Solicitor/Associate - Clinical Risk (Dental)

DAC Beachcroft are seeking a 0-5+PQE Solicitor/Associate to join our Manchester office. This role presents an excellent opportunity for an ambitious and passionate individual to join an award-winning, progressive and highly specialised team.

Our Clinical Risk cluster is the biggest nationally - handling a challenging but fulfilling caseload of defendant clinical negligence work and acting for a variety of clients, which may include work for NHS Resolution, NHS Trusts, MDU, independent providers, and medical malpractice insurers.

Key responsibilities of the role:

• Handle a challenging caseload of defendant clinical negligence work on behalf of Insurers and Medical Defence Organisations, with a particular focus on Dental claims. This will include drafting pleadings, witness statements and letters of response, conducting face to face negotiations and mediation of claims as well as preparing counter schedules
• Act as first and primary contact for clients on a day to day basis providing them with commercially focused legal advice
• Adhering closely to client protocol and process
• Provide supervision and coaching to junior fee earners
• Make an appropriate contribution to non-fee earning activity e.g. knowledge sharing, training, client seminars, and business development
• Comply with the required standards for internal procedures e.g. financial
• Management of files, billing regimes etc. as well as the specific requirements of individual clients
• Writing articles for publication both for in-house and external publications
• Handle confidential information in line with the firm's data security protocols

Key Technical / Knowledge:

• A Solicitor with experience in defendant or claimant clinical negligence, or defendant insurance law. Ideally 0-5+ PQE, however we are happy to consider applications at all levels
• Experience gained within an MDO or Defendant Insurer panel firm would be preferable (but not essential).
• Strong technical skills and an ability to understand and work through complex issues
• A demonstrable ability to adopt a commercial perspective rather than an ‘academic’ approach to legal issues and to be highly client focused
• Ability to operate with a high level of self-sufficiency, combined with an awareness of the boundaries of own competence/authority
• Team oriented and collegiate with an experience of and a willingness to mentor, coach and supervise less experienced members of teams
• Exposure to and success within business development activities
• Confident communicator with an ability to develop relationships, undertake client marketing and influence at all levels. Ability to deal confidently and professionally with clients on day to day issues, building up strong relationships
• Strong organisation skills to ensure a pragmatic and methodical approach to handling a variety of clinical negligence claims simultaneously, through an IT case management system
• Change oriented with a positive, flexible approach towards the implementation of new initiatives
• Able to handle a complex and constantly changing workload and to work under pressure
• Detail conscious with a concern for quality

About DAC Beachcroft

We are a leading international legal business with over 3,000 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We are market leaders in insurance, health and real estate but with a full-service offering, including growing Financial Services and Tech capabilities. We represent a wide range of clients – from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for nearly all of the top-20 UK and global insurers, we're market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-five housebuilders.

We are a fast-growing international business with offices around the globe. In addition to our 11 UK offices, we also have offices in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Lima, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, New York, Paris, Rome, Santiago, and Singapore plus a broad network of affiliations across the globe.

At DAC Beachcroft we are committed to and recognise the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion across the board, including and beyond the protected characteristics. We take decisions based solely on merit. We value, welcome and seek out people with different backgrounds and life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, ways of thinking and identities.