Senior Associate – Employment Law
Manchester (hybrid working)
Ready to take your employment law career further?
At Markel Law, we don’t just practise law, we help businesses move forward with confidence. As part of a Fortune 500 group, we combine global strength with a people-first culture where your ideas, expertise, and ambition truly matter.
We’re looking for a Senior Associate to join our highly regarded Employment Law team, recognised in the Legal 500 and known for delivering pragmatic, commercially focused advice to a diverse client base.
If you’re passionate about complex, high-quality work and want to play a key role in a growing, collaborative team this could be your next move !
Why join Markel Law?
1. Be part of a Legal 500-recognised employment team with deep expertise
2. Work on high-quality, complex matters across both contentious and non-contentious employment law
3. Advise a broad client base—from SMEs to large national and international organisations
4. Join a supportive, experienced team (majority 15+ years PQE)
5. Enjoy real opportunities to develop leadership skills and shape junior talent
What you’ll be doing:
You’ll play a key role advising clients and managing employment matters end-to-end, including:
Advisory & transactional work
6. Providing expert advice on day-to-day HR issues, disciplinaries, grievances and disputes
7. Supporting ACAS early conciliation, settlements and employment strategies
8. Drafting and reviewing contracts, policies, settlement agreements and handbooks
9. Advising on complex issues including TUPE and collective consultation
Contentious work
10. Managing Employment Tribunal cases from start to finish
11. Drafting claims, responses and applications
12. Preparing witness statements and evidence
13. Briefing Counsel and attending hearings where appropriate
Client & team impact
14. Delivering training, updates and thought leadership to clients and colleagues
15. Supporting business development initiatives and strengthening client relationships
16. Supervising and mentoring junior team members
What you’ll bring:
We’re looking for a confident, commercial employment lawyer who thrives in a fast-paced environment:
17. Strong experience across both contentious and non-contentious employment law
18. Qualified solicitor or barrister (UK) with a current practising certificate
19. Excellent drafting, analytical and problem-solving skills
20. Ability to build trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders
21. Commercial awareness and a client-first mindset
22. Experience supervising or mentoring others (or readiness to step into this)
23. Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and multitask effectively
What’s in it for you?
24. Competitive salary + annual bonus
25. 25 days’ holiday (plus bank holidays) with option to buy/sell
26. Private medical, dental, life assurance & income protection
27. Generous pension and additional lifestyle benefits
28. Ongoing learning, development, and career progression opportunities
29. A genuinely flexible working environment
Our culture:
At Markel, everything we do is grounded in our values:
We’re all about people. We win together. We strive for better. We enjoy the everyday. We think further.
We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and bring their full selves to work.
Ready to make your mark?
Apply now and take the next step in your career with a business that invests in your future and empowers you to make a real difference.
At Markel, we are all about the people, celebrating the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.
We will ensure that individuals are provided with any reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations or adjustments that may be needed, including alternative formats of documents or information on how to apply offline.
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