Solicitor/Associate

About us

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals and over 600 staff based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally across four principal practice groups: Real Estate, Corporate Services, Dispute Resolution and Private Client.

We are defined by our Next Level Law proposition. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Next Level Law is also applied to our people. Our collegiate culture means everyone is encouraged to achieve their next level in everything they do. RollOnFriday recently ranked us as the 6th best law firm to work at in 2026.

With our ambition to succeed, comes a strong desire to make a positive contribution to the communities we serve, and we are committed to delivering the objectives set out in our ESG strategy. Diversity plays an integral part in all that we do, with female partners comprising 42% of our partnership.

The team you will join

Our Family team is a highly successful and entrepreneurial team at an exciting time of growth. We are proud to have one of the most respected and dedicated family law teams in the country, comprising 8 partners and 26 fee earners, including mediators, financial/children arbitrators, and 6 One Couple One Lawyer practitioners.

We operate as a single, collaborative team across all locations, and are known for our innovative, supportive, and inclusive culture. In recognition of this, we were named LexisNexis Best Family Workplace of the Year 2024.

This is a rare opportunity to join Birketts' growing Family Team in Bristol at a pivotal moment in our expansion. You will work directly with leading lawyers who are nationally and internationally recognised in their fields, gaining hands-on experience from day one.

You will have the opportunity to work closely with Will MacFarlane, formerly of Withers and Kingsley Napley, a Spears recommended practitioner with a significant international practice. Will's work spans high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth cases, complex cross-border issues, and sophisticated financial matters, offering exceptional exposure for a developing lawyer.

You will also work alongside Sarah Dodds, a specialist in children matters and our lead lawyer for all issues relating to modern families, including international surrogacy, adoption, and fertility law. Sarah heads one of the most progressive and rapidly developing areas of our practice, providing a unique opportunity to build expertise in a field that is reshaping the future of family law.

In addition, the Bristol office will shortly welcome a new partner joining at the end of April, bringing further depth, experience and energy to the team as we continue our ambitious growth strategy in the South West.

Together, this creates an incredibly exciting role for a junior solicitor who has the work ethic, drive and tenacity to be part of a forward-thinking, collaborative and high-performing Family Team. You will be supported to develop your technical skills, client confidence and professional profile, with genuine opportunities for progression within a leading UK firm.

The work you will be doing

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing your own caseload with appropriate delegation to trainees and paralegals.
• Supporting the Team Head and senior team members on complex and high-value matters.
• Delivering outstanding client service, including direct client engagement and expectation management.
• Monitoring and managing budgets and fees effectively.
• Contributing to business development initiatives and helping to grow the team's profile and client base.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

What we are looking for

The ideal candidate will possess a strong technical understanding of family law, coupled with the ability to think commercially and analytically.

They will be adept at delivering accurate, practical, and tailored advice to both corporate clients and high-net-worth individuals and be open to occasional travel to London for conferences, hearings and meetings. They will have a genuine interest in business development, along with the initiative to contribute to the team's growth, is highly valued.

NQ to 4 PQE gained within a strong regional, national or city firm with experience in some or all the following:

• Divorce
• Financial cases including court proceedings
• Nuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements
• Child arrangements cases including court proceedings;
• International cases (languages not essential but helpful, particularly French)
• Modern families (surrogacy, adoption, fertility law);
• Alternative dispute resolution experience if possible but not essential

We are committed to professional development and encourage regular, open dialogue between team members and supervisors to support career aspirations. Every team member is also paired with a 'buddy' to help monitor work allocation and provide day-to-day support.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an ambitious family lawyer to join a thriving team within a growing firm that enjoys an excellent reputation and offers genuine long-term career prospects.

Birketts has designed a 'Talent Management Framework' which provides a career structure that will help us develop, retain and reward talented people. As a Solicitor, we typically expect candidates to have between 0-3 years PQE. As an Associate, we typically expect candidates to have between 3-6 years PQE. Any information provided in relation to PQE should be used for guidance only and will not be determinative in the recruitment decision. Applicants will be considered on their individual merits.

Hybrid Working

We welcome applications from people looking for flexible and agile roles, we are happy to explore your preferred working patterns as part of your application.

Benefits

As a Birketts colleague, you will be eligible to receive a wide range of benefits:

25 days holiday (FTE) plus Bank Holidays Long Service holiday award - 1 extra week every 10 years continuous servicePrivate Healthcare with BUPA (offered after probation is passed)Scottish Widows Pension Scheme (5% emp