Background
Our team of expert military solicitors ensure service men and women have access to the specialist advice they need.
The department help military service personnel who need to bring a claim against the Ministry of Defence due to their failure to adequately protect from illness or avoidable injury.
The team advise on a full range of areas, including military deafness and cold and heat injuries.
The role
We are currently looking for Solicitors (0-3 year PQE) to join the military department, particularly focusing on military deafness and non-freezing cold injuries.
Military deafness
An estimated 300,000 ex-armed forces personnel in the UK suffer from noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. These injuries are not inevitable consequences of military life and the MoD has a duty of care to safeguard employees from the risk of hearing damage.
Duties will include:
* taking initial enquiries from clients and drafting witness evidence
* considering and managing a high volume of disclosure of documents
* updating clients on their claim
* dealing with telephone enquiries from clients
* assisting in instructing counsel
* preparation of court documents
* preparation of detailed schedules of loss
* assessing complex medical conditions and consideration of medical issues/ reports
* review of reports from acoustic engineering experts
* review and advice on offers in respect of breach of duty and quantum
Non-freezing cold injuries
An estimated tens of thousands of ex-armed forces personnel in the UK live with non-freezing cold injuries, including long-term pain, numbness, and hypersensitivity to cold. These injuries are not an inevitable part of military service. The MoD has a duty of care to protect service members from preventable cold exposure and to ensure that adequate training, equipment, and procedures are in place to reduce the risk of cold-related harm.
Duties will include:
* taking initial enquiries from clients and drafting witness evidence
* considering and managing a high volume of disclosure of documents
* updating clients on their claim
* dealing with telephone enquiries from clients
* assisting in instructing counsel
* preparation of court documents
* preparation of detailed schedules of loss
* assessing complex medical conditions and consideration of medical issues/ reports
* reviewing reports from environmental, occupational health, and military training experts relevant to cold exposure
* review and advice on offers in respect of breach of duty and quantum
The successful candidate will be able to proactively manage their own case load with minimal supervision. The role also involves assisting with the supervision on the Paralegal team.
Skills & Qualifications
* Exposure to the claimant litigation process is essential
* Experience of independently managing a case load
* Previous experience of dealing with noise-induced hearing loss claims would be a distinct advantage, though not essential
* Organisation skills
* Accuracy and attention to detail
* Excellent client care
Life at Hugh James
We never shy away from a challenge
We are a leading, full-service UK law firm. Since our beginning, we have been led by the things that matter. We care about fighting for the right outcomes. Solving the seemingly unsolvable. Protecting businesses, individuals and livelihoods. Supporting our people, our communities. Safeguarding our planet. Looking for a way forward? At Hugh James, challenges – of all sizes – are readily accepted.
The Hugh James difference
Our law firm has always been guided by the idea that self-belief is just as important as skillset. Our pursuit of righting wrongs and protecting what's important keeps us driving forwards. It's in our roots We won't stop until we find the answers; the outcomes that are needed.
We are focused on the work we do, the business we run, and our culture. Our entrepreneurial spirit has taken us from humble beginnings to a strong presence across the UK with offices in Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Plymouth – servicing clients from businesses, individuals and banks to public sector organisations, property companies, education establishments and utilities providers. Our collegiate culture, our forward-looking ethos, our values serve to make us bigger, better, bolder than ever before.
A positive force in the community
Our work with charities on a local and national level plays a huge part in our day-to-day lives. We work with a large range of charities, some of which we support through fundraising, donations, volunteering and others we partner with where our areas of work cross paths. Staff, clients everyone comes together through a shared passion to do good in the community and support those in need.
Some of our benefits on offer include:
Minimum of 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
Two Corporate Social Responsibility days
Birthday day off
Death in service equivalent to twice annual salary
Auto enrolment pension scheme
Hybrid working
Employee Assistance Programme
Discounts for local businesses
Professional fees paid (subject to requirement for your role)
Employee recruitment incentive scheme
Hugh James is an equal opportunities and disability confident committed employer.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this opportunity. If you have questions, please contact Jack Osborne.
We reserve the right to close our vacancies earlier than the given deadline if we receive sufficient applications for the role.