Job role: Full time family lawyer :Reading Office
We are Family First Solicitors, a fast growing firm in the Thames Valley who specialise in family law. We currently need to recruit afull time family lawyer for ourReading office.
About us
Marketing wise we punch above our weight. We are market leaders in unbundled services and known as the go to lawyers for affordable but awesome legal advice.
We have been nominated for lots of good stuff (Law Society Excellence Awards 2016 and Law Works Pro Bono Awards 2016) but really we pride ourselves on the testimonials and recommendations from our lovely (and demanding) clients. Nothing beats being told “I couldn’t have got through this without you” and we know the “how we deliver legal advice” is as important as the “what we deliver”. Check out our Google reviews for each office – they don’t lie.
As a firm, there are two pillars to our explosive growth: great marketing and wonderful people. Our philosophy is that if the people and the service is right; the money will look after itself.
Our culture is laid back and our drive to succeed will come from within you, not from rules and regulations. We work really hard and so we deserve to be treated like grownups. You will be given autonomy but the flip side is responsibility and you will be looking for management that is prepared to trust you to run a case properly.
We know it takes a long time to track down the right people and being the right fit for us is everything.
Technical requirements:
You will probably be over 3 years PQE. It’s all about experience in this game, so the actual miles on the clock matter more than the PQE. You can be a Solicitor or a Legal Executive. You will be intellectually curious and previously pushed yourself so you can learn things to help a client.
Do apply if - you find yourself being distracted by interesting bits in the Red Book when you are supposed to be looking up something else.
Do not apply - if you never use the Red Book.
You will need to advise clients on divorce, lots of private Children Act law, injunctions and you will have experience of financial matters; final hearing experience is important. Be aware you will be running cases from week one.
Recognising, advising and acting on coercive control/children act crossovers is something we do a lot, so having an awareness/interest about domestic abuse is advantageous.
We do not hold a legal aid franchise and unless the government bucks up its ideas about access to justice, we never will. We have a large volume of privately paying clients every week. Our current new enquiry average is 15 per week in the Reading office alone, so you will not lack for work.
One of your key skills will be an interest in and a willingness to develop your advocacy. Nobody is going to make you do trial advocacy but as representation is a key part of our offering to our clients, you can see why it is important to us to hire someone who doesn’t faint at the thought.
A large part of the work is offered on an unbundled basis. We offer a Pay As You Go scheme to clients which is very popular. Full training will be given so do not worry if you haven’t offered those services before.
Due to our innovative way of selling law, the mixture of work is very interesting. Many family departments find themselves doing mostly care, or money work. We have a greater variation in our caseload, which makes for an interesting day everyday.
Do apply if –you regularly do your own FDHRAs and are willing to push yourself into doing some money advocacy.
Do not apply if - you like to instruct counsel for everything.
Human Being requirements
Being a FFS family lawyer is not for robots. Our values mean you need to care about what is happening to the people in your case load without it overwhelming you. We want to help you to develop professionally into someone who knows how to exercise their judgement, help clients get what they need and still sleep at night. You make friends (appropriately) if you can with your opponent lawyers and don’t confuse the message with the messenger.
You need to be tough under pressure, open to learning about human relationship dynamics and above all, interested in what makes our clients and the court tick.
This will suit someone who wants to learn their craft and become a great family lawyer. It will help if you have loads of common sense, a down to earth approach and a questioning mind.
Do apply if – You have told a client they are wrong and stuck to your guns.
Do not apply if – You habitually email stroppy letters at 4.55pm on a Friday afternoon for kicks.
Business responsibilities
Being a lawyer means you are part of our business. Your application will be stronger if you demonstrate an interest in marketing, social media, and business development. We want you to be proud of where you work and to take an interest in how the business is doing.
You will have targets, but they are achievable as opposed to aspirational, as we don’t believe in setting impossible benchmarks and we operate a transparent salary band system.Progression is anticipated in this job and we know that trying to keep lawyers in a box is a fool’s errand, so you may be a future branch leader and director in the making, you may be a cutting-edge lawyer or a judge to be. We have room for anyone who is passionate about growing as a person and as a professional. The learning curve is steep but you will feel truly supported by your colleagues.
Do apply if - you have sent a bill and wondered if you could afford yourself if this happened to you.
Do not apply if - you think arguing whether the second butler is an income need is a fun way to make a living.
The salary is circa £35,000 dependant on experience and there is a full autoenrollment pension.
Do apply if - you want to make the firm more successful so you can get paid more.
Do not apply if – you think family law is a dead cert for private school fees and a Ferrari.
Our offices are located in Station Road in Reading town centre.
Send us your CV and a covering letter by email or post to Rashi Gandhi-Dawon, 12 Station Road, Reading, RG1 1JX or tor by 4pm 9th March 2018
andget across why we might be a good fit in your letter.
Our selection process is:
1. Initial sift of CV and covering letter applications 12th March 2018
2. First interview 19th – 30th March 2018.
4. Offers out beginning April 2018.
5. With a view to a start date as soon as possible thereafter.
6. Please do not contact us if you are a recruitment agent. Seriously, we mean it, we will just put you in junk and block you.