Senior Associate - Construction Litigation

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 sit within our larger Complex Litigation function and are a highly skilled and supportive team who specialise 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 specialising 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 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.

ARAG UK has been helping businesses and individuals gain access to justice for over 40 years. It’s our founding principle to enable everybody, not just those who can afford it, to assert their legal rights.

Thousands of businesses and individuals defend or pursue legal action each year, safe in the knowledge that ARAG UK are paying their legal bills. Our businesses include a Legal Expenses Insurance company and a Law Firm, with many opportunities in both areas.

We have historically focussed on delivering legal services to customers solely via our Legal Expenses Insurance products, which provides a steady workload of litigated cases in areas such as;

• Personal Injury
• Litigation and Dispute Management
• Employment
• Business and Commercial

We believe these are exciting times for ARAG Law as part of the wider ARAG UK, and we are looking for likeminded individuals who share our ambition to make our high quality legal solutions accessible and affordable.

You can expect to join an organisation that will challenge and develop you to progress your career in ways that traditional law firms cannot. We are also committed to supporting continued professional development and promote both internal Training Contracts and alternative routes to qualification (SQE / CILEX).

By giving you every opportunity to develop yourself professionally and personally, we also pride ourselves on having an open, inclusive and high energy culture that encourages a fun working environment and places our customers at the very heart of everything we do.