Associate - Property Litigation

These are exciting times at ARAG Law, as we are going through a period of positive business change and sustained growth across our Litigation teams. As a result, we now have a permanent Property Litigation Associate opportunity available in our central Bristol office (hybrid).

About the team:

Our Property Litigation team sit within our larger Complex Litigation function and are a highly skilled, friendly and supportive team who specialise in high-quality property litigation work that comes from the ARAG Legal Expenses Insurance Group.

About the role:

As a Property Litigation Associate, you’ll be dealing with a wide range of property litigation matters including property damage, trespass and nuisance issues.

You’ll run your own autonomous caseload, and we drive a culture of effective and efficient case handling, so you’ll help ensure our customers always receive the highest standard of service, whilst adhering to regulatory and company processes, and considering the cost aspects. 

There’s an established pipeline of work available, and this is a great opportunity to raise your individual and business profile. You can also look forward to being part of a team who boast a wealth of experience, unrivalled support and opportunities for you to grow and develop, which are actively encouraged.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing your own caseload of Property Litigation cases on behalf of a range of clients.
• Resolving disputes in a commercial manner either via the Courts or via the use of mediation and other ADR techniques.
• Ensuring the work is delivered with a close eye to risk management and with a high level of client service excellence.
• Being responsible for meeting an annual billing target and KPI’s etc.
• Where necessary, supervising and managing one or more junior members within the team helping to ensure they too meet their financial targets and manage risk appropriately.

This is a permanent, hybrid role – minimum 2 days per week in our Bristol City Centre office (5 minutes’ walk from Bristol Temple Meads train station). Full-time hours will be ideal; however, we may consider part-time options (min. 4 days a week, or the equivalent hours), dependent upon your experience.

This role will require a full and detailed understanding of the Civil Procedure Rules and experience of litigating cases from inception to trial, as well as experience of resolving cases via mediation and other forms of ADR (essential). Experience of property-specific litigation will be a distinct advantage, but it’s not essential as training can be given.

With your strong verbal and written communication skills and attention to detail, you’ll be comfortable working autonomously and able to learn independently. You’ll also be confident, personable and approachable with exceptional customer service focus.

The role could also entail the supervision of at least one other Solicitor or Paralegal and therefore management and/or supervisory experience will be advantageous. 

Other key requirements include:

• Good level of understanding and experience of procedural matters within the Litigation area, to include all aspects of protocols and civil procedure.
• High levels of client care and an ability to advise on technically complex matters in a clear and understandable format.
• Good levels of practical legal experience including county court litigation, injunctive relief, mediation and all aspects of ADR.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and stakeholder management at all levels.
• Experience in dealing with property-related disputes (e.g. property damage, trespass and nuisance issues) is desirable.
• Knowledge of legal expenses insurance disputes and the interpretation of insurance cover is also advantageous.

  Due to the nature of the disputes, which can often be highly contentious in nature, we are looking for candidates with a background in client-facing roles and candidates that can demonstrate a high degree of resilience and empathy.

  Additional information:

  As a team we are passionate and enthusiastic about what we do. Our people are encouraged to think independently and to take ownership of their work. As well as flexible working, we’ll 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
• Company Pension Scheme with the option to increase contributions
• Group Income Protection for all employees
• Group Legal Protection for all employees
• European Motor Assistance
• Home Emergency Assistance
• Inclusion in our Health Cash Plan
• 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 helps businesses and individuals gain access to justice, and 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 & Dispute Management
• Employment
• Business & 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.