Description
Job Purpose
This hybrid role offers an excellent development opportunity for a Senior Solicitor/Associate Solicitor to work within the Belfast Team dealing with higher value claims in the High Court. In this role you will be a Senior Solicitor handling high value High Court cases, which will include Subrogated Recoveries, as well as Property, Risks and Coverage (PRC) claims.
Within our PRC team, we resolve the following types of claims, working closely with insurers, insureds, loss adjusters and brokers, calling upon specialist experts:
- Property damage
- Recoveries
- Policy advice, coverage and indemnity disputes
- Fraud
- Subsidence and geotechnical
- Construction and engineering
- Farming & agriculture
- Product liability
- Household and commercial
Experience of complex indemnity and liability issues is preferred and excellent attention to detail is essential. Experience of Casualty claims (Employer’s Liability and Public Liability) is also desired.
As well as handling your own caseload, you will be responsible for supervising more junior colleagues, providing advice and guidance and be required to provide feedback to them.
Keoghs is the leading provider of legal and claims solutions to insurers, businesses and other suppliers to the insurance sector. Keoghs Northern Ireland has grown year on year since inception in the local market 2019 and now has over 50 staff solely dedicated to defendant insurance litigation services. The strong and well-respected reputation of our experienced team has been recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers Directories.
We work in partnership with our insurance clients and their policyholders, providing a supportive team focused approach, resulting in excellent outcomes. There is a great team ethos within our Northern Ireland office, where we encourage personal development and wellbeing. We offer hybrid working, a relaxed dress code and opportunities for flexible working hours. Our team is friendly, supportive and there are opportunities to become part of our social committee, participate in charity events and to get involved in client development initiatives. We pride ourselves on our agile working policy and this is a hybrid role.
Progression
We have ambitious growth plans for our future. We have a clear Career Progression Pathway, and each team member engages in a Continuing Conversation with our Leadership Team to ensure we support you in developing your talent with internal promotions to Associate, Team Lead and Partner, as we celebrate and reward our successes. We are fully committed to recognising contribution and rewarding high performance, making Keoghs a great place to develop your career.
The caseload you will handle will be varied and exciting, with opportunities to develop into specialisms of particular interest to you, as we play to the strengths of each team member.
Key Responsibilities
- Handling your own caseload of claims predominantly in the High Court
- Communicating with sophisticated insurer clients, dealing with their queries and updating them as the matter progresses.
- Forensic analysis of voluminous quantum evidence, preparing chronologies, identifying anomalies and other relevant information across various sources and categories of evidence.
- Using your existing knowledge of complex injury symptomology to identify relevant issues within medical records in order to instruct medical experts, drawing key issues to their attention.
- Critical analysis of sources of liability evidence and identifying any gaps.
- Drafting concise technical advice on all aspects of claim handling to include advice on indemnity, liability, quantum and causation issues.
- Proactively identifying next steps required on matter, taking action as agreed.
- Interviewing witnesses and drafting statements.
- Liaising with parties involved in claims including the insured, insurer, witnesses etc.
- Drafting pleadings and applications.
- Instructing counsel and attending conferences, joint consultations, mediations both remotely and in person.
- Attend court in person or by telephone, attend trials, settlement conferences etc as required.
- Delivery of agreed performance targets and quality standards.
- Delegate assigned tasks for a Legal Assistant and/or Paralegal and be fully engaged in their development in terms of technical ability and achievement of objectives.
- Maintaining case managements systems with up to date management information for clients.
- To ensure compliance with the LSNI regulations.
- Hands on supervision and development of more junior team members.
- Participation in Business Development activities.
Working Hours
35 hours per week
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm with 1 unpaid hour for lunch.
Primary location for this role is Belfast Office.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Essential Skills and Attributes:
· Qualified solicitor or proven relevant legal experience is essential. Ideally already operating at Associate level.
· Experience of indemnity, liability and quantum essential.
· Experience of cases involving complex medical issues preferred.
· Critical thinking and quantum analysis experience required.
· Good telephone advocacy skills.
· Positive, confident and enthusiastic.
· Excellent listening, verbal and written communication skills including the ability to compose professional written communications.
· Good advocacy skills.
· Excellent inter-personal and client care skills.
· Understanding of case law and litigation practice and process, and Court Practice Rules.
· Ability to plan and prioritise workloads, keep to deadlines and work under pressure.
· Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
· Ability to weigh facts, apply the law and make decisions.
· Ability to anticipate problems and identify solutions.
· Driven to achieve to take development opportunities when they arise with a positive attitude.
· Calm under pressure with the ability to re-prioritise and delegate effectively when required.
· Confidence to take initiative to innovate and adapt to changing situations.
· Confidence to seek advice and guidance when dealing with new tasks.
· Ability to follow instruction and with attention to detail and to give clear instruction, direction and guidance to more junior members of the team.
· Ability to recognise when sensitivity and tact are required.
Benefits
- Davies Incentive Plan
- 25 days holiday per year which increases with level of service (opportunity to buy & sell 3 days)
- Family Cover Private Medical Insurance (Bupa) - will automatically be at single cover level but can opt into family option within first month of joining.
- Simply Health Care Cash Plan
- WeCare – 24/7 online GP, mental health support and virtual wellbeing covering a whole host of topics to do with health, mental health, wellbeing & healthy living and financial & legal wellbeing
- Death in Service
- Critical Illness Cover
- PHI/Income Protection (Private health insurance)
- Pension Contribution based 5% Employee / 3% Employer
- Cycle to Work Scheme*
- Tech Scheme*
- Season Ticket Loan*
- Gym Flex*
- Access to Online Discount Sites
- Discounted Gourmet Society Membership
- Discounted Tickets for Merlin Attractions nationwide
- Discounts at local retail outlets
* after successfully completing probation
We are a specialist professional services and technology firm, working in partnership with leading insurance, highly regulated and global businesses.
We help our clients to manage risk, operate their core business processes, transform and grow. We deliver professional services and technology solutions across the risk and insurance value chain, including excellence in claims, underwriting, distribution, regulation & risk, customer experience, human capital, digital transformation & change management.
Our global team of more than 8,000 professionals operate across ten countries, including the UK & the U.S. Over the past ten years Davies has grown its annual revenues more than 20-fold, investing heavily in research & development, innovation & automation, colleague development, and client service. Today the group serves more than 1,500 insurance, financial services, public sector, and other highly regulated clients.
