Associate, Employment

The role

We have an excellent opportunity for an experienced Associate to join our Employment team, working closely and collaboratively with the Partners and other members of the team advising on strategic, contentious, non-contentious and advisory UK employment law matters.

You will have the opportunity to work closely with clients from a range of sectors, with a focus on retail, leisure, professional services, financial services, art and culture, and media & tech businesses, including ones with international reach. 

Role responsibility

Acting for clients on strategic, contentious, non-contentious and advisory UK employment law matters including:

• Worker status and atypical workers' rights advice
• Disciplinary and grievance guidance
• Capability and employee ill-health absence management
• Pay, bonus, incentives and remuneration rights
• Securing employee business confidentiality and customer information protection, and enforcement of post-termination restrictions including  fiduciary obligations
• Workforce rights management in redundancy and reorganisation programmes
• Cross-jurisdictional workforce projects implementation
• Discrimination and harassment rights
• Dismissal and employment termination
• Statutory rights and enforcement in Employment Tribunals and appeal courts, including bringing/defending claims
• Whistleblowing advice and claims
• High Court employment claims and enforcement, including injunctions.
• Workplace investigations
• Advising on the employment aspects of M&A and commercial property deals.
• Managing the full scope of employment related transactional work, including due diligence, drafting employment provisions, calculating employment related liabilities, and advising on benefits, incentives and bonus arrangements. 
• Negotiating senior level exits/retentions.
• Advising financial services clients on remuneration packages, the scope and application of SMCR, conduct rule breaches, fitness and propriety findings and regulatory references
• Drafting and advising on the enforcement of post termination restrictions, warranties and indemnities.
• Board level rights and directors' duties and advising on director and shareholder disputes
• Employment contract, service agreement and policy preparation
• Partnership/LLP advice and claims

The role will also encompass:

• Working collaboratively with colleagues in other disciplines, including corporate, tax, dispute resolution, reputation management, business crime and regulatory, immigration to provide a seamless service to clients
• Actively improving own knowledge and expertise in all areas of employment law and participating in and contributing to team and firm training
• Contributing to marketing and business development initiatives of team and firm

About you

You will be able to demonstrate;

• Previous non-contentious,  contentious and advisory employment experience.
• The ability to take responsibility for your own matters and client relationships, with the supervision and support of the Partners and Legal Directors. 
• Experience in advising clients at all levels of seniority in a clear and confident manner. 
• Confidence in managing clients' expectations, dealing effectively with issues.
• The ability to work collaboratively as part of the team and wider firm, as required
• Strong client focus with the ability to create and maintain excellent client relationships. Providing a consistently exceptional and bespoke client experience. 
• Enthusiasm for being involved in and actively participating in business development and profile-raising activities
• A considered approach to risk management, actively promoting a culture of risk awareness and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• A strong team focus, working with and encouraging a collaborative approach.
• Assisting in developing and mentoring less experienced members of the team.

Please note that we are not accepting applications via agencies for this role at this time. Before sharing any named candidate CVs, please contact your recruitment representative. If any named CVs are sent from agencies without approval from our recruitment team, they will not be deemed valid introductions, and no agency fee will be paid.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen.

We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work.

At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.