Solicitor

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

This role offers an excellent development opportunity for an experienced defence litigation solicitor to handle your own High Court caseload, as well as to work alongside our Lead Partner, defending multi-million pound catastrophic loss cases, acting on behalf of our significant insurer client base.

We work in partnership with our insurance clients and their policyholders, providing a supportive team focused approach, resulting in excellent outcomes. There is a great team ethos within our Northern Ireland office, where we encourage personal development and wellbeing. We offer hybrid working, a relaxed dress code and opportunities for flexible working hours. Our team is friendly, supportive and there are opportunities to become part of our social committee, participate in charity events and to get involved in client development initiatives.

Progression

We have a clear Career Progression Pathway, and each team member engages in a Continuing Conversation with our Leadership Team to ensure we support you in developing your talent with internal promotions to Associate, Team Lead and Partner, as we celebrate and reward our successes. We are fully committed to recognising the your contribution and rewarding high performance, making Keoghs a great place to develop your career. The caseload you will handle will be varied and exciting, with opportunities to develop into specialisms of particular interest to you, as we play to the strengths of each team member.

This role can involve complex issues and so experience of indemnity, liability and complex medical issues is preferred, and excellent attention to detail is essential.

The role will also provide opportunities to develop marketing and client account management skills

Key Accountabilities

You will work as part of a team progressing each file from receipt of papers from the insurer client to resolution of the claim. The role will include:

• Working with the Lead Lawyer to manage a caseload of complex injury claims including high value multi-track and catastrophic injury claims involving brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation and fatal claims.

• Handling your own caseload of claims valued between £100k-£250k

•Communicating with sophisticated insurer clients, dealing with their queries and updating them as the matter progresses.

• Forensic analysis of voluminous quantum evidence, preparing chronologies, identifying anomalies and other relevant information across various sources and categories of evidence.

•Using your existing knowledge of complex injury symptomology to identify relevant issues within medical records in order to instruct medical experts, drawing key issues to their attention.

• Critical analysis of sources of liability evidence and identifying any gaps.

•Drafting concise technical advice on all aspects of claim handling to include advice on indemnity, liability, quantum and causation issues and claims resolution for strategy discussion with the Lead Lawyer.

• Proactively identifying next steps required on matter, discussing those aspects with the Lead Lawyer and taking action as agreed.

• Interviewing witnesses and drafting statements.

• Liaising with parties involved in claims including the insured, insurer, witnesses etc.

•Drafting pleadings and applications.

•Instructing counsel and attending conferences, JSMs, mediations both remotely and in person.

. Attend court in person or by telephone, attend trials, settlement conferences etc as required.

•Delivery of agreed performance targets and quality standards.

•Delegate assigned tasks for a Legal Assistant and/or Paralegal and be fully engaged in their development in terms of technical ability and achievement of objectives.

• Maintaining case managements systems with up to date management information for clients.

• To ensure compliance with the LSNI regulations.

Working Hours

35 hours per week -Hybrid

Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm with 1 unpaid hour for lunch.

Primary location for this role is Belfast Office.

Essential Skills and Attributes:

• Qualified solicitor or proven relevant legal experience is essential.

• Experience of indemnity, liability and quantum essential.

•Experience of cases involving complex medical issues preferred.

•Critical thinking and quantum analysis experience required.

•Good telephone advocacy skills.

•Positive, confident and enthusiastic.

•Excellent listening, verbal and written communication skills including the ability to compose professional written communications.

•Good advocacy skills.

•Excellent inter-personal and client care skills.

•Understanding of case law and litigation practice and process, and Court Practice Rules.

•Ability to plan and prioritise workloads, keep to deadlines and work under pressure.

•Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.

•Ability to weigh facts, apply the law and make decisions.

•Ability to anticipate problems and identify solutions.

•Driven to achieve to take development opportunities when they arise with a positive attitude.

•Calm under pressure with the ability to re-prioritise and delegate effectively when required.

•Confidence to take initiative to innovate and adapt to changing situations.

•Confidence to seek advice and guidance when dealing with new tasks.

•Ability to follow instruction and with attention to detail and to give clear instruction, direction and guidance to more junior members of the team.

•Ability to recognise when sensitivity and tact are required.

Ability to effectively work within a team.

•Proficient IT skills (Word, Excel and Office).

Keoghs Benefits

· 25 days holiday per year this increases with level of service plus opportunity to buy & sell 3 days

· Family Cover Private Medical Insurance ( Bupa)

· Health Care Cash Plan

· Death in Service

· Critical Illness Cover

· PHI/Income Protection ( Private health insurance)

· Pension

· Cycle to Work Scheme*

· Tech Scheme*

· Season Ticket Loan*

· Car Parking Scheme*

· Gym Flex*

· Access to Online Discount Sites

· Discounted Gourmet Society Membership

· Discounted Tickets for Merlin Attractions nationwide

· Discounts at local retail outlets

· *after successfully completing probation

Values

Our culture is focussed on making Keoghs sustainable and successful for our people and clients, with this our four values are at the heart of everything we do;

Our Values

We are connected

We are Dynamic

We are Innovative

We succeed together