Commercial Property Litigation Partner and Head...

at  Buckles Solicitors

COME AND JOIN OUR TEAM!

Buckles are looking for a suitably qualified and ambitious individual to develop and grow our commercial property litigation service line.
This position is a full-time (37.5 hours per week) permanent opportunity and we are flexible on the office base depending on the successful candidates location. The role comes with flexible working options.
The successful candidate will work with our busy and successful commercial property department to establish good relationships with the firm’s commercial property clients. They will also have a following of commercial clients and a strong network of work referrers within the commercial property sector.
The team currently consists of an associate and a paralegal and there is scope for further recruitment subject to a cogent business need being presented. This is an exciting opportunity for a senior property litigator with a proven track record to join an ambitious firm and participate in the growth of our commercial legal services across our 7 national offices.

PARTNER ROLE PURPOSE:

A partner is expected to be a senior role model with a proven track record of excellence in financial performance, people management, knowledge sharing, business development, and client relationship management, who contributes to the firm as an institution and has good self-awareness of their personal strengths and required areas for continued personal development.
Partners should demonstrate the required standards of behaviour and delivery in all areas of their personal performance. Partners are required to support their HOD in the delivery of departmental goals and to make strong, sustained and visible contributions to sectors in which they are members, mentoring and guiding junior staff members where required.
It is noted that partners who are not also HODs, HOS, HPCGO or HCGO will have limited formal non- fee earning obligations and are therefore expected to provide enhanced levels of substantial, sustained and proactive personal contributions to sectors in which they are members.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PARTNER:

• Consistently exceed client service expectations, proactively communicating with the client to keep them informed of relevant issues and demonstrating expertise and value at all times, undertaking this activity with good internal visibility so as to set and reinforce the standards that others will follow.
• Combine technical legal advice with commercial awareness, adopting jargon free communication and anticipating client needs, so as to provide an ease of dealing that stands out in the eyes of the client.
• Source internal expertise from other departments at appropriate levels of seniority to provide the most effective service to the client, routinely sharing learning, knowledge and know how within the team and firm, supervising junior lawyers and delegating where possible to facilitate the development of junior team members.
• Actively seek ways to improve client service and identify improvements to internal processes to benefit the client and/or staff, sharing those insights with appropriate management groups.
• Act as an ambassador for the firm in all aspects of conduct and behaviour, networking confidently both internally and externally and contributing regularly and prominently to departmental, sector and firm business development activity as well as encouraging and securing the participation of others and recognising others’ efforts.
• Proactively source opportunities for PR, contributing content for marketing activity and responding to client (and internal) feedback promptly, objectively and not defensively.
• Provide enthusiastic and proactive contributions to help realise the firm’s strategic goals, supporting the HOD in the delivery of departmental activity.
• Develop and assist lawyers by coaching, mentoring, counselling and developing them.
• Build the firm’s future by targeting better clients and better work, originating new clients of the firm either on the partner’s own initiative or through sector activity or other coordinated marketing activity, cross selling those clients to others in the firm.
• Demonstrate the visions and values of the firm by example rather than words alone.

ROLE EXPECTATIONS AS A PARTNER:

• Show clear leadership by acting as a role model in all aspects of their personal and professional behaviour and conduct.
• Show clear leadership in the required standards of file management, financial housekeeping and financial decision making, by ensuring client files in the partner’s name are maintained in excellent order and fully audit and process compliant, and the files of other lawyers under the partner’s supervision are monitored to ensure equal levels of compliance.
• Correctly assess and act on risk in relation to the actions and decisions that come before the Partner.
• Acting alone or in conjunction with the HOD, HOS or HR department when appropriate, take prompt steps to address any improper conduct issues observed by the Partner by intervening to prevent inappropriate behaviour by members of staff, so contributing to the development of a homogeneous culture.
• Meet and exceed financial benchmarks, including total time capture, fees, 60-day debts and archiving, maintaining files that meet audit requirements.
• Negotiate pricing outcomes for personal work and work supervised by the Partner, that represents good value for the firm taking into account the retainer in question, the value of the client relationship, the risk to the firm and the firm’s ability to resource the retainer in the required timescales.
• Actively develop and protect the reputation of the firm, exemplifying Buckles values and generating a sense of pride in the firm.
• Stay relevant, by acquiring new skills and expertise of value to the firm.
• Build strong networks of collaborative relationships to help deliver Buckles strategic objectives.
• Actively promote knowledge sharing, empowering others and building high performance teams aligned with the firm’s strategic goals.
• Be a role model for continuous improvement, learning and self-development, evaluating personal effectiveness and in conjunction with the HOD/HOS/Operations Board, planning self-development.