Project Leader - 12 month contract at Linklaters

About Linklaters

Linklaters are a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.

We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction.

Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair and open atmosphere.

We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias, because we want everyone to feel that they belong. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common mind-set.

We recognise that one size does not fit all. Our goal is to embed flexibility across our firm by giving everyone the opportunity to work in an agile way, whether as a regular pattern or on an ad hoc basis, and we will be happy to discuss this further

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Purpose

Our Paralegal & Support Lawyer capability is integrated within Alternative Legal Services (ALS) working seamlessly with the practice, ensuring efficient matter delivery from inception through to completion. The team deliver traditional paralegal and litigation support as well as process driven legal services, working seamlessly with our matter teams and other Alternative Legal Services to provide high quality effective support.

The purpose of the role is to drive, oversee and lead a remote team of 30+ qualified lawyers and paralegals to deliver excellent client service. The focus will be to successfully deliver and assist others in the delivery of transactional matter work on instruction from the Practice. Additionally, to support the strategic development of the team and personal development of its members.

What we are looking for

• Adopts a team-orientated approach and prepared to assist clients and colleagues (out of normal office hours) to meet deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong office administration skills, including a working knowledge of MS office applications
• Performs well under pressure
• Demonstrates strong commitment to maintaining high levels of customer service
• Approachable and willing to learn new skills and take on responsibility
• Excellent attention to detail
• Good business acumen with sound understanding of legal market

Expectations of the role

• Effectively manage delivery team, including reporting, process implementation and quality control
• Fluctuating headcount responsibility of approximately 30+ paralegals and support lawyers (this may grow with time)
• Accountable for ensuring quality control process is adhered to in delivery of all services
• Ensure that there is adequate project management, supervision and participation in projects/tasks, from inception to completion
• Ensure Paralegals & Support Lawyers manager is made aware of all tasks/projects and the approach to delivery is discussed and approved
• Generate and adhere to recommendations, project plans, cost estimates, procedures and specifications, ensuring quotes are provided and instructions are agreed in writing, with instructing principal/client before engagement
• Anticipate and be reactive to changing client instructions and requirements
• Monitor team performance, actively seek and act on feedback
• Communicate effectively with team recognising diverse working styles and different pressure points
• UK based, but providing global advice, support and specialist project management skills
• Expected to be on call 24/7 during busy periods

Experience required

• 2:1 Degree (or equivalent)
• LPC/SQE1/BPTC or Qualified Lawyer
• Proven experience of managing people in a legal environment and successfully delivering projects

The Team

(while it should be short, try to make it as attractive as possible to get candidates excited about applying for a role in your team; focus on the team’s remit, dynamic, team size etc.)

At Linklaters, we are committed to delivering tailored and cost-effective solutions for the legal work we provide. This includes leveraging an integrated set of efficiency-related services provided by our Alternative Legal Services teams (Legal Project Management, Paralegals & Support Lawyers, LegalTech Application and Re:link). The UK based teams are currently all located in the Firm’s London office with the majority having generalist legal delivery skills. However, a new exciting pilot project has recently been implemented to progress towards a broader UK offering, where team members can work remotely from anywhere in the UK and where required, be aligned to the delivery of more specialist legal products.

Our paralegals and support lawyers work on some of the Firm’s biggest mandates to provide cost effective support for our matter teams and clients. The team has a global presence with a fluctuating team of 60 – 100 in the UK and is a diverse team of high calibre individuals with extensive experience across a wide range of matter types. The paralegals and support lawyers are supported by a friendly and collaborative team who are always willing to share their experience, suggest new approaches or jump in to assist.

Technical Skills

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive.  It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Application Policy

Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to this role must be directed to the recruitment team ( tempbtrecruitment@linklaters.com) and not partners, practices or stakeholders.