters.
Good academics - and some experience of working in a law firm would be helpful, but not essential.
An interest in being involved in marketing activities including attending networking events. You will also have the opportunity to write articles for professional journals and to assist us in preparing BD collateral, social media posts and material for the website.
Accuracy and attention to detail, plus the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
A genuine interest in learning about regulatory work.
A high degree of initiative and the ability to cope in a demanding but supportive environment.
Excellent organisational and prioritising skills.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to build rapport with colleagues and clients alike.
The ability to develop the knowledge and expertise of the team, as well as yourself.

We embrace agile working and offer a blended approach to where and how we work.
We appreciate that people have different needs and preferences and we’re keen to be flexible, after all, we value what you do, not where you do it.
We have the following hubs across the UK: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stratford upon Avon & Tunbridge Wells.
Want to find out more about our amazing benefits?
Please be aware, for some vacancies, where we receive high numbers of applications we may need to bring the close date forward.
Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.
Equal opportunities
Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.