Associate - Professional Negligence

About the role:

These are exciting times at ARAG Law, where we are going through a period of sustained growth across our litigation teams. This is a great time to join a hard-working and friendly group of around 60 lawyers who together make up the Complex Litigation unit at ARAG Law.  We are now seeking an Associate who is keen to manage a varied caseload of mainly claimant based professional negligence matters across a range of professions (to include solicitors, barristers, surveyors and accountants), acting on behalf of individuals and business clients.

Why us?

ARAG Law has a unique and compelling business model which sets us apart from other mid- sized firms.

The insurance arm of ARAG underwrites legal expenses insurance and has millions of customers across the UK. When customers face a legal problem, whether a contract, property, employment or personal injury dispute, their legal cover gives them access to a panel of skilled lawyers to help resolve those disputes.  ARAG Law sits at the heart of that panel, and therefore benefits from a steady influx of cases every year from the insurance group. 

Only a stone’s throw from Bristol Temple Meads station, we have newly refurbished and modern city centre offices. Our staff are at the heart of everything we do, and we support flexible working options, and are happy to discuss part-time hours for these opportunities.

In addition to a steady supply of high-quality litigation from the ARAG Insurance Group, we offer a highly competitive benefits package including a generous pension, group income and legal protection and a host of products aimed at wellbeing, including weekly exercise classes, a Sports and Social club and discounted gym memberships.

More about the team:

Headed up by Laura Loney, you will join a highly skilled and supportive team specialising in intermediate and multi-track professional negligence claims as well as ancillary claims arising from these cases including property misrepresentation claims. The team also deals with wider commercial litigation cases as and when demand requires this. The professional negligence team sits within the larger Complex Litigation unit headed up by a partner, Will Ellerton.

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 will regularly run cases from inception to ADR or trial.

Previous professional negligence experience from either a claimant or defendant perspective is advantageous, but not essential. The role requires a good grasp of the Civil Procedure Rules as well as the applicable pre-action protocols and experience of resolving cases via mediation and other forms of ADR. We are looking for high levels of client care and an ability to advise on technically complex matters in a clear and understandable format. Alongside professional negligence cases, the team deals with a significant number of property misrepresentation claims. Experience of this case type is helpful although not essential as training will be given.

At ARAG we encourage our people to work flexibly and achieve a work-life balance that works for them. We are also open to accommodating part-time hours for this role. In return for your commitment we will offer you generous remuneration and a benefits package to include:   

- 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
- Both European Motor Assistance and Home Emergency Assistance
- Salary sacrifice benefits including a Cycle scheme 
- A comprehensive wellbeing programme including an employee Health Cash Plan
- Access to our employee discounts hub offering exclusive discounts across thousands of retail partners
- The option to join our Sports and Social club which organises discounted events such as theatre visits, wine tasting 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.