Solicitor/Associate

We currently have opportunities for talented Scots or English Law Qualified Employment Law Solicitors to join our well-respected and growing team in Scotland (to be located ideally in Edinburgh, but Glasgow also considered). We are looking to recruit two new team members at this time. If you are a passionate employment lawyer, we’d like to hear from you.

This is a rare opportunity for two experienced employment solicitors to join our highly rated and growing employment team. The team offers a fun, collegiate, supportive and encouraging environment.

There are clear opportunities for career progression for the right candidates. The successful candidates will undertake a full and varied caseload of employment law matters for employer clients (mainly) from a broad range of industry sectors. Many of our clients are household names.

The role

• advising daily on a wide range of both routine and complex matters that can be contentious or non-contentious, covering all aspects of employment law;
• representing clients at the employment tribunal and the employment appeal tribunal, including carrying out any advocacy;
• helping clients transform their business by advising on strategy and structure of complex collective redundancies, collective bargaining, large-scale changes to terms and conditions, and TUPE transfers and related employee consultation processes;
• managing a caseload of files as well as assisting senior colleagues on complex matters and working as part of a wider team in relation to corporate, property or other transactional work.
• working with our colleagues in immigration, pensions, share incentives, tax and elsewhere in the Firm to deliver holistic advice to clients.
• designing and delivering training/seminars/webinars for clients and contacts.

Candidate Profile

A minimum of 2 years’ PQE with relevant Employment law experience (Scots or English law qualified) of working with a range of businesses across a range of sectors. Some experience of employee work is helpful but not essential.

Ideally, we are looking to recruit one employment lawyer with between 2-5 years relevant PQE employment law experience; and one employment lawyer with 6+ years relevant PQE employment law experience.  We expect the matters listed below to be present commensurate with the candidate’s level of experience.

• Capable of building and maintaining relationships with internal and external clients.
• A confident communicator, with the experience needed to credibly advise senior colleagues internally and senior representatives of client organisations.
• Commercially astute. 
• Strong problem-solving skills. 
• Demonstrates potential to display effective spoken and written advocacy skills. 
• Personable and professional with the ability to work well on their own initiative and as part of a team.

Business/Work Management 

• Works as part of a team to attain objectives within agreed timescales and budgets. 
• Keeps all clients and colleagues up-to-date with latest developments. 
• Complies with all firm policies and procedures, including financial. 
• Implements improvements in working methods. 
• Prepares well for meetings with guidance. 
• Makes effective use of the firm’s information management systems and complies with all legal and regulatory requirements. 

Business Development & Client Relationship Management 

• Communicates clearly with prospective and current clients in all contexts. 
• Is aware of the impact of external market forces on clients and identifies trends which may lead to opportunities. 
• Develops effective ways of delivering client solutions with guidance appropriate to level of experience. 
• Developing an understanding of how to build client relations. 
• Developing an understanding of client care issues. 
• Communicates client feedback to senior team members. 
• Developing an understanding of value of activity versus time spent. 
• Participates in marketing activities. 
• Developing effective presentational and writing skills. 
• Understands importance of cross selling opportunities to the firm. 

People Management 

• Personal Development and Knowledge Management 
• Completes appropriate CPD hours. 
• Maintains an adequate and up to date understanding of relevant law, policy and practice, and to identify where legal research is required. 
• Takes responsibility for personal learning and development, evaluates strengths and limitations in relation to the demands of their work, and reflects on and learns from others. 
• Undertakes personal study/research to address gaps in knowledge. 
• Utilises internal/external knowledge resources and current awareness information, e.g. libraries, daily current awareness/plc newsletter etc. 
• Contributes to firm’s knowledge resources. 
• Gives well prepared and presented training sessions with guidance. 

Ethics, professionalism and judgment 

• Recognition of ethical issues and will raise with appropriate person. 
• Demonstrates an understanding and application of the ethical concepts which govern their role and behaviour as a lawyer. 
• Identifies the relevant SRA or LSS principles and rules of professional conduct and seeks assistance in applying them. 
• Resists pressure to condone, ignore or commit unethical behaviour. 
• Respects diversity and acts fairly and inclusively. 
• Discloses when work is beyond their personal capability and recognises when they have made mistakes and takes appropriate action. 
• Seeks expert advice when required, and makes effective use of feedback, guidance and support received. 

Firm Contribution 

• Awareness of and, where appropriate, participates in development of team's operational goals. 
• Displays an awareness of organisational goals and has an engaged commitment to team goals. 
• Participates in extra practice events to assist development of firm.

HR Contact 

If you would like further information on the role or require accommodations to make your application please contact Kaylee.Hunter@shepwedd.com.

Equal Opportunities 

At Shepherd and Wedderburn we strive to provide a supportive, inclusive and high performance working environment, where everyone feels they belong. Diversity and inclusion is at the heart of our business and we therefore welcome applicants from different backgrounds to all levels of the organisation. To foster inclusivity we particularly encourage applications from those who may be from underrepresented groups, including candidates from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBT+ people, people with disabilities or who are neurodivergent and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Data Protection

Shepherd and Wedderburn is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information that we collect as a “controller”. The information provided by you will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice for Applicants. If you are successful in obtaining paid employment with us we will hold your information in accordance with our Privacy Notice and Data Retention Policy for Personnel, which will be provided to you at the relevant time.

Relevant information will be disclosed to the interview panel and Human Resources staff members. We may contact any referees provided for the purposes of discussing your application and will ask your permission before doing so.

If you provide any information deemed to be “special category” information under the General Data Protection Regulation, we may use this as follows:

• We will use any information provided in relation to reasonable adjustments to make appropriate arrangements for interview or other selection processes.
• We will use any information provided in our diversity monitoring form to ensure meaningful monitoring and reporting. Any analysis of this data will be done on an anonymous basis.

Should your application be unsuccessful, the information provided will be deleted on the basis of the timescales set out in our Privacy Notice for Applicants.

If you have any further questions about how we process and store your information, or your rights in relation to this, please refer to our Privacy Notice for Applicants.