We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our philosophy is ‘we're legal and financial experts that care’ – something you’ll find in the way we work with our clients and how we support our teams. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

Our Team

The Leeds Employment team is led by partner Jenny Arrowsmith.  We provide support to individuals and businesses in a variety of different sectors. The work undertaken by the team is varied including advising clients on issues such as redundancies, disciplinary and grievances, Settlement Agreements, TUPE, absence management, trade union, pay and contract work and supporting clients to anticipate and be ready for legal changes that affect employee rights and employer obligations. We work on a wide range of Employment Tribunal claims including multi-party claims and in the appellate courts.

We have a variety of fee arrangements and a strong collaborative approach to how we work, both with clients and internal colleagues. 

Your Role

This is a fantastic opportunity to work as part of the Leeds team, with a focus on contentious Employment Tribunal work, predominantly Tribunal work funded by Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI).

LEI is a dedicated area of work within our Leeds team and you’ll benefit from working closely with other colleagues who do similar work as you will, as well as being part of the wider Leeds and Northern team. The types of cases are varied with a mix of Claimant and Respondent claims and can include high value claims. It’s a busy role with plenty of opportunities for you to develop your skill set, extend your expertise in all areas of employment litigation and make a significant contribution to this interesting, busy area work.

In this role, you’ll:

• Gain plenty of hands-on experience from the outset.
• Be involved in all stages of ET work including, conducting merits assessments, witness statements, document bundles and hearing preparation.
• Have the opportunity to run your own cases with support from senior members of the LEI team.
• Have access to junior support for assisting you with aspects of the case management.
• Have the opportunity to be involved in challenging and complex cases, including discrimination, whistleblowing, status claims and more.
• Be involved in a committed training programme, overseen by our award winning, employment law specialist Practice Support team. This includes monthly legal updates, technical training for solicitors under 5 year PQE and more – all to support your continued technical development.

• 1-4 years PQE
• An experienced Legal Executive will be considered
• Experience representing both Claimants and Respondents in the Employment Tribunals
• Demonstrable enthusiasm for contentious work and interest in both respondent and claimant work
• A commercial mindset and the ability to think outside of the box.
• A commitment to securing the best outcomes for your clients
• Ability to work to multiple deadlines and to manage a varied and busy workload
• Ability to work with and mentor paralegals and legal assistants
• Experience of representing individuals and businesses funded by legal expenses insurance and/or volume litigation is desirable but not a pre-requisite

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported.  This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim. 

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.