Associate - Debt Recovery

The role

This is an excellent opportunity for either a qualified Associate or Paralegal / Legal Executive with significant Debt recovery experience to join our debt collection litigation team, focusing on the recovery of the firm's debts.

You will bring proven expertise in contested debt recovery litigation, including Solicitors Act assessments, and demonstrate leadership in managing varied caseloads and supervising junior staff.

You will play a critical role in driving the team’s performance in managing a portfolio of debt cases, supervising trainees and paralegals, ensuring regulatory compliance, and contributing to the firm’s financial health through effective litigation and recovery strategies.

Role responsibility

• Matter intake - Ensure all of the matters referred to the team have the relevant forms completed by the referring fee earner and the files have been correctly transferred to the debt collection team.
• Strategic Case Management: Lead a portfolio of debt recovery matters from pre-action through to enforcement.
• Solicitors Act Expertise: Conduct and advise on Solicitors Act assessments, ensuring compliance and strategic use in recovery proceedings.
• Team Leadership: Supervise junior legal staff, including trainees and paralegals, ensuring quality, consistency, and professional development.
• Partner Collaboration: Provide technical and administrative support to the designated partner overseeing debt recovery.
• Reporting & Analysis: Prepare monthly reports for the Partner, Chairman, and Head of Finance, summarising case progress, financial outcomes, and strategic insights.
• Legal Drafting & Advocacy: Draft documents including letters before action, claim forms, statements of case, application notices, witness statements, and court orders. Attend hearings and liaise with counsel; advocacy experience is advantageous.
• Process Improvement: Identify and implement efficiencies in collaboration with Finance and other departments to streamline workflows and enhance recovery outcomes.
• Financial Oversight: Manage the team’s financial operations, including logging disbursements, allocating recovered funds, and resolving residual balances.

About you

You will be able to demonstrate:

• Experience in debt recovery litigation, ideally within a law firm or professional services environment.
• Proven experience in Solicitors Act assessments and legal billing disputes.
• Familiarity with all forms of enforcement including the presentation and prosecution of bankruptcy and winding up petitions
• Strong leadership skills with experience of managing others.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of senior stakeholders, include fee earners, business service functions and senior management.
• Confidence in handling client queries and reviewing case files.
• Excellent drafting, analytical, and organisational skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver in a deadline driven environment.

At Howard Kennedy we believe that everyone deserves the space to thrive. We’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that reflects the diversity of both our people and our clients.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, and we’re committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and accessible to all.

We understand that every candidate’s needs are different If there’s anything we can do to make your application journey more comfortable— whether for interviews, assessments, or on-boarding—please let us know. We’ll work with you to remove any barriers and ensure our recruitment process is comfortable for you.

Contact our recruitment team at [email protected] to discuss any support you might need.

Agency Introductions

Please note that we are not accepting applications via agencies for this role at this time. Before sharing any named candidate CVs, please contact your recruitment representative. If any named CVs are sent from agencies without approval from our recruitment team, they will not be deemed valid introductions, and no agency fee will be paid.