Senior Associate - Construction Litigation

Das Group; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job description

These are exciting times at ARAG Law as we are going through a period of change and sustained growth across our Litigation teams.

Our Commercial Litigation team sits within our larger Complex Litigation function and is a highly skilled and supportive team who specialize in intermediate and multi-track commercial claims across a broad spectrum of policyholders. They also deal with wider commercial litigation cases as and when demand requires this.

Due to the expansion of this Commercial Litigation offering, we have a newly-created opportunity for someone to join us as a Senior Associate specializing in Construction disputes. The role will involve autonomously managing a varied caseload of contentious intermediate and multi-track value commercial and personal construction disputes, from receipt to conclusion.

Reporting to a Principal Associate, you’ll also be supervising and mentoring more junior colleagues to develop them and their technical construction knowledge, and delegating work to them accordingly.

As a team, we are passionate and enthusiastic about what we do. There is a genuine commitment to giving our people early responsibility and you’ll regularly run cases from inception to adjudication, arbitration, mediation, or litigation.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Accurately assessing prospects of success in your caseload and effectively communicating the relevant advice to your clients.
• Undertaking all aspects of dispute resolution, including negotiation, adjudication, and arbitration.
• Litigating matters in the County Courts, High Court, and Technology & Construction Courts.
• Quantifying claim values, with reference to expert evidence where required.
• Providing advice to clients on specific JCT contract issues arising from the standard form contracts used within the construction industry, including JCT, NEC, and ICE contracts.

This is an exciting opportunity for either an existing Senior Associate or an Associate who is keen to grow and develop in a collaborative, supportive environment. What is essential is your significant experience in a construction litigation environment (for both personal and commercial customers) and an excellent grasp of the Civil Procedure Rules, with awareness of the applicable pre-action protocols. Experience of resolving cases via adjudication, arbitration, court proceedings, mediation, and other forms of ADR is also essential, as is previous exposure to commercial construction concepts such as quality issues, suspension notices, payment issues including the Pay Less Notice procedure, Variations, and Delays.

Other candidate requirements include:

• Excellent understanding of JCT disputes, the Pre-Action Protocol for Construction & Engineering Disputes and relevant legal concepts and case law, including the Construction Act 1996.
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, and able to communicate confidently in a clear, practical, and informative way.
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver high-quality performance against deadlines, KPI's, targets, and SLA's.
• Proactive approach to managing your own caseload to a very high standard.

Additional Information:

Only a 5-minute walk from Bristol Temple Meads station, we have newly refurbished, modern city centre offices. Our staff are at the heart of everything we do, and we encourage our people to work flexibly and achieve a work-life balance that works for them. This hybrid role can be full-time, or some part-time options/flexible hours can also be available (to be discussed).

In addition to a steady supply of high-quality litigation from our Insurance Group, we will offer you generous remuneration and an attractive benefits package that includes:

• 26 days holiday, with the option to buy up to a further 5 days.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Company Pension Scheme with the option to increase contributions.
• Group Income Protection and Group Legal Protection for all employees.
• A choice of either European Motor Assistance or Home Emergency Assistance.
• Salary sacrifice benefits, including Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Access to our Employee Discounts Hub offering exclusive discounts across thousands of retail partners, including discounted gym memberships at over 3,000 gyms across the UK.
• Option to join our Sports & Social Club, who organise discounted events such as theatre visits and shopping trips.

If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience, please apply, regardless of whether you meet all the criteria listed above.